Learning to be Helga
by Azure129
Summary: What could be more amusing than taking two hundred thousand words to make Arnold realize he loves Helga? Taking EIGHT hundred thousand words to explore in detail how this newfound relationship is working out! Sequel to Tutoring Arnold! Let's do this!
1. Trying to be Romantic

**A/N:**

Lol, okay, do you guys know how wonderful it was to go away for the weekend and suddenly come back and find like 15 or 16 new TA reviews screaming happily for more to the story :) Seriously, I love you guys so much, you're aware of that, right, lol? Okay, so, anyway, since I have three weeks of school left, I _was _going to be responsible and do work and not start posting this story until May, but like I said the draft's all worked out so it really just needed some editing, and you're all always so patient with my obscenely long delays in everything so here's chapter one submitted for your approval ;) Now, for anyone looking for Arnold's closet shrine reaction, sorry but it's not coming until chapter 3 (*_ducks severe amounts of rotten food being thrown*)_ but I promise you it's a doozy, and on the way we get to find out why Arnold's acting a little, well…unusual…in this chapter, and at least one amusing thing happens in chapter two that Helga doesn't expect so I hope that's enough to tide you all over. And for anyone who thinks Arnold and Helga's evening together could possibly be over after confronting the closet shrine (please, like I would actually write a non-one shot story that's only three chapters!)…unfortunately for our favorite couple, you would be wrong, because after Helga finishes having her little personal crisis, it's Arnold's turn and he's got his own ridiculously awkward situation to deal with ;)

Okay, okay, I'm going to stop being cruel and hinting at things to come! At least in this chapter, though, you get to find out what the heck he's doing trying to break into her house ;) I really hope you guys like how this turns out and I can't wait for your reviews :D

Oh, and for anyone who's interested, okay so basically like I said the idea for this continuation came from reading a lot of your reviews. Basically, I got back to school after a ten hour drive at like midnight, decided to unwind reading some TA reviews, and saw Aimi-chan's comment about how it would be interesting to have seen Arnold's reaction to the closet shrine, and then in my near complete exhaustion I was like 'Yeah, that actually would be interesting…' Anyway, I ended up writing until five in the morning (because I am way too obsessed with this show, lol!) and then just kept adding to it with even more random late nights and that's how we got this monstrous thing we have now ;)

Okay, I'll shut up, I swear! ;)

**Learning to be Helga**

**CHAPTER 1:**

**Trying to be Romantic…**

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* * *

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"Let's see…

_My eternal Light giving Life to Love,_

_Set against the inferior stars and moon above,_

_Outdoing all others and leaving me undone,_

_Now and forever, my Arnold, my only, my one_…"

Helga G. Pataki, resting comfortably against some pillows on her bed, mulled this potential stanza of poetry around in her head for a few seconds. Finally, she put pen to paper (or rather, pen to pink book) and smiled with satisfaction to herself. "_Oh_ yeah—_that's_ a keeper!"

Helga immediately commenced to recording these few lines…However, as she neared the last few words of the final line she had just composed, she finally had to admit to herself with a defeated sigh that she could no longer deny the fact that the glow of the twilight outside was officially so dim that even squinting at the page before her was no longer helping in her efforts to see what she was writing. Helga sighed with a touch of frustration this time as she just managed to conclude the last word of the quatrain and then dropped the pen into the crease of the book before her in brief defeat. She reached over to finally turn on the lamp next to her bed but, to her surprise considering the early hour (she glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand and noted that it was only 7pm), her reach quickly turned into a stretch and her sigh finished out as a full-blown yawn.

Helga blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes. "Crimeny, I finally get an evening to myself away from Bob and Olga and Miriam to just write _without_ a bunch of random interruptions and interference and annoying side comments…" This last item referred specifically to Olga Pataki, who was now all but officially in the Arnold and Helga loop. "But instead of getting work done, I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open…" Helga sighed once more (though she could feel the pull of another yawn at the back of her throat as she did so.) "Oh well…So much for something _productive_ coming from me actually convincing Bob and Miriam to leave me here while they drove Olga to the airport…" Helga blinked a few times and rubbed her slowly drooping eyelids. "Maybe I'll just hit the hay now and spend the last day of the weekend tomorrow actually sleeping-in now that _someone's_ not here to get me up at the crack of dawn!"

Despite the negative sounding comments about her sister, though, Helga couldn't help smiling as she said them. In fact, ever since all of the stuff with Arnold (especially the date that had taken place last Saturday—an exact week ago, actually, Helga noted to herself at the back of her mind), she hadn't been able to help but feel just a little closer to Olga…and a little more grateful for her, too. Not that Olga's constant reminders to her 'baby sister' during the remaining week of her visit about how she and Arnold were absolutely 'the most adorable, most precious, most scrumptious thing in the world' hadn't been SEVERLY ANNOYING, but still…it was kind of nice, in a way, to have someone from her family be a part of that part of her life. Not that Helga wanted Olga to get too close to the reality of the situation between herself and Arnold ( '_If she knew about what happened in the living room before Phoebe came downstairs she'd never let Football Head come around here again without a million escorts, including herself…), _but she didn't entirely mind the gentle natured ribbing about having a little 'boyfriend' or yesterday, for example, when she'd come home from her second 'date' with Arnold in such a good mood that she'd even been able to tolerate going to some girly movie with Olga that night and then out to dinner…and she'd actually had a pretty okay time.

Helga had to laugh to herself as she reclined her head back against her arms and added, "Heck, she's even made living with Bob and Miriam bearable…well, at least for the last few days…"

This interesting comment referred to the fact that over the last week of her visit, Olga Pataki seemed to have been on a mission to not only continue improving her relationship with her baby sister but also to fix some of the disconnection between their parents and Helga now that the whole matchmaking/Arnold situation was squared away.

A few particular memories of some of Olga's actions over the week surfaced in Helga's mind, causing her to chuckle just a bit harder to herself. "Oh man, when she got Bob into the suit and tie to do the family portrait I thought I was going to bust a gut!" Helga continued laughing to herself. "And I still can't believe she made Miriam buy those matching mother-daughter dresses for the three of us…" Helga's chuckling continued for a few seconds and then finally stopped with a sigh and a smile. "I really am going to hate to see the look on Olga's face though when she comes back for the summer only to find that my dress suffered a 'horrible accident'…" Helga made air quotes around the phrase. Hey, family bonding was one thing but three identical tacky chiffon dresses in varying sizes was quite another. And with free access to a blowtorch among other power tools, how could Helga resist? Still, it _was_ the thought that counted, and for that reason Helga's sincere smile to herself about her sister's recent (slightly over the top) behavior continued.

Helga had to let out another slight sigh and said smile faltered for just a second, though, as it hit her that all of the random (and actually kind of fun) family memories from the last week really were just that: memories. "Guess we'll just be going back to the same old routine though come tomorrow morning: Olga made some efforts (even though her efforts WERE a lot better this time), Bob and Miriam went along with it while she was here because she's the golden child, and now she leaves and they come crashing back down to reality and Miriam goes and gets a smoothie and Bob starts watching the wheel and asking me to get him Yahoo sodas." A bit of a frustrated scowl came to Helga's face and she crossed her arms over her chest at the thought. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath to calm herself down, trying not to focus on the inevitable return back to her normal invisibility in the Pataki household. Unlike usual, though, it didn't take much for her to come up with a source of happiness great enough to crush the impending fulfillment of her disappointment in her parents….

Helga opened her eyes and smiled to herself, glancing at the pink book upon her nightstand. "Well, I guess finally winning Arnold's heart is a pretty decent consolation prize for having a lame Mom and a blowhard Dad…" Helga couldn't help but giggle and sigh girlishly to herself as she let the wonderful fact hit her yet again that week that Arnold liked her back. After seven long years of pining and hoping and crazy romantic schemes ARNOLD actually LIKED HER **BACK**!!! With a suddenly delighted smile and her eyes lit up, Helga sat up once more and quickly pulled her Arnold locket out of her jumper. "Oh, my football headed little love god, you've actually started to care for me as I care for you! You hold my hand (although, not in public of course, because I couldn't bear the idea of my feelings being in anyway a source of ridicule toward you or myself), you go out on dates with me (once again, though, in secret since I just can't yet bear the thought of publically divulging the passion I have for you) and you even KISS me!!! **KISS** _**ME**_!!!" She practically squealed in delight! "Oh Arno—_Ahhh_…." Her last exclamation of her beloved's name, to her surprise, suddenly ended in a rather large yawn, bringing Helga out of monologue-mode and reminding her that she was indeed pretty tired and that it was almost nighttime.

With a final stretch she leaned over and put the locket on her nightstand along with her pink book. She shrugged in its direction, smiling. "Eh, I guess praising your glory can wait until the morning, my dearest…" Helga then turned on her stomach and laid her head on her arms, gazing at the image of Arnold's half-lidded gaze looking back at her in its little heart-shaped frame. "Still…" she lowered her voice just a little, "Maybe instead of a monologue I'll just call you up tomorrow and let you know once again just how happy you've made me… You'd like that, wouldn't you, my love?" She gently tapped the glass surface of the locket with one of her fingers and giggled in delight once more.

With a sigh, Helga turned away from the locket onto her back again, placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, just to rest for a few moments and to fully allow the good fortune of having Arnold in her life wash over her. '_Hmm…it's funny but I don't think I've done a full length Arnold monologue ever since last weekend when the little shrimp dropped by to plant one on me and let me know that he kinda likes me too_…' Helga smiled to herself at the memory of the night. '_But I guess it makes sense that I'm not going into secret epic conversations with myself about Arnold much anymore…especially when I can just tell him whatever I want to say about him in a poem or own my own.'_

Yet, despite the happy thought, Helga had to let out a slightly regretful sigh, her eyes opening to gaze in the almost nonexistent light from outside at the ceiling above her. Certainly it was wonderful that she could now talk to Arnold about her feelings instead of just to herself…yet there was one small downfall. Namely, Brainy had less of an excuse to be in her life. Not that Helga wanted to lead him on or anything, of course (she'd tried to be as explicit as possible about the whole 'I love Arnold and I don't love you' thing during his confession) but she couldn't help but feel _some_ small affection for the geeky, asthmatic kid all things considered: he was like some kind of old friend that she hadn't realized she'd been taking for granted until she'd found out that he wouldn't have minded being more than just friends. Anyway, as a result of these sympathetic feelings, Helga had at least _tried_ to throw in one or two brief Arnold rants in secret places over the course of the last five days at school and, even though it seemed to her that he might be aware that her efforts were a little forced (there had to be a noticeable difference, after all, between suddenly making a speech in a fit of passion, and randomly moving away from the crowd to say a couple of preplanned sentences about Arnold all the while glancing over your back in nervous anticipation), Brainy had seemed to appreciate the gesture… In fact, during Helga's final 'monologue' on Thursday he'd actually caught her fist as it was flying back (very slowly, since, of course, Helga didn't want to hurt him regardless of the fact that he had assured her two weeks ago that the act was okay) and just sighed and smiled and said, "Uh…thanks…Helga," and then gone off on his way.

Helga just sighed and shook her head at the memory with a smile. "Oh well…even if things have to change between me and Brainy I think it might actually be a good thing. Maybe we could even try having a normal friendship instead of the whole stalker/stalkee relationship..." And then Helga had to smile and laugh as another interesting idea occurred to her considering some of the circumstances of the last week. "Heck, maybe I could even try using my matchmaking skills to set the little geek up with someone who _isn't_ suddenly dating their true love… I mean, he's a decent guy and besides I'm on a bit of a roll in that department considering Gerald and Phoebe…" And indeed Helga couldn't help feeling a touch of pride as she recalled just how well her handiwork in that area had turned out. "I just wish me and Pheebs had a little more time to talk about everything that's happened, but I guess the time management with Arnold and Gerald is going to take a little while to get used to…" Not that the whole girly gossiping about boys appealed to Helga too much but, well, she'd had to admit to herself lately that, considering the opportunities afforded by her sister and (when possible) by Phoebe and even to an extent by Lila, '_A quick gush every once in a while can be helpful…and like I said it's nice to say things to another person for once instead of just to a picture or a pink book or a shrine_…' Helga's wandering (and drowsy) thoughts briefly went to the Arnold shrine in the attic space above her closet, which seemed to be getting less and less attention from her (over the last week, at least). Granted, it wasn't like she was spending _every_ second of her time with the actual Arnold (there was still the façade to keep up at school, as per Helga's request), but the nice amount of time she _had_ spent with him over the week and yesterday just talking about their days and their lives and (to an extent) their feelings seemed to relieve the formerly almost unbearable internal presence of her love which had been such a huge factor in her life for so many years…

Helga shook her head, realizing she was getting lost in her thoughts again, and glanced over at her nightstand (or more specifically, at the phone next to her lamp upon her nightstand). "Maybe I'll just take the rest of the time I have alone tonight to give Phoebe a quick ca—_Ahhh_…" Helga had to stop in mid-reach for the phone as another yawn overtook her. She hesitated a second put then pulled her arm back and sat up, stretching up once more. "Or, maybe I'll just call her tomorrow and get to bed for now…" She smiled to herself. "Sheesh, having your life actually go decently for a change can really take a lot out of a girl!"

Still not having turned on her nightstand lamp, Helga shrugged and decided to just leave it off (there was still enough light to change clothes by and to make it to the bathroom), change into her pajamas and crawl into her warm and inviting bed.

She got up from her pink sheets and blankets and approached her dresser, the thoughts about how much better things seemed in her life still mulling around in her head. '_Well, one thing's for sure—Arnold's __definitely__ having a good effect on my life…and on me…_' She couldn't help but sigh to herself though and add with just a touch of concern, '_I just hope all of my insanity isn't messing up my precious little love god TOO badly_…'

And Helga could have just gone to bed with that thought on her mind, completing it in whatever way she desired to ultimately convince herself that, despite her fears about changing him, her presence in Arnold's life couldn't be nearly as significant as his presence in hers. Indeed, she could have slipped into her pajamas and crawled between the sheets and fallen asleep and never been the wiser about what happened next.

Unfortunately, Helga was too observant—and _someone_ was too inept (just yet) at being sneaky—for her NOT to notice the sudden scratch of several branches of the tree just outside against her window.

Helga turned to the window, a twist of fear coming into her stomach. After all, she was alone in the house, it was almost completely dark out now, and the amount of fading sunlight in her room was only growing dimmer and dimmer. '_It…it's just the wind. I need to stop being paranoid and go to bed already! Crimeny, what am I—Three?_' She was trying to rally some of her usual Helga G. Pataki toughness and courage as she had these thoughts. Nonetheless, she felt herself swallow hard with nerves.

"Ah!" A very small yelp escaped her mouth as she swore she saw some slight but very deliberate and constant motion among the dark branches now pressed against her window. Like, in some way, something or someone was indeed managing to use them to reach the second floor of the Pataki household.

Helga took a couple of deep breaths and glanced around her room. Her eyes fell on her baseball bat leaning against her dresser and she grabbed it, a scowl instantly besetting her face. "Alright," she whispered to herself in the darkness, taking a couple of practice swings, "If someone thinks they're robbing the Pataki's blind, they've got another thing coming!" Helga almost couldn't help the slight wish at the very back of her mind that she was the one with dangerous lumber and not her beloved…or that he was here to help her. After all, she'd probably only have one shot at this if there was indeed a prowler lurking around in her yard and trying to get upstairs via her window, and anything (or anyone) that would contribute to the likelihood of her knocking the creep out with one swing would be more than welcome.

Slowly (and very nervously, though the scowl was still firmly on her face), Helga crept over to her bed (avoiding the line of sight from outside the window, of course) and crawled onto the covers. On her knees now upon the blankets, she shifted to the side of the window, getting as close as she could to it. She swallowed hard and, shakily, raised the bat high in one hand, and in her other hand reached as far back as she could to just touch the switch of the lamp on her nightstand. '_I'm gonna need to be able to see what I'm doing if I'm actually going to try and take this loser out… Besides, the lights suddenly coming on in a supposedly empty house should surprise the heck out of anybody_.' She grinned proudly to herself, confident in her plan of action. The strange movement of the branches continued and then she noticed some steady creaking sounds coming from the wood, not like someone was climbing and occasionally stepping on one limb after another so much as like they were putting constant pressure on one limb in particular—maybe finding a way to pull themselves up using a cord or a rope or something…

Suddenly, and to Helga's great terror (though she was trying to ignore this feeling and focus on putting up a good defensive of the Pataki homestead), she could make out a dark shadow coming through the foliage of the tree. She watched it move closer to the house... Whoever or whatever it was seemed to have some trouble with the window initially (it was unlocked, of course, but there was no real way to grip it from the outside to pull it up), but after enough pushing up against the outside frame, they managed to get it open just a little. The amount was just enough for them to slip their hands underneath the window frame…and then they pushed it up as hard as they could, finally opening it wide and letting a blast of cool night air into the room.

That was Helga's cue. She instantly flicked on the lamp switch. "NICE TRY BUCKO BUT YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP PRETTY EARLY IN THE MORNING TO TRY ROBBING A PATAKI!!!" Helga instantly moved herself fully in front of the window and raised the bat high.

She blinked and lost her scowl, though, as she saw nothing there. No scary prowler or robber…just the tree as it usually was.

"HELGA…??!?!" Suddenly, she jumped back a bit as she heard some coughing and the rustling of a few more leaves. WHOA!!!"

Helga felt her eyes widen considerably as the most unexpected voice on the planet met her ears. She looked closer at the foliage of the tree and suddenly noticed a hand coming out of it, gripping a rope. Arnold's football shaped head then emerged as well, though full of twigs and leaves. His exclamation of Helga's name had come from the fact that, as she had turned on her light and dove in front of the window, he had gotten a clear view of her…and the bat she was holding. His, WHOA , however, was the result of nervously trying to free himself from his current position of being tangled amongst the tree branches and the rope he had been using to hoist himself up to the top one so that he could make it to her window without having to climb in the darkness… Now, finally, he felt himself fall forward and out of the bundle of leafy branches, the rope still holding him securely around his waist on one end, though the other end was almost hopelessly tangled in the treetop. The end result was that he was now currently hanging down suspended from one of the branches, dangling just below Helga's open window.

"A-Arnold…?" Her mouth hung open and she had an eyebrow raised. Her voice was at a whole new level of incredulity. "Wh-what the—I mean how in the—and how did you—and what are you—and where in the…" She blinked several times in shock, actually speechless for possibly the first time in her life.

For a second she just knelt there, taking in the sight of a still totally shocked looking Arnold actually trying to…to break into her room! '_This cannot be happening…It's just too crazy for it to __actually__ be happening_…' Finally, Helga lowered the bat to her bed and managed to speak a complete sentence, the flabbergasted look still on her face though of course. "So, is this a dream I'm having after one too many tainted Mr. Fudgie bars, or did the whole cosmos of the universe actually just invert?"

"Um…" Arnold took several deep breaths, trying to subside his panic as he felt himself finally accepting Helga's sudden (and TOTALLY unexpected) presence at the window. "Okay…I…can explain…" Helga couldn't help but notice the absolute look of mortification on his still surprised face as he said these words. He seemed to be trying to smile to help with the situation a bit…but it was obvious that even _he_ recognized that there was no hope for escaping mounds of awkward embarrassment with this one. "Actually…" he glanced away and she noticed a blush come to his cheeks, "I kind of _can't,_ in a way…"

As the shock of her beloved's unexpected arrival began to ebb, Helga felt herself scowl and she reached out of the window and grabbed the free end of the rope that was just sticking out of the top of the leaves and branches in which its body was tangled. "Oh yes, Arnold, you _are_ going to explain to me what the heck you are doing _right __now_ or I swear I'm going to toss this rope as far away from you as possible into the tree, lock my window, shut out all the lights and let you figure out how to get down all on your own. And my parents are going to be home soon…and that means my Dad…who's going to remember your face from only two weeks ago. Now, give me a reason to even _begin_ thinking of helping you…"

Arnold took a breath and seemed to be trying to conceal something behind his back in one of his hands as he spoke. "Helga, it…I…I really don't want to tell you because—"

"_Wrong_ answer, Football Head!" Helga gave the rope a sudden jerk, causing Arnold to fly up against the fan of branches from which he was hanging, and then to sink back to his former position, though with even more leaves and twigs sprinkling his hair. She knew she shouldn't be torturing him like this but, in her defense, he'd practically scared her to death just now and the adrenaline had to go into _something_: and bugging Arnold always _had_ been a fun channel for her emotions.

"Helga!" He glared up at her in annoyance, trying his best to pull some of the foliage from his hair.

"Nope, sorry!" She gave the rope another firm jerk, causing a repetition of what had just happened to Arnold with the tree and the branches above. " 'My name' is ALSO not a correct response as to why the _heck_ you're in my tree and trying to use a rope to break into _my room_!"

Arnold just sighed as he found himself full of leaves and hanging below her window this time. He looked up at her again, speaking in a bit of a pleading voice. "Helga, I just…" He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Okay, look, I obviously messed up what I was trying to do—"

"_OH_, yeah_!" _Helga gave another firm jerk to the rope, rolling her eyes. "Just _a little_!" she finished, sarcastically.

Arnold coughed a few times and shook his head to get rid of some of the twigs littering his wide head before looking up at her again, this time with a slight scowl as his patience was starting to wane. "I _obviously messed up what I was trying to do…_" he repeated firmly, suddenly managing to grab a bit at the sill and pull himself a little closer to the open window and the girl currently looking out at him from it. "But it was _for_ _you_," he continued, the weak scowl instantly softening as quickly as it had come as he finished, "So, could you maybe just…let me go and pretend this didn't happen? So that I can try it again later and do it right when you're _really_ not home?"

Helga felt her resolve to get the truth out of him through sheer stubborn bullying waver for just a second. However, her personal curiosity and her enjoyment of the situation she was finding herself in right now were both more than enough to outweigh her guilt about annoying her beloved. As a result, rather than cutting him a break, she leaned out of the window just a bit more and looked at him with a mischievous smile. "Actually, Arnold," she began in a mocking voice, recalling certain things that had been said the last time the two of them were at her house together (last Saturday evening during their first date, to be specific). "I think I'd like to _try it again_!" And suddenly she jerked the rope once more, even a bit harder this time than the previous two pulls.

"WHOA!" Arnold felt himself jerked away from the sill he had been clinging to and back into the branches.

It took him a couple of seconds, considering how much strength Helga had put into it this time, but finally Arnold managed to come out of the tree again…though this time with several twigs and leaves not just in his hair but sticking out of his sweater and shirt collar, as well as a very firm scowl on his face. Arnold let out a frustrated sigh and did his best to pull the offending bits of tree off of his body, though it was difficult considering his precarious position still hanging above Helga's yard and the fact that he still seemed intent on keeping one hand behind his back for some reason... "Okay, okay! _I'll tell you_. Just STOP _doing_ that!"

Helga smiled in triumph to herself. She put her elbows on the sill and rested her head in her hands, leaning out once more in Arnold's direction. "Okay, let's hear it, Football Head, because I feel like this is going to be unimaginably hysterical. I mean, even more so than it _already_ is."

Arnold, rolling his eyes and doing his best to ignore how much she seemed to be enjoying this obviously embarrassing situation he had gotten himself into, took a couple of seconds to clean off his hair and clothes. Finally, he closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath…and then managed to open them and look back up at Helga, his scowl long gone. He spoke softly and hesitantly. "I was just…trying to surprise you…and…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, glancing away, the last traces of his annoyance giving way completely to embarrassment as a light blush came to his face. "…And trying to…be romantic…I guess."

"Romantic…" Helga blinked at the word, losing her smug smile, "When you thought I wasn't here? Arnold, what are you talking about?" she asked with genuine curiosity.

Arnold swallowed hard, still not looking at her, and put his free hand behind his back with the one that seemed to be holding the something that he was trying to conceal… "Well…I figured that since our first 'date' was on Saturday that….well, that today's technically our one week anniversary…" He tried to smile up at her, though he could feel his heart pounding at how ridiculous he was sure he must sound.

To his surprise, though, the blank look of curiosity just remained on Helga's face…though a distinct red blush began to creep up into it. Arnold couldn't help but smile at the sight. He cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, I was thinking about what you might like…you know, for a present… And then I was thinking about some of the stuff that's been going on over the last two weeks…and about yesterday and the shrines thing, and about how much courage that took for you to share with me and about how happy I was that you'd done it even though it embarrassed you a little… And, I guess I…" he sighed and shrugged, "I guess I kind of came up with a crazy scheme of my own…" He laughed slightly to himself at the idea, looking at her a bit sheepishly again.

Helga just continued to not react as he spoke, the blank look dominating her face…though, Arnold noticed, her blush seemed to be growing stronger in the soft light of the lamp glowing warmly behind her.

Arnold swallowed nervously, and couldn't help but give into the need to glance down again as he could feel his own face growing warmer and warmer. "See, I was thinking yesterday during our date that you might feel a little better about the math book if you knew that _I_ might have saved something of _yours_ at one point to remind _me_ of _you_…well, of 'Cecile,' technically, I guess…" Slowly, he brought forward the red shoe that he had been concealing in his hands behind his back, moving it forward so that Helga could see it in the light streaming out of her room window. "I was going to bring it up yesterday if we'd gone back to my house after Slausens, but I forgot about it and then you went home right after the ice cream because you had to meet Olga…" He swallowed and managed to look up at her still blank and blushing face again as he continued. "And I just thought that, maybe, the fact that I saved it for all these months to remind me of a person I'd thought I'd only met once would kind of show you that it's not so strange to keep a reminder around of a person you've known for almost your whole life."

Arnold swallowed after this little explanation and glanced down again, and next removed a folded up piece of paper from one of his pockets. "And, then, I was thinking about the way you brought me the poetry book that Friday, and I thought it might be nice—since you were out taking your sister to the airport like you said your parents were probably going to make you do today…and since it's our anniversary like I said before—to maybe…" He managed to look up at her again, "…To maybe drop off the shoe on your bed and then write a note about it and about you to go with it...and maybe another poem for you." He almost chuckled to himself as he added as an afterthought, "Maybe an acronym of _my_ name but about _you_." He smiled at the memory of the clever way in which she'd signed her letter she'd left when she'd broken into his room to leave the pink book behind, and couldn't help glancing down shyly again. "Anyway, I know I'm new at this whole 'love' thing, but I just thought it seemed kind of…well, like I said, romantic." He smiled at her once again, feeling a little less embarrassed now that he was finally done with his explanations and hoping for a reaction from Helga that would tell him that she liked his present for her.

Helga, however, continued to remain silent, still staring blankly down at him and still blushing (though it was even stronger now).

Arnold couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in concern at her continued lack of speech. "Helga…?" he asked with a touch of confusion and worry.

Finally, at the sound of her name Helga Pataki swallowed hard and managed to speak in a quiet voice, still looking at Arnold with her blue eyes wide. "You…you really _are_ okay with everything about me, aren't you, Football Head…? I mean…the loving and the dating and the stalking…_everything_. And…" she almost smiled, "You really do care about me, don't you…" These statements weren't said like questions to be answered but rather as recently discovered truths that the speaker felt like she had, for the first time, truly accepted.

Arnold took a second to absorb the questions, and then smiled at the continued (and still unnecessary) disbelief in her face. "Happy Anniversary, Helga."

Arnold realized, after about half a minute, that he was still just grinning dreamily at her as she just continued to blush and look at him with a mix of surprise and awe. He quickly cleared his throat and glanced away awkwardly. "So…is it okay for me to come in now? I mean, I know you're probably busy and that you're…alone and everything…" Helga couldn't help but notice that he hesitated when adding this last observation, a touch something suddenly in his voice…almost like…guilt? He continued, clearing his throat and interrupting her thoughts. "But…I really don't think I can get back down from this tree the way the rope's all tangled now without hurting myself, so…" He looked up at her sincerely, "Would it be okay for me to come in just for a second so that I can use the door to get down?"

Arnold watched as Helga, still with that disbelieving look and slight smile upon her face, suddenly blinked a few times and came out of whatever thoughts she'd been having, her eyes falling to the end of the rope in her hands as she recalled Arnold's request for help. She grabbed her end firmly and slowly pulled it back this time, allowing Arnold to rise not so much that he would hit the tree branches again, but just enough so that he could grab the window sill to steady himself as he had tried to do before. As he did so, she grabbed first the red shoe from his left hand (putting it to the side on her bed), and then one of Arnold's arms and quickly helped pull him through the window and inside of her house.

Finally clearing the windowsill, Arnold shook his head for a few seconds in hopes of causing any remaining twigs and leaves to fall out of his hair, and then undid the piece of rope from around his body, letting it hang in through the window. He glanced to his right where Helga sat taking a few breaths as well after the effort of getting him inside. He smiled at her. "Thanks, Helga." He put his right arm down and rested some weight on it so that he could lean a bit closer to her…and his open palm finally came in contact with the soft sheets upon which he was sitting…and he blinked, suddenly very much aware that he was indeed in Helga's room and on Helga's bed and alone with Helga.

"No problem, Football Head." She took one last breath and then turned to him with a smile. "Like I'd ever really leave you stuck in a tree." The funny way she'd said this line coupled with her slight smile and laugh…and how she could look…well, how her face could just suddenly look so warm when she was around him and being herself wasn't helping make Arnold any less nervous about the position in which he currently found himself.

Helga, noticing the nearby hand of the arm upon was Arnold was still leaning on toward her, made a quick personal decision and suddenly reached over to place her own hand on top of it…just as Arnold blinked and stood up and walked across her room, sitting himself in a chair off to the side.

"Ow!" With no Arnold to grab onto, the shift of Helga's weight in the former direction of her beloved caused her to fall on her side upon the surface of her bed rather unexpectedly. She shook her head for a second, and looked to Arnold, a slight scowl on her face. "Sheesh, Football Head, quick dating tip—when a girl who you supposedly like tries to hold your hand, you don't run away in terror and plant yourself as far away from her as possible! Especially, when it's your 'anniversary.'" Helga was trying to make the tone of her voice sound mostly sarcastic but inside there was a definite touch of insecurity and confusion running through her thoughts and feelings. '_Did I do something wrong? He was spouting all of that 'romantic Anniversary present' stuff, and then I pull him in and suddenly it's like I have the plague. Seriously, do I have something on my face or something…?_' Helga couldn't help but glance across her room at the full length standing mirror located near the far wall. She touched her face and her hair for a second to confirm what the reflection showed: that, to her continued confusion, she looked just the same as ever.

Noticing the slight bit of hurt in her eyes at being suddenly rejected by him like that, Arnold couldn't help but feel a touch of guilt come to him. He swallowed hard, looking over at her. "Sorry, Helga…I guess I'm just a little…" He swallowed again and hesitated for a second, clearing his throat before continuing to speak. "I mean…well, like I said, I really didn't expect you to be here and then you caught me trying to do the whole present thing to be—" He felt the word catch in his throat, but he had already started the sentence and he knew it would seem strange to suddenly cut it off like that. "…Romantic…"

Helga couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his verbal hesitations (especially that one before clearing his throat), the slightly guilty look on his face, and to top it all off the slight blush threatening to creep up in his cheeks. It was then that a very interesting thought occurred to her for the first time in her life. '_I…I'm making Arnold nervous. I'm actually making Arnold nervous_.' Helga knew, at the back of her mind, that Arnold had probably been nervous around her before—they had technically been together for a week, after all, and of course there had been their first 'date' last weekend… '_Heck, I'm STILL blushing about that night_…' she couldn't help but think to herself, recalling her and Arnold's technically three kisses (two of which had been initiated by him…the last one being a very _interesting_ experience for Helga, in particular, to say the least…) But, coming back to the situation at hand, Helga had never been as actively aware of having this effect on him as she was right now. And it was the strangest thing in the world for her to be suddenly staring at the universe's biggest example of the shoe suddenly being on the other foot.

And as this realization of the effect she was having on Arnold concluded in her mind, Helga could already feel a multitude of humorous observations and random methods of teasing forming on the tip of her tongue to keep Arnold adorably squirming and blushing like he was right now. Yet, despite the undeniable temptation to have a bit of fun with her beloved, Helga hesitated. '_I don't know…maybe now's not the right time for me to have some fun with him. He __does__ still seem a little freaked out about getting caught breaking into my room like this, after all, and the last thing I want to do is add insult to injury and turn tonight into some kind of permanent scar on his psyche or something. Besides this whole First Anniversary thing really is precious, after all. And it really does look like he went through a lot of trouble, even though it didn't really work out. And, anyway, I really shouldn't talk—I mean, I __am__ the one who gave him the crazy idea to do this thing with that whole pink book special delivery last week. If __he'd__ caught __me__ doing that, no matter how tempting, he wouldn't have even thought twice about making fun of me for it_.' Helga couldn't help but smile slightly at the idea of her noble and understanding beloved accepting her eccentricities rather than mocking her for them. And her grin only grew as she added to herself as an afterthought, '_And_, _besides, the last thing I want to do is discourage any more of these little efforts from happening in the future…I mean, the idea of showing up at Arnold's unannounced to see him sounded pretty fun…_' Helga briefly recalled the little comment he had made to her yesterday during their date about leaving the window unlocked now that the fire escape was fixed, '_But the idea of __him__ randomly coming to see __me__ like that…looking all flustered and embarrassed just because he's around __me__…?_' Helga did her best to stifle a giggle at the notion. _'Now, that sounds __really__ nice…'_

Arnold, meanwhile, noticing that Helga was being unusually quiet, glanced up in her direction…and he had to blink at the sight of her quietly almost laughing or…giggling…to herself (he raised an eyebrow at that idea). Arnold continued to observe her having whatever thoughts she was having for a second or two more, before his eyes caught sight of the red shoe still just beside her on the bed. He blinked and then looked from the shoe to Helga and then back to the shoe, and came to a decision now that he had a couple of seconds to think clearly and to let his embarrassment subside. '_Well, the surprise might have gotten a little ruined, but…she still deserves to be officially given her present._' He couldn't help but sigh mentally, though, at the fact that doing so would no longer include a special note written in the few minutes he would have taken to do so alone in her room…briefly admiring this quintessentially 'Helga' place that he couldn't help but feel like he'd taken for granted the very few other times he had ended up here in his life. '_Maybe I can explain to her what I wanted to say, though… She won't have a note to keep to remind her of it like I do, of course…but it'll still be __something_…' And then Arnold's thoughts briefly turned to Helga's note that she'd left with her pink book from last weekend….the funny, beautiful, poetic note he had been keeping safely hidden away for the last eight days, pressed in the middle of the notebook she'd use to tutor him in poetry two weeks ago (a notebook in which she'd absentmindedly doodle a lot of Football shaped objects he'd noticed with a chuckle after flipping through the remaining pages a few times).

With this conviction to try and salvage his originally intended plan for Helga's present in mind, Arnold stood up from his seat with a half smile and slowly approached Helga's bed again.

His sudden movement forward and the smile on his face caused Helga to come out of her thoughts and to blink, suddenly feeling a touch of nerves herself at the fact that her beloved was approaching her. She might have been making him nervous her and now, but, after all, he had been making butterflies explode in her stomach at the sight of him for over two thirds of her life...and whenever he actually got physically close to her, the effect had always gone into more than overdrive to say the least.

Arnold finally reached the edge of Helga's bed right in front of her and smiled down at her. "Helga?" he asked quietly and warmly.

"Huh?!" She blinked and couldn't help but reply in a voice just a bit more high-pitched than her usual one, suddenly coming out of a flood of memories of all of the times the mere sight of Arnold had practically made her melt inside. "Oh, uh…yeah, Football Head?" she did her best to ask as casually as possible.

He swallowed hard… "About our anniversary…" And then began to lean forward and down…

Helga closed her eyes and felt herself tense up. She couldn't help but pucker her lips just slightly as well in anticipation of whatever might come next… After all, as he'd just said, it _was_ their anniversary…

She felt his warmth come near her and one of his arms even brush one of hers…but then just as quickly as it had come the warmth was gone… No touch, no kiss… Helga opened her eyes, unsure of what had just happened.

Arnold just stood before her, holding in his hands the red shoe he had, she realized, just reached past her to get. She looked from the shoe to the face of her beloved, watching both items unsurely.

Arnold smiled, looking almost tenderly at the item in his hand and then at Helga, still seated on her bed right in front of him. "I'm sorry that my present didn't quite turn out how I planned it…" He smiled sheepishly at her. "Guess I need more 'tutoring' in the crazy schemes department, huh?"

Helga blinked, that unsure look on her face for just a second more until she'd processed the question. Then she couldn't help but half smile to herself and actually reach up and give him a playful punch in the shoulder. "Yeah, just a bit—I even have half a mind to take you on a quick break-in run to your house after school next Friday just to show you the '_ropes'_…" Helga jerked her thumb in the direction of the end of Arnold's rope which was still hanging into her room courtesy of the open window. She mentally sighed to herself. _'Great, he's already making tutoring jokes and I just pulled some lame wordplay with the whole rope thing… This evening's just going to be riddled with potential puns that I'm not going to be able to resist, isn't it?_' Yet, she had to chuckle at the thought, as well as at the fact that Arnold seemed to be relaxing just a bit more in general now that they'd spent a few minutes together. '_So maybe Arnold isn't __too__ upset about the idea of at least a few jokes tonight.' _

As Helga's thoughts concluded, Arnold managed to get his warm laughter (which had started up the second the word 'ropes' had come out of her mouth) under control. He quickly recalled the shoe still in his hand, and then he cleared his throat and looked at Helga. "Anyway, Helga…" a few more chuckles escaped him, though he did his best to suppress them for now so that he could continue with what he wanted to say about the present, "Like I said, I'm sorry things didn't go as planned but I still want to at least officially give you your gift." He took a quick look down at the shoe still in his hands, and then looked back at Helga and slowly, delicately placed the object in her lap. "I'm just sorry it doesn't have some kind of beautiful note with it like your pink book had for me…" He blushed a bit, Helga noticed, as he tried his best to continue. "I mean, I don't think I could've ever written anything as…as perfect as what you wrote to me, but… since my first poem for you turned out okay in your 'professional opinion…' '

As he added this last phrase Helga had to crack another impressed smile. '_Touché, once again, Football Head.'_

Arnold just smiled to himself at his joke and continued, "Well then, with the note and the poem tonight I thought I might be able to come up with something decent about you and me and…" He found himself swallowing hard and he could feel a blush creeping into his cheeks again at the fact that getting close to talking about his situation with Helga was reminding him once more that he was indeed _alone_ with a girl he liked…a lot…a whole lot… "And, um…" he tried to pull himself out of the thoughts he was having about his feelings and to fish for something a little less awkward to add to his sentence, though it was a little hard for him to think about the other things he'd wanted to mention all of a sudden, to say the least… "And I—I also wanted to let you know again that I really did appreciate the fact that you let me know about the shrine yesterday, Helga."

As he spoke, Helga couldn't help blinking, her breaths coming a bit shallowly as she took in the considerate words he had said and his own flustered reaction: so much like she herself had acted around him in a million awkward situations throughout their lives (though much less obviously so prior to her confession, of course.) She quickly swallowed, trying not to blush, as she addressed Arnold's fuller explanation of his motives for being there. "Uh…don't worry about the note, Football Head…I mean, the shoe and the explanation and the whole idea behind it…it's more than enough for our, uh…Anniversary…"

She blushed at the word, and Arnold couldn't help but smile at the reaction. Finally, he took a deep breath and asked the question that had been on his mind all night ever since coming up with this plan and actually leaving the Boarding House to go through with it. "So…you liked it, then, Helga?"

Now Helga had to smile, though hers was the result of just how much hopeful anticipation there was in Arnold's question—like he was genuinely uncertain whether his efforts had pleased her, and like he was genuinely concerned about the answer.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, it's the _worst_ thing anyone's ever _done_ for me, Football Head. Seriously—thinking about my feelings, coming up with what I might really be needing even though I don't know what I need half the time myself, planning out this whole elaborate plan for giving it to me (after you remembered that I wouldn't be home since you actually listened to me when I was talking to you yesterday), actually risking breaking your neck using the tree to get up here at night all for the sake of the irony instead of just banking on the likelihood of a key being under the mat so you could use the front door to get to my room, planning a note, actually coming up with this whole First Anniversary thing in the first place when even me, the most hopeless romantic in existence, didn't pick up on that…" She shook her head at him, smiling quite a bit. "All absolutely horrible traits in a boyfriend, Arnold. Absolutely unforgiveable."

Arnold was smiling very much at his point as she concluded her rant, seriously trying not to laugh at her humorous response.

Helga, seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood from all of the laughing they'd been doing ever since he'd got here (and seeing an opportunity) swallowed hard and (smiling just a little more shyly, now) added to her initial comments, "I mean…really, Football Head, the only way you could make tonight even more of a nightmare is if you went and did something like kiss me…" She swallowed hard, not daring to glance at him and see his reaction to her suggestion.

Arnold, who had been enjoying standing before Helga and listening to her little joking diatribe about the incident that had just occurred between them, took a second to process this last thing. And his smile dropped away and his eyes widened considerably when he did. He felt his heart begin to pound as his gaze turned to Helga Pataki, sitting there now and wringing her hands nervously, and watching them with a great deal more interest than was necessary as she did so. A small smile was on her slightly blushing face, and Arnold couldn't help the smile that unconsciously came to his own at the thought of how pretty she looked like that: just sitting there loving him and waiting for him to confirm yet again that he loved her back. At the sight of her a dreamy smile couldn't help forming on his face. '_I really am glad I'm not trying to fight this anymore. I guess I just couldn't figure out how I felt about Helga until I really figured out everything about how she felt about me_.' He mentally laughed to himself. '_I spent all that time practically fighting to be in denial, and for what—so that I could avoid the fact that this wonderful person who I love learning about cares about me? And that I…that I really do care about her too?_' He felt his smile grow a bit more. '_She's right, as usual—I really am a little dense. Oh well…at least that's over now…'_

And before he knew what he was doing, Arnold found himself leaning is face in closer to Helga's…slowly covering the small amount of space between where he was standing and where she was sitting before him.

Seeing the shadow of his body moving closer to her, Helga blinked and finally turned her eyes away from her lap and back to her beloved. She swallowed hard. Her eyes met Arnold's, which were so close and so overwhelming to her all of a sudden that she had to use her arms to push herself just slightly back on the bed so that she could buy herself at least a second more of taking in his beautiful face and mentally preparing herself for his impending kiss.

She was more than a little disappointed to say the least when, after breaking away from them for just a split second to readjust herself, she looked back into Arnold's eyes expecting to see the warmth and tenderness and even just a bit of shyness she had seen before, and instead was met with those green jellybeans of his looking wide with shock and surprise and almost…fear. She barely had time to register this unexpected sight and raise part of her brow just slightly when Arnold suddenly pulled back away from her and walked back over to his former chair, sitting down once more and not looking at her, his arms crossed over his chest. Much of that look that Helga had just seen come to his eyes remained over his entire face, though the way he glanced around a few times and appeared to swallow hard suggested the word 'guilt' to her as well (for the second time that night), though she couldn't figure out why he would be feeling that emotion around her and, of all times, right now.

Though Helga couldn't help a slight hurt suddenly appearing inside of her as she fully processed his second rejection of her this evening, she tried to smile and laugh it off with a joke again. "Hey, Football Head—didn't you hear me the first time? When your girlfriend tries to get you to get close to her on your anniversary, it's a little 'off-putting' for you to suddenly run away in panic. Heh, heh…"

Arnold blinked and turned to her at the sound of her voice. "I—I'm sorry, Helga." His voice sounded incredibly nervous, almost a little high-pitched, and Helga noted this fact. He cleared his throat and continued. "I just…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I think it's getting a little late and I should probably get home before, um…before my Grandpa starts to worry." He did his best to smile innocently at her and then jerked his thumb in the direction of her bedroom door. "I mean, I told him I just had to go out and run a quick errand and I've already been here for a half hour so…so I should probably just go back to the Boarding House, like I said." He stood up, still not looking at her, still seeming incredibly frazzled about something, and briskly walked over to the bed again. Continuing to avoid Helga, he leaned as far over the bed as possible without actually climbing onto it, and tried to pull his rope inside the room and out of the tree. He spoke as he made this best effort…or rather the best effort shy of actually climbing up next to Helga, kneeling down on her pink covers and leaning out the window to carefully untangle the offending rope from the branches. "I'm sorry again about messing up your present a little, Helga, but I'm glad you liked it anyway…" Arnold gave the rope a few good pulls but it didn't seem willing to budge from the tree (and that nervous feeling taking him over again was doing little to help him focus his efforts better).

Helga just watched this little spectacle of him trying to leave with an eyebrow raised. '_Hey, __I__ get a little giddy around __him__ too, but there's a limit. What the heck is he so freaked out about?'_

Finally, with a sigh, Arnold gave up on pulling the rope inside and just tossed the end back toward the tree. Rather than falling out of the window entirely, though, the end remained clinging to Helga's windowsill, just barely continuing to dangle over her bed.

Arnold stood up, hands behind his back, _still_ not looking at Helga. "I'll just…um…come back early tomorrow morning or something and try to climb the tree to get that. Sorry again, Helga."

He took a step back, that slightly skittish look continuing to play upon his features, and ran a hand through his hair. "Um…goodnight and…"

Helga watched as he took a breath that seemed to actually calm him a bit. He finally looked at her, his familiar kind smile and warm eyes back again. He reached out his hand and gently grabbed one of hers, holding it tenderly. Helga watched with curiosity as his eyes left hers briefly and his wide head then proceeded to move a bit closer to the back of her hand. She felt goosebumps appear all up and down her arm as she awaited the familiar soft feeling of his lips against the skin of the back of her hand. Indeed, she was almost closing her eyes so that she could truly savor the sensation about to come…but they opened fully again as she suddenly noticed the motion of his head hesitating and then pulling slowly away. She just blinked several times and then looked to Arnold with absolute puzzlement on her face, her heart still pounding from the kiss she'd been expecting yet again that evening.

Arnold just took another breath and actually took a slight step back, suddenly bringing up his other arm to now hold Helga's hand in both of his own with a smile. "Happy Anniversary again, Helga." He moved her hand just slightly up and down, squeezing it firmly, and then allowed it to fall back to the bed. He smiled and took one more breath in and out, and then finally turned to head out of her room.

Helga's blank face and confused eyes just fell to the unkissed hand he'd just released (after SHAKING IT of all things), and then to the red shoe still in her lap. Still having trouble processing whatever it was that had just happened with Arnold, and definitely feeling like something more needed to be said before he just left, ending the night, Helga found herself looking at his receding form and voicing the first question that came to her mind. "Arnold?"

He stopped, his hand on her door handle, and turned back to her with a kind smile. "Yes, Helga?"

She glanced down at the shoe again and then back up at her beloved. She stood up, taking a few steps closer to him with the small red object cupped gently in both of her hands. "Don't…don't you want the shoe back?"

He raised an eyebrow at the strange question.

Helga glanced away shyly and explained. "I mean…you said it reminded you of me, and I'm…I'm really, really happy you told me about it but…don't you want to keep it?" Helga felt a knot in her stomach as she awaited his reply, though she tried not to betray in her voice and demeanor how much his response meant to her. Sure, he'd been acting on his love for her by putting together this whole anniversary thing…but now he was suddenly acting as though he could barely stand to be near her. And she wasn't sure what this all meant…but it was freaking her out a little, to say the least. She looked at Arnold hesitantly.

Arnold blinked and slight blush came to his cheeks for a second, but then he smiled warmly and looked at Helga with that half lidded gaze she knew so well…and she felt a bit of relief wash over her just from these simple reactions to her question. His verbal response, though, was what took away any doubt from her mind that somehow his actions tonight were a reflection of a change in his newfound feelings for her. "I'd _like_ to keep it, Helga, but…I don't really need it any more." He glanced down with a smile for a brief second as though recalling something and then looked back to Helga again. "I mean…I have the person it belongs to…and the poems she shows me, and all the things she shares with me, and all the memories we have, and all the time we spend together… A shoe just kind of…pales in comparison." He shrugged.

Helga's eyes lit up and a large smile came to her face. She felt a warmth surge through her heart.

Arnold cleared his throat, putting his hands behind his back and smiling a little sheepishly. "And also…" he took a step or two back toward Helga, "Well, also, it's a really pretty shoe and…I thought that you'd like the other one back so that you could wear them again…maybe…sometime...if we go somewhere nice together or something." He glanced at her. "You really did look great that night, Helga… I still don't understand how I didn't recognize you…" He laughed to himself. "I mean, you did look really special but it wasn't all that different from how you usually look…" He swallowed and seemed to hesitate for a second, but then finally laughed to himself just a little and took the remaining few steps back to Helga.

To Helga's complete and utter surprise, upon finding himself in front of her again, a smiling Arnold reached up and gently touched the end of one of her pigtails for a second, glancing at it. "But, I guess the hair had a lot to do with it…" She watched out of the corner of her eye, her heart pounding madly, as a slightly dreamy look came to Arnold's eyes. "You should wear it down more often, Helga… It looks…" Suddenly, Arnold became very aware of that fluttery feeling growing exponentially in his stomach and of just how quickly his heart was beating… and of the fact that he was currently touching the obviously flustered girl before him (if the blush in her face and how wide her eyes were were any indications of how much his proximity was affecting her). He blinked and quickly pulled his hand away from her pigtail. He knew he had to finish the sentence he'd just started about her hair, though, and so he quickly added (with an obvious amount of unintended stuttering), "It… nice…it looks really _nice_." Arnold swallowed hard and took a few steps past Helga, something obviously on his mind from the pensive look on his face.

It took Helga a second to come enough out of the near cardiac arrest he'd almost sent her into just now with touching her hair like that, but she finally managed to turn around to watch him walk away from her yet again that evening. Reaching the edge of her bed, she observed as Arnold turned back in her direction and, on instinct (and because he really did need to sit down for a second), begin to sit upon pink covers. As his hands met the sheets as he went to lower himself down, though, Helga watched with her brow half raised as he blushed and quickly stood up again, taking a few steps away from that side of her room and back in the direction of the door.

He stopped in the middle of this second attempt at leaving Helga's room, though, at the sound of her voice addressing him once more. "Uh…Thanks, Arnold. I'll…I'll think about it...The hair, I mean…"

He turned around to her again, and noticed with a blink that she was gently touching the end of the pigtail that he had just touched, blushing considerably.

"You're…welcome, Helga." Arnold replied, glancing away from the reminder in front of him that he had actually started caressing her hair before he had stopped himself.

There were a few seconds of silence between the two ten year olds. Finally, Helga swallowed hard and broke it once more. "So uh…" she tried to fish for something to change the topic which was obviously making both children a little uncomfortable. Honestly, though, Helga was still so on cloud nine inside not only from Arnold's compliment about her appearance but from the fact that he'd actually almost started running his fingers through her hair, that she couldn't really recall how the whole conversation leading to said hair had begun. "Uh…what were we talking about before again, Football Head?"

At the sound of her voice returning (and at the answer that suddenly came to mind) Arnold couldn't help but blush. "Uh…my Anniversary Present to you…"

Helga shook her head to clear it and blinked. She glanced down at the red shoe still in her hands and then back to her beloved. "Oh…yeah…" ' _Oh Yeah, __that's__ a less romantically awkward topic. Smooth, Helga, really smooth._ '

Helga was about to resume looking at her beloved, but for some reason she felt her gaze continue to be pulled to the small shoe in her hand… And then, to her surprise, some new thoughts start to enter her mind as she recalled Arnold's explanations about the gift in question…and how much trouble he'd taken to get it to her…and what it meant about their relationship… And the eventual guilt that this line of thinking started to produce in her was even enough to briefly take her mind off of his strange behavior for now, especially in light of the heretofore unimaginable thing that that guilt was actually making her think of doing…

Arnold, meanwhile, just observed Helga curiously as she took a breath after his reminder that they'd been talking about his anniversary present for her, and then seemed to be considering something very seriously. He wanted to take the opportunity to try and excuse himself once more from her room but…whatever it was she was thinking of, it seemed from the look in her eyes, Arnold noted with a raised eyebrow, that a serious internal debate was taking place.

And he was right….

And then her obviously significant (and seemingly quite lengthy) train of thoughts couldn't help but elicit a few silent reflections from Arnold as he considered whether or not his probably quite obviously strange behavior this evening wasn't the cause (or at least part of it) for whatever was currently going on inside of the girl before him…

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, so I think it's pretty obvious what Helga's thinking about at this point, but what's the deal with Arnold? Why is he taking being nervous around a girl he likes to a whole new level? And why the heck won't he just kiss her already?! I'll try and get chapter 2 up over the next few weeks so stay tuned, and I really hope you guys like where this is going :)

Happy Reading!!!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!!!


	2. The Elephant, er, SHRINE in the room!

**A/N:**

Okay, it's very late right now and I'm SOOOO tired and I can barely keep my eyes open and I have to take a big trip tomorrow, but all of your reviews have been so awesome that I can't help my compulsion to just put off all of my other work and responsibilities, and edit and post the next chapter(s) of this story, so here is Chapter 2! Dilemmas are revealed, the closet shrine is brought up, and something fun happens at the end ;) (though, sadly, it's not Arnold's reaction since that's not until Chapter 3!) So please get to reading and please, as always, review because I love hearing what you guys have to say! And thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far—you guys are great ;)

**Learning to be Helga**

**CHAPTER 2:**

**The elephant…er, _shrine_ in the room!**

* * *

Helga Pataki sighed to herself as she continued to gaze at the simple red shoe in her hands, her thoughts beginning to wander over its significance and specifically over what it said about Arnold's feelings about their relationship. '_He's so proud of me for telling him about the mini-shrine that he went through all of this just to make me feel better. And I can't believe he saved this stupid shoe all this time even though he didn't know Cecile was me…. It's almost like he really has loved me all along but just didn't realize it until I told him that __I__ loved __him__…_' Helga felt herself smile at the thought.

This response was quickly countered, though, by the small pang of guilt that suddenly sprang up within her. '_But…I don't deserve all of this…I mean, he just risked utter, no holds bar humiliation to do this whole nutty 'First Anniversary' plan and basically got it! All __I__ did was show him a stupid football headed doll in a stupid math book… That wasn't __really__ what I meant when I mentioned building shrines to him during my confession…that was just me starting something but not seeing it through all the way. If I really, really believe that Arnold loves me too…and if I really, really believe that he's the good, kind, sweet, caring, understanding little love god that I've always seen him as…then…then what am I afraid of? I mean…_' She swallowed hard as she finally allowed the idea she was toying with to take full shape in her mind. '_Yes, the closet shrine would be_…' she almost felt herself shudder, '_It'd be me at my most vulnerable…the biggest, weirdest, most random thing about my love for him, and…and I almost couldn't blame him if it freaked him out so much that he didn't want to try doing this whole relationship thing anymore…at least not for a while, until we're older or something and he can handle it better_.' Helga couldn't help but shudder slightly and feel a sensation of fear almost overwhelm her at the idea of having everything she had right now with her beloved suddenly sucked away from her indefinitely. She'd been able to handle life loving Arnold from afar before his confession because it had been all she'd known…but now she knew what it was like to have Arnold care about her too, and to have to go back to how it was before… The idea of it sent a sick lurch through Helga's stomach again. It almost felt impossible.

'_But…_' she felt that pang of guilt again, '_I want to have an honest relationship with Arnold. There've been so many lies and secrets over the last seven years, and if we're going to be together then…then I don't want that anymore! And he doesn't deserve it anymore! Every time Arnold talks to me he's completely open… Heck, he's even willing to be open about us in __public__ but __I'm__ the one who's still clinging to the reputation and the façade. And he's okay with me lying like that as long as it makes me happy because he's so freaking understanding that he gets that I'm just not ready to take that kind of a chance yet with everyone finding out about my feelings_.' Helga felt herself scowl slightly at her own actions as her thoughts continued. '_And even though I'm getting a free pass to lie to everyone else, in a way I'm still kind of lying to him by not letting him in on the full extent of what I meant by shrines…I'm not showing him just how deep my obsession with him had the capacity to be_…' Helga couldn't help using the past tense.

Though it still existed up in that small attic space in her ceiling, somehow, after this last week, she couldn't help but internally consider the closet shrine as part of her _old_ life—the life before Arnold's love. Things were different now, though, and they would never be the same…and in a way, it made the last seven years of unrequited love all seem almost like a dream. '_But even if the shrine's getting less important to me, it's still a factor in all of this…and_,' she focused on the shoe in her hands again, '_and the fact that he thought I was telling him the truth about the shrines…the biggest thing about my confession…was obviously important to him_…' Helga sighed to herself as she finally internally conceded to the only decision she could see as possible and fair and helpful to her and Arnold in this situation. '_He deserves the chance to make the judgment call about me and my feelings all on his own knowing __all__ the facts, not just the ones I decide won't embarrass me too much. Besides, I'm already willing to share my poetry, and my secrets, and heck my whole life with Arnold…but how can I say all that when I won't even share the truth about a stupid closet shrine with him_?' And then Helga felt herself become completely, no-turning-back settled about what she had to do now…and she took another deep breath and let out another very deep sigh again in preparation for the task at hand...

Arnold, of course, had been observing Helga as she had been having all of these thoughts (that he was currently totally unaware of)…and he couldn't help but feel slightly concerned about the emotions that kept playing upon her face and the occasional sighs she was letting out. '_Is she okay? Did I say something wrong? Or do something wrong?_' As this last question popped into his head Arnold couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. If it was indeed something he had done wrong that was bothering Helga, he had a pretty good idea of what it was…pulling away from her on the bed, not giving her the kiss she'd asked for, staying as far away from her as possible… _'I didn't mean to make her upset, if that's what the problem is…I just…_' Arnold swallowed hard, suddenly feeling all of the thoughts he'd been having lately about Helga G. Pataki (and specifically about being _near_ her) start to cross his mind once more that evening....

Arnold, of course, had already admitted to himself that he loved Helga just as much as he could imagine loving anybody in the world. And he'd even finally admitted recently to himself that he didn't just love the part of their relationship that was talking and joking and teasing…he also loved the part that was holding her hand and hugging her and (he swallowed very hard) kissing her. But…this last part was all a little overwhelming to our football headed hero, to say the least. It was like something about accepting the idea of loving Helga had suddenly made Arnold aware of a lot of things about himself that he'd never considered, just like he'd never considered the possibility that Helga might actually have feelings for him until her confession had suddenly made it a reality for him. And he needed time to sort out and deal with and accept these new things about himself… And the kissing thing last weekend during their first 'date' and his feelings about it had been VERY new to him.

Not that Arnold hadn't kissed Helga Pataki on several occasions before that evening, but it had always either been _her_ kissing _him_ (usually with some kind of pretext for it not being a 'real kiss') or that one kiss he'd given her during their argument about her confession because he had been angry and not thinking about what he had been doing until he'd done it. He had never…he gulped as the idea entered his mind…he had never kissed her only because he wanted to until that first kiss last Saturday night, and he had NEVER wanted…or rather _needed_…to be near someone and to kiss them in that weird way he had found himself being during that second kiss on her couch: when _he'd_ been the one to grab _her_ and pull _her_ in for a kiss, when _he'd_ been the one to throw _her_ down for once and to fall almost on top of her like she'd done to him on the table. Arnold had meant what he'd said on the couch after all of that when Helga had asked him what he'd figured out from kissing her: he had liked it just like he liked it when she kissed him, but in a way he liked it _more_… When she kissed him in that way that she always did, it was exciting and intense and a little scary and always way too much to take in while it was happening (at least, for him, and at least, right now, considering their ages). But kissing _her_ like that…taking the girl who'd always picked on him and yelled at him and challenged him every chance she got…the girl who secretly loved him with even more of a passion than she had for pretending to hate him (which was saying a lot)…and just feeling her give into him and feeling that way she had almost shuddered as he had done what he had done, and knowing the whole time that he was making her feel all of that insanity and (considering how much longer she'd love him) even _more_ that she made him feel every time _she_ grabbed him and kissed _him_…like when he had tangoed with her during the April Fools dance but even worse because he wasn't just _holding_ her he was _kissing_ her… It was all just…this whole incredible, indescribable, unimaginable rush! And it felt weird to him even though, he guiltily had to admit to himself once again, he…liked it.

And that was what was worrying Arnold this evening. He recalled that brief kiss he and Helga had shared in his room yesterday afternoon after she had shown him the math book shrine. He'd had the same fears he was having now, of course, but he'd wanted to at least _try_ the kissing again and see how difficult the urge to suddenly give Helga Pataki one of her own passionate types of kisses instead of one of his gentle, shy ones would be. He'd managed but, still, it had taken _a lot_, and he'd been grateful for the worry and knowledge at the back of his mind that his grandparents and all the boarders were downstairs and could easily barge in and interrupt them if they didn't stop somewhat quickly. And that was part of the problem with getting too close to Helga here and tonight, actually…They were completely alone, it was nighttime, he'd already made their relationship the center of any conversation they could have with his introduction of this whole 'First Anniversary' thing (Arnold had been kind of hoping, in terms of that, that doing something innocently romantic for Helga would make up for what he'd done with her on the couch last Saturday, which he still felt quite guilty about). And, of course, Helga had expressed more than once in the last half hour or so that she really wanted to. Or, more specifically, wanted HIM to...

'_When it was just Helga liking it…there was almost no chance it would happen unless something came up and she just went for it_…' He briefly recalled times like her confession and in the closet at school two Mondays ago during the fiasco with his poem about her. _'But, if we both like it then…then what's to stop it from happening all the time? And what if, without even realizing it, I start taking advantage of her feelings again just to do it_?' Arnold recalled the numerous hand-holds and shoulder-touches he'd initiated in his room during the poetry tutoring weekend all so that he could get Helga to open up a little more. '_And what if I like doing it so much that…that she stops liking me because I'm not the sweet, wonderful, good person she always talks about in her poems? Because I'm not much different from her, when you get right down to it… I'm not that perfect person she thinks I am_.' Arnold, with a blush, briefly recalled once more last Saturday evening and how Phoebe's descent to the living room had been the only thing to stop him from continuing to enthusiastically kiss Helga. '_If she hadn't come down then I…_' Arnold couldn't even think about it. All he knew was that he probably would have put the lengths of Helga's confession kiss, Romeo and Juliet Kiss, and BabeWatch kiss _combined_ to shame.

And that was why he couldn't kiss her tonight—not here in her room with the element of surprise on his side considering the break-in and with her probably being susceptible enough to him since he'd obviously interrupted her while she was thinking and writing poetry about him (the open pink book with the pen resting in the crease was still laying upon her nightstand). He'd never had a relationship like this one with a girl (and, specifically, with a girl who loved him as completely as Helga Pataki seemed to) but Arnold knew he wanted to be a gentleman about it, and he knew that he cared too much about Helga to use her feelings and the position he'd put her in to get what he wanted. And also, well…he was just a little embarrassed about this strange other side of himself that wanted to kiss a girl this badly, to say the least. But no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't help but feel like doing so wasn't right until he had a better handle on some of these things about himself and Helga and their relationship that had been mulling around in his head …and especially not here and not now, considering the circumstances of the evening...

Basically, despite being within a couple of feet of each other, Arnold and Helga had suddenly become so lost in their own respective thoughts and doubts and personal resolutions that they were barely aware of the physical presence of the other person in front of them.

Arnold, however, was awoken from this mental trance by the sound of Helga's voice addressing him…as well as the sound of Helga's laugh (however slight it might have been) accompanying it.

"You know…" she began, smiling, though there was definitely a touch of worry in her face and voice as she spoke, "I don't think I explained pulling off the whole 'Cecile' thing to you yet, did I, Football Head?"

Arnold blinked, surprised by the question, and glanced from the red shoe still in Helga's hands back to Helga's eyes. "Um, no…not yet." He tried to smile reassuringly at her. "But I'd like to hear the story if you want to share it."

Helga took a breath, gripping the shoe a bit more firmly, and glanced away from him. "I'd share anything with you, Arnold…" she suddenly said very quietly, the slight smile flickering just for second.

He couldn't help but blink once more at the response.

Rather than elaborating on this cryptic statement, though, Helga quickly cleared her throat and continued with what she wanted to say, ready to finally explain that little incident about last Valentine's Day to him…as a point of transition to move on to a much more 'difficult' topic of conversation. She continued looking more at the shoe than at Arnold as she spoke, obviously avoiding eye contact. "Well, actually, there's not too much to tell—I heard you talking about asking Ruth out on Valentine's Day, and I _couldn't_ have _that_ happen (she was a total ditz but there was always a chance she would have figured out what a catch you are)…." she added with an eye roll and a slight laugh to herself. "Anyway, when the bell rang for recess that day I snuck into the class mailbag and added a paragraph to your pen pal letter saying to meet Cecile at Chez Paris that night (and also…I _might_ have been checking up on how 'good' the friendship was between you and that French girl…Sorry, Arnold, I've got a bit of a jealous streak but I'm working on it.)" Helga cleared her throat, ready to move on from the guilty admission of her unfounded suspicions. "Anyway…then I got myself as dressed up as possible so that you wouldn't recognize me and did my best to learn a few words of French (though not enough to not order cow brains and eggs, apparently)…" She chuckled at the memory. "And I just…went for it."

Arnold couldn't help but blush, in light of some of the thoughts he'd just been having, at the final phrase she'd used to conclude her story. "Oh…" He glanced away from her, doing his best to put aside his dilemma about the kissing for now. He smiled, letting the interesting explanation about all of the trouble she'd gone through just to eat dinner with him sink in, and then looked back up at Helga, trying not to chuckle. "I still don't know how you come up with these things, Helga, but I'm glad that you do. Otherwise…otherwise I wouldn't have so many great memories with you." He winked at her, though he wasn't sure why, especially considering his resolve to avoid any kind of awkward romantic moments tonight between them. Arnold swallowed hard and decided to wrap his response up. "Thank you for telling me the truth again..." He did his best not to blush too much as he added his usual phrase of appreciation for Helga's honesty.

Helga just sighed at this response and smiled to herself, still a bit more focused on the shoe in her hand than on Arnold standing before her. Finally, though, she broke eye contact with the red object and glanced back up at him. "Don't…thank me just yet, Football Head…" she replied hesitantly.

Arnold couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the strange statement.

Helga swallowed hard and took a deep breath. '_Here goes nothing…_' "Well, I guess since I've already gotten my present and since we've gone over the whole 'crazy Valentine's Day date mission' (that's how you pull off a romantic plan, by the way, Football Head)" she added humorously before continuing. "It looks like there's nothing left but to put the shoe away and for you to…uh…go….if you want to…" Helga knew Arnold probably wasn't going to understand why she'd suddenly sounded so sad and solemn upon saying these last few words, but in truth the way she was using the word 'go' and the way he was probably interpreting it were two very different things.

Arnold just continued to watch Helga with a great deal of confusion more than apparent on his face. He was seriously tempted to step forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and ask her if she was all right… And yet…strangely enough, he found himself hesitating. Arnold considered the motivations behind this unusual paralysis in regards to helping someone else for just a moment: no, it didn't feel like it was his own fears about getting close to Helga that were stopping him. He knew, no matter what, that he would never put his own comfort over helping Helga if she needed it. He took another second or two to mull his feelings over… It was almost like, even though it might be difficult for her, Helga suddenly had something going on inside of her that she had to get through on her own…and it was also almost like he knew, on some level, that he just had to remain waiting here supportively until she was able to work it out and ask him for assistance herself, if she needed it.

Arnold came out of his thoughts once more as Helga suddenly took another deep breath and stepped forward so that she was now directly in front of him. "Arnold," she timidly held out the shoe to him, "Can you…hold this for a second? I just…kind of have to do something…"

Arnold glanced from the small, red object, to Helga's sincere eyes and then back down to the shoe, and slowly reached forward and took it in his own hands once more. Finally, he looked back up at Helga, smiling sincerely. "Sure, Helga. Anything you need. Is there any other way I can help?"

Helga shut her eyes for a second and actually seemed like she was trying to stifle a chuckle, at which he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and shook her head back and forth, more than a slight smile on her face. "Just…just be honest with me like you've always been, okay, Football Head? And I know that doesn't make any sense right now, but it's going to in about thirty seconds…" She turned away from him towards something at the wall to his left, and then to Arnold's surprise put a suddenly put a hand on one of his shoulders. "I'll be right back, Arnold," she said with a notable touch of seriousness.

Arnold couldn't help but notice the strength of her grip on his shoulder just before she released him, like she was trying to steady herself for whatever she was going to do next… and like she really didn't want to let him go…

Finally breaking herself from touching her beloved (possibly for the last time, she couldn't help but think to herself with fear, considering the can of worms she was about to open), Helga walked across her room in the direction she had been facing to her closet and slowly opened the door. She felt the automatic compulsion to close it behind her, but stopped herself, leaving it wide open. She stepped into the darkness within.

Arnold just watched her from several feet away across the room, feeling a mixture of curiosity and concern in regards to her actions now. Once more, he glanced down at the shoe in his hand and then back to the closet doorway in which Helga had just disappeared. _'If she wants to put the shoe away and she was planning to go to her closet herself, then why….why leave it with me?_' he wondered with genuine curiosity.

Helga, as she had predicted to Arnold, was only gone for about half a minute. As she suddenly exited the closet, Arnold watched as she turned on its interior light, allowing him to see a few of her clothes at the edges but nothing more. She took a breath, standing in the doorway, closed her eyes for a second, and then finally opened them and looked at Arnold, crossing her arms over her chest. "Hey…uh…Football Head…?"

Arnold had to raise an eyebrow at the way she addressed him. Despite everything that had happened between them and all the stuff they had talked out together over the last few weeks (even the embarrassing stuff—and there had been a LOT of that) he had never heard her sound so unsure and nervous in her life. It was like it was taking everything for her to just push out the words. "Yes, Helga?" he tried to say as supportively as possible, though it wasn't easy for him to hide the nervousness in his own voice due to how obviously trouble she seemed about whatever was coming next.

Helga paused and then took a breath. She rubbed her left arm with her right hand nervously. "Uh…well…" she glanced at him, "Now, you're sure you really were okay with the whole 'shrine in the math book' thing on Friday…right? I mean, you weren't just trying to be nice or anything…?" Helga knew, of course, that Arnold hadn't been lying to her about his acceptance of this part of her love for him, but she was a little nervous right now, to say the least, and any further assurance that he wasn't seconds away from running out of her room in fear and panic was more than welcome.

Even though she was obviously a little distressed about something and obviously anxiously awaiting an answer, Arnold suddenly couldn't help the half smile that came to his face at the classic sight of Helga being shy around him. The way her eyes got big and her cheeks pinkened slightly and how she always glanced in alternation away from him and then up at him. '_She just looks so…so nice like that. And so…pretty_…' Though she tried to hide it, especially at school with all of the scowling and stomping around and insults, Arnold knew from the bits and pieces of the true Helga that he had seen occasionally throughout his life (and more and more frequently since her confession and almost all the time since _his_ confession), that she was actually a really beautiful person on the inside. And he was becoming more and more certain that with his help Helga was slowly coming to accept that fact about herself too. But she was also quite…quite nice on the outside as well…whether she knew it or not…and this sort of attraction to her was another one of those new things about himself that had recently come to Arnold's attention…and one of the things that had been making him feel strange and embarrassed and a little confused, and that he felt like he really needed more time to sort out. '_There's just something…something special and…and interesting about her_…' Arnold had thought Ruth and Lila and Summer were all pretty, of course, but…it was like he could have spent hours just looking at Helga and really noticing her soft blonde hair, or her wide blue eyes like cool, deep water, or that way her mouth could half smile when he was near her and he said something funny and she wanted to laugh but secretly she probably also wanted to kiss him too…

"Arnold…?" The sound of Helga saying his name brought Arnold out of the interesting thoughts he was getting lost in. Her face still had the same shy look as before, though now she had an eyebrow raised at his strange hesitation in answering her back.

Arnold blinked and took a breath, glancing away from her with a touch of embarrassment obvious on his features. He could more than feel a slight blush threatening to creep into his cheeks at the daydream he had been about to get lost in about Helga Pataki's appearance. He cleared his throat, remembering that Helga obviously currently had something big she wanted to discuss and that now wasn't the time to keep trying to work out his own internal dilemmas. "Sorry, Helga…I just…had something on my mind." He glanced back up at her. "What were you saying again?"

He saw a touch of annoyance come to her face as she responded in a slightly more assertive tone, "The math book shrine, Arnold. Were you really okay with that thing or were you just trying to not hurt my feelings? I mean, I know you and I know you're always honest with me, and I don't really think you _weren't_ being honest with me…" She was rubbing the back of her neck nervously now as she continued to ramble. "But just humor me for a second and confirm or deny that you don't think I'm a total loon for carrying that little dedication to you around, would you?"

Arnold took a second to absorb the question, and then just smiled sincerely and looked in her eyes, replying in his usual understanding tone, "You liked talking to me, but I was never around, so you found something like me to talk to." He shrugged, the warm smile only getting stronger. "I really don't see any big problem with it, Helga… Actually…" he glanced away, "I think it's kind of sweet that you'd go through all the trouble." He looked at her again (she was blushing just a bit thanks to his last comment) and tried not to laugh as he added jokingly, "Maybe I should start hollowing out my science textbook or something just to see what doing something like that would be like myself…"

"Arnold…" Helga cut him off in as level a voice as she could muster, though she still seemed quite nervous. However, Arnold could detect just a hint of a smile trying not to come to her lips at his comment. "Please, do _not_ get cute with me right now…" she continued in a sincere voice. She cleared her throat, and looked up at him, a touch of desperation breaking into her tone as she added, "Just…" she shifted her position so that she was directly in front of the closet door, her arms folded over her chest, "Just come here for a second, okay?"

Arnold's smile fell at how serious she suddenly seemed. He approached her, still cupping the shoe in his hands, and finally stood in front of her, awaiting whatever she might need from him to help her with whatever was on her mind or whatever she was about to do.

He watched as she swallowed hard, let out a sigh, and finally looked at him, seeming nervous and yet firmly set about something. She spoke, a slight scowl on her face. "Okay, so, you say it's our one week anniversary, right?"

Arnold couldn't help but look at her curiously, though he nodded affirmatively at the question.

"Okay." Helga took another breath. "So, you gave me a present…" She nodded with her head to the shoe in his hands. "And, on a side note, it's the most perfect present I've ever gotten from someone. Actually, the whole thing's the most wonderful thing anyone's ever done for me. Seriously, you topped yourself from the accepting/encouraging pep talk in the closet back at school two weeks ago, Football head." She half smiled at him. "And I really didn't think that was possible. I'd kiss you again but, I get it—you're not into it tonight." She glanced away again for a second, her small smile instantly disappearing, but then quickly shook her head as thought to clear it of some thoughts and looked back at him again, the seriousness back in her face. "Besides, there's more important stuff to take care of tonight, anyway."

Arnold had felt a slight blush creep into his cheeks at her more than accurate observation about his avoidance of physical contact this evening. At this last sentence of hers, though, he couldn't help that slightly confused look returning to his face once more.

Helga took another breath and he could tell she was feeling more than a bit on edge. She was glancing around and swallowing and that sharpness about her voice that came in whenever she got defensive was definitely there. She finally managed to focus herself, though, and look at him firmly. "Anyway, my point is that it's our 'anniversary' and you gave me the best thing you could come up with as a present…so now I think…I think I should give you the best thing_ I_ can come up with for a present..."

Arnold raised an eyebrow again, absolutely clueless about what she was talking about. '_And what do the shoe and her closet have to do with…'_

Suddenly, Arnold blinked, and he felt the word closet stick in his mind, eliciting a definite sense of déjà vous. And then, finally, it hit him: her questions about the shrines, bringing him over to the closet, her almost mortified behavior, talking about giving him the best thing she could come up with…something with as much meaning as the shoe he'd given her…

"Arnold…If you wouldn't mind…" He heard Helga's voice start up again. "I'd appreciate it if you could put the shoe back in my closet. And, when you're done, if you'd just be honest with me about whatever you see in there." Helga was NOT looking at him at this point. She swallowed hard, playing with her hands and blushing furiously. "Just…just go inside and—"

"Helga, is this about the closet shrine?"

"HUH?" Helga had been so preoccupied with just thinking up and then delivering her little ambiguous speech about the presents and entering the closet, that the sound of Arnold's voice suddenly interrupting had nearly scared her to death…and the effect had been compounded severely by the subject of the specific question he had chosen to interject. "How…" she looked at him with total disbelief on her face, "How did you…I mean, how could you…?" '_I never told him about this…I mean, I __didn't__, right? How could he—when could he—I mean, what could I have_…'

Helga had figured that if she'd started to go into details about the shrine in advance that somehow it would have affected Arnold's reaction to it when he finally saw it, and she didn't want that. Indeed, she wanted his most honest opinion of the thing, totally unaffected by her sugar coating. So, she'd decided that the best thing to do would be to send him up there (acting as cryptically as possible and at least trying to hint around it so that he was aware that SOMETHING was up and wouldn't just be left in some kind of state of shock), and then wait down here in her room practically cringing about what would happen next until he came down and let her know, once and for all, if he really could handle everything about her…and if she could handle how whether he could or couldn't might change things between them. As for going up there with him herself, again Helga didn't want Arnold's sympathies for her to interfere with how he might process the shrine, and if she was standing there looking pathetic and desperate, she knew Arnold's good nature would put making her happy over saying how he might be really feeling (especially if those feelings were as bad as she was pretty sure they'd be).'_Besides…actually having to __see__ him see that thing_…' A mental image of the current shrine briefly flashed into Helga's head: she'd spent the entire day last Sunday putting it together after her and Arnold's date the previous evening, a personal task that hadn't been hard considering the fact that Bob and Miriam had been more than willing to ground her for the thing with Olga and the hair dye. It was made of all of the yahoo soda bottles from all of the drinks that her and Olga and Lila and Phoebe had consumed at the slumber party the evening prior. They were soldered at the ends in a distinctively Arnold shape. And in front of the shrine, in the middle of a heart drawn in chalk upon the floor, Helga had placed the two bottles Arnold and her and drunken from that night he had admitted his feelings for her. And, to top it all off, the two of them were decorated as little figures of him and her. Helga pushed the image away and cringed for a second at the idea of him coming upon this large, elaborate thing instead of that little doll in the math book. '_I can take having him see it but I absolutely could NOT take going up there with him.'_

The sound of Arnold clearing his throat and replying to her incredulous exclamations about his (obviously correct) guess about the closet shrine brought her out of her thoughts about him seeing it. "When you confessed…" he began quietly, secretly hoping that by guessing correctly he hadn't scared her off from going through with this final revelation about her secret. He took a breath and continued. "Well, when you confessed, I think you specifically mentioned something about 'building shrines to me in a closet'…" He shrugged. "I guess I just…didn't want to say anything yesterday when you brought over the math book because I figured that you'd tell me about it when you were ready… " He looked into her eyes. "So…" he began innocently, trying to smile as encouragingly as possible at the still in shock looking girl before him, "Is that what you wanted to show me, Helga? As my present, I mean."

Helga swallowed hard and turned away from him, closing her eyes and putting a hand to one of her temples. She briefly felt a serious wall of doubt come up inside of her as the fact that the topic of the closet shrine was now out in the open suddenly made her realize the real reality and potential weight of this situation. "I should just leave well enough alone, shouldn't I? I should just shut this closet door right now and quit deliberately trying to scare you off with my insanity. I mean," she opened her eyes and threw her arms up into the air in confusion, "I still don't even understand why you've been putting up with me and complimenting me and kissing me in the first place for the last week… Why am I so bent on ruining it all when it all makes no sense to begin with?"

"Helga…" Arnold, still holding the shoe, took a small step toward her and tried his best not to laugh at yet another one of her classic overly dramatic reactions. "I 'put up with you' and compliment you and…" he couldn't help but hesitate just slightly and blush at the next word, "Kiss you for the same reason you do things like that, and everything else, apparently, when _you're_ around _me_." He smiled at her, hoping she'd remember the answer from those few weeks ago in the janitor's closet…

Helga paused. She turned her head in his direction with part of her brow raised, unsure of what exactly he meant by this statement but yet getting a strange sense of déjà vous about it…

Arnold had to laugh just a bit as he supplied the reply her mind could only half remember. "Because…I love you."

Helga instantly felt a warmth wash over her that she'd never known before. Certainly, the word 'love' had been thrown around by her beloved a lot over the last few weeks, but always with some kind of slight disclaimer attached. '_Falling in_ love, lov_ing_ you, etc…' But he had never just simply said 'I love you.' But now he had. And it gave her more confidence than she'd ever known there was in the world.

A touch of uncertainty came to Helga's eyes for just a second more as she turned her head around to glance back into her lit up closet one last time. But this look was quickly replaced by a small, sincere smile of happiness as she turned her head back around and resumed facing her beloved. Helga crossed her arms over her chest and couldn't help just shaking her head in amazement at him. "How the heck do you always know the right thing to say to me, Football Head?"

Arnold shrugged at the question and chuckled to himself. "I don't know, but…I'm happy I do." He smiled at her. "And I'm happy it didn't take until our 'fifth wedding anniversary'," he added a bit sarcastically, recalling Helga's comment to his grandfather yesterday afternoon back at the boarding house during their date.

Helga just rolled her eyes at the response and tried not to laugh. "You are so corny, Arnoldo…." Her eyes drifted over her shoulder in the direction of the interior of her closet for a brief moment. Arnold could tell, though, from the look on her face and from how minor the action was this time that she was feeling much more relaxed about the situation at hand after their little exchange, and he was happy that he'd finally been able to help her tonight.

Just as quickly as she'd let them drift there, Helga suddenly pulled her eyes away from the area behind herself and focused her attention again upon Arnold standing not too far away from her. And then, with a heavy sigh, she rubbed her eyes and (at last) stepped aside from the open doorway she had been blocking, motioning with her hand for him to enter. "Anyway, just get in there and climb the ladd—uh the chair," she corrected herself. "Sorry, the ladder broke two weeks ago after I…" She felt a warmth come to her cheeks at the memory of trying to drag that small anvil up to the attic for the head of her last Arnold shrine only to have the weight of it cause the ladder to collapse and herself to fall out of the closet and onto her bedroom floor where, to her surprise, Arnold, Gerald and Lila had been waiting to apologize about Gerald's crazy scheme for getting Arnold out of having to be tutored by her two Sundays ago. She cleared her throat, deciding an explanation about _one_ closet shrine was more than enough to deal with at the present moment. "Uh…never mind. I've just been using a chair for now. Anyway, just pull the chord to get into the attic space—I'd show you how to do it but you live in an attic so I'm pretty sure you'll do fine—and put the shoe in the big cardboard box up there where the rest of that outfit from that night is. Then take however long you need to take to process…well…" she swallowed hard, her casual demeanor faltering slightly, "Well…whatever else you see up there…." She didn't look at him.

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "You're not coming up with me?"

"Arnold," Helga sighed, dragging a hand down her face, "I still can't believe I'm even letting you see it, but you were so proud of me for the shrines thing and, meanwhile, I didn't even show you the _half_ of it all or, heck, even a _tenth_ of it all…" She let out a very deep breath. "And then you went and did all this stuff for me tonight with the tree and the rope and the shoe and the note…" She couldn't help but half smile at him. "So congratulations, Arnoldo, you finally made Helga G. Pataki, the girl without a moral conscience, feel guilty."

Arnold blinked. "Helga I didn't want to—"

She cut him off, scowling. "No, no, just let me finish, Football Head, okay?" She took another breath. "But even if it all hadn't made me feel guilty (an emotion which sucks by the way—I don't know how a goodie two shoes like you deals with it all the time), I don't want to go on keeping secrets from you anymore anyway because if you're caring about me but not knowing everything about who I am and how I've felt about you all of these years then…" a distressed look came to her eyes, "Then, what's the point? I don't want you to like me because you think I'm something I'm not, Arnold… Believe me, I've been down that road before…" Helga glanced away, briefly recalling Rhonda's masquerade ball a few months ago when she'd dressed up and acted like Lila to get Arnold's attention. She shook her head, getting back to the moment at hand. "Anyway, I just want you to go up and see it so that all the cards are on the table, even if it is kind of a part of the old Helga…"

Arnold blinked and raised an eyebrow at this phrase. "The _old_ Helga?"

Helga blinked, realizing what she'd just said aloud. She glanced at Arnold. "I mean…the Helga from how things were _before_. You know, 'stalking you night and day, building shrines to you in a closet, filling volumes of books with poems about you'?" She smiled, now fully recalling the words of her confession. "I mean, obviously the poetry books thing is still true…" Helga glanced to the side of her bed where, Arnold suddenly noticed, there was a wide basket low to the floor half pushed under the bed frame that appeared to be filled with little pink books. "Heck, _that's_ gotten worse!" She added, smiling in Arnold's direction. "But, it's kind of in a good way, you know?" She continued in an explanatory tone. "Like Simmons was saying and like you were saying…the poems aren't just about me hoping for something and wishing for something and wondering if something as perfect as you could ever happen to me anymore." She shrugged. "I mean, after the confession they were still a little like that but at least I was also getting the chance to kind of work out where everything should go from there. But ever since last weekend, now that we're…" she hesitated, blushing, the smile on her face growing just a bit. "Well, ever since then the poems are all about how happy I am and our time together and how wonderful the last week has been, and even though they're all about you, Football Head, they're not just for you—they're for _me_ too." She seemed to consider for a second and then added insightfully, "And I think I've figured out that writing them is a real part of who I am and not just a part of my obsession for you… and I really, really like that."

She smiled at Arnold warmly and noticed he was just watching her speak with interest and a happy smile of his own on his face. She glanced away with a slight blush coming to her face and continued, still grinning. "And as for the stalking thing—we'll why bother when you actually _want_ to spend time with me? And, heck, _when_ would I even have time stalk you, Football Head? When we're on one of our dates in your room or something?" She laughed a bit to herself and looked back up at him again. "I mean, we're spending more time together now than I ever spent following you around, so I guess that takes care of that part of old Helga..."

She took a breath, realizing they'd come back around to the closet shrine again. "And, as for the closet shrine…" she felt herself blush slightly and she glanced down once more, "Well… now I'll admit I at least still keep the locket with your picture with me, though it's more to have your poem and the engraving near my heart than anything else… But…" she swallowed, "But the closet shrine would be something for me to tell everything I've ever wanted to tell you. That's what it was _before_, anyway…." She dug one of her feet into her soft pink carpet. "But now I have you, Football Head. I can sit down and tell you how much I care about you and about my day and about my problems, and you actually listen and you actually care too." Her smile grew. "And even better…" she glanced up at his still attentive face, "You talk back: you tell me everything that's going on inside of you too and then it's the greatest thing in the world because I actually feel like you trust me and like I'm helping you and being a real part of your life and starting to do for you what the idea of you has done for me all of these years. Because I love you too, Arnold. I mean I've always loved you ever since I met you but…now there's something more real about it, you know?"

Arnold felt a warmth come over him from her entire speech but in particular as she said these closing words. Yes, Helga Pataki had admitted that she loved him some time ago, and, yes, her actions had proved these feelings to be more than true. Yet, she always seemed so shy and hesitant about outright saying those words again. In anger or at an extremely emotional time, over the course of that fateful weekend with the poetry tutoring, she'd thrown the word around but…she hadn't said it to him because she'd wanted to ever since her confession. And she'd never ever said it as tenderly and softly to him as she had just done right now.

In a way, though, Arnold couldn't help his happiness at her words becoming just a bit tainted by a new touch of guilt... In particular, this guilt was in reference to her words about him telling her everything that was going on inside of himself. _'She thinks I share everything with her but instead of talking to her about the kissing thing I'm just avoiding it_…' He took a breath and smiled to himself as an idea came to him. '_But…maybe when we're done with the shine thing I can try and explain it all to her. Who knows…it might actually help…_'

With this resolution, Arnold smiled at the shy looking girl before him, stepped forward, and moved the red shoe to one of his hands. He used the other to gently take hold of one of hers. He then took a breath and spoke to her as sincerely as possible, which wasn't hard as everything he said was the truth. "Helga…"

She stared wide eyed at his hand holding hers and then looked up at him unsurely, feeling her heart pound a bit at his touch. He continued smiling. "I'm going to take this shoe," he lifted it up slightly, bringing attention to it, "And I'm going to go up into the attic and put it in the box like you said. Then I'm going to look at the shrine. And then I'm going to come back down here, and do you know what I'm going to do?"

She didn't say anything, but just slowly shook her head.

He laughed a little at the response. "I'm going to say 'Thank you, Helga' just like with every other time you've told me the truth about your feelings over the last week, and then I'm going to tell you Happy Anniversary again…and then talk to you about anything else we need to talk about…" Helga raised an eyebrow at this strange last addition to his sentence, but Arnold didn't elaborate, merely clearing his throat and continuing in the same supportive tone. "And then I'm going to go home and spend the rest of tonight and all day tomorrow looking forward to school on Monday when I'll get to see you again, even if it's not like it is when we're alone. Because I care about you Helga, and something that you made because you love me and you were lonely couldn't change that." He gave her a slightly skeptical look. "You know, I respect how you feel about all of this, Helga, but I really think you're making it all out to be a much bigger deal than it's actually going to be. You have to admit, you do have a tendency to get a little dramatic about things sometimes…" He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "I mean, it's kind of cute…" he saw the blush in her cheeks strengthen at his comment, and he felt the warmth already in his own face reciprocate the action. He glanced away from her, still smiling, "But sometimes I think it makes you worry about things way too much and kind of miss the big picture." He shrugged and took a breath, looking back up at her still wide eyes and still slightly rosy face. "I don't even care that much about seeing the closet shrine, to be honest, Helga—I know about it and I accept it and that's enough for me. But…" he let out a sigh and gently released Helga's hand, "If it'll make you feel better and convince you that this whole thing with us isn't just some balloon waiting to burst, I'll go see it." He winked at her. "Be right back, Helga."

And with that a still smiling Arnold left a very stunned looking Helga standing near her open closet door as he entered said lit-up closet and closed said door behind him, his eyes quickly falling upon the small ladder she had described as he heard the handle click of the door closing firmly behind him…

Helga was okay for about a second.

And then she just couldn't handle being alone in her room under these circumstances anymore without absolutely losing it…

* * *

"How long has it been now, Phoebe?"

"Helga, you just asked me that question ten seconds ag—"

"I know, I KNOW, _okay_? Just…how long has it been now?"

Phoebe Heyerdahl sighed from the other end of the telephone line. "Well, if we're going from the moment you called me which, as you stated, was just after Arnold shut the closet door, then it has now been fifteen minutes and nineteen seconds, Helga."

Phoebe heard her best friend groan from the other end of the line.

Phoebe sighed again, though this time with patience as opposed to exasperation. "Helga, don't worry—I'm sure this situation isn't nearly as insurmountable as you're making it out to be."

"It's going to be a NIGHTMARE!" Helga exclaimed into the phone, turning on her side on her bed upon which she had collapsed in panic the second Arnold had entered her closet and shut her door, saying he'd take a quick peek at the shrine and be right back.

"Helga…" Phoebe was trying to be understanding, but she'd been observing Arnold and Helga's behavior toward one another very closely over the last two weeks and she just couldn't fathom anything horrible enough to suddenly tear them apart. Even if it was a…a 'shrine' or whatever Helga had described her statue dedicated to Arnold as.

"_Ugh_…" Helga moaned into the receiver again, closing her eyes and placing a hand over them. "He's probably taking so long because he's in the middle of ripping a hole in the ceiling right now to get out of this madhouse so that he doesn't even have to look at me ever again!"

"Helga…"

"Why the HECK am I such a loon?" She opened her eyes and threw the arm not holding the phone up in the air dramatically. "I mean, why am I not like NORMAL girls with crushes—batting their eyelashes and trying to sit next to the guy at lunch and…and…and…I don't know, doodling hearts with their initials in them? But _NO_, not good enough for Helga G. Pataki—I've got to go stalk and write and build and…UGH…" she groaned again, "Build…_BUILD_!"

"Um… Helga…" There was a hesitation in Phoebe's voice, "Perhaps you should talk a bit lower. You see…"

"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME, Phoebe?" Helga continued, the volume of her voice only growing stronger despite her best friend's unusual (and rather meek) suggestion about lowering it for some reason. "I mean, _really_, let's just lay this out on the table for a second…"

"Helga, if you'll just wait a moment, I—"

"WHO in their right mind BUILDS a LIFE SIZE MODEL of the PERSON THEY LOVE to WORSHIP and TALK TO?" Helga suddenly yelled into the receiver dramatically, too caught up in her own rant to bother with whatever form of comfort Phoebe had been about to suggest that she just wasn't in the mood for right now.

And Helga, in regards to this rhetorical question about her former secret admirer hobbies, had simply expected some kind reassuring (if slowly growing in impatience) response from her best friend in yet another attempt to pacify her concerns about the current Arnold/closet shrine dilemma in which she was involved.

Instead, though, Helga just received a sigh from Phoebe…but not an impatient one…and that was what made Helga raise an eyebrow and swallow nervously… Actually, if anything, the sigh sounded… worried. The large crash that suddenly accompanied it didn't make matters any better, to say the least.

"_Phoebe_…what was that sound?" Helga asked suspiciously.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Finally, her best friend's timid voice spoke up hesitantly. "Well…" Helga heard Phoebe gulp, "I…um…I wasn't exactly by myself when you called, Helga, but I knew from what you explained to me when I picked up that you really needed someone to converse with about this new situation. So I told my, um…guest…that I would get us some snacks from the kitchen and to wait in my room so that I could take your call downstairs in private. But, you and I have been talking for a rather long time and I guess he was growing concerned about my absence so he might have come down to see if I needed any assistance, and, um…"

"_He_?" a scowling Helga asked with a pretty good suspicion of whom Phoebe was talking about...

"Oh, well, um, yes, Helga…" Phoebe began, rather hesitantly. "I was just spending the evening working on some homework with, um…Gerald…" she tried to reply innocently, though there was still an undercurrent of fear in her voice.

"And you're telling me this _because_…?" Helga was trying to feign anger but inside she felt like her heart had just dropped down into her stomach. She recalled again the distinct and very loud crashing sound she'd heard as Phoebe had sighed after her rant about the closet shrine. '_Just tell me that she doesn't sound so guilty for the reason I think she sounds so guilty…'_

"Well," Phoebe began, the fear still obviously in her voice, "I asked you to lower the volume of your voice before because I thought I heard him coming down the stairs…and then he opened the kitchen door and…"

"Phoebe…" Helga cut her off in a level voice, closing her eyes. "Tell me…TELL me…that Gerald did NOT overhear the thing I just said about the closet shrine. Even if it's not true, just tell me that he didn't anyway so that the urge I'm suddenly feeling to hurl myself out of my window go away."

She heard Phoebe swallow and reply in as positive a voice as she could muster. "Well…there's a chance he didn't hear you, Helga…"

Helga's eyes actually opened in surprise at this statement.

"He…um…" Phoebe continued sincerely, doing everything she could to give at least _some_ hope to her obviously already stressed out enough best friend, "He might have passed out _before_ you said anything from something entirely unrelated to finding out about your Arnold shrine, and thus been unable to hear you…" Phoebe knew her logic sounded ridiculous and that it was about as unfounded as it could possibly be, but it was the best she could come up with on the stop to help Helga with this new situation.

There was silence.

"Helga…?" Phoebe spoke up curiously.

Interestingly enough, rather than a barrage of yelling about Phoebe 'letting something like this slip all because she wanted to cozy up to tall hair boy,' or the return of the panicked and near hysterical Helga in even more full force than she'd been upon calling Phoebe…the young Japanese American girl just heard her best friend take a deep breath in and then out on the other end of the line.

"You know what, Phoebe…" Helga spoke in a level, calm voice, "He already knows I love Arnold so this isn't exactly the worst thing he's found out about me lately. And, honestly, I just can't even begin to process dealing with him right now with Arnold up in my attic taking a quick STROLL around my SHRINE to him…" She sighed, and rubbed her temples. "Just…just tell tall hair boy when he comes to that the same gag order applies to this as to the whole 'Helga and Arnold's secret relationship' thing, and that if he has anything to say to me about it he can stop by here as soon as Arnold leaves or after school tomorrow or WHENEVER and just take twenty minutes and get it out of his system, because just…" she let out another deep, frustrated breath, "I just cannot even deal with him right now. Seriously."

Though Phoebe was grateful that Helga seemed to be taking what had just happened with Gerald well, something about this almost numb reaction as opposed to the fiery one Helga would have usually given under such circumstances couldn't help but concern her deeply. "Helga…are you sure you wouldn't like me to come over and help…diffuse the situation...if it comes to that?" Phoebe didn't have the heart to say 'if Arnold actually rejects you and you need somebody to talk to.' Not that Phoebe believed that such an event would happen for an instant, but she knew it was Helga's deepest concern at the moment and that it might help her best friend to know that if her worst fears came true she wouldn't be having to handle them tonight alone.

At the suggestion from her best friend, however, Helga just sighed, placed her free hand behind her head, and stared up at her ceiling once again. She considered for a moment before replying in a much calmer voce "No, don't…don't worry about it just yet, okay, Phoebe. I mean, maybe you and Arnold _are_ right… Maybe I'm just getting myself all worked up over nothing…" Helga was trying to comfort herself with these words and also trying to make her best friend, who she realized must be genuinely concerned for her to have interrupted things with Gerald like that even though they were probably on a 'date' of their own, feel a little less worried.

"Well…" there was hesitation in Phoebe's voice, and then barely some acceptance as she continued. "Okay, Helga…But please promise me you'll call me and let me know how the situation turns out as soon as it terminates, okay?"

"Okay…I promise, Pheebs…" Helga replied with a half smile and a tone that made Phoebe smile as well on the other end of the line, even though Helga couldn't see it.

There was a moment of silence.

"So…tall hair boy wake up from his beauty nap, yet?" Helga tried not to laugh to herself.

Phoebe sighed, though there was more amusement this time around in the gesture than anything else. "No, I'm afraid not, Helga. Still out quite cold. I think you might have actually surprised him more than when he found out about Arnold."

Both girls shared a laugh. Another segment silence.

"Hey…Phoebe?"

"It's been sixteen minutes and three seconds, Helga."

"Thanks, Phoebe."

The sound of a door handle turning to her right made Helga's heart stop. She inhaled sharply.

"Helga?"

"Phoebe, I'll call you back."

And with these quick words, Helga hung up the phone, not even waiting for a reply from her best friend to conclude the call.

The closet door opened….

* * *

**A/N:**

I know, I know, I'm HORRIBLE for leaving you with this kind of a cliffhanger! I promise you though that as soon as chapter three starts, we're not going to be cutting away to Gerald and Phoebe or some random thing—it's going to dive right into Arnold and Helga talking things out. No question. I'll try to get it up sometime next week and I really hope you guys enjoyed this segment and that you really enjoy what's to come! Please keep reviewing, and I'll keep trying to respond to as many of them as possible as quickly as possible :)

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	3. A Question,an Answer&Another Question

**A/N:**

Oh yes, here is Arnold's reaction to the closet shrine FINALLY, lol! Okay, so I really hope you guys like this and that it fulfills all of your expectations and that it's good enough to make up for the cliffie last time (although this one also kind of ends on a cliffie—sorry in advance!!!), and for those of you who hazarded guesses about what Arnold's going to say…well, he's got multiple reactions (which doesn't make any sense now but will very soon) and **Flintphone** actually got the closest to one of them ;) Okay, but enough of me rambling, I know you guys want to get to reading and then please, please, please review so that I have a reason to feel like these 4-5 hour straight edit jobs are worthwhile for reasons other than to satiate me strange obsession with this wonderful show, lol! And thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, you guys are terrific :)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 3:**

**A Question, an Answer, and Another Question…**

* * *

Arnold took a deep breath and gently closed the closet door behind him, finding himself back in Helga's room. He leaned back against the door, arms over his chest, not needing to glance at Helga's mirror to know that there was at least a slight blush on his cheeks. He took another deep breath and tried to keep his mouth set firmly, though, in truth, it was a task easier said than done… He knew he would completely lose it, though, if his eyes met Helga's…

Helga, now sitting completely up on her bed, her eyes wide, didn't move and didn't breathe and didn't blink. She just stared at her beloved, waiting for the inevitable…whatever it would be.

"Helga…" There was definitely some hesitation in his voice, like he was trying to keep some emotion at bay, though Helga couldn't quite tell what it was.

She ran through all of the standard ones in her head. '_Repulsion? No… Anger? No… Denial? No… Mocking…_?' Helga had to pause at that one, and almost wondered if that strange way his face looked wasn't the result of him…trying not to smile? '_Maybe… But that's not Arnold. Even under __these__ circumstances…_' She racked her brain but couldn't come up with whatever it was that his features were currently trying to conceal, though it was definitely in the same ballpark as 'Mocking.' Whatever that meant.

Arnold took breath into and out of his nose, still seeming like he was trying to suppress something...though, now, he at least he finally continued speaking…and Helga was all ears. "Helga…" he began again, "I know you're probably waiting for some big reaction from me about the shrine to let you know how the rest of our lives are going to be, but...before that, can I just ask you a question?" He snickered for just a second, still not looking at her, and Helga picked up on it.

'_No…this is ridiculous. He's not going to make fun of me. He knows how upset I am about all of this already. He's just…well I don't know what he's doing but I trust him. I do._' Helga swallowed, trying to reply casually though she knew her voice must sound on edge, to say the least. "O-okay, Arnoldo. What's on your mind?"

"Did…did…" She watched as he closed his eyes and suddenly his face broke out into a smile. He turned to her. "Did Gerald really hear you say something about the shrine and pass out in the middle of Phoebe's kitchen?" As the question had progressed, more and more laughter had bubbled up from underneath it, and as he concluded his inquiry Arnold couldn't help but fall to the floor in front of Helga's closet, holding his sides in a fit of chuckles.

Helga just blinked, her face still a complete blank. "E-excuse me?" It was the only thing she could think of to say in her still obviously shaky voice, totally thrown by the unexpected sentence that had just come out of her beloved's mouth.

Arnold just continued laughing, trying his best to get himself under control a bit, though it didn't seem easy for him. "I—I'm sorry Helga, but…" more laughter, "I was behind the door and about to open it and come out, but then you started yelling into the phone and I didn't want to interrupt… But then I heard what you said to Phoebe and…" His chuckling overtook him again slightly, though he quickly took a deep breath to curb it. He turned to her, his grin very wide. "Helga, I'm sorry, but—I think that's one of the funniest things I've ever heard in my entire life." He glanced down for a second as though considering the situation yet again, and then instantly resumed laughing in full force, holding his sides, his eyes closed.

Helga, meanwhile, had just been continuing to stare at him blankly during this explanation about what was striking him as so funny…and she just remained like that right now as she watched Arnold get lost in his laughter yet again. '_That's it—he's cracked. He saw the shrine and lost his mind and now he's delirious. I broke Arnold. I actually __broke __**Arnold**_.' She suddenly dragged a hand down her panicked face. '_I broke the most perfect person in the world!_' She blinked, a new worry instantly occurring to her. '_Aw man, how the heck am I gonna __fix__ him?_'

Finally, though, her beloved took a few more breaths and seemed to come under control again, though Helga could see that some tears had even started forming at the corners of his eyes as a result of how hard he had been laughing to himself. At last, he let out a final happy sigh and, with a smile, turned to Helga again. "I'm sorry, Helga. I know you're waiting to hear what I'm going to say about the shrine. It's just…" he faced forward for a second, trying to focus himself so that he wouldn't burst into another round of chuckles again, and then turned back to Helga, still grinning. "I guess I'm trying to laugh now because…" he shook his head slightly and closed his eyes as he did so. "Oh, Helga…" he let out a small sigh and opened his eyes, "If you think Gerald's going to give _you_ a hard time about this, I don't think it's anything compared to what he's going to put _me_ through. I mean, at least you don't spend that much time together and he's afraid of you, but I'm pretty sure I'll hear every possible joke about this for the rest of our lives." He couldn't help but laugh to himself just a bit more, closing his eyes once again and leaning back completely against the door behind him. Finally, after a few more seconds, his chuckles subsided once again and he just sat there with his eyes shut contentedly, just smiling to himself.

And Helga just kept staring at him as she had been doing ever since he'd first emerged from his visit to her closet shrine mere minutes ago, still having no idea where in the heck he was all going with all of this. Finally, though, despite her fear and nervousness, she couldn't help but feel a bit of indignation rise up inside of her. She scowled slightly. "Hey, chuckles, if you're done with your little giggle fit about you're best friend being the biggest baby on the planet, maybe you could find time to actually address the thing I've been waiting out here for quite awhile in terror to hear from you about. Not that I'm not 'thrilled' that you're having a wonderful time while you're keeping me dangling, but in case you didn't notice before I'm kind of having one of those 'existential breakdowns' slash 'crossroads of my life' moments. So, anytime you wanna help clear it up BEFORE I explode from anticipation, I'll just be waiting right here. Hmph!"

With an exasperated sigh, Helga threw herself back upon her covers, turning her head to the side and staring down to the end of her bed and full on scowling at this point. '_Boys_!' was the only thought she could muster, considering how internally occupied she already was by the emotional mixture of fear and annoyance and impatience and (though she hated to admit it and was doing her best to douse it so that she wouldn't cave in and smile along with her beloved, thus beginning once again his fit of laughter and probably starting up one of her own) slight amusement as well. Indeed, Arnold's words about the culmination of Helga's phone call had suddenly put a picture in her mind 'Mr. Suave' Gerald suddenly opening up the kitchen door to ask in a 'smooth' voice if Phoebe needed any help carrying their snack upstairs, only to walk in just in time to hear Helga's rant about her shrine and then pass out cold right in the center of the floor and right in the middle of what had probably been practically a date. Arnold was right, for better or worse: most hysterical image ever. '_Hmm_,' she really almost smiled at that point, '_Maybe I can use that as ammo if tall hair boy starts in with me tomorrow about the shrine_...' On the outside, though, of course, Helga tried her best not to betray her desire to snicker at the admittedly humorous (if embarrassing for her) incident, and to maintain her angry facial appearance. '_I don't care how much of an excellent distraction Gerald is, though—Arnold is NOT getting out of this one! I want an answer about that shrine and I want it NOW! This has been the most stressful sixteen minutes and change in my life, and at this point I almost don't even care what he has to say just so long as he __says__ it already so that I can know whether I'm supposed to burst into tears or hug the little guy, and just GET ON with it! Sheesh, is that too much to ask?!_'

Meanwhile, as Helga had finished first her external and then her internal angry exclamations about her beloved, Arnold had finally managed to use up his remaining laughter and now had just been looking at her with a smile due to the fact that she'd just finished one of those rants against him she was famous for and that he hadn't been able to help but find just a little amusing ever since her confession and especially ever since his. And his smile was also due to the fact that he was actually kind of happy that she'd yelled at him: it meant she was relaxing a bit, and that's what he had wanted her to do. '_At least breaking the ice with bringing up Gerald instead of just giving her some dramatic 'yes or no' answer like she wanted seems like it might be helping her a bit…_' Still, he couldn't help his smile growing just slightly again, though, as he added to himself, the image of Gerald passing out like that entering his mind again, '_Even if I hadn't thought it would, though, I don't think I could have kept from laughing about it for very long so I'm kind of glad I got it out of my system now. Even if this talk isn't going to be nearly as big as Helga thinks it's going to be, she still doesn't deserve to have me laughing every once in awhile while I try to explain things to her_.'

He chuckled slightly one last time, and then took one more breath and finally cleared his throat, glancing down from the direction of Helga. "Okay, Helga. I'm sorry…I just needed to get that out of my system."

He could see, out of the corner of his eye, her suddenly sit up and open her mouth, about to make another sarcastic comment to him. He turned to her and held up his hand, though, cutting her off with a smile. "I know, I know—now's not the time for that 'Football Head' or 'Arnoldo' or 'Paste for Brains' or, if you're _really_ angry at me, no nickname and just 'Arnold'…" He couldn't help smiling warmly to himself and glancing down slightly again as he let this observation about her many ways of addressing him catch in his mind. "You know, it's funny but you only actually call me by my name when you're really, really angry with me or really, really happy with me, and everything else in between is something else you've been coming up with ever since the day we met…" He looked back up at her again as he finished expressing the thought, and couldn't help but notice that, at this random tangent of his, her scowling had ceased and she was actually looking at him curiously with part of her brow raised.

And, in truth, Helga was just a little more curious than annoyed about her beloved's behavior right now, considering the circumstances. '_Where the heck is he going with all of this? And…and how is HE suddenly the one good at reading ME_?' She added as an afterthought, recalling how he'd out of nowhere predicted the sarcastic reply she'd been just about to give in response to his continued stalling.

Arnold, meanwhile, just laughed just slightly to himself at the perplexed look on Helga's face and did his best to explain further. "Anyway, I guess I was just thinking about it because it really doesn't bother me now… Actually," he glanced down shyly, "It's kind of…cute. Like the 'dramatic' thing I mentioned before. But…" He hesitated like he was trying to work something out in his head, and then smiled to himself in surprise, looking back up at her. "Would it sound weird, though, if I said even _before_ all of this stuff with your confession and the tutoring and my confession, that a lot of the time I don't think I minded it all that much. It was just kind of like your name for me or something... I don't know—maybe it means I've liked you a lot longer than I thought... Like I was almost _expecting_ the confession and just waiting for it before I could face everything." He looked at her sincerely, suddenly actually finding this idea very interesting even though he knew the conversation about the closet shrine should probably be taking precedence right now. "What do you think, Helga?"

Helga blinked several times and swallowed hard at this sudden new topic of conversation. '_Okay, we are officially off script here because the last time I checked we were waiting for Arnold's big reaction to my closet shrine, not an amusing trip down memory lane. What exactly happened to him up there anyway? Did I leave a few of the incense burner's lit and the fumes clogged his brain or something? If this doesn't stop soon I'm seriously taking him back to the boarding house and making sure Phil keeps him in bed for the rest of the weekend to rest and recover (with a few side visits from me, of course, to bring him soup and read him poems and see that he gets well as quickly as possible. Oh, Arnold, if you truly __have__ been horribly affected by my random efforts at deifying my love for you, I won't rest until I've returned you to your normal state of sense-making even if it means you'll finally realize what a total loon I am and never want to see me again! Oh my darling, I should never have allowed you to brave the perils of that place alone! I should have—')_

"…Helga?" The sound of Arnold's more than slightly amused voice broke her from her thoughts.

"_Hmm_?" And then the sound of Helga's own suddenly very dreamy sounding voice hit her ears as well and she realized that while she'd suddenly gone off into one of her random internal Arnold monologues, her face had taken on a contented grin complete with half lidded eyes. She blinked and swallowed and felt herself blush slightly at suddenly being caught like that. "Uh…" '_Oh for Pete's sake what was he asking me again? Something about calling him Football Head and names and the confession,_ "Uh…I think…I think that…"

His smile was only growing as she stuttered, a fact which caused Helga to change from actually trying to come up with some half-way decent answer to a question she barely knew in order to save face, to pure sarcasm: her default. She scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "I _think_ that you should quit stalling and rambling on about random things we could be discussing next Friday…" '_If there IS a next Friday_…' she couldn't help but add at the back of her mind, "And that you should get back to telling me what I've been waiting to hear all this time! The closet shrine: just another one of my eccentricities or the straw that broke the camel's back? And can you just get on with it already because I told Phoebe I'd call her back and let her know what happens, and I know her and if I don't get back to her soon she's going to get worried and come over here or something, and she's going to have tall hair boy with her and I am NOT dealing with him tonight, so just SPILL already, ARNOLD!" she finally finished firmly!

Despite her commanding tone, though, Arnold couldn't help but laugh to himself slightly once more, once again due to the fact that ever since her confession it had just gotten more and more difficult to take any anger she'd directed at him seriously, and that now that he realized that he loved her too it was almost impossible to even pretend like he was at all afraid of her. Still, he didn't want to seem like he was mocking her right now, and so he quickly cleared his throat to stop the laughter (though he retained his smile) and finally just looked to her and let out a contented sigh. "Okay, Helga. I'm sorry again—I guess I was letting myself get a little distracted but you're right…" He swallowed and glanced down, starting to feel a little nervous. "I _am_ stalling a bit. But…it's not because of what I have to say about the closet shrine. It's because of what I have to say about…" He hesitated, feeling a slight blush come to his face. "It's because of something I think we should talk about after that… Because_ I_ want to be totally honest about my feelings with _you_ too, and I really _haven't_ been tonight…" He finally managed to turn his eyes back to Helga's and noticed that she now had part of her brow raised, a mixture of confusion and worry upon her face once more that evening. "Don't worry—it's nothing bad..." he quickly reassured her. "It's just something that's been on my mind and I wanted to explain it to you so that you'll understand why I've been a little…I mean why I won't…uh…" He swallowed hard, feeling the blush grow on his face. He cleared his throat and glanced down again. "Why I'm sitting over here on the floor instead of next to you on your bed holding your hand, for example..." He continued not to look at her.

Helga blinked at this last statement and felt a slight blush come to her face now as well. She'd be lying, of course, if she said that Arnold's lack of almost any physical contact with her ('_Heck, the ten foot minimum distance he's been trying to keep, actually_') hadn't been on her mind this evening. '_Wait a minute_…' A new thought suddenly occurred to her. _'He's talking about stuff we're going to be talking about AFTER we talk about the shrine…and saying that the thing he's going to be talking about isn't anything bad. Which means he must be planning for there to still be something good going on after we talk about the shrine…which means_…'

Her desperately hopeful thought was interrupted by the sound of Arnold suddenly letting out a sigh. He turned to face her, his arms folded around his knees which were pulled to his chest. "So…the shrine." He took a breath, doing his best to continue speaking as seriously as possible, though a small, amused smile remained upon his face. "Do you want my professional opinion or my personal opinion first?"

Helga blinked at this question. Then she threw herself backward onto her bed once more, a frustrated sigh escaping her. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Arnold—and I'm using your actual name right now so apparently you know I'm either seriously elated or seriously ticked off, and I think even you can guess which one of those you're dealing with right now—Normally, I do find it just adorable when you ironically reference stuff between us, but can you _just_—"

"Well," he started, cutting her off in a playful voice and ignoring her complaint, "I _was_ going to try and do something clever while I was in there like writing a note to you about the shrine to actually complete my original present idea for you, but I didn't have a pen and there wasn't really anything to lean on to do it, and anyway…I think I'm just better at saying how I feel when it comes to you than writing it. "

Helga didn't sit up. She just turned her head back in the direction of the end of her bed and let out an indignant "Hmph!", trying to sound as annoyed as possible at this point by Arnold's flippancy about this whole thing so that he'd hurry it along already. On the inside, though, of course, part of her was clinging to every word he was about to say, and as a result her face (which she knew Arnold couldn't see from the angle at which he was standing) looked far more plagued with worry than annoyance, to say the least. '_Oh boy. Okay, Helga, this is it… Just…just stay calm. It…it's going to be okay…I mean, it's okay going pretty decently so far, right?'_

Arnold, meanwhile, taking Helga's silence as a cue to continue, cleared his throat and resumed speaking once more. "Okay, well, I guess since you don't have a preference I'll start with the professional opinion first. That's what you started with in your note with the pink book, anyway."

There was a heavy moment of silence and Helga considered yelling at him again for trying to be ironic but decided all that would probably do was continue to sidetrack them. So she waited patiently…

And then, finally, Arnold took a breath and finally spoke about the shrine already! "So…we went through all of that stuff two weeks ago about finding out that you're a secret poet …Why didn't you mention then that you were a secret artist too?"

Helga instantly sat up like a rocket, her eyes flying in Arnold's direction. Her jaw completely dropped.

"I mean, really, Helga…the author and the subject matter aside…" Arnold smiled just a bit to himself once again at throwing in one more reference to her pink book note, and then looked to her as he continued with his explanation of his professional opinion now that he had a face to speak to since she was sitting up again. "You've got talent and creativity and perspective and obviously skill...." He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and look at her with just a touch of amazement. "I mean, how did you get all those bottles stuck together like that? It looked like hot glue or welding or something: where did you learn how to use a blowtorch, Helga? And how did you manage to lay it out so that the whole thing didn't need any supports—the proportions and the balancing must have taken forever but they're perfect! Is that just instinct or do you plan it out like that? And…" he looked absolutely bewildered for a second, "How did you manage to get everything up there? It must have taken forever by yourself! You should have asked me or Phoebe or Olga for some help. And…" he gave her a genuinely impressed look, "Well…those two bottles on the floor. The ones that look like me and you…they're not…I mean…are they the bottles you and I drank out of last Saturday?"

Though she was still just sitting there in shock, her mouth still completely agape (maybe even more so at this point, if it was possible), Helga managed a slight nod to the correct guess.

Arnold's eyes lit up with a touch of pride. "I knew it!" He smiled to himself. "Oh and also—the hat made of bottle caps? Okay, now, that was a nice touch. I mean, when I first went up there I was a little in shock for a minute or two—but the sight of that made me smile. Now _that_'s creative, Helga." He chuckled warmly, his half lidded gaze focused on the girl before him. "Poetry, art, acting like in the school play, dancing the tango at the April Fools Dance, all those crazy schemes…is there anything you're _not_ secretly brilliant at. Helga?"

Helga's mouth was still just hanging open, and her face was still the definition of shock. Seeing that he seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction from her to his response thus far to the shrine before he continued, though, Helga swallowed hard and instantly felt her eyes dart to several places around her room in a brief panic before finally resting on Arnold again. "I…" absolute incredulity soaked her voice, "I…I'm sorry. Can…can you just repeat this entire conversation from 'I'll start with my professional opinion, first.' _Really_. I'm…I'm sorry, but—you actually like the shrine? I mean…" Her voice continued to heighten in pitch and to sound even more disbelieving as she continued. "You ACTUALLY **LIKE** the SHRINE! And you think it's some kind of great piece of artwork. And you think I'm some kind of great artist for making this perfectly designed and perfectly ironic dedication to you in my attic? Am I getting all of that right, Arnold? I mean, I'm not dreaming or just blocking out whatever it is you're actually saying and mentally replacing it with this random reaction, right? The first thing that seriously came to your mind when you saw that thing was that I'm 'talented'?!"

Arnold had found himself doing his best not to chuckle at Helga's sudden dramatic and incredulous outburst. This last question, though, instantly made him swallow and clear his throat, glancing away and rubbing his right arm with his left. "Well…no, Helga. Actually, the first thing that came to my mind when I saw it was my _personal_ opinion, but I haven't told you that yet…" Helga gulped, and Arnold managed to glance up at her once more. "And as for the rest of my professional opinion, well…I don't know about 'perfect'—I mean…" He rested his left elbow in his left knee and put his left hand to his chin in thought. "I might have taken some more bottle caps and made a face on it, and my head's just a little bit wider in real life but if you'd added an extra bottle onto the ends I guess you probably would have needed something to prop them up and then you would have lost that free standing effect…and I also might have added a few more lights around the attic to brighten it up a bit more, but otherwise it…"

"Okay, _hold the phone_!" Helga interrupted him firmly, closing her eyes for a second and then opening them, a look on her face right now that was more the result of momentary incomprehension than the shock and disbelief from before. She continued. "Let me just—let my head just process this for a second." She brought her eyes to Arnold's. "You're actually _critiquing_ my Arnold shrine. Do I have that right, Football Head?"

Arnold blinked at the observation. "Oh! Well…I just wanted to give my honest opinion, like you said to do. Really, though, Helga—the whole thing was just…" He resumed smiling at her, and crossing his arms around his knees once again. "Well, let's just say that from now on when we have an art project to do at school _you're_ taking care of any sculptures because, whether you know it or not, you're really, really good at it."

She blinked at the statement, losing that bit annoyance that had started to reenter her voice, her wide eyes just looking at him again. "…Really?"

He smiled just a bit more and replied quietly and sincerely, "Really, Helga."

He watched as Helga blushed, a slight smile coming to her face as well.

"So…" he continued, glancing down, and realizing that if he got lost in things he said making her happy that he was never going to get on with the second half of his response. "Are you ready for my personal opinion, now?"

Helga blinked at these words. _'Please don't let it be bad. Please don't let it be bad!!!_' Though this thought screamed inside of her head, on the outside Helga did her best to seem as casual and calm as possible. She swallowed. "Oh…um…yeah…yeah, I'm ready, Football Head. Uh…shoot!"

Arnold took a deep breath. "Okay, well…" He looked to her again. "Actually, it's not really an opinion so much as a question..."

Helga raised an eyebrow at this information.

Arnold took another breath and glanced away from her once again, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "I mean…it's kind of small question I've had for a while about a lot of things between us…but even though I only looked at the shrine for a few minutes it kind of reminded m—"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, _wait_ a minute!" Helga instantly cut him off, her eyes narrowing a bit and her scowl starting to return. "What do you mean you only looked at the shrine for 'a few minutes'? You were in there for almost _twenty_, Football Head!"

Arnold's eyes instantly flew up to meet Helga's and he blinked in genuine surprise at the statement. "Really?"

Helga rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, genius, _really_."

"Oh…" A noticeable blush came to Arnold's face, and he cleared his throat, his eyes instantly returning to the floor. "I'm sorry, Helga. I didn't mean to keep you waiting like that. I just…well, after I put back the shoe and climbed down I was just thinking that…" He barely shifted his eyes up in her direction. "Well, lately, I feel like there's so much new stuff I'm finding out about you, but there's also a bunch of things I already knew about you that I feel like I never got the chance to notice before… And then also when I was thinking about writing the note I thought it might help inspire me a bit if I was around something that was really 'you' so I…" He swallowed very hard. "I…might have spent a few minutes just kind of looking at your clothes and stuff…" He smiled sheepishly, shifting his eyes up just a bit more. "Heh, heh…" He tried his best to laugh the admission off nervously, though he knew there was no chance of getting out of this one unscathed by awkwardness and embarrassment. '_Oh boy_…'

Helga's eyes went wide at his explanation and she felt a warm blush come to her cheeks, and more than a bit of indignation flare up inside of her again. "You did _what_?"

There was definitely an edge to her voice and it wasn't lost on Arnold. He swallowed once more and looked at her sincerely. "I'm sorry, Helga. I really didn't think I was doing it for over ten minutes and I didn't want to keep you waiting…but like I said you've been finding out and noticing things about me for our whole lives and I just…"

The voice that cut him off was practically acidic. Helga continued to glare at him as she slowly began to speak. "I trust you with access to my closet and under THESE circumstances, and you're telling me that you chose to just use it to have some private 'let's learn about Helga' time?!" She stood up, a scowl on her face and the rant just beginning. "Come on, Football Head, this whole shrine thing was obviously really important to me and you're standing there treating it like some kind of stupid game!" And once again, the argument auto-pilot began to kick in, just like that time back in the janitor's closet at P.S. 118 two Mondays ago when she'd let her legacy of crazy Arnold-based schemes accidentally slip to her beloved in the middle of a heated discussion. "I mean, how would _you_ like it if I just randomly spent some time in _your_ room or in _your _closet spying on _you_ instead of just talking to you about thi—" Helga stopped and blinked and instantly felt her face flood with color. She glanced at Arnold, who more than noticed the reaction, and whose slightly raised an eyebrow and slightly smug half smile at her sudden hesitation and the slightly guilty look now upon her face told her that he more than knew that she had basically just lost the argument in question before it had even begun. Helga slowly sat down on her bed again, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly and glancing away, clearing her throat. "Um…you know what…I should probably just stop talking before I _completely_ dig myself into a hole, shouldn't I?"

Arnold just shrugged. "If you want to, but I'd really like to hear some more details about times you've been in my closet sometime later if you're afraid that it's going to make you lose too much credibility right now…" he replied with a smile.

The pink book fiasco and having to spend the night in Arnold's closet because of it and stealing that sock of his flashed through her mind in an instant…Not to mention, the time she'd been hiding behind his couch trying to get back that poetry-reciting parrot and had maybe caught a quick peek of him undressing for bed… Helga gulped, glancing away guiltily. "Yeah…it… might be better to hold off on that story or two for now...." Recalling some of these more awkward moments from her lovesick past was suddenly making Helga feel a bit nervous, to say the least, and she couldn't help starting to ramble a bit. "I mean, heck, at least you had _permission_ to be here and to be in there, and you took all of what—ten minutes? I mean _I've _spent—" Instantly, she swallowed hard and stopped herself once more. '_Why is it so freaking annoyingly easy to talk to him now? Come on, defensive nature, get in the game already!_'

"Anyway, uh…" Helga desperately just wanted to move on from this topic of her past exploits already and so did her best to change the subject. "Great, so you took a little tour of my closet after you finished with my closet shrine..." She almost had to half smile as the idea of Arnold doing something so obviously indicative of his strong feelings for her like that really sunk in, and finally she managed to make eye contact with him again and even ask in a playful voice, "So…what 'epic insight' into my being did you gain from looking at a few dresses, exactly, Arnoldo?"

Arnold felt a small grin come to his face at the question and he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her as he replied, "That you like the color pink. A lot." He laughed slightly to himself, but, seeing the scowl suddenly return to her face, cleared his throat and did his best to explain his comment. "I mean, it looks good on you…" That observation got rid of the scowl and brought the blush back to Helga's face. Arnold continued, happy her anger seemed to be cooling overall. "But you really like it. _A lot_." He finished. He laughed to himself a bit again, turning to face forward as a quick thought occurred to him. '_I guess that's another reason why I should have figured out Cecile was her: a blonde haired, blue eyed person dressed entirely in pink with a ribbon in her hair goes out to dinner with me and I can't figure out who she is until she tells me months later_…' He almost had to shake his head at how ridiculous it all seemed now…

Arnold was about to turn back in Helga's direction to mention this observation aloud and ask just how she had been able to put up with his denseness for so long when…

"Well…" Instead, he turned at the sound of her (suddenly warm and quiet sounding) voice to see Helga blushing considerably, both her arms and legs crossed as she obviously shyly struggled to keep her eyes looking in his direction. "_You_ liked it first…" she finished with a light sigh and a half smile, as though she was recalling a happy memory or something.

Arnold just blinked and raised an eyebrow at the statement and, especially, at Helga's sudden change in attitude as she said it.

Helga, observing his confusion, just sighed and rolled her eyes, her smile growing. She explained. "The day we met when we were three you told me that you liked how my bow was pink like my pants, so I just…" she looked into his eyes, smiling sheepishly, "…kind of…went with it." She shrugged.

Arnold felt a bit of warmth come to his cheeks and his stomach twist just slightly. He remembered in his poem trying to recall the memory of meeting Helga, but it was all a bit fuzzy. All he really recalled was that, despite all of the insults and fights and pranks over the years, and even before he'd realized he was coming to seriously care about her, somehow the feeling associated with meeting her had been a good one. And now, thinking back to the lines from his poem where he had mentioned it, he did indeed recall something about the color pink…

He smiled at Helga. "It meant that much to you? That I liked something about you?" he asked sincerely.

The blush on her face grew a bit stronger. She swallowed hard, her blue eyes still gazing into his green ones. "I already told you, Arnold…" Helga recalled in an instant that emotion from seven years ago of feeling so bad after her walk to school in the cold rain alone, and then suddenly…suddenly having this caring, nice, good person appear before her and the warmth that had washed over everything she was at the first words he had said to her... And now she sat here, looking into that face seven years later, and she finished her sentence. "…You mean everything to me…"

There was tender moment of silence between them.

Finally, Helga could no longer take the feeling of his loving, half lidded gaze upon her, and she glanced away and cleared her throat and did her best to move the conversation along. "I mean…all the pink really was all for you at first, but…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "It's become such a signature thing with me over the years that I think it's more my own thing now than just something to make you happy…kind of like with the poetry." She laughed slightly to herself and looked back up into Arnold's smiling face. "But, once again, you started it, Football Head." She considered for a second and then couldn't help but roll her eyes as an interesting thought occurred to her. "Who knows? I might actually _end up_ showing up at school with my hair down one of these days just because you mentioned that you liked it before..." She shifted back on her bed, relaxing a bit more, and added with a tone of feigning defiance, "Still, I'm not the same lovesick girl I was before my confession…" She shrugged, smiling just a bit coyly at him, "I _might_ do it, I might _not_… We'll see what my prerogative is, Football Head."

Arnold had to laugh at that statement and, of course, the amusing way in which she'd delivered it. "Well, like I always say, whatever you say, Helga."

"Good." Suddenly, to his surprise, she got up and walked over to her bedroom door, and sat herself down firmly in front of it, crossing her arms over her chest and allowing the scowl to return to her face once more. "Well, then, I say there's no way you're getting out of here until you spill about that freaking 'personal opinion' of yours or 'question' or whatever it is that loopy mind of yours came up with while you were looking at my shrine, because until we stop going off on tangents—no matter how cute they might be or how much closer they might make us—and get to the rest of your reaction to the ultimate symbol of my obsessive love for you, you are NOT Getting out of this room, Arnold! And, once again, first name equals me being seriously ticked off! So enough trying to soften the blow, already—I'm not the complete wreck I was ten minutes ago, obviously, and I'm thinking from the way you're acting and your 'professional opinion' that whatever you're going to say next isn't going to be a _complete_ nightmare, so like I've been saying for the last twenty minutes, just SPILL, already, Football Head!_ The truth_!"

Arnold blinked at the sudden change in attitude and subject matter of their conversation. _'She figured out that I was just trying to lighten the mood with all of that stuff…_' He felt an impressed smile come to his face.

"Hey, enough lovey-dovey grins, Arnoldo! Get to it so that it can be over and so that we can move on to whatever that other thing it was that you wanted to talk about!" Helga instantly added, continuing to scowl in impatience.

Arnold felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly recalled that talk he'd promised her next. This reminder of awkward things to come coupled with the awkward-enough question he had for her now made him swallow and glance away with more than just a slight blush on his face.

He took a deep breath, though, leaned back against the closet door again, and finally managed to summon the courage to begin…

Arnold swallowed hard before opening his mouth. "Well…like I said, Helga, my personal opinion is more of a question than anything else, and looking at the shrine reminded me of it…and it really was the first thought to pop into my head when I went up there..." He swallowed hard again and Helga, despite her external scowl, waited on pins and needles on the inside for what he would say next.

"Why…um…" he finally looked at her and finished sincerely, "Why _me_?"

All anger dropped from Helga's face. She just looked at him blankly. "What?"

Arnold sighed and rested his head against the back of her closet, closing his eyes for a second. "Well, I mean, you're the one who's talented and funny and strong and interesting and passionate and wonderful and beauti…" Arnold opened his eyes, realizing he was suddenly rambling on about her…a lot. He felt another twist in his stomach and the warmth already in his face grow stronger. "I mean…" his nervous voice searched for anything less awkward to move the conversation on from his sudden spontaneous listing all of Helga Pataki's good qualities, especially that last one. "It'd make sense to me if someone made a shrine to _you_…" The words were out of his mouth before he had the awareness to stop them, and he paused as what he had just said aloud finally sunk in… And then Arnold, with a humiliated sigh, just dragged a hand down his face in mortification, afraid to even look at Helga.

And speaking of Helga…

Now, at Arnold's initial question her face had indeed taken on an uncomprehending look, and with good reason. '_Why him? __Why__him__? What does that even mean, 'why him'_?' This train of thought had continued in her head until he'd started listing things he liked about her, at which point her mind had gone completely blank and a quick blush had come to her face. 'Wonderful' had even made her blink… But then that last word had almost sounded like…'beautiful'_?_ She had suddenly felt her heart begin to race wildly. Instantly, she had crossed her arms over her chest, pulling her legs close to her body and looking down at her pale pink carpet with wide eyes. '_He doesn't mean that… He doesn't know what he's talking about. I mean—he was just caught up in the heat of the moment with saying all that stuff... That's probably why he cut himself off—he realized the mistake he made. I mean…I'm not Ruth with her styled hair and sparkling braces, and I'm not Lila with her perfect braids and the giggling and the perfect little dresses and the green eyes, and I'm not Summer with the perfect tan and the pretty voice…_' She began to absentmindedly play with one of her pigtails self-consciously. '_I'm just…Helga…._' And then suddenly, the feeling of her hair in her hands made resurface in Helga's mind the memory of Arnold's comment from before about liking how it looked, and she instantly felt her breath catch in her throat and her eyes go wide. _'Or maybe…_' she almost couldn't bear to let the impossible thought enter her mind, '_Maybe he actually does think that I'm…_'

Arnold's comment about building a shrine to her, though, cut off the thought and actually made her blink and look to him with a mix of surprise and utter bafflement on her face. '_It'd make sense of someone '__what'__?!_'

Arnold, meanwhile, after having finished his little verbal slip, now just sat there, his eyes still closed, total humiliation continuing to wash over him. '_Tell me I didn't just say that to her… Tell me I didn't just tell her that she should have a shrine made in her honor_!' He briefly recalled some of the awkward stuff that had randomly slipped out of his mouth last Saturday night at the Pataki house, though he was sure that what he'd just accidentally said here and now beat out all of his little admissions about kissing her by a long shot. '_Why do I always say embarrassing things like that when we're alone?_' He had to sigh to himself and shook his head back and forth slightly at his carelessness. '_She's going to have a field day with this, I just know it…And I almost can't blame her…'_

Arnold waited for the blow—the sarcastic comment, the laughter, or at least some gentle ribbing about what he'd just said…but nothing came. With a swallow he opened his eyes and finally managed to look at Helga again. He blinked. She wasn't smiling or smirking or scowling…she was just sitting here, her arms wrapped around her legs which were currently pulled close to her chest, watching him intently with a blush on her face.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at the sight, momentarily forgetting his embarrassment. He opened his mouth for a second, about to speak, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say for a moment considering how much her current reaction to what he'd just said was just a bit unexpected to him, to say the least.

Helga glanced down quickly as his eyes met hers, and he noticed her touch the end of one of her pigtails for a second before looking at him again and saying quietly and sincerely, "Well, go on, Arnold… I'm listening."

Arnold blinked, and couldn't help having to stop a dreamy smile from coming to his face between how nice she looked just shyly sitting there and how sweet her voice had just sounded addressing him. It was a tone of hers he really didn't get to hear too often—that same light, delicate way she'd talked to him after her confession on the FTi rooftop, but not as airy right now…just, loving. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath, trying to come back to his initial intended point with this conversation and at the same time trying to escape the beautiful and distracting image of Helga sitting there. He opened his eyes, glancing to the carpet before him with a small smile. "A-anyway, what I meant…when I asked 'why me' was… Well, I'm just…Arnold. I guess what I'm asking, or saying is…I don't really understand why you'd spend all of your time putting together all that stuff for so many years all just for _me_. I guess I just…" he managed to resume eye contact with her again, "I just don't feel like there's any way I could really be that much of a help to you in your life to deserve all of that love and attention."

The look he saw on Helga's face as he finished this explanation surprised him considerably. She seemed almost…hurt…and just a little sad too. Not angry or confused or amused…just those two emotions and as always somewhere in her eyes, her ever present love for him. She opened her mouth slightly, but then hesitated. She glanced down and her eyes shifted back and forth for a second, as though she was considering something, and then she looked back over at Arnold. Her voice was quiet, and full of disbelief. "You're serious, Arnold, aren't you? I mean…you're seriously serious?" In a way she almost sounded worried.

And indeed she was. _'How could he…how could he not know? How could he not see it? How could he not be aware after everything we've been through and everything I've told him and done for him and written about him that he's the most perfect person in the whole wide world and that I'm just lucky enough to be aware of that fact too, and to love him for it forever? Oh, Arnold, how could I fail to show you just how wonderful you are? You love me and that's made me realize that I actually am a special person and love myself, but if I can't do the same great deed for you, my dearest, then how can I ever justify staying with you? No!_' She felt a firm conviction instantly swell up inside of her. '_I'll fix this mess and make you understand everything, Arnold, no matter what it takes!_'

Arnold, meanwhile, took a second to process the question she'd just asked him in regards to his sincerity about his question to her, and then slowly just nodded in assent to her, still in a bit of shock at the emotional reaction his admission had gotten from her.

Helga instantly stood up and walked across her room, sitting herself down right next to Arnold in front of her closet door. "Arnold…" She glanced away from him for a second like she was just trying to find where to even begin. Finally, to his surprise, a small smile came to her face. She turned back to him. "Where, exactly, have you been for the last two weeks…" Then Helga recalled his confession, and then hers and then everything else. "Heck the last month and a half…heck the last _seven years_, Football Head?" She gave him a playful nudge in his shoulder.

He just looked at her unsurely, not certain where she was going with this response.

Seeing his continued confusion, Helga just shook her head and joined him in leaning back against the closet door. She sighed, the small smile still on her face, actually trying to hold back a bit of laughter at his familiar cluelessness. She looked to him again. "_Hello_! Is this the same Arnold who I poured my heart out to about my feelings on the roof of a building? The same one who spent the last two weekends in a row watching me act like a complete spazz every time he gave me one of those half lidded smiles of his or held my hand or just plain breathed? The same one who's blown through seven volumes of my poetry dedicated to his glory just over the last nine days? I mean, each of those poems alone is a mini explanation of everything that makes you so perfect..." She looked at him with pure disbelief now, her smile waning. "How can you not know why I would love you, Arnold? How could there even be a question about it in the whole world?"

Arnold hadn't been able to help but smile at the passion and sincerity with which she'd delivered this little speech. She was starting to talk like that to him about things more and more now that they were together and it always fascinated him how she could act so uncaring about everything when she was around the other kids, and yet inside of her have so much conviction that it just made it so you had to stop and look at her and listen to her until she finished, because whether she was right or wrong or whether you agreed with her or you didn't, you couldn't deny the opinion coming out of her mouth had merit and someone who truly believed in it delivering it.

Realizing once again, though, that marveling over the Helga Pataki he had never expected existed wasn't getting them anywhere, Arnold blinked a couple of times and pulled himself out of his thoughts about the matter for now. Besides, even _he_ wasn't so dense as to not see that the question she had just asked him wasn't rhetorical. He took a breath and thought for a second before speaking, trying to think of a good way to describe what he meant exactly about not understanding why she loved _him_. "It's not that I don't know that you love me and how much you love me—" He smiled at her. "Your confession and all the stuff afterwards made it pretty clear…even to someone as dense as me…._eventually_."

She actually laughed at that, and the sound made Arnold's smile grow.

"What I mean is…" He took another second to clarify in his mind the concept his was about to express before trying to work it out aloud. "Well…okay, like with your poems, for example. They're all dedicated to me, but when you talk about me in them it's like you build me up and describe me as some kind of perfect symbol of love or something…" He couldn't help blushing slightly and glancing away from her. "But…I don't understand why you would think that in the first place…and that's what I'm trying to ask. I already know that you love me and how you love me but I don't really have a clear idea about what it is I seem to do for you everyday that makes you _keep_ loving me."

Arnold sighed to himself and looked at her again. To his surprise, though, rather than hearing the girl beside him commence to reassuring him once more that the reason she loved him should be obvious, he watched Helga blink at his explanation and then suddenly glance back and forth from him down to the floor a couple of times like she was carefully thinking something through…which, indeed, she was…

'_I hate to admit that he just figured out something about my poetry that I've never even realized, but he actually kind of has a…point. I mean, 'Orzo shaped Prometheus' really doesn't say much about him as a real person, does it?_' She took a breath and finally resumed looking at Arnold permanently. "So…what you're saying is, you'd like something a bit less romantic and a bit more realistic to go on, huh, Football Head?" She quickly added as an afterthought. "Kind of like what you gave me?" She gestured with her head to her nightstand upon which sat her Arnold locket, containing Arnold's poem for her, propped up against the base of her lamp. "With your poem, I mean…"

Arnold turned in the direction she had indicated, and he eyes met the locket, the golden edges shining just slightly as they brightly reflected the soft lamplight that bathed them. He blinked as he realized what she was referring to and how it did indeed seem to fit the bill about what he was talking about. "I…I guess so." He couldn't help but reply with just a touch of amazement at the almost perfect parallel, turning back around to look at her. '_How does she always find the perfect example of things or the perfect way to put them?' _he couldn't help but ask himself, feeling his heart skip a beat as he awaited whatever she would say next in response to his affirmation of her comparison.

Helga just sighed and seemed to consider for another second or two, a half smile on her face. Finally, she spoke, still looking forward, still with a look in her eyes like she was processing something very new and very interesting to her. "Well…I never really tried something like that before…I mean, it was always just more fun to gush about absolutely perfect and wonderful you seem to me…" She turned to look at him again, and smiled, shrugging. "But if it's for you, Football head, I guess I could give it a shot just this once."

Arnold blinked and raised an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes at yet another bit of cluelessness from him this evening. "I mean writing a poem about you like the one you wrote about me, paste-for-brains, sheesh!" She couldn't help but chuckle at him. '_Always just a little adorably slow on the uptake_…'

"Really, Helga?" Arnold began with surprise at the suggestion. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to make you change how you want to write just for me," he added with a touch of genuine concern.

Helga just let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, the smile still on her face. "Football Head, if you're worrying _now_ about affecting my writing, I think it's too late. Seven years and at this point almost eighteen pink books too late!"

She smiled a bit more and Arnold couldn't help but laugh to himself at her excellent point.

The two kids sat in silence for a few seconds, just enjoying the brief moment of levity and the fact that after another dramatic evening together, things finally seemed to be winding down…

Eventually, Arnold took a breath and placed his palms upon the carpet on either side of him, leaning back a bit more against Helga's closet door and almost feeling a yawn catch in his throat. He couldn't help feeling a bit tired, after all, as he'd already been at Helga's house for over an hour and as the evening had been pretty full to say the least. Still, he didn't want to leave just yet. It was nice just to sit here and laugh with Helga and talk with Helga, just like they'd gotten so used to doing together over the last couple of weeks. He looked at her with a smile. "So, when do you think I'll get to read this next masterpiece of yours all about what really makes you love me?"

Helga had to smile at the question and then she shrugged and glanced forward. "Can't rush these things, Football Head—depends on when I get inspired. I mean, I can write one of my normal poems for you completely on the spot—I know how to tap into the source of those..." He smile grew just a bit. "I just think about how you smiled at something or how you laughed at something or how I can suddenly feel my heart beat faster whenever I see you walking up the street or down the hall at school or bump into you going around a corner or—" Helga blinked and realized the dreamy look suddenly coming upon her face as she started to gush. She blushed, and glanced at Arnold (who, she suddenly became fully aware now that he had nearly sent her off into a monologue, was sitting very close indeed). His cheeks bore a slight blush as well and he was just glancing down, though she could just see an amused smile growing on his face.

"A-anyway…" Helga continued, clearing her throat and trying to move things along once more that evening. "There you go, Football Head—I don't even have to go looking for the inspiration for one of those poems and suddenly it's there." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously and glanced away from him again, doing her best to continue changing the subject from her awkward near monologue. "Something like what you're talking about, though, might take me a few days… I have to really think about it and plan it out unless I just suddenly get conked on the head with the right type of inspiration, you know?" She smiled to herself. "I mean, something new and strong and that would make me feel like I couldn't help writing a poem even if I tried..." Suddenly, Helga absentmindedly moved the hand she had been rubbing her neck with to the floor…where, to her surprise, her fingertips suddenly (and warmly) found themselves atop Arnold's.

At the feeling of the unexpected touch (and that spark it managed to send through both of their systems), both kids instantly turned to look with wide eyes at their hands now half on top of one other... Their breaths caught in their throats.

Slowly, they managed to pull their gazes away from the floor and to look up and into each other's (very close, they realized, now that the situation had turned from humorous to romantic) eyes. Neither of them blinked.

There were several seconds of silence.

"…Yeah…" Helga finally managed to breathe out, the silence and the feeling of Arnold's warm hand under hers and the sight of his beautiful green eyes meeting her own feeling almost unbearable. "Something that, um…that was kind of about our new relationship and not just my old feelings…" She was rambling but her head was elsewhere right now. "Something unavoidable…"

"…Yeah..." Arnold managed to agree in a very quiet voice after a second, not breaking his gaze from the large blue eyes before him, set just above Helga's pinkening cheeks. His head, too, was occupied with other things at the moment besides the words coming out of his mouth. "Something…about the both of us…"

Another second of silence passed.

And then Helga felt herself leaning a bit closer…

And then Arnold felt himself leaning a bit closer…

And then both of them closed their eyes as they felt their lips slowly touch.

It took only a second or two of hesitant contact for Helga to lean into the kiss a bit harder (like she had a habit of doing), and then to moan very softly. Arnold couldn't help letting a sigh escape through his nose at the familiar sound, and suddenly he found himself reaching up with his hand not underneath Helga's and putting it around her waist, pulling himself closer to her. He knew, somewhere at the back of his very occupied mind, that he shouldn't be doing this. A vague memory of a problem he needed to talk to Helga about in regards to the kissing touched at his consciousness for a second, but definitely didn't make it to the forefront, all things considered.

At the touch of his hand to her back he felt that shudder come from Helga G. Pataki…that familiar shudder that let him know when he was making her feel like she was making him feel, and that she liked it…just like on the couch last weekend…

Suddenly, Arnold's eyes flew up and he pulled himself away from Helga, stood up, paced around her room very quickly for a few seconds in total confusion and embarrassment and guilt and anxiety, almost walked over to her bed to sit down, then paused and turned abruptly away from it and headed back to the chair on the other side of the room that he had been occupying earlier that evening. He found himself breathing heavily in anxiety, a total look of panic on his face, and his cheeks feeling almost hot to the touch.

As Arnold had pulled away, meanwhile, Helga had suddenly found herself falling forward, her chin slamming into the carpet below her. She blinked several times upon finding herself in this position and realizing that her kiss with her beloved had suddenly gone from very satisfying to no longer happening in less than half a second.

Finally, as this realization finished sinking in, a serious scowl came to Helga's face and she sat up, shaking her head and rubbing her shoulder that had hit against the closet door behind her on the way down. Then she stood up, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Arnold who was now just sitting in that chair he'd been clinging to for the first half hour of this little anniversary celebration, looking totally distressed though Helga was a bit too blinded by her anger at the moment to take much note of the emotional state implied by the look upon his face right now. "For PETE'S SAKE, Football Head, WHAT is you problem tonight?!" She was fuming. "Okay, I get it—the shrine thing was borderline psychotic of me but the last I checked you were good-naturedly OK with it. But that doesn't even _begin_ to explain everything that happened with you ditching me from _before_ I showed it to you and it absolutely doesn't excuse right now! YOU'RE the one who apparently had romance so on the brain that you showed up here with this whole present bit, and then you find me here and you think you'd be happy but it's like I'm suddenly the source of all cooties that ever were and ever will be! What is the DEAL with you not wanting to TOUCH me, ARNOLD?!" She was breathing heavily at this point, mostly from fury….though, just a touch of it was still residual from that kiss. In fact, at the back of her mind, despite her anger, Helga couldn't help but note to herself, '_Wow, I thought randomly kissing him in the heat of the moment was intense, but that slow, gentle way we just_…' She tried not to lose herself in the feeling right now and firmed up her glare at Arnold to keep herself on topic. In a slightly less outright-yelling voice she added to her initial exclamations, "I mean, I'm getting a serious sense of déjà vous from when we were on that building after my confession and I kept trying to kiss you again and you kept ducking me. Tell me what the heck's bothering you, Arnold!" This last sentence was added with just the faintest touch of concern, Arnold couldn't help but notice—like she really thought there might be some kind of problem with him and really wanted to help him fix it.

At the same time, though, hearing her bring up the FTi building, Arnold couldn't help the feeling coming over him that the situations weren't exactly very different. After all, it had been there that he'd gotten his first real kiss, and his first real Helga G. Pataki kiss on top of it… And after she'd let him go that first time when it had all been so much for him to take in…only to suddenly try doing it again? If she'd succeeded he knew he would have passed out with all of that new information about her feelings and all of those new feelings about being kissed and kissing her suddenly tumbling around inside of him, and so he'd run (as best as he could, considering they had been trapped on a roof together).

Arnold shook his head to clear it of these tangential thoughts, and took a second to try and get his breathing under control as the surprise of the unexpected kiss they'd just shared continued ebbing. He knew he had to talk to Helga and he was prepared to address her legitimate concerns right now like he knew he had to. Still, though he knew he had it in him to speak to her, he just couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with her again just yet (his breathing may have been returning to normal but his heart was still pounding enough as it was in his chest, and the last thing he needed right now was to find his eyes suddenly falling to those lips he'd just kissed…and that had just kissed his own so incredibly…and that probably wanted to do it again…) "I-I'm sorry, Helga!" he shut his eyes and began sincerely, doing his best to remove himself from the new direction his thoughts had suddenly started taking. "It's just…" He managed to open his eyes though he was still looking down, and swallowed hard, blushing even more. "That other thing I mentioned we should talk about, after the shrines thing was over…the thing that's been bothering me…"

Helga growled and rolled her eyes. "Arnold, okay, I get that it was _your_ turn to have a mini-crisis but do you think it could have waited until we were DONE ki—"

To Helga's surprise, Arnold cut her off, feeling his face grow hot at the idea of what he was about to admit. "No, it couldn't!" he quickly exclaimed, standing up from the chair. He took a deep breath and did his best to look up at her, though he still felt utterly mortified inside at the situation he was in. "Because…I…" he swallowed hard and closed his eyes tight as he finally just said it. "Because I don't know when I would have been able to _STOP_ kissing you, and _THAT's_ the problem!"

Several seconds passed in silence during which Arnold continued just standing there with his eyes closed, waiting for some kind of response to his admission: for Helga to yell or come over to him or laugh at him or sigh in disappointment at him. However, nothing met his ears but a continued silence and so he finally summed up his courage and opened his eyes to see for himself the effect his words had had on Helga G. Pataki…

She just stood there at the other end of her room, an eyebrow raised and her mouth open, like she had been about to say something but had stopped or thought better of it. She didn't seem happy and she didn't seem sad and she didn't seem angry or even confused. It was like she was torn equally between every possible emotion about how to feel after hearing this truth, and now was just standing there awaiting some other detail or further explanation from Arnold to clear up her indecision about what she should do or feel or say next.

Arnold took another breath, finally feeling somewhat calmer now that he had at least started to admit something about how he was really feeling inside, and decided to begin his explanation of his words slowly and to do his best to take the time to express his worries about the more 'physical' aspects of their relationship to the girl before him. "Helga, let me explain. You see…"

Helga wasn't in the mood for anymore slow, drawn out, crafted explanations, tonight, though.

"So you mean you don't like kissing me?"

Arnold blinked and looked at her in surprise at hearing the sharp question from the girl obviously trying to keep her temper under control before him. "What—no!"

"So you mean you want to kiss me again?"

"Of course!" Arnold answered in response to the second quick question, and then added, glancing down, and still in his obviously distressed voice. "I mean…not right now and not right here but…of course!"

"Arnold, you're not making any sense!" Helga put her hands on her hips, staring him down. And in truth, to her, none of his responses and especially that little exclamation about not knowing when he would be able to stop kissing her being a problem seemed to be capable of combining into any kind of a solid logic.

"I know, I'm not making any sense, Helga, _okay_!" Arnold suddenly yelled back at her, a scowl coming to his face now.

That response made Helga blink. Arnold never yelled. Ever. _'I mean, we've gotten into fights before but he's never…not like __that__…' _She just looked for a moment with wide, uncertain eyes at the rare sight of an angry Arnold in front of her. '_Whatever's bothering him, it must be a __doozy_…'

Arnold, meanwhile, instantly opened his eyes in surprise at hearing himself suddenly snap at Helga like that. He blinked a few times and then focused his eyes back onto hers again. He quickly walked over to her, taking one of her hands in his own. "Helga, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm really, really sorry." He suddenly went forward and hugged her very tightly, for a moment putting aside his inhibitions about physical contact with her in favor of doing something that had always seemed to make her feel better and that she probably needed right now considering how many times he'd rejected her that night and how harsh he'd just been. He let out a deep breath and spoke sincerely to her, still holding her slightly stiffened body close. "I shouldn't get upset just because you're angry at me for trying to stay away from you. And I shouldn't have broken the kiss like that…I was just…" He hesitated and pulled away from her gently, swallowing hard as he ended the hug.

He was glancing away from her, feeling riddled with guilt and doing his best to come up with the right words to express what he had to say, when he suddenly saw one of her hands go forward and felt it rest warmly upon his shoulder. "Arnold…" He looked up into her face and saw the confusion and concern that were both equally represented there…coupled with a supportive smile that made him want to smile back, despite his current internal dilemma. "Don't worry about it…" Helga continued in an understanding tone. "I mean, there's been plenty of times when _I've_ kissed _you_ when you haven't exactly been asking for it…_you_ _not_ kissing _me_ one of the million times I've been trying to get it isn't a huge deal…" She tried to muster a chuckle. "Just… tell me what's up, Football Head. Seriously," she removed her hand from his shoulder and rubbed the back of her neck with it as she continued, "I know you think it's funny when _I_ act weird around _you_, but when _you_ act weird around _me_ it just plain freaks me out. So talk to me, already, before I have to call the guys in white coats to take you back to the boarding house or something, okay?"

Arnold couldn't help but finally give in to his urge to smile at her attempt at levity as well as her genuine interest in helping him. He took a deep breath, tried not to consider how embarrassing this could all end up being, and then put both of his hands on Helga's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Thank, you Helga."

She smiled at him just a bit more.

He realized, suddenly, that they were again in one of those awkward ('tense') positions _and_ touching, and he (much more slowly and delicately this time) proceeded to remove his hands from her body and to take a step back, smiling a little sheepishly at the fact that he had let himself get so close to her yet again tonight.

Feeling a sufficient distance away, Arnold cleared his throat and glanced away from her for a moment, beginning to speak. "Okay…um…you might want to sit down, Helga, because I feel like this could take me a little while. I mean, I'm not as good as expressing myself about these things as you are and this whole 'love' thing is still a little new to me…and what I want to talk about is a little awkward in general, so…" He swallowed hard again, getting back to the point. "It just…might take a while."

He glanced at Helga who, with an intent face, merely nodded and took a few steps back, seating herself on the edge of her bed in preparation for his impending explanation.

A second of silence passed and then Arnold took a step or two forward and began to pace the floor in front of Helga as he spoke.

"Helga…" He was blushing already and he knew it, but he tried to plow on and not think about how it was probably only going to get exponentially worse. "This is going to sound… This is probably the most embarrassing thing I've ever told anybody ever…" He blinked and looked to her. "I mean, not embarrassing because it's bad or anything, what it's about, I mean. But, embarrassing just because it…it's really not something you'd expect from me, I guess..." He went back to looking forward and pacing the floor absentmindedly. "I mean,_ I_ don't even expect it from me…and it just makes it feel really, really embarrassing and—"

He stopped his pacing and rambling as he felt one of Helga's hands suddenly grab one of his own from her bed. "Arnold, look at me…" she said sincerely. He glanced (almost involuntarily) at her hand holding his and then at her. She continued, a serious and yet still obviously concerned look on her face. "I just showed you an idol of you made out of yahoo soda bottles in my closet and that's been made of plenty of weirder stuff in the past, and that I used to spend three hours every night bowing down to and asking for guidance and good fortune. If you can surprise me after that then I must be doing this whole obsessive secret admirer thing wrong. Now, quit trying to scare me and just say what you need to say and know that, no matter what, it's not going to change anything, okay?"

Arnold had to smile at the words of reassurance from the girl before him, and at the warm feeling they sent through him. He sighed happily as he continued to gaze at her, feeling just a bit more relaxed all of a sudden. "You're right, Helga…I should just say it and hope for the best, shouldn't I?"

"Yeah, it'd be nice." She added humorously, though still in that same sincere tone.

Arnold actually chuckled just a bit at that, and it made Helga smile a bit more that she seemed to be helping him at least a little with whatever was wrong with him. '_Whatever it is, I just hope it's nothing putting up with me has done to him. Oh, my Arnold, the last thing I'd ever want to do is bring something unpleasurable into your life when you've given me so much happiness over the years_…'

Helga's thoughts ended there as she suddenly felt Arnold gently place her hand she had used to grip one of his own back upon her lap. Suddenly, he took a very deep breath and closed his eyes and then opened them (not looking at her AT ALL, of course) and began…

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**A/N:**

Yes, I know, another cliffie!!! Sorry guys, but I kind of wrote this initially as a continuous thing as opposed to with specific chapters in mind, and now that I'm trying to divide it up the places where big things are about to happen are just the natural fault lines for the chapters. I'll work on getting chapter four up asap though, I promise! And thanks so much for reading and once again please review everyone!!!

Thank you and Happy Reading!!!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	4. THE MOST Complex Labyrinthine Conundrum

**A/N:**

Hey guys!!! Okay, I'm so sorry this is a few days late, but it's a bit longer than the other chapters and required about twice as many edits for me to get it just right besides, lol :) But, anyway, here it is, and I hope you all enjoy what Arnold has to say and what Helga has to say and then a few things that happen after that ;) And, also, sorry once more but this one kind of ends on a cliffie too—it just keeps happening!!! But at the very least I don't think it's nearly as unbearable as chapter 3's cliffie, lol ;)

Okay, so get to reading (and reviewing too please!!!) and I'll discuss when the next update will be and some other things in my ending A/N!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA  
**

**Chapter 4:**

**THE MOST Complex, Labyrinthine Conundrum of a Boyhood Problem…And Helga's Solution(s)!**

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'_She's right, Arnold…you just need to be honest with her and tell her how you're feeling just like she was with you about the shrine. She might be disappointed in you or angry or upset or frustrated, but she's…she's not going to hate you or stop loving you just because you're a little less perfect than she thinks you are… She…she won't…right?_'

And thus with these last thoughts to assure himself that admitting what was he was about to admit right now wouldn't destroy his newfound mutual relationship with Helga G. Pataki, Arnold took a deep breath…and finally spoke! (Spoke, of course, without making any eye contact with the girl seated before him.)

He let out his breath and began pacing to the right…

"Helga…the thing I said before—about 'not knowing when I would have been able to _stop_ kissing you' being the problem… I meant it, but I didn't mean that there was anything _bad_ about kissing you…_ That's_ the problem. You see, I….I like it a lot. Really. A LOT. I'm starting to think I might even like it just as much as you do, actually… But the thing is…well, when it was just _you_ who wanted to kiss _me_ it really didn't come up all that often and I really didn't think I felt anything for you back during those times, so I never kissed you back and you always took care of stopping the kiss when you were done anyway. But…but if _you_ want to do it and _I _want to do it, then what's to stop it from…from happening _all the time_!? I mean, from me kissing you or you kissing me or us kissing each other and just kissing and kissing just because we can and we both finally know we want to, and… I don't know, I'm just afraid that if I keep liking it like you do or at least like it more than I used to that you're not going to like that part of me. I mean, I'm barely sure if _I _like that part of me…I guess what I'm trying to say is I do like doing it to you but I'm not sure that I _like_ that I like doing it to you, if that makes any sense. And then I also feel guilty that if I like doing it to you and just do it, that you're only going to be going along with it because it'll be the heat of the moment and I'll have taken advantage of your feelings and I don't want to do that, Helga. I mean…okay, I know I was doing that a little when you were helping me with the poetry two weeks ago but there's a difference between just holding your hand to get you to stop yelling at me, and grabbing you and pushing my mouth against yours to make you feel that way it always makes me feel when _you_ do it to _me,_ and to feel you move in my arms and to hear you make that sound that you alway—ANYWAY…uh…what was I saying again? Oh, yeah—about liking the kissing and not wanting to hurt your feelings….heh, heh…."

He paced to the left.

"Well, anyway, I mean, I decided to try the kissing again yesterday in my room when you leaned in and we were sitting on my bed just to see what would happen, and it was hard to keep from grabbing you and making things keep going but I could manage it because there was always a chance that my Grandpa or one of the other boarders could have suddenly come up there and interrupted us like Phoebe did last weekend, and I didn't want us to get caught because it was a little embarrassing…I mean, NOT the kissing YOU part—that wasn't what was embarrassing—it was the kissing _in general_ part. What was I saying again? Oh, yeah—about the getting interrupted. Well, I just…like I said I REALLY didn't expect you to be here tonight, but then you're not only here but we're all alone and we're in your room and you keep wanting to and it's our anniversary and I really want to too but…there'd be no one and nothing to stop us if we started, and what if I got carried away again and…Oh Helga, I _still_ can't believe I tangoed with you like that at the April Fools Dance or threw you on the couch last weekend or just grabbed you at the closet before! I'm sorry I keep doing things like that, it's really not me! But…it kind of _is_ me in a way…or, some new part of me or something… I don't know! But…but…what was I saying again?"

He paced to the right again…

"Oh…uh…well, I just…like I said, it's a really awkward situation and you keep looking at me with your eyes wide and blushing every time I say something nice and don't even realize it and talking to me in that sweet voice, and the hair and the pink and the poetry and the shrine and the shoe, and it's not helping that I can't get out of my head lately how funny and interesting and passionate and caring and beautiful you are and wondering how I couldn't see it before. And then that stuff's all balanced against the fact that I really care about you Helga, and I know you have this image of me as this nice, innocent, wonderful person but I'm obviously _not_all or any of those things if I'm trying to make out with you in your room like I keep trying to stop myself from trying to do. And THEN thinking about _that_ reminds me that I really want to be a gentleman about this whole love thing because it's the first time I've ever had a real relationship with someone and you're so special, but meanwhile you're a girl and I just snuck into your house and I'm alone with you in your room and your parents are gone and somehow I keep ending up almost holding your hand on your bed and then kissing you and then putting my arm around you, and it's all making me feel really guilty and like the worst boyfriend in the world no matter what your poetry says about me! And I know we kissed last weekend in your living room but it was different because I was invited and it was your living room and your sister and Phoebe and Lila were upstairs, and I didn't even know it was going to happen until it happened so, somehow, it felt more okay. But right here and right now it'd be like it was planned or something! Because that date last weekend was Olga's idea and when I got here I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen…but tonight was _my_ plan and I…I've known what _I_ want to happen ever since you pulled me in here and asked for a kiss as part of your present!"

He paced to the left again…

"And maybe a part of me was even hoping when I was planning all of this stuff out that somehow I _wouldn't_ just be able to sneak in here and sneak out of here in secret…that maybe you'd be here…because we've barely gotten a chance to really talk ever since our date last Friday and I miss you! The REAL you, Helga! And I know that sounds like something the Arnold you love would say but that's only half true because, yes, I do miss the conversations we have and reading your poems and hearing your laugh and getting to see how much you really care about me and going places and doing things with you, but I…I also miss…I also miss holding your hand when we're next to each other and hugging you whenever you say one of the million things you always manage to say to make me happy and…and how it feels when we kiss. Because when we kiss, it…Helga, you're better at it than me so I don't know if it's the same for you but to me at least it's…it's not just good. If it was good I could handle that but it's…it's…amazing, Helga... I've never felt anything like it makes me feel in my entire life! And it's all so strange, Helga, because it's been two weeks and I've gone from seeing you in the hallway and just hoping I wouldn't bump into you because the idea of even brushing against you after your confession terrified me, to seeing you in the hallway and wishing I had more courage and was just as good at keeping secrets as you are so that I could just manage to...I don't know—smile at you without someone seeing or hold your hand when no one's looking and not get caught, or surprise you and all of a sudden grab you and pull you into a janitor's closet or an empty classroom where we could finally be alone and just talk again without having to hide everything… And maybe I'd manage to say something to make you smile or even laugh and blush before we had to go back to the hallway and class and everyone else …and then just before we opened the door I'd put my arm around you look into your eyes and feel your warm arms come around me, and then I'd look at your lips and then look back into your eyes and feel your heart pounding and feel my heart pounding, and then I could lean in and lean you back and just… I MEAN, I…I mean…I just said that out loud, didn't I? Oh boy…"

He paced to the right (yet) again…

"Okay, I think I need to just stop talking because I think I've already made it pretty clear how much of a failure I am at being the nice guy you've always thought I was and have always loved. And if you want to just write, 'Arnold's a huge disappointment' as your poem about why you love me then I almost couldn't blame you!"

He paced to the left (yet) again…

"And so everything I just said is why I'd just feel better if we didn't kiss here and tonight, Helga—because every time we get close I feel all of those thoughts and worries and doubts jumbled together at the same time. And if how you've secretly felt around me all these years has been even half as complicated and confusing as all of that, then I'm really sorry _again,_ Helga. _Really_. I don't know how you managed to do it for seven years because it's been seven days and, in case it isn't obvious, I'm kind of falling apart here!"

Arnold finally stopped his pacing, his rant and the gesticulations and the dramatics that had accompanied it finally over, leaving him just breathing heavily and standing right in front of Helga and awaiting what she would say in response to everything he had just admitted. And yes, just as he'd feared, it had felt _incredibly_ awkward and _incredibly_ embarrassing getting all of that out in the open…and yet, Arnold couldn't deny that somehow he also felt relief, like a huge weight had been suddenly lifted from him: almost like he could finally breathe after a long time or something. '_Well that explains why Helga confessed to me like she did on top of that building: letting it all build up like that…you __need__ to just yell it all out and worry about the consequences later_.' And, though he was still quite distracted with dealing with the situation he'd just laid out, at the back of his mind Arnold also couldn't help but think to himself, '_And no wonder she kissed me when it was over—after something like that I'm sure she needed something to pick her up and to replace the space left over inside of her with something new. Despite everything I could almost go for a kiss myself…_' And then, suddenly, this interesting thought was quickly cut off as Arnold swallowed and finally found the courage to bring his eyes up to Helga's face…and had to blink in surprise at the very unexpected look there in response to the fact that he'd just admitted he was a 'lousy boyfriend'...

Helga's eyes were wide, her body was stiff, she was blushing almost as much as Arnold, and her mouth was agape (all expected reactions)… but she also had a smile on her face a mile wide…

Arnold just kept looking at her, his breaths slowing as the seconds passed and he managed to calm down a bit. He was waiting for a verbal response, too afraid to go just by the look on her face that she wasn't absolutely furious at him like she ought to be for all the things that she now knew he'd been thinking about doing with her and all the awkward positions (this evening, in particular) that he'd been putting her in. The seconds kept passing, though, and she just kept smiling at him like she was the happiest person in the world, occasionally opening her mouth a bit more like she was finally about to say something but then hesitating like she couldn't decide exactly what to start with.

Finally, Arnold took a breath and then a very cautious step toward her. "Helga…?"

"WHOA!" He was pretty surprised, to say the least, when she suddenly stood up and threw herself at him in a vice grip hug, knocking him to the floor and falling on top of him.

"Oh, _Arnold_…" she cooed in that voice he recognized from the top of the FTi building. And she giggled.

Arnold just blinked several times at this reaction. "Helga…?!" His voice came out much shakier this time, and his tone sounded more like he was lamenting the loss of the sarcastic girl he was used to than asking anything of this other, once again very unexpected Helga.

At the sound of him saying her name once more, Helga released her arms from around Arnold's body and folded them over his chest, resting her head upon them, a very dreamy smile on her face and her blue eyes half lidded as she gazed into his terrified green ones. "A disappointment…a _disappointment_? You think you're a disappointment?! Oh, my perfect little angel, I'm only disappointed in the fact that you'd ever let a horrid thought like that cross your wonderfully wide-shaped head…and on our Anniversary, of all nights." She giggled. Again. And it wasn't helping Arnold be any less weirded out by this whole thing. She took a breath, let out a faint sigh, and then continued, still smiling dreamily. "And all this time I thought there was something wrong with me tonight or that your feelings were starting to fade…but no!" she exclaimed happily. "The only 'problem' is that you like kissing me so much that you're actually afraid you're doing something…wrong! That you're actually shy and worried and nervous and afraid about hurting my feelings, about the chance of taking advantage of me, all by doing something as simple and sweet and satisfying as just pressing those soft little lips of yours…" She actually touched his mouth with the tip of her index finger causing Arnold to blush. Darkly. "To mine…" She delicately removed her finger. "Oh _Arnold_…" She cooed his name again in that same way…that way that made him swallow hard…and closed her eyes and leaned her face in closer to his, her lips just slightly puckered.

Arnold instantly scrambled out from underneath her and sat up, breathing heavily once again that evening.

Helga, meanwhile, found herself suddenly resting facedown on her pink the carpet, ditched by Arnold yet again this night. However, rather than getting angry like last time, she just picked her head up and rested it in her hands, her elbows propped up on the floor, and looked at her beloved, still with that dreamy smile and speaking in that airy voice. "Oh, Arnold, you keep playing hard to get but I've gotten used to waiting after seven years…and now that I know that you want it as badly as I do, I know I won't have to wait _too long_!" She winked and then sighed girlishly at him.

Arnold had been still laying on his back and propped up on his elbows on the floor a few feet away from Helga after her sudden attempt to kiss him, wide eyed and feeling his heart pounding in fright and confusion. As she finished this little speech about him playing hard to get and 'wanting it' as badly as she did, though, he felt his jaw actually drop.

It took Arnold a second or two to come out of this even deeper state of shock that Helga had somehow managed to send him into, and then he quickly shook his head to clear it and crawled back over to the obviously lovesick girl on the other side of the room, grabbing her shoulders and sitting her up from the floor. He looked into her eyes with worry and just a touch of fear evident in his face and voice. "Helga! HELGA! Snap out of it!"

"I _knew_ I wouldn't have to wait long…" She smiled just a bit more mischievously at him. "Oh, Arnold I really _am_ starting to like this new aggressive, take charge you, you know…" She began to lean in yet again for another kiss.

"HELGA!!!" Arnold exclaimed once more before pushing himself away from her again in total panic to avoid the kiss.

His action of moving away caused Helga to fall completely forward this time, resulting in her going from standing to smashing face first into her pink carpet. "Ow!" she suddenly yelled, sitting up and rubbing the side of her head with one of her hands.

"Helga, are you okay?" Arnold asked with concern at the sight of her falling like that and the sound of her small exclamation of pain.

He watched as Helga blinked a few times, and then as a scowl came to her face and she opened her mouth and seemed about to say something sarcastic to his inquiry. Suddenly, though, she blinked and her hand dropped from her head and her eyes got wide. "I…I…" She put her hand to her mouth for a moment in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Arnold…" she managed to say in a calm though totally shocked sounding voice. "I…I think I blacked out there for a second. I mean…" she blushed, and rubbed one arm with the other, "I knew what was going on but I just couldn't…" Her blush strengthened and she awkwardly cleared her throat and put her arms behind her back, a weak smile coming to her face in an obviously doomed-before-it-started effort to humorously gloss over the situation. "Well, that was _definitely_ the most gone _I've_ ever been. Whoo boy…heh, heh…" She blinked and then looked at him unsurely, her smile leaving. "Are _you_ okay, Arnold? I mean, I didn't hurt you when I threw you on the floor or anything, did I?"

"I'm…I'm fine…" Arnold managed to respond, and he couldn't help but following up his words with an obviously relieved sigh and smile at the fact that Helga seemed to be back to normal.

Helga swallowed and glanced away, still feeling totally mortified about suddenly going all 'monologueing Helga' on her beloved despite how well he seemed to be taking it. "Good…." She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her face to see Arnold standing before her with an understanding look and holding out his hand to help her up. She swallowed once more and then reached forward, grasping his warm palm in her own and righting herself.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two ten year olds.

Finally, Helga took a deep breath and then managed to look at Arnold directly again _without_ feeling like she was going to collapse from utter mortification about what she'd just done. She spoke calmly. "Okay, let's try that again, shall we, Arnoldo? I mean me reacting to all that stuff you just said in a way that WOULDN'T get me locked up for life if anyone else saw it."

Arnold just swallowed and nodded slightly. He recalled, with a slight blush, that he was still holding her hand, and quickly released it, taking a step back to give her some room.

She cleared her throat, the last of her strong embarrassment managing to subside, and actually had to do her best not to roll her eyes as she suddenly recalled this 'crisis' of Arnold's that apparently needed to be addressed before he could ever touch her ever again. '_I swear, only Arnold would need to have a conversation like this_…' She couldn't help but smirk to herself. '_But before we talk about this, though…_'

Suddenly, Arnold watched with surprise as Helga scowled and took a step back toward him. "But before we talk about this, though…"

"Ow!" And then Arnold suddenly found himself cringing and rubbing his right ear which Helga had just flicked very hard. He opened his eyes and scowled at her. "Hey, what was that for?"

She scowled more firmly at him. "For scaring the HECK out of me with how you were acting before when you could have just told me from the beginning that you were just having a problem with your modesty colliding with your romantic feelings, Football Head!" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Arnold blinked and then opened his mouth like he was about to say something. However… "OW!" He was cut off from his intended reply and had to yelp in pain yet again as this time Helga flicked his nose hard. "Hey! Cut that out!" He rubbed his sore nose.

Helga smirked. "And _that_ was for teasing me about being as worried as I was about the shrine when you're the one who just had a near mental breakdown about a little making out, Arnoldo!" She almost had to laugh in her disbelief. "Seriously….SERIOUSLY?!" She gestured to herself and then to Arnold. "_I'm_ being over dramatic by worrying that you might not take a life size dedication of you in my attic too well, but _you_ get to just pop a synapse about a kiss? A MUTUAL KISS?!"

Arnold, still scowling, was about to say something in response when once again… "OW! _Helga_!" He rubbed his shoulder that she had just given a firm jab. "Enough! I get it—you're upset!"

Helga chuckled to herself in satisfaction, and then crossed her arms over her chest and had to just shake her head in amusement. "No, not upset, Arnold—just indescribably _relieved_ that you weren't about to dump me or something, and expressing it through torturing you just like how I've always expressed my feelings. Come on—EVERYTHING can't change now that we're an item, Football Head." She sighed, still smiling at him. "Oh, and, by the way, _that_ one…" she indicated his shoulder that she'd just hit by tapping it with her index finger, "was for actually thinking for even for a second that there's anything you could ever do to make me think you're a 'disappointment.'" She shrugged. "I mean, I would have kissed you to add to that point but, like you said, you're having a little trouble wrapping that wide head of yours around the physical aspects of this relationship, so I think I should hold off on that until I've said a few things about this sudden crisis of yours. Okay by you, Football Head?" She asked casually, still grinning at him.

Arnold blinked a couple of times at everything she'd just said, but then finally cleared his throat and just nodded his head, very interested whatever she seemed to be planning to say next. '_Does she mean…does she mean, if she's talking about kissing me later, that she's…she's not angry with me?_'

While Arnold had this last thought, Helga took another breath, put her hands behind her back, considered for a few seconds, and then finally looked Arnold in the eye and began to do her best to address his 'concerns'…

"Okay, Arnold, it seems to me that everything you just said boils down to two or three main problems, so I'll just try addressing them one by one and hopefully I can at least get you started in finding a way out of this huge web of guilt that overbearing conscience of yours has concocted for you." She laughed slightly to herself. "And meanwhile, Football Head, nice job managing to turn yourself into an even bigger basketcase than me. 'It's been seven days and in case it isn't obvious I'm kind of falling apart here…'" She closed her eyes and shook her head with a smile. "Classic…I'm writing that one down…"

"Helga…" Arnold gave her a look.

She opened her eyes and sighed, still smiling to herself. "Right, right…fixing your mini-crisis…" She glanced down for a second and then, seeming to have settled on where to begin, turned her gaze back to Arnold. "First of all, Football Head…about the whole 'you being worried about liking kissing me' thing…which I don't see as a 'problem' but you do so I'll give 'solving' it a shot. Arnold…" She took a step forward and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to lose the exasperated look and blink in surprise. "Liking kissing someone you love _does not_ make you a bad person, no matter how much you think it conflicts with the mild-mannered, goodie two shoes, unbearably moral image you have of yourself. I mean, did it ever occur to you that maybe it actually _is_ a part of who you are, but you just didn't know it because you'd never tried it before? Take me, for example…" She removed the hand from his shoulder and gestured to herself. "I've always known and accepted that liking the idea of kissing you was a part of _me_ but that's because I've been thinking about it practically ever since the day I met you." She gave him an understanding smile. "It's okay to discover something new about who you are, Football Head. I mean, _you've_ been discovering new things about who_ I_ am almost every day and you seem to like them, right? Well, talking to you let's _me_ discover new things about who _you_ are and so far I love them all, including this!" She looked into his eyes and spoke sincerely. "You don't ever have to put on some kind of show for me, Arnold—I want to know who you really are. "

Helga gave the intrigued-looking boy before her a moment to absorb this statement and then crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head, her smile growing. "And Arnold, seriously, do you really think I'm not aware of the fact that you're a real person and not _actually_ some kind of perfect love god?" She blushed a bit. "I mean, I know in the poems and with the crazy monologues like what I just put you through that I act like I really believe that you're perfect, but that's just all the love talking. I really do know, though, that you've got flaws, Arnold, and I know that you can't be my wonderful little love god all the time just like I can't always be your poetry writing, romantic fluff spouting, trying to sneak into your house every eight seconds, blushing at every word you say girlfriend. And sometimes we have fights and sometimes I screw up and sometimes you screw up, but like I said before somehow my love for you just feels more real because we're having all of these experiences together and because I'm really getting to know you and be a part of your life and because you're starting to become a real part of mine. We went over this already with why I don't really need the shrine anymore, Football Head. So…" she took a breath and put her hands behind her back, "Do you get why I'm not going to 'disown you' because you suddenly discovered you don't mind making out with me every once in a while?" She had to let out a slight chuckle and roll her eyes as she added, "Even though I think the fact that _I've_ initiated most of those make out sessions should have tipped you off a long time ago…" Helga smiled at him and patiently awaited a response to the culmination of her first set of arguments.

Arnold, who had just been watching her speak with a mixture of confusion and interest on his face, now just took a slow breath in and out and glanced down like he was trying to process all of the logical response Helga had presented to him. Finally, he took another breath, looked back up at her and hesitantly spoke. "So…you mean…you're saying it's okay to still be Arnold but also to have a part of me that likes doing something that might not be the most…um…innocent thing in the world?" He had stuttered at this last part and was also now blushing a bit as he finished his question to Helga.

Helga smiled at him with satisfaction and nodded, putting her hands on her hip. "You got it, Football Head! It's okay to be you as long as you're not hurting anybody…and believe me, you're the _opposite_ of hurting me when you kiss me." She tried not to laugh. '_Well what do you know…therapy with Dr. Bliss actually just served a purpose other than letting me vent for two hours a week… Oh man, but if she's just looking forward to me telling her how Friday's date went come Tuesday she's got a big surprise in store when I tell her it resulted in all of this! I honestly don't think she's gonna believe me. Heck, __I__ probably won't believe me in the morning. I almost wouldn't be surprised if I pulled a Gerald and started calling old Football Head up and asking him if it was all a dream or not_.'

Helga tried not to chuckle at her thoughts as she continued to watch her beloved who appeared to still be mulling over her advice in his head. Finally, after another couple of seconds, he cleared his throat and looked at her unsurely and yet with an obviously relieved smile on his face. "Okay, Helga… It'll probably take me a little while to get used to it but…I actually never thought about it all like that. I mean, that liking the kissing might just be a part of myself that I didn't know was there until now…kind of like with how I feel about you…" His smile grew just a bit more at the comparison.

Helga smiled a bit more, both at his small reconfirmation of his feelings for her and at the fact that it looked like she'd actually gotten through to him. '_At least my dense little Arnold is becoming a bit quicker on the uptake these days…I mean, it takes a lot but at least the poor thing's getting stuff __eventually__…_'

"But…" Arnold continued, his hesitant look returning just a bit and catching Helga's attention again. "But, even if I think about this some more and learn how to be okay with it all, that's not really the most important thing...." He looked at her sincerely. "Are _you_ okay with it, Helga? That I'm…" He glanced down shyly again. "That I'm a little less perfect than the boyfriend you've probably always imagined I'd be, I mean…?"

Helga had to blink at the question and her face went blank for a second, but then suddenly she smiled again and in fact had to do her best not to burst into laughter. She shook her head at her beloved in amusement and crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…" She let out a sigh. "I may love you because you're the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful boy on the whole planet but if you think all of my fantasies about us actually having a relationship just involved you holding doors open for me and pulling out chairs for me at restaurants and, I don't know…" she wracked her head for another cliché, "Throwing your jacket over mud puddles in the rain so that I wouldn't have to walk through them, then…" She really had to do her best not to laugh at this point so that she wouldn't hurt his feelings, considering how obviously important this whole thing was to him. "Well, then, it's good to know that at least _some_ of your old denseness is still around, Football Head, because, not that I haven't found you 'figuring me out all over the place' for the past two weeks interesting, but there's always been something very nice about you just standing there and giving me one of those classic, clueless looks of yours…Kind of like you're doing right now, actually!" Helga finally had to chuckle to herself just a bit at the sight of Arnold actually standing before her right now with an eyebrow raised in confusion, genuinely unsure of where she was going with all of this...and then instantly blushing a bright scarlet and looking away as he obviously realized what she was implying about 'other things' she might have always imagined him doing with her.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes at him and his continued shyness and dramatics. "Okay, Arnold, enough of me having fun with you however amusing it always is…" She cleared her throat. "So to summarize things so that we can finally move on because there's definitely some other stuff I want to talk about too…" She raised her hand and counted her points off on her fingers. "It's okay to discover new things about yourself, don't keep secrets from me, maybe liking kissing is just a part of yourself that you never knew about, and quit thinking that you've somehow destroyed this idealized image I've always had of you just for indulging me a little, Football Head, because I've been imagining you taking me in your arms and kissing me just for starters ever since I was old enough to know what kissing was." She put her hands on her hips. "So, are you okay on advice about this particular part of your situation so that I can move on to addressing the next thing, or do we need to go over these perfectly reasonable arguments about why you should just _relax_ already about loving me one more time?"

Arnold, though still blushing quite and bit and doing his best to stop his heart from beating so fast at what Helga had just admitted her fantasies of him as a boyfriend, had managed to listen very closely to Helga's quick summary of her points. Now that she seemed done and expecting a response from him, he took a breath to focus on considering all of her advice and how applying it to his situation made him feel one more time…and then exhaled, smiling slightly to himself at the phrasing of her last question. He finally turned his eyes back to Helga. "Okay…" He smiled up at her. "Like I said, all of that advice actually makes a lot of sense, Helga, and I'm just happy that you're not upset or angry with me and that you actually kind of like that part of me… I'll try to keep it all in mind."

Helga smiled once again in satisfaction at the reply. "Good. Glad to be of service, Arnold." She took a breath. "Okay, what's next then? Hmm…" She went through some of the other things that Arnold had mentioned were bothering him in her head, and then her eyes lit up. "Ah, okay, about this other fear of yours that if there's no one to stop us you're just going to 'kiss me until I die' or something."

Arnold, whose face had seemed quite content as they had completed addressing the first part of his 'confession', now blushed and glanced away again.

Helga rolled her eyes at the reaction and continued. "Honestly, Arnold, I think that whole dilemma is just the result of you doing two things: one," she held up an index finger, "NOT giving yourself enough credit. And two," She held up her middle finger beside the index one, "NOT kissing me _enough_."

Though that feeling of utter mortification at being reminded of this particular part of his speech to Helga continued, Arnold couldn't help glancing at her and raising an eyebrow at these unusual conclusions.

Seeing his confusion, Helga crossed her arms over her chest and explained. "As for the first one…Arnold, I know you—even if you think that you're turning into some kind of 'romantic deviant,' you're not. Even if you like kissing, you still like talking and spending time together and listening to music and reading poems and having fun in general too, just like you already pointed out in that little speech of yours. And since we somehow managed to cram all of those things into yesterday afternoon along with Slausen's _and_ a kiss (even though I still don't understand how we had the time), I think it's pretty obvious that no matter how long we might kiss we're eventually going to move on to something else. And even if you don't want to, I might want to (it's going to be RARE, but it COULD happen), and even if I don't want to, you might want to…although…" Her smile became a bit smug and she leaned a bit closer to him, "Despite all of these doubts you've been spouting, I'm not sure how often that situation might come up either since, according to you, kissing me is…how did you describe it? 'Amazing,' Football Head…?" She raised part of her brow at him.

Arnold just blushed furiously and looked down with wide eyes. '_I can't believe I ended up saying that out loud…that and the thing about wanting to kiss her in school and then the thing about building a shrine to her before…_' At this point, Arnold was just doing his best not to collapse to the floor from total embarrassment.

Helga continued, doing her best not to laugh at his squirming. "Meanwhile, I have half a mind to flick you or punch you again for that little bit you mentioned about not knowing whether it was the same for me since you seem to have no confidence in your kissing skills…" She sighed and smiled at him. "I already told you last weekend that you're not a lousy kisser, Arnold…and by that I meant that you actually give terrific kisses when you're not in complete shock or pretending to be dead because we're both supposed to be acting or something." Helga swallowed hard and felt herself blush a bit but couldn't help but admit with a slight giggle, "Seriously, I thought my heart was going to fly out of my chest last Saturday when you threw me down on that couch…and then when you put your arm around me at the closet before, I…" Helga felt herself getting way too close to monologuing all of a sudden, and quickly just swallowed hard and did her best to wrap it up. "Anyway, what I'm saying is…don't doubt yourself, Football Head." She managed to summon the confidence to glance up and wink at him.

And then Helga pulled away, indulging in another small giggle to herself, as she watched Arnold just swallow hard, his eyes growing even wider and his blushing becoming even stronger at this unexpected compliment from her. '_So, it's…it's amazing for her too…?_'

"Anyway…" The sound of Helga's voice broke him from the thought he was starting to process and caused Arnold's eyes to glance back in her direction again. She had her arms crossed over her chest again, and she was just smiling at him, her cheeks still tinged with a rosy color despite how calm and casual she was trying to seem. "Once again, to sum things up, _you_ might want to kiss and _I _might not want to or _I_ might want to kiss and _you_ might not want to…and that's where compromise comes in, Football Head." She laughed slightly and added, "Or has the arbitrator of the fourth grade forgotten that basic principle?"

Arnold, despite his embarrassment, couldn't help but smile again at her phrasing of a question. He opened his mouth as though about to respond but Helga cut him off, sighing to herself and rubbing one of her temples for a moment. "No, no, let me finish first, Football Head—that was only part one of the argument about your fear about getting lost in kissing me…" She cleared her throat. "Okay, now as for my second point about not kissing me enough…" she put her hands up defensively, "And please just hear me out because I swear I'm _not_ trying to try anything on you..." '_Not just yet anyway..._' She crossed her arms over her chest again and scowled slightly. "Now, Football Head, you remember the confession kiss I gave you, right?"

Arnold, despite all of the awkwardness and mortification, narrowed his eyes and gave her a look.

Helga sighed again and rolled her eyes. "Okay, yeah, dumb question." She swallowed and did her best not to lose her courage as she continued. "Anyway, would you agree that I went pretty far with that whole thing? I mean, that since then I've kissed you but not exactly in the same way—with that much intensity and for that long—right?" She put her hands on her hips. "I mean, the coffee table kiss last weekend _might_ be the only exception but in my defense you'd just made my dreams come true so I think I was entitled to lose it a little. But even then, you have to admit, there was something about the confession kiss that was different, right?"

Arnold swallowed hard, feeling his heart pound at the mere memory of it. "W-well…"

He heard Helga's exasperated sigh again, and she let her hands drop to her sides. "Arnold, can we just put the embarrassment on hold for a second so that I can get a straight answer out of you and keep going with what I have to say? Besides, this topic is obviously more humiliating for me than it is for you or did you forget the whole 'Deep Voice' fiasco and that awkward 'Well we're done saving the neighborhood, now what?' conversation I had to endure?"

Arnold took a deep breath and cleared his throat, and then responded to her question about the confession kiss as quickly as possible. "No, you've never kissed me exactly like that time. There's always something missing or something new but it's never been like that one and, except for maybe the coffee table last weekend, you've never been as…uh…physical with it all." Arnold felt like he was genuinely going to pass out from embarrassment…and his heart pounding as hard as it was in his chest and ears wasn't helping to make matters any more bearable.

Helga blushed a bit as he finished, but managed to continue speaking in her same level, logical voice. "Okay, and do you know why that was?"

Arnold glanced at her for a moment and then glanced down, and then looked back up at her and shook his head, a genuinely curious look on his face.

Helga crossed her arms in front of her chest again and supplied the answer for him. "It was because I'd been in love with you for _two thirds of my life_ and I'd only ever kissed you two times before then! That's a total of _three_ kisses over the course of _six years_, which you think would average out to one kiss every two years which would have been bearable but the first two hadn't happened until within a few months of the FTi thing. So when I confessed I saw my chance and just had to go for it, and basically poured an entire life's worth of passion into about half a minute!" She took a step toward him and couldn't help the sincere grin growing upon her face. "Which is why the kisses now are different: because it's been happening more often and more regularly and it seems more likely and I don't have to or want to pour everything I am into any single one of them…because I have the rest of forever or at least as long as you'll put up with me to do it again and again and again....." She smiled a bit more at her beloved. "Do you get what I'm saying , Football Head?"

Arnold considered her argument for several seconds, an eyebrow raised, still obviously not quite able to put together Helga's exact point…

Helga sighed in a bit of frustration and looked at him with a slight scowl, though a small smile was still on her face. She put a hand on her hip and spoke to him in as understanding and sincere a tone as she could muster. "I mean, Arnold, that if you keep denying it and avoiding it and trying to pretend it doesn't exist, then you really _are_ not going to be able to control yourself when you kiss me, Football Head. But if you just go with it and explore it a little and don't build it up as this huge epic thing, it'll be fine and it'll be _fun_ and we can both have a good time instead of you running off to a corner terrified of what might be and me landing on my butt because I thought I was about to have your face against mine instead of empty space!" She brought her other hand to her other hip and scowled sternly at him. "By the way, let me tell you, there are _no more_ free passes getting handed out for something like that happening again! If you lean in to kiss me and I lean in to kiss you I expect there to be some kissing. Got it?!"

Arnold blinked, considered her words for another moment, and then nodded slowly in understanding. "I…I think so…I mean, just like with the other stuff we talked about, even though I understand what you're saying it might take me a little time to get used to the idea but…This advice makes a lot of sense too…Not letting it all build up and just kind of working with it..." He smiled up at her. "Okay, Helga. I'll…I'll try." A touch of concern came back into his eyes. "As long as you're okay and comfortable with it…"

Helga let out another frustrated sigh and gave him a look. "Arnold, I think we've already pretty much established that anything involving your mouth and my mouth touching is a given 'A-Okay' in my book…"

Arnold did his best not to laugh at the sarcastic reply. "Of course. Sorry, Helga…just checking." He couldn't help but just look at her with his half lidded gaze right then and feel a warmth wash over him at the grateful feeling he was suddenly aware of for having her in his life now. '_She had a problem with the shrine and I helped her, and I had a problem with kissing and she helped me… We really are good for each other, aren't we?_'

Helga, meanwhile, just shook her head at Arnold while he had this thought, and felt herself smile at the happy look on his face and at his continued genuine concern for her feelings despite how much she'd been assuring him for close to the last hour that she was okay with everything he'd admitted to her. "I swear, Football Head, I might not be able to get through _real life_ without your help, but I don't think you'd make it a month with this whole 'epic internal emotional turmoil' thing without me to fix things up for you."

He had to laugh slightly at the comment. "You're probably right. Thank you, Helga."

She laughed slightly for just a second herself and Arnold was about to open his mouth once more and elaborate on how much he really did appreciate how understanding she'd been and how good her advice seemed…when suddenly he had to blink as the smile quickly left Helga's face and was replaced by the return of a slight scowl. "Oh, don't thank me just yet, Arnoldo…" she began, her tone sounding just a bit annoyed, "Because we have at least one more thing to talk about from that little 'kissing confession' of yours just now, and I've gotta say even though the lovesick part of me is pretty flattered, this rest of me is just a little ticked off."

Arnold blinked at this unexpected statement. '_What? But what did I—'_

Helga suddenly crossed her arms over her chest, cutting off his thoughts and speaking in a mocking voice. " 'I really want to be a gentleman about this whole thing but meanwhile you're a girl and I just snuck into your house…' " She let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed her eyes. "_Tell_ me you are not going all 'you're 'the girl' and I'm 'the guy'' on me, Arnoldo—_please_! Last month I chased you and every other guy in our class through a cemetery dressed as a bride and carrying a mallet just because you all tried to treat me differently because I'm a girl."

"Helga…" Arnold blinked in surprise, not at all expecting her to be upset by that part of his speech of all things, "I'm not trying to…I just meant that you're…you know…" He could already feel himself blushing. "It's just different now because we're…" She just continued staring him down with that scowl as he fished for the right words and it wasn't helping Arnold feel any less nervous. Finally, he just sighed in a bit of frustration and spoke plainly, doing his best to just say what he felt again regardless of how awkward it might all be. "I'd just feel more comfortable with myself if we were kissing somewhere else or at the very least at my house or in my room. I'm not trying to say anything against you because you're a girl, Helga, but I really want to do this right and I just…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't feel like a very nice guy showing up here uninvited at night with your parents and your sister gone and…you know…having anything happen." He finished with as much conviction as he could muster considering the amount of embarrassment he was suddenly feeling overwhelm him yet again that evening.

Helga eyed him in silence for a second or two more as he finished this (in his opinion, very reasonable and valid) explanation. Finally, she put her hands on her hips and spoke. "And that's it—I'm not going to change your mind about this flattering if not ridiculous new principle of yours?"

Arnold glanced down for a second but then just looked up at her, once again with as much conviction as possible, his mind made up. "I'm sorry, Helga, but…no." '_She's just not giving herself enough credit—she __deserves__ someone who'll do nice things for her and treat her special and really treat her like a real girlfriend._'

"You're positive?" Helga suddenly asked, still scowling, though she raised part of her brow slightly.

Arnold continued to try and meet her gaze as firmly as possible, doing his best not to let his confidence waver despite how genuinely less-than-pleased with his feelings on the matter she seemed. "Yes, Helga. I'm…I'm positive." '_She's special and she deserves to be treated like it. No matter what_.'

Helga listened to his brief reply and then Arnold watched as she put a hand to her chin and took a breath and glanced down, like she was thinking about something. Thoughts seemed to pass through her head for several seconds and then finally she half smiled and appeared to come to a decision about something. She took another breath and closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again and (to Arnold's surprise) her scowl was instantly gone. She looked at him and spoke, all anger gone from her voice. "Okay, Football Head, we can discuss this more later…"

Arnold blinked, surprised by her giving into him so quickly and with so little resistance. Still…she _had_ been thinking for a long time just now…and that fact couldn't help but worry Arnold just a bit, to say the least... '_What's she up to…?'_

"_First_, though…" the sound of her voice cut off Arnold's thoughts and the tone made him raise an eyebrow. He knew that tone…that tone like she was suddenly ready to strike some big sarcastic blow that he couldn't escape even if he tried. He swallowed hard, looking at her nervously.

Helga took a step closer to Arnold, a very sly grin on her face and her arms behind her back. She looked him over for a second and Arnold couldn't help a very sick feeling suddenly coming over his stomach. "First…we're going to talk about a very interesting situation that all that stuff you just said coupled with half the stuff you did tonight has brought to my attention..." '_And maybe teach you a little lesson about this whole gentleman/girl thing…and maybe I'll have a little fun, too…and just a little revenge for some of that stuff from two weeks ago back in your room…'_ she added, silently, to herself, her grin only growing as the plan continued to lay itself out perfectly in her head…

Arnold, meanwhile, just raised an eyebrow at this cryptic statement from Helga….and then blushed furiously as she suddenly leaned in close to him, still smiling in that slightly mischievous way, and announced with a noticeable touch of pride in her voice, "_You_ are attracted to _me_, Football Head!"

"I—WHOA!" Her quickly leaning in like that had caused Arnold to lean back in response, and this sudden shift in his balance coupled with the particular thing she'd just said had caused him to go fully toppling backward. Now finding himself upon her carpet once more, Arnold blinked a few times and then sat up looked up at Helga with wide eyes, feeling his heart pound in his chest and heat flood his face once again that evening, though this time was the worst by far!

Helga just laughed slightly to herself at his flustered reaction to her observation. She knelt to the floor and looked him over quickly once again with an amused grin. "_Oh_, yeah—you're hooked on me, Arnoldo." She grabbed one of his hands and stood, pulling him up from the floor.

Arnold, now standing up, blinked a few times as a result of feeling a little dizzy both from suddenly going from standing to sitting to standing all in a matter of thirty seconds _and_ because of the particular truth Helga was currently milking (which he was still having trouble believing that she was _actually_ milking right here and right now!). He shook his head a few times to clear it and then looked to her. "Helga…" he managed in a slightly panicked voice, his nervousness more than apparent, "I…I mean, yeah, you already know that I like you too but I—"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Arnold…" she shook her head and gave him a look, that grin still there, "I'm not talking about the fact that you suddenly want to love me just as much as I love you. That's great and everything but _right_ _now_ we're talking about the fact that you're actually _attracted_ to me—that touching me or looking at me or even just thinking about looking at me actually makes you're heart beat faster…" She took a step closer to him and continued. "That you like my hair and my eyes and my clothes, and I'd throw in my mouth but, hey, actions speak louder than words, right Casanova!" She winked.

Arnold felt like he was going to die. "He-Helga…" he began in a pleading voice, leaning back from her.

She ignored him, coming closer still and causing Arnold to move back in retreat from her. "Oh, yes, Arnold, I'm talking about the fact that…well, that let's just say that _I'm_ no longer the only one in this room who could just gaze at the other person for hours and never ever get bored." She paused in her approach and smirked. "I have half a mind to check you for a Helga locket right now..."

"_Helga_!" He stopped walking as well, his eyes going wide practically in fright.

"…And if you're at that level of obsessed yet, I know a place that does great engraving for really cheap!" She winked, ignoring his discomfort and in fact delighting in it quite a bit.

"HELGA!" Helga was fairly certain she'd never seen another human being blush as much as Arnold was doing right now.

And, indeed, Arnold knew full well from how warm his face felt and how much his heart was pounding in his chest that he _was_ blushing considerably… However, it was only due _in part_ to Helga's teasing about the locket… The other part of it was the fact that he was suddenly finding himself flashing back to half an hour ago when he'd actually _been_ thinking about how nice Helga actually did look when you really noticed her…and how he could just gaze at her for hours and let his eyes discover new things about her hair and her eyes and her…

He blinked and shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts from going down that distracting road. "Helga I…" he tugged at his collar, starting to move away from her yet again. She only resumed her approach, though, at the sight of him trying to put distance between them once more, the smug smile still on her face. "Okay, yes, I guess I kind of do feel a little…" he swallowed hard and glanced down, really not wanting to say it but feeling unable to come up with any other word, "attracted to you…sometimes…But," he looked up at her with a mixture of distress and annoyance on his face, "Do you have to just…bring it up like this? I mean…" he tried to get on the offensive a little and felt some of the warmth leave his face as he did so, "I don't go bringing up that _you're_ attracted to _me_ to make _you_ feel uncomfortable, Helga!" Suddenly, to his complete surprise, Arnold felt his back slam into Helga's door. He had run out of places to go.

Stopping directly in front of him, Helga raised a skeptical eyebrow at this last statement and almost seemed to scoff. "Oh, no, Arnold, you don't _bring it up_—you just, I don't know, tango with me at an April Fools Dance to pull a prank, touch my shoulder or hold my hand in your room to get me to lower my guard, kiss me right here in my room in front of GERALD to make a point in a stupid fight, GRAB my KNEE in front of the ENTIRE CLASS so that I'll quit making fun of your poem and get on to tutoring them..." She was scowling slightly at this point. "So if I let you get away with all of that stuff, then I think I should at least be allowed to bask for a few minutes in the ironic twist of fate that the guy doing all that stuff to me all the time is suddenly pressed up against my door in panic all because I'm within two inches of him!"

Helga, her sly look replacing the scowl once more, suddenly moved her face very close to Arnold's, just looking into his wide eyes. She remained like that for several seconds and watched in amusement as a blush slowly crept up into Arnold's cheeks once more...

"Helga…" he managed to breathe out, his eyes unblinking, completely locked onto hers, "I know we just worked out the kissing thing, but…um…" he swallowed hard, "Like I said I still need a little more time to let your advice sink in and I'm still a little uncomfortable being here in your room and everything…I just, don't think it's right, so…uh…" Still looking into her eyes, he groped with his hand for the knob of the door behind him.

Helga, however, ignoring his pleas yet again, suddenly pushed her face just slightly closer to Arnold's, still smiling, so that it seemed that all one of them would have to do would be to pucker to initiate a kiss…

Arnold instantly stopped trying to reach the handle and his breath caught in his throat. He began to close his eyes but stopped, then began again but stopped again, doing his best to resist the urge to kiss her…just as he had been doing the entire evening… Only this time fighting his desire to feel himself kissing Helga Pataki again was a million times harder considering how little it would suddenly take to actually make it happen…and how much he still knew she wanted it to happen…and how he now knew that she really would be okay with it if he gave in and let it happen… He felt his eyes starting to close again. '_Maybe…maybe it would be okay if we did it just for a second… Just for a second in her room wouldn't be __that__ selfish of me, right…?'_

However, he was stopped from finally giving in and starting to kiss the girl less than inches from him, and his eyes flew open wide and stayed that way when he suddenly felt Helga's hand reach up and gently graze the side of his face. "Oh you are _cute_ like this, Football Head, you know that?" she let him know with a small, warm laugh.

Then Helga suddenly shifted away from her beloved and turned around, and Arnold felt himself blink a few times and then really breathe for the first time in close to a minute. Almost involuntarily, he reached his hand up to the warm place upon his face that Helga had touched. '_I can't believe I almost…that she almost got me to… What was I thinking?!_' Helga, meanwhile, he noticed as the sound met his ears and broke him out of his shock, had walked over to her bed and sat down, and was now laughing uncontrollably at the sight of him.

It took Arnold a few seconds to regroup himself and feel his heartbeat return to normal and that warm feeling that had come over his body to start to go away (he didn't wait for the blushing to stop—at this point, he'd given up on it entirely). Then he took a breath and looked over at a still laughing Helga, scowling. "Helga, that—that wasn't funny!"

Helga's laughter subsided a bit and she sat up and looked at him, and then raised a finger like she was about to reply. Seeing the blush and the frustrated look still on his face, though, she only succeeded in falling back down onto her blankets in another giggle fit. "That…" she managed to get out between laughs, "…was…_wonderful_!!!" She managed to sit herself up again. "Between the sneaking in and the mini confession about the kissing and this… it's like looking in a mirror or something! I mean, you've practically become _me_, Football Head! It's—it's made the seven years all worth it!!!" She continued laughing warmly to herself…

* * *

_10 Minutes Later…_

Arnold, being a very understanding ten-year-old boy and knowing very well Helga Pataki's sarcastic nature, had been trying to be very patient with her fit of laughter that had been basically ceaseless for quite sometime now. Finally, though, he had to just cross his arms over his chest, still scowling at her, and he turned around and put his hand on the knob of her door. "Fine, Helga, you just keep laughing and I'm going to go home now. Happy 'Anniversary'. See you on Monday." He began to turn the knob.

His sudden intended departure finally did get Helga to stop laughing and to start taking his annoyance seriously. "Oh, come on, Football Head, don't be like that…" Still grinning ear to ear she got up and started heading across her room.

Arnold stopped opening the door and turned back to her with a sigh. "Helga, I know this is some kind of big joke to you but like I told you before it's all new to me and it's embarrassing and I'm still trying to deal with it all, and I really don't need to be laughed at about it right now! I'm already going to have to deal with _that_ enough the next time I see Gerald and the first word out of his mouth is 'shrine.' And I know I've done some stuff that hasn't been very fair to you ever since you confessed but at least when _I_ did it, it was always as a last resort and usually to get us closer which is probably half the reason I somehow realized I love you too when it was all over last week." He crossed his arms over his chest again in frustration. "But _you're_ just doing _this_ to have some fun, and if that's all that's going to happen for the rest of the night if I stay here then I'd rather just go back to the boarding house." He turned back around to face the door.

"Arnold…" Helga came up alongside him, leaning with her shoulder against the door. He didn't look at her and tried to open the door despite her weight upon it. It didn't budge, though, much to his frustration. "Come on, Arnold…" Helga continued, smiling and speaking in a very sincere tone. '_If you leave I can't make the point I'm building up to, Football Head!'_ "And I'm using your _real name_ right now! And this time it's not because I'm angry or because I'm happy—I'm just trying to show you that I can be serious about this, okay?"

Arnold sighed and turned to her and put his hands on his hips, still looking distinctly annoyed.

"Seriously, Football Head—cut me a break, okay?" Helga crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him sheepishly. "I'm not trying to hurt your feelings or anything—I'm just a girl who's suddenly finding herself on the other side of a relationship after seven years of standard unrequited love." She shrugged. "I'm just dealing with the disbelief in the only way I know how: humor, sarcasm, cheap shots, you know—standard 'me.'" She smiled at him. "Now, come on…don't leave angry..." She rolled her eyes and did her best not to chuckle too much as she added, "Not on our first 'Anniversary."

That last comment couldn't help but make Arnold, who had really been trying to maintain a serious and unhappy face during Helga's apology, smile.

"Ah, now there's that Arnold smile I love…" Helga laughed warmly to herself at the sight of the change in his face. She sighed and turned so that her back was leaning against the door now. "So… 'friends' again?" she raised an eyebrow at him, jokingly.

Arnold actually laughed at that. "About as much as usual…" he replied with a wink, letting his arms relax drop to his sides now that they seemed to be making up. His smile grew a bit more as he noticed that the reply actually made a faint blush come to Helga's cheeks and caused her to glance down shyly. Arnold laugh to himself once more and added with a smile, "At least I know you're in the same boat, right?"

On the inside, Helga could feel her heart fluttering like mad at the little bit of flirting they were doing. She tried to stay focused, though, knowing at the back of her mind that if she let him and his adorableness get to her too much, all he'd have to do was ask once more and she'd just end up letting him leave like he was bound to want to do very soon regardless of whether they were fighting or not without letting her have her chance to finish addressing his newfound concerns about the fact that she was indeed a girl. '_Helga, now's not the time to go all ga-ga on him. Remember the plan_!' And so, on the outside, despite her internal lovesick feelings, Helga just sighed and tried to seem casual as she responded playfully to Arnold's equally playful question, " 'Whatever you say,' _Arnold_." _She_ winked at _him_ this time.

And now the blush was back in Arnold's cheeks at her use of his familiar response to her. He blinked but then just smiled at her, all of his annoyance forgotten at this point. "I'm never going to come up with a response to something that you can't top somehow, am I, Helga?" He looked at her with a half lidded gaze.

She laughed and glanced away with a playful smirk. "It's highly unlikely, Football Head… but keep doing your best, though, because you're definitely getting better—I'll give you that." She brought her eyes back to his, allowing herself to linger in those lovely pools of green for a moment. ('_Hey, I'm just supposed to be keeping myself from turning into a lovedrunk idiot…that doesn't mean I can't at least admire my beloved a little to tide me over until he leaves and I can finally squeal and dance around and hug my locket in delight just like I want to do right now!_')

Arnold, meanwhile, was more than happy to gaze lovingly into Helga's eyes as well, and he couldn't help sighing at how doing so made him feel inside…and then, to his surprise, something about the sigh made him yawn just a bit. Almost involuntarily he glanced over at the clock by Helga's nightstand and then suddenly blinked. "Helga, it's almost eight-thirty! I've been here for an hour and a half!" He went for the doorknob again, a serious tone of worry in his voice. "Grandpa's gonna kill me!"

'_Quick, Helga, think of something to keep him here! Otherwise you might as well have just sat down and had a simple talk with him instead of planning out this quick scheme to show him how wrong he is about all that 'you're a girl so it's not right for me to be kissing you here' garbage—and where would the fun in that have been?_' Helga quickly wracked her brain for an idea on how to stall Arnold from departing. '_Okay, uh…how did he get __me__ to stay in __his__ room every time __I__ wanted to leave two weeks ago…?_ _Or at least, why was he so bent on being around me that weekend…?_' Helga blinked and then suddenly smiled to herself, the perfect idea coming to her head.

"Hey…Football Head?"

Arnold turned around, about to finish fully opening Helga's door and step out into the dim Pataki hallway. "Yes, Helga?"

"Uh…" Helga put her hands behind her back, trying to look as sincere and innocent as possible as she continued. "You know…you've already been here an hour and a half…I don't think another half an hour would make or break you…Besides, I don't know about you but my curfew's not 'til 9 and the boarding house is only a five minute bus ride from here…"

Arnold interrupted her, grinning slightly. He leaned against the wall near the slightly ajar door. "You want me to stay, Helga? After all of that, we're back to _you_ being the one who wants to be near _me_?"

Helga blinked, realizing she was losing her offense position in all of this. She swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to sound as casual and indifferent as she could as she replied, "Well, actually, Football Head, I just figured since you're so obsessed with my poetry and that you've probably already plowed through the majority of the two books I left with you yesterday afternoon, that maybe you'd like to read that poem we were talking about earlier. The one about exactly why I love you that I said I'd write for you..." She sighed and tried to continue sounding blasé as she added, "If you don't want to, though, then I guess you can just wait until Friday to see it…provided, of course, the pink book I bring over that day is the one that has it in it…"

Arnold took a step back into the room, closing Helga's door behind him, an interested look on his face. Helga had to try very VERY hard not to smirk as she thought to herself with satisfaction, '_Oh he is __so__ biting again! It's like luring Chocolate Boy into a trap using a trail of Mr. Fudgies!'_ On the outside, though, of course, she remained casual and cool, sometimes glancing at Arnold and sometimes at other things in her room in boredom, as though whatever his response would be really didn't matter all that much to her…

Arnold, though, was certainly looking at her...and with anything but boredom on his face at the proposition she'd just suggested. "But, Helga…" he began with an obvious touch of confusion in his voice, "If we only have half an hour how can I read the poem. I thought you said you'd need _days_ to write it…"

Helga rolled her eyes and just sighed at him, a half smile on her face. "Well, I _thought_ I'd need days, Football Head, but I also said the right inspiration could also just hit me at any time." She shrugged and looked at him innocently. "That kiss and all of the talking and revelations after it were just the thing. Besides…" she stretched up, once again trying to seem indifferent about everything (though at the same time she also _was_ still quite tired, a fact which Arnold's yawn before had reminded her of), "I've got some free time and there aren't likely to be many distractions right now… We are ALONE, after all." She very specifically emphasized the word 'alone' and the effort wasn't lost on Arnold.

At the sound of another joke starting about the guilt he couldn't help associating with the situation of being alone with her in her room, Arnold turned around and began to head back on the direction of Helga's door, a miffed look on his face. "Goodnight, Helga…."

Helga quickly moved up alongside him again. "Hey! Okay, come on, Football Head! Seriously, I know that was a cheap shot but…Hey!" She managed to get in front of him, and now stood between Arnold and the door, still half smiling at him. She looked at him sincerely as she spoke. "Arnold, I really think you were right about me needing to put into words what it is about you as a person that makes me love you instead of just a bunch of poetic feelings for once. I mean, like I said, I've never tried something like that before, and I actually think it might be good for _both_ of us if I gave it a whirl. But…" she glanced down shyly for a second, "It'd really help me if you stayed while I did it…"

Arnold raised a skeptical eyebrow at the suspicious request, which caused Helga to unfortunately have to admit, in order to keep him around, something that made her blush slightly. "I mean, it'd be easier for me to stay focused more on _you_ and less on my _feelings about_ you if you stuck around…you know?" She looked him in the eyes, meaning what she said regardless of her plans. '_I actually am kind of happy he suggested I try writing a poem like that…it could be fun and it might actually __be__ good for both of us._'

And then Helga, seeing Arnold's continued though indeed obviously weakening hesitation about staying, recalled another thing Arnold had done to keep her in his room two weeks ago…And, well, now that she knew that he was attracted to her along with loving her, the novel idea seemed to stand a much better chance of working…

She put her hands behind her back, tilted her head down just a bit, gazed up at her beloved with wide eyes, and finally pouted just ever so slightly. "Please, Arnold…" she requested in an unassuming voice with the warmest, lightest tone she could muster. On the inside, though, she was doing her best not to smirk…actually, seriously trying very hard not to smirk, as a matter of fact. '_Hmph! Arnold's not the only one who can use an innocent glance and a charming plea to get his way in this relationship…'_

And, indeed, at the sight of Helga suddenly seeming to care so much about whether he left or stayed, and talking to him so sweetly as she made this one, relatively small, and actually quite easily-fulfilled request, Arnold felt the last of his resolve to get out of there before things about his feelings got even more awkward quickly crumble. Indeed, to his surprise, he found himself actually feeling an unexpected (and quite undeniable) strong compulsion to see the girl before him go from sad like she seemed right now to happy like she had been before. (And, of course, the fact that he was dying to read another Helga Pataki poem, which impressed him every single time with their craft and the way she expressed herself, was also a significant factor in his new decision to comply with her wishes and to stay.)

And so, to Helga's great satisfaction, Arnold finally let out a breath and smiled at her, taking a step back from the door. "I guess I could stay a little while longer…if it'll help you, Helga."

Her face instantly lit up. "Perfect!" And then suddenly, before Arnold knew what was happening to him, Helga had grabbed his arm and pulled him across the room back to her bed. "Besides, Arnold, if you remember I said I wanted to get back to that whole 'me being a 'girl' ' problem. We can get to it just a _little_ later, though…" _'And a little bit now_…' she added mentally to herself. Having Arnold in tow in one hand, Helga, upon reaching her bedside, used her other hand to grab her almost fully filled current pink book from her nightstand. Snagging it, she suddenly and let Arnold go with a gentle push in the direction of the bed, causing him to find himself sitting on its surface at the end. Helga, meanwhile, turned around and jumped onto the opposite end of the bed, ending up with her head propped against her pillows and her legs stretched out writing, just as she had been before Arnold's experiment with the tree had interrupted her that evening. "First thing's first, though, Football Head! Now, let's see about this new poem for you!"

And, so, Helga opened up her pink book, looked at Arnold for a second, considered, and then began to smile and write as a very ironic idea (_of course_) came to her.

Arnold, after blinking a few times to get his bearings from being suddenly dragged across her room and plopped down upon her bed, turned to Helga. He opened his mouth as though about to ask her a question but then paused at the sight before him. And it occurred to Arnold just then that even though he'd read countless works by her, he'd never actually _seen_ Helga G. Pataki write a poem…and it was a very interesting sight, to say the least. '_She looks so happy…and not even like when she's with me happy. Just very content…like this is what she's supposed to be doing or something_.' His thought was interrupted by the sound of Helga pausing in her writing, whispering a word or two to herself like she was trying to work out something in the line before her or find a good rhyme, and then nodding to herself and resuming putting pen to page. '_How does she do that?'_ Suddenly, Arnold found himself smiling just a bit dreamily and putting down a hand to rest his weight upon his arm so he could lean a bit closer to her (much like he'd tried to do earlier that evening when Helga had initially pulled him inside through her window)…and then Arnold hit the bed problem again.

He blinked as he recalled that somehow or other she'd gotten him to sit near her again when they were still alone in her room, just like he'd been trying to avoid doing all evening. He looked to Helga, reclining only a few inches away and looking so nice just laying there with that content smile on her face, and then even though he knew it was stupid and that she was just writing a poem and that nothing would probably happen, he still couldn't help but become very aware again of the guilt associated with being alone in the room of the girl he loved…

"Um…Helga…?" he started nervously, knowing that she might be a little annoyed at him for suddenly bringing this up again, especially since she'd just hinted at still having some kind of a problem with what he'd said about her being a girl. But he really _did_ want to be a gentleman about this relationship and he figured that that one spontaneous kiss in front of her closet was more than he should have been entitled to upon showing up here tonight.

She didn't reply so Arnold tried again, a bit louder this time. "Helga?"

She sighed, not looking up from the middle of her pink book. "Football Head, I'm writing. This better be good."

Arnold swallowed. "Um, well…would it be okay if I went and sat in one of the chairs over there instead of staying here. I just…"

She rolled her eyes, cutting him off, though her writing continued. "Oh, you CAN'T be serious, right now, Football Head."

"It—it's just…" he felt himself starting to blush again, "_You're_ on your bed and…_I'm_ on your bed and…and we're right next to each other and things always seem to happen when we're right next to each other…"

She couldn't help but smirk, cutting him off. "Yeah, well, until they perfect 'long distance kissing', things are probably going to keep being just a little more likely to happen when we're 'right next to each other'…"

Arnold sighed and did his best to ignore the comment. "Look, I know it seems silly Helga, but I still do feel bad about all of this happening in your room and when we're alone, and…"

Helga did her best not to scoff as she finished his sentence (her writing still continuing, of course). "And I'm 'a girl,' and somehow you're betraying every law of chivalry ever engrained into that Football Head of yours by being in my house by ourselves in my room on my bed with me." She smiled to herself and started writing just a bit more fervently. "Oh man, this new little display of yours is _definitely_ going into poem…"

He narrowed his eyes at her a bit. "Helga…"

Helga sighed, crossing something out and then writing something in its place. "Fine, Arnoldo, go sit on a chair or whatever if it'll relieve that overbearing conscience of yours. But, like I said, later we're having a talk about this new little neurotic tendency of yours and the fact that it's the 21st century and that I'm a modern woman and that I'm just as capable of taking advantage of you as you are of me no matter where we are…lest we forget who threw whom onto the coffee table last weekend, Romeo. But not now: I'm writing."

Arnold swallowed hard and blushed at the memory of last weekend, and then finally stood up and went shyly back over to the seat he'd occupied several times so far that evening.

A few minutes passed in silence as Helga continued writing her poem, broken only occasionally by her glancing at Arnold and laughing slightly to herself as she came up with a new observation or a new thought about him to put down on the page before her.

"Oh, Arnold…" she smiled to herself, finally addressing him at one point, "You know, this angle actually is a lot of fun—I can see why you went for it when you wrote your poem about me. But, in case you're doing some early Christmas or _one month_ Anniversary shopping for me or something, let me recommend YOU writing another poem about me but this time in MY style…" She chuckled to herself as she seemed to reread a line or two she'd just jotted down. "Seriously, that would just make my life! I mean, if it's even close to as amusing as this thing is, I'll wait for it even if it takes _another_ seven years on top of the first seven it took you to figure out that you're kind of into me too..." She laughed in amusement once again to herself, and then blinked like she'd just gotten an idea and proceeded to write a few more lines.

Arnold, meanwhile, just raised an eyebrow at this unexpected poetic request. He hesitated for a second and then opened his mouth as though he was about to say something to Helga, when she suddenly closed the pink book in her hands with a light slam and held it up, looking at him with a satisfied smile. "Okay, all done, Football Head! Your poem about what exactly it is about you that makes me love you is officially complete."

Arnold blinked, standing up. "You mean you really just wrote it…just like that? It hasn't even been ten minutes, Helga…" He couldn't help but add in a noticeably slightly impressed tone.

Helga just shrugged, sitting up and placing the pink book upon her nightstand once more. "Hey, the style might have been new but ultimately it was an Arnold poem and as I said before I can pump those out in my sleep. I'd actually come up with a few more of my normal, gushing poems in the time we have left so that I could top off this book and move onto a fresh one, but I think I used up all the inspiration you gave me tonight for this little masterpiece and all the inspiration I usually have in the five or six poems I wrote before you got here…" She smiled once more that evening in that slightly sly way of hers, continuing. "And as for some new inspiration, well…" She crossed her arms over chest and crossed one leg over the other, rolling her eyes at her beloved and giving him an amused half smile, "_Someone_ won't come anywhere near me right now, so it looks like this is all we're getting for tonight." She gestured with her head to the small book of poems she'd just finished writing in.

Arnold gave her a look for the teasing comment, crossing his arms over his chest….and trying his best not to blush at the way she was sitting there and smiling at him like that after basically implying yet again that she was more then open to the idea of a little making out.

Suddenly, Helga stretched up and yawned, doing her best not to smirk at how frustrated Arnold seemed with her yet again that evening for all of the teasing and flirting. "You know…that was actually really fun—thanks, Football Head. I think _you_ actually just helped _me_ with _my_ poetry. It's like some painfully ironic ending to the story from heck about our lives, or something." She mulled the thought around in her head with a smile for a second, and then shook her head to clear it.

Arnold continued to watch her as Helga then proceeded to climb over her bed to her open window and reach out, grabbing a hold of something. She continued to talk to Arnold over her shoulder as she proceeded with this curious action. "Well, since it _is_ getting late, like you said, Football Head, and since no one's supposed to be coming back here for a little while yet, I guess you should just head out before I succumb to all of that 'masculine charm' of yours, my dearest, darling, dashing, Arnold…" She stopped what she was doing and dramatically put a hand to her mouth, as though surprised at what she was saying. She looked back at Arnold sarcastically. "Oh, there I go, again—I'm already losing control of the things I'm _saying_ with you here unsupervised, Arnold, and it's only a matter of time before I lose control of the things I'm _doing_ too… " She finally managed to pull the end of Arnold's rope across the sill of her open window and into her room, having fully untangled it from the branches below. She gave a sigh and continued speaking. "So, just get going, Arnold, and I guess I'll see you next week in the 'safety' of the boarding house or in the' appropriateness' of _your_ room or anywhere else where a bunch of people are waiting to randomly interrupt our time together and make you feel like you're not taking advantage of 'helpless old me.'" She had to roll her eyes at the very idea of _Arnold_ tricking _her_ into a kiss, though she did her best not to seem too sarcastic about it so that Arnold wouldn't get too annoyed and try to leave again before she could fully execute her current 'brilliant scheme'…

Arnold, however, not really noticing the teasing comment (or the rope currently accumulating in Helga's hands…and also not really putting together what she meant by slowly and carefully unwinding it and only allowing a few feet of it to fall upon her bed like she was doing instead of just yanking it completely out of the tree), approached Helga and glanced from her to the pink book in which she'd just written, and then back to her. "But Helga…you said you were writing the poem you just finished to help me understand why you'd love someone like me…"

Helga glanced over her shoulder, shrugging casually. "So?"

"So…" he had to raise an eyebrow at her in confusion, "You're going to let me read it, right?" _'I thought that was half the reason she thought I should stay longer…'_

Helga smiled at him, still kneeling on her bed, and paused in what she was doing with the rope. "Well, duh, Football Head—we already went over how you kind of _need_ to read it since you're so blind that you can't see how special you are yourself, and since my poems are usually too ambiguously romantic to let to you see it easily." She finally let the end of the rope drop to her pink sheets and crossed her arms over her chest. "And I will _not_ have you going around thinking that you don't deserve me or something…I mean, I'd say how I can't even describe how wrong that whole concept is, but I just did it in my poem, so I guess that takes care of that."

She just continued kneeling there, smiling at him across the room, and Arnold just continued standing there, waiting for her poem.

Finally, after about another minute of this stand off, Arnold was losing his patience a bit. "So…can I read it now, Helga?!" he asked anxiously.

Helga blinked and a touch of satisfaction came to her eyes at the somewhat desperate request of her obviously frustrated beloved. _'And the best part is, this whole poem thing isn't even part of the plan… I'm just messing with him for the heck of it and he's completely falling for it…_' She sighed to herself. '_At least that means that he should go for what I've got up my sleeve next without any trouble…'_ She smiled at him just a bit more and finally addressed Arnold's question. "Oh, you mean _RIGHT_ NOW?" She asked with more than a touch of sarcasm, and then shook her head at him "Oh, no, Arnold, you're going to have to wait until at least…" She seemed to consider something in her head for a second before continuing… "At least Wednesday, I think…"

Arnold's look became even more confused at the strange condition. "Why?"

Helga shrugged, still smirking. "Well, that's when the next poetry assignment is due to Simmons, and you can look at the poem when he hands it back to me that afternoon…or hear it when reads it out loud. My preference really…" She smiled devilishly. "And besides I would just love the chance to watch you squirm when the whole class turns to look at you if he _does_ read it. Because this one is even more explicitly about you than yours was about me. I guarantee it." She winked.

Arnold just looked at her very closely for a second, not responding at first. Finally, he managed to say slowly and with at least a touch of conviction, though it was noticeably faint, "Helga…you're lying to me again, aren't you?"

"Am I?" Still smiling, she raised part of her brow at the question, almost as though the concept of 'lying', and especially to him of all people, was a foreign one to her and yet sounded novel now that it had been brought up.

Arnold hesitated for a second, and then replied as confidently as he could, "…Yes."

"Oh, I don't know, Arnold…" she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, I've done plenty of worse things to you over the years. And I'd have a pretty good motive for this particular type of revenge considering what happened that Monday with your poem." She looked at him closely, still grinning. "What exactly makes you think you know me so well that I wouldn't do it?" There was a genuine curiousness in the expression on her face.

Arnold glanced down and considered the feeling he had inside of him that Helga wasn't telling the truth, and then did his best to find the exact reasons why he felt like that and the exact words he would need to express them to her. Slowly, he began. "Because…like you said when we were talking that Monday in the classroom about how I left when everyone started interrogating you, it was a bad situation and you would have kept me out of it any way possible if you could have…" He smiled slightly to himself as he continued. "So, I think you care too much about what would happen to me to try something like that."

Arnold looked up at her for a confirmation of this reasoning and he was met with a very impressed look on Helga's face. "Not bad, Football Head… Anything else?"

Arnold's smile increased at having been right, and then he considered for another moment or two. His smile grew a bit more as a second reason for her to be lying came to mind. "And also…" he began, looking at her now with his half lidded gaze, "Since you're a lot smarter at plans and schemes and revenge than I am, Helga, I'm sure you already figured out that if everyone came up to me after it was over and asked me who I thought was writing poems about me and what I knew about it…" He glanced away for a second and then back to her, putting his arms behind his back. "Well, once again, we hit that 'horrible liar' problem…" He took a step toward her and tried his best not to laugh as he saw Helga smile a bit more herself at this small joke. He continued speaking, taking another step forward and still looking at her with that half lidded gaze of his. "…And, also, there's the fact that I'm only keeping things between us a secret because it's important to you and it's fun, and not because I really want to…" He winked and that made Helga blush, and Arnold couldn't help but suddenly feel a small sense of satisfaction come over him at the feeling of the power play between them suddenly getting balanced in his favor once again.

Helga tried to downplay her reaction to his words, though, of course, and so just rolled her eyes and shot him an amused grin, hoping the slight warmth in her face would subside quickly before he could notice it too much. "I really do hate 'in love' Arnold, sometimes, you know that, Football Head? Not nearly as preciously dense as 'why does Helga always pick on me' Arnold or as adorably in denial as 'Hey wait a minute—Helga's in love with me!' Arnold." She suddenly crawled forward over her blankets and then got off of the bed and snagged the pink book containing the poem in question that she'd just written. She then walked over to Arnold and gently shoved the small item into his hands. "Here," she smiled, "It's almost full, anyway, like I said before, and I know your appetite for these things is just plain insatiable so just use what's in here to tide you over until next Friday—okay, Football Head?"

Arnold smiled down at the pink book and then smiled up at the girl who'd given it to him, his gaze still half lidded. "Thank you, Helga."

She just shook her head at him in response and crossed her arms over her chest again. "You know," she gestured with her head to the book in his hands, "Thanks to you I have a standing order at the bookstore down the street for blank pink books, which aren't quite as easy to come by as you'd think." She had to chuckle. "Seriously, _pace_ yourself, Head Boy—I'm a human being in love, not a printing press. And, as I said once before, I _do_ have a life outside of you, you know." She put her arms behind her back and smiled warmly at him just a bit more.

Arnold laughed warmly at the witty comparison. "Human being in love, not a printing press…got it, Helga." He glanced down at the pink book in his hands. "I'll just read this one and start rereading some of your other books while I'm waiting for more of your masterpieces." He looked back up at her, not even aware of just how dreamily he was smiling at her.

Helga just shook her head and sighed happily at the slightly flirtatious compliment as well as at the beautiful lovesick look on his face that she'd longed to see directed at her for so many years (and that confirmed for her yet again that what she was planning next was not only going to be fun but easy to pull off as well). She then turned and went back in the direction of her bed, climbing onto it and then crawling across the surface once more. Upon reaching the window, she put her hands on the sill and pushed it open as wide as it could go, letting in a burst of warm night air.

And while doing this, she tried her best to keep her heartbeat below heart attack level and her head in the game in general. _'Okay, yes, he's acting __adorably__ right now and flirting just a bit whether he knows it or not, and he's got that gorgeous look on his face and his eyes are just…NO, __focus__, Helga! Remember the plan…Heck, it's probably the only way you'll get to actually __kiss__ that beautiful face tonight_!' With this brief reminder/pep talk to herself, Helga then proceeded to pull in a bit more of the rope that she'd started gathering previously, finally letting the few feet of line she ended up with rest upon her bed while the remainder of the rope still lead outside and into her tree. She then turned back to Arnold, kneeling on her covers, and picking up the rope end in question. "Well, here you go, Football Head—your ticket out of here so that you don't 'corrupt me' any further." She dramatically put a hand to her head and did her best not to smirk too much. "I mean, gosh, I wrote a poem about you because you came up here—I hope my Dad doesn't make us get married because of it or anything!" She crossed her arms over her chest and laughed at her joke.

The comment made Arnold blush slightly, but the rope joke did manage to make him smile a bit again as well, and since he was leaving anyway he didn't see much point in getting upset with Helga for getting in one last little joke about his insecurities about being here right now. "I think I'll just take the door, Helga…" he responded playfully and warmly. "Goodnight…"

And with these parting words, Arnold turned and began to walk back in the direction of Helga's bedroom door. As he made his way across the room, he couldn't help but hear her shift on her bed (almost as though she was moving to do or get something…). He didn't turn back around to see what the source of all this movement and soft noise was, though, until he heard the sound of her voice firmly addressing him from back across the room. "Arnold, you get back here and take this rope down to my backyard right now."

Arnold, in mid reach for the doorknob, sighed with just a touch of amusement and turned back around toward Helga. "Helga, you don't actually want me to—" His response was interrupted by the sight of her doing something very simple and very random…and also somehow very _suspicious_, if Arnold knew Helga...

* * *

**A/N:  
**

Yes, I know, I'm HORRIBLE for the cliffhangers!!! But I hope 17000 words worth of awkwardness made up for it a little ;) As for the next update, I'm going into finals/graduation time so you're going to have to give me at least two weeks guys. Besides, I also want to take a little time to edit and post the epilogue for A Perfect Ten and to work on the next chapter of Dinner And a Show which I've been getting a lot of requests for lately :) And then summer's starting so I'll have even more time for HA! and fanfiction, which means even more updates and that, they'll come even quicker (as long as my writer's block keeps itself at bay in terms of my other stories that I didn't have the foresight to write out drafts of in advance like I did with this one, lol)!

Anyway, please review again and I really hope you guys liked this chapter :) And as for what's to come in chapter 5…Helga puts Arnold in another very awkward position, certain new people come on the scene, certain surprises are to be had… I'll work on it as much as possible so that I can def get in done in two weeks ;)

Happy Reading!!!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!!!!


	5. Thoroughly Enjoying Being a 'Girl'

**A/N:**

Woot! Hey guys, how's it going? Alright, we are exactly one day ahead of the two week mark I set for myself in terms of getting this chapter posted, which I'm super happy about :) It has been a crazy thirteen days but for some reason my finals schedule has been really light at times and I've had some random gaps to work on this, and also…I've got to say, this was one of the more fun chapters for me to write, so it wasn't exactly a chore to work on it, if you know what I mean ;) Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoy it (and, fair warning, we've got another cliffie ending!), and I'm sorry I wasn't really able to do review responses for the last chapter (any free time I had seriously just ended up going into the epic edits for this chapter) but I'll definitely do them for this chapter so please review as always :)

Also, there's a certain something that Helga does in this chapter that has always seemed like a method of, why don't we say 'flirting', that I've always felt she would have been pretty inclined to do just to test it out in any kind of a 'season 6/episodes about her and Arnold's initial courtship' situation, and if you're looking for another fun example of it I'd strongly recommend **SuprSingr's fic "Hypnotizing Helga**" which gives a fun instance of it around chapter 7 or 8 I believe, lol. I'd rather not go into too much detail right now so that I don't give anything away but I'll be more specific in my closing A/N (where I'll also fill you guys in about when the next chapter's coming).

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY once again to **NintendoGal**! I wish I could have gotten this up a few days ago as a present for her, but I hope it's still an acceptable 'gift' even if it's a little belated ;)

Okay, enough of my ramblings!!!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 5:**

**Thoroughly Enjoying Being a 'Girl'**

**

* * *

**Momentarily putting aside his conviction to leave (and certainly via the _door_ as opposed to the _window_), Arnold had to raise an eyebrow at the sight before him and ask with an obvious amount of curiosity, "Helga…why are you brushing your hair?"

And indeed Helga, still kneeling upon her bed only now with her familiar pink ribbon tossed to the side upon one of her pillows, currently had one pigtail undone and a large brush going through it as he spoke. She scowled slightly at his question and did her best to hide, underneath some of her loose strands, the tinge of a blush threatening to come to her face at the idea of what she was planning to do right now, even if it _was_ to prove a very necessary point. Rolling her eyes, she looked to her beloved and replied with just a touch of exasperation, "Well, since you're leaving I figured I might as well head to sleep, Head Boy…Actually, I was just getting ready to change into my pajamas when you showed up here before with all of your randomness…" She gestured with the brush to the purple night shirt still half hanging out of her dresser drawer from two hours ago when Arnold had first pushed those tree branches against the outside of her dark window, practically scaring her to death. She resumed brushing, a slight scowl coming back to her face and a touch more sarcasm to her voice. "Anyway, I'm just brushing my hair out a little before I hit the sack like I do every night, so don't think I'm doing anything special just because _you're_ here, or anything."

Continuing to casually run the brush through her former pigtail, Helga then proceeded to just smile contentedly at Arnold…and even though to the outside observer this situation might have seemed innocent enough, Arnold couldn't help getting the feeling in his gut that there was indeed something suspect about what the girl before him was doing. '_She's not going to let me get out of here without a fight, is she_?' He continued watching her cautiously, just wishing that for once he could be as clever at schemes as Helga was so that he could even _begin_ to hazard a guess at what she was concocting right now.

"Actually, though…" Helga suddenly continued speaking, bringing Arnold out of his thoughts and causing him to eye her even more closely, "Now that the whole 'Cecile thing' is out of the bag, I might actually start considering wearing my hair down every once in a while like you suggested earlier, Football Head." She ran her fingers absentmindedly through the part of her hair that was almost brushed out as she continued. "I mean, there's no more chance that you're going to have a spontaneous conniption or something because you suddenly recognize me from that night, and I haven't thought about it in a while but it _was_ pretty comfortable getting it out of those pigtails for once…" Her smile grew a bit, both as part of her plan as well as due to the fact that she couldn't help but feel a happy warmth come over her as she added, "And you did say that it made me look nice, at least to you, so I guess that's an added benefit too." She smiled fully and winked at her beloved, and noticed with satisfaction a slight blush come to his face…and then also a slight smile.

And indeed Arnold, despite experiencing a touch of embarrassment at the reminder of the whole 'attraction' thing, couldn't help the compulsion to smile at what she'd just said: and how happy the simple fact that he liked something about her always seemed to make her. '_Maybe I'm overreacting a little…she's probably just doing this right now to keep me here a few more minutes and get a little more attention and a few more compliments from me_.' He almost had to laugh at how convinced he'd been just a second ago that Helga was actually plotting to 'do' something to him before he left. '_And besides why would she have to 'do' anything to me or trick me into anything anymore, anyway? This isn't like the old days when she was spending all of her time trying to keep her secret and trying to keep me from getting too close to it—we don't have any secrets anymore and anything we need to work out, we can talk out together and openly just like we did tonight with the shrines and the kissing_.' Arnold's smile grew just a bit and he couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh at this comforting logic…

…If only he had recalled, though, that there was still at least one thing tonight Helga had been hinting at needing to work out between them...and that it was a topic that Arnold had explicitly and rather stubbornly (though with the best of intentions) refused budge upon or even just discuss when Helga had given him the initial opportunity not too long ago…

Seeing her handiwork paying off in the form of Arnold's smile and the loss of that touch of suspicion and caution that had initially been in his eyes upon her calling him away from her door just now, Helga decided it was safe to move on from the topic of possibly wearing her hair down at school and to get back to the matter at hand. She cleared her throat and scowled at him slightly once more. "Anyway, don't change the subject, Football Head!" Having finished one side of her hair, Helga undid her second pigtail and began brushing out that one now. "_You're_ the one who started this whole 'I have a fetish for sneaking in through people's windows' thing and now you're going to finish it!" She saw Arnold blink and open his mouth as though he was about to protest once again, but she cut him off before he could start. "And besides my parents could be home any minute, Arnold…" Her smile grew just a bit slyer. "Wouldn't look very good to them if you were suddenly strolling down the stairs when they came in through the front door, now would it? And it wouldn't look very good to any of the other adults in the neighborhood either if any of them happened to be passing by when you walked out onto my stoop… They all know Bob and Miriam went to bring Olga to the airport tonight (the two of them have been openly lamenting it enough to anyone who'll listen, _believe me_)…and even if whoever might be out there isn't aware yet that I've been home alone, I could always just find them and tell them..." She continued staring down Arnold with that suspicious smile as she added, recalling his comment before about his only keeping their relationship a secret because it was important to her as well as fun to do so, "I'm starting not to care too much about keeping this whole thing with us under wraps, _myself_, Football Head…"

And, in reality, though she wasn't quite ready to start reciting poetry from the rooftops or anything, Helga hadn't been able to help getting the feeling every now and then over the course of the last week that maybe it wouldn't be the MOST horrible thing in the world if the fact that she didn't entirely hate Arnold became public knowledge. _'I mean, Olga found out and it's been helpful…mostly… Gerald found out and he didn't freak __too__ bad…Arnold found out and…well…_' She smiled to herself at the conclusion that needed no words, and then sighed in happiness as her thoughts continued. '_It'd almost be nice to be able to go to school or baseball games or for ice cream and __not__ to have to toss a bunch of on the spot insults at old Football Head when all I really want to do is hug the little guy_…'

Arnold, meanwhile, upon Helga finishing this little speech she'd just given about actually being serious about him taking the window to leave her house, rolled _his_ eyes at _her_ this time. "Helga…" Meanwhile, though, he couldn't help at least a slight bit of warmth coming to his face and feeling himself swallow nervously at the idea of how it really might look if Helga's parents or anyone else actually caught him leaving her house at this time of night when she was all by herself.

"Arnold…" Having now finished brushing out her second pigtail, Helga flipped her hair forward and began brushing down the underside as she spoke to him. "I gave up the closet shrine to you tonight. The CLOSET SHRINE. I think the least you could do is indulge me a little…" He heard her chuckle to herself as she added, still hidden under her hair, "I mean, with the climbing out of the window thing since you're not allowed to indulge me in any _other_ way right here and now because we're at _my_ house and I'm a 'girl'."

Arnold felt himself blush fully at the sudden reference once again to his continued anxieties about being here with Helga alone...and finally came to accept that she really wasn't going to let him just walk out of there: she was going to get everything she possibly could out of this night and this situation…and considering how smart she was and how experienced she was at tricking him (she'd had almost seven years of practice at it, after all) he couldn't help but be pretty sure that, despite his feelings about the matter, she'd find someway to get around them and succeed at whatever she currently had up her sleeve.

Arnold swallowed hard and took a moment to consider his options. '_If her parents really did walk in—and, like Helga once said, we're irony's best friends—they'd never let her anywhere near me again. And even if they didn't come home before I left and I managed to get outside but one of the other grown-ups—Harvey or Mr. Green or Mrs. Vitello or any of them—saw me leaving here and at this time of night, and mentioned it to Mr. or Mrs. Pataki…_' Arnold suddenly recalled Big Bob Pataki and his temper with a gulp. '_Well, it probably wouldn't be good for me __or__ Helga… And anyway…._' Arnold hated to admit it but he couldn't deny the truth behind her logic, '_I guess I did kind of start something with always asking her to come to my house using __my__ window, and then going and doing it here tonight myself to get into __her__ room… And on top of that I really am starting to think that if I keep trying to not do what she wants that she's never going to let me get out of here … And, also, if it's a choice between just giving in and sneaking back out of her window right now or getting in a fight with her about it first_…' Arnold couldn't help but feel the warmth return to his face and his heart pound just slightly as he recalled how ever since Helga's confession, serious conflicts between the two of them—the April Fools pranks, their shouting match during the poetry tutoring weekend—had been seeming to manage to end in something romantic and physical… And now that _he_ had confessed as well…. '_Well, then_…' he sighed to himself mentally, doing his best not to blush at the memories, '_I think agreeing to use the window would be the best thing for now… Besides, it's not that big of a deal or anything for me to climb down her tree…_'

And so, finally, set on his course of action, Arnold came out of his thoughts, took a deep breath and glanced down, replying in a complacent and yet patient voice, "Fine, Helga—if it's what you really want I'll take the rope down. I teased you enough about sneaking in and out of my house using it, anyway… I guess it wouldn't kill me to try the full experience." He actually felt himself smile a bit at the irony, some of his nervousness leaving….

It quickly returned, though, as he moved his gaze back up to look at Helga…the site of whom made the smile fall from his face and his eyes go wide and finally her latest pink book drop from his hand to the floor with a firm plop.

Helga, now fully finished with brushing out her hair, had suddenly flipped it back so that it fell down around her shoulders, that small piece that always wanted to cover her eye doing so. She had been kneeling on the bed before but now he watched as she moved back and sat down with her back against the wall to the side of her window. She stretched her legs out before her, and then delicately crossed one over the other. She then smiled at Arnold, proceeded to twirl a small piece of her hair around the index finger of her right hand and, as the 'piece de resistance', slowly grabbed the end of the rope with her left hand and started swinging it casually in circles. '_I cannot believe I am doing this_…' was all Helga could think as she finished positioning herself in this fashion…

…The overall effect of which was a little…distracting…to our Football Headed hero, to say the least…

'_So far so good…I haven't seen his eyes go that wide since I kissed him on the FTi building_.' Helga took a breath and spoke in a warm tone. "Okay, so…come and get it..." Her half smile increased just slightly, and she winked.

Arnold was pretty sure his jaw had just dropped but he couldn't really feel anything at the moment except his heart pounding in his chest.

Helga just sighed with a satisfied grin at his continued silence and at his now agape mouth. '_Like shooting fish in a barrel_…' "The rope, I mean, of course, Arnoldo…" she added with a playful giggle.

Arnold remained frozen and silent for a second longer…his jaw still practically on the floor. '_Okay, I admit it: I'm out of my league here_…'

"I'm taking the door!" Arnold instantly turned and bolted in the direction of the exit to Helga's hallway, panicked thoughts racing through his mind. '_Ruth, Lila…even Summer wasn't any kind of preparation for this! This is WAY too much! I've got to get out of here and think and regroup and maybe call up Gerald and have one of our Purdy Boys sleepovers and spend the rest of the weekend not thinking about ANYTHING having to do with girls, especially her!!! I just need a day or so to just…just…_'

"Arnold, you take that door and, even if you luck out and _don't_ get caught by anyone, when Gerald lays into me about the shrine on Monday I'll make sure to let him know exactly how you ended up over here in the first place—the whole failed tree/rope/shoe/'trying to be romantic' stunt, remember?" This firm threat from Helga interrupted his thoughts and almost caused Arnold to trip mere feet from his goal of her door. He blinked and steadied himself, letting the words she'd just said absorb as she continued with her threat. "Actually, I'll make sure to fill in him, Phoebe, Lila, heck BRAINY, your Grandparents, every boarder who'll listen…" The tone of her voice more than suggested that she was enjoying the serious potential she had here to humiliate him. "And, unless you use this rope to climb down out of here and then take it with you, it'll be all the proof I'll ever need that you, the self-proclaimed poster child of innocence and decency, regardless of you 'pure' intentions, chose to celebrate the one week Anniversary of your first serious relationship by breaking into your girlfriend's _bedroom_! Now, _climb_!"

Arnold turned around (and Helga couldn't help but blink and lose her scowl just for a second at the extreme degree of desperation suddenly upon his face) and suddenly said pleadingly, "Helga, why are you doing this to me? You know that I—"

She let out an impatient sigh and cut him off, her scowl now firmly fixed once again, though it was getting harder for her to keep up the joke considering how much worry she was obviously causing her wonderful little beloved with everything she was doing right now just to prove something to him. '_No, don't take pity on him—just stick with the plan_!' She mentally yelled at herself, and then turned back to the task at hand. "Trust me, Arnold, there's a point!" She held up the rope end just a bit more…and then did her best to resume her former coy smile as she started slowly swinging it in circles again. "Now, come on…" she began in a warm, sweet, unassuming voice, "It'll take two seconds and it'll make me happy and it's our Anniversary, according to you, so just do it and the quicker you do the quicker you can run back to the boarding house and have a full six days to mentally prepare for our next solo encounter." She let out a much less harsh sigh and added jokingly. "Which is going to be at _your_ house so you won't have to worry about any of the guilt you're feeling now, right, Football Head?" She smiled just a bit more at her beloved, and crossed her legs just a bit more snugly.

Arnold sighed in distress and took a hesitant step or two back toward the bed…and also toward the mischievous looking (though also quite nice looking) Helga before him. He shut his eyes for a second and shook his head to clear it. '_No, don't focus on how she looks—she's just trying to get to you because she knows that you think she's pretty… Just…just calmly, reasonably ask her to stop—whatever this is all about—and she will…Okay…_' He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again, and then did his best to address Helga in as rational-sounding a tone as possible. "Helga, I know it's our Anniversary, but it's getting kind of late, so is there any way we could talk about this tomorrow, and for now maybe you could just let me—"

Well, this was interesting…because Arnold had been quite convinced that Helga couldn't possibly be doing another thing right now in an attempt to get him to agree once more to coming onto that bed with her… And yet…

Arnold swallowed hard and his eyes went wide again…and he just looked over at Helga with a mixture of confusion and just a bit of terror on his face. She seemed to be glancing to the side of him at her mirror across the room with a touch of obviously feigned indecision in her eyes….and while doing so she was gently grazing her lips with the tips of one or two of the fingers of her hand that had been formerly twirling a piece of her hair. "Hmm…" she began, trying to sound concerned, "You're right—the hair does look nice like this, Arnold… But do you think I should maybe start throwing in some make up too…maybe a little lip gloss or something? I mean, as long as I'm changing things up a bit and getting used to acting more like a 'girl'…" She glanced away from her reflection and back to Arnold…who couldn't help but feel his eyes pulled towards those lips of hers that she'd just been touching so gently. Those lips that were perfect enough just as they were considering how they'd managed to make him feel all those times she'd pressed them to his own so unimaginably passionately…but that might be even more interesting (if that were even possible, though the thought had never really occurred to him until just now) if they were a slightly different color or…or…

And then Helga giggled and asked a question that succeeded in bringing Arnold's thoughts one step further… and that really almost made him pass out, the pounding of his heart in his ears was so strong. "Do you have any particular _flavor_ you'd like me to try and get or…?"

Arnold suddenly closed his eyes tight and exclaimed in panic and embarrassment before she could keep going or before his thoughts could continue progressing, either of which had the real capacity to make him consider giving in to her desire to have him kiss her just like he'd almost done over at her door before, "Helga, if I promise I'll take the rope down will you stop?! _Please_?!"

Helga's eyes opened a bit wide at the unexpected exclamation but she quickly recovered herself, resuming her happy smile and replying in a sincere tone, "Well, thank you, Arnold. I'm happy you've decided to do me this one small favor and take the rope to get out of here. What exactly you want me to stop, though, I'm really not sure of…" She shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying that since _you'd_ be tasting whatever lip junk I managed to get my hands on about as often as _I_ would, it'd make sense for me to get something with a flavor that we both li—"

"Helga!" He opened his eyes, scowling at her just slightly this time around. His cheeks were practically bright red.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes, still smiling at him (and at how much she was obviously succeeding at getting to him). "Oh, fine, Arnold—if you're still uncomfortable then here…" She held out the rope end in mock defeat. "Just come over here and take the rope from me, like you just promised you'd do, so you can get down to my yard and out to the street to 'safety' from 'helpless little old me…' " She raised part of her brow and almost chuckled as she added in a patronizing tone. "Hmm…pretty funny how _you're_ the one who's worried about the chance of taking advantage of _me_ tonight, meanwhile _I'm_ the one who seems to be freaking _you_ out so badly right now, isn't it, Football Head?" She shrugged. "Eh, well, I guess it's just a funny world…" Finishing this little observation, Helga resumed playing with her hair with her right hand and started slowly twirling the rope end in her left once again, still smiling sweetly at her beloved. '_Wow, he really __does__ have it bad for me…Sheesh, I thought he'd just blush some more but he's practically ready to spazz all over the place and all I did was put down my hair, twirl a rope, and initiate a lip gloss conversation. Hmm…I wonder what his response is going to be in about five minutes..._' She felt her smile grow just a bit slyer at the idea and its potentially interesting consequences…

Helga was interrupted from her thoughts on the matter, though, as she noticed that Arnold, seeming too distracted at the moment considering the distressed look on his face to take full notice of the observation she'd just made about her apparent current power over him, had moved away from her door and back to the halfway point of her room…and he was now taking a hesitant step forward and raising his hand and opening his mouth as though about to say something, but then moving back and glancing down with a worried look like he was considering something, and then rubbing the back of his neck and repeating parts of this multifaceted process over again.

And indeed, on the inside, Arnold was feeling a bit torn inside about his desire to get out of here and yet at the same time the fact that it looked like doing so without risking serious consequences (in the form of the Pataki parents) or at least a fairly high degree of public humiliation would require him to get very close to Helga again just like she seemed to want… Finally, though, he swallowed hard and looked up at her, and then did his best to ask in as casual a voice as possible though it was obviously riddled with nervousness, "Okay…okay, so, like I said, I'll use the window, Helga, but…but can you get off the bed first so that…so that I, uh…have…room…?" He cleared his throat and added with a bit more confidence, "Yes, so that I have enough room…to get out of the window, I mean." He fished for some logical supports to back-up this request. "I mean, I'm not as good at it as you'd probably be—I even got caught coming in. Heh, heh…" He laughed nervously, still looking to her and just hoping that somehow what he'd said had sounded like it even half way made sense. '_This isn't __me__—I don't know how to play games like this. All I know how to do is sit down and openly talk things out with people, but __this_…' Arnold had to sigh and put a hand to one of his temples for a second…and he almost had to try and not laugh as his thoughts finished. '_I knew when I realized that I cared about her too that the second I told her how I felt things weren't ever going to be the same…but only Helga Pataki would bring torturing me to this level_…'

Helga, meanwhile, just shrugged at Arnold's flimsy concern about 'needing enough space' ('_Yeah—I'm __completely__ going to buy that one!_') and paused in her twirling of the rope end to glance at the area of bed near her window and then back to her beloved. "Oh, it looks like there's plenty of room to me…" She winked. "I think you'll be fine."

Arnold took a deep breath and glanced away from her again, swallowing hard, any trace of a smile leaving his face. He spoke sincerely but with touch of shyness that obviously increased as his words progressed. "Helga, come on—I already told you I'd take the rope down if it'll make you happy but…" He swallowed. "…Like I've been saying I still do feel a little weird about some things with us, and I just need time to think about all that stuff you said to me before and to really accept it…" He could feel the warmth creeping more and more into his face. "Plus, I just don't think it'd be right to…_you know_…especially in your room and on your bed…" He blushed furiously at this last part and tried to say anything to move on from it. "The whole thing's just making me feel really…really…" Arnold searched for the word, but he was a little too preoccupied and nervous right now to come up with it easily, to say the least...

"Tense?" Helga suggested, biting her lower lip and trying very VERY hard not to laugh.

"_Helga_!" Arnold instantly looked up at her, blushing furiously and with a slight scowl of indignation.

Helga let out an exasperated sigh, still grinning from her well placed joke, and resumed twirling the rope. She looked at him with a casual half smile. "Arnold, I'm just sitting here holding the rope for you to leave, which is what you seem to think would be best before anything happens between us because you're suddenly stuck on _chivalry_ of all things…which is cute, by the way, but only to a point." She scowled at him slightly again. "So, quit being such a chicken and just get over here so you can get the heck out of my room!" She grinned a bit more and her scowl melted away as she added humorously, "What—do you think I'm going to bite you or something…?"

Arnold took another step or two toward the bed. He felt one of his feet bump into something on the floor and glanced down for just a second only to see it was Helga's pink book that the initial sight of her in her current position had caused him to drop… Arnold felt the heat that had been slowly abating over the course of the last few seconds resurface full force in his face at that particular memory, and did his best to ignore it. His eyes instantly returned to Helga, still just sitting coyly on her bed with her hair down, and he reached down and slowly picked up the pink book in question, still eyeing her warily. "Honestly…" he swallowed, straightening up, his eyes falling specifically to the rope in her hand…still being twirled suggestively… "I'm pretty sure that you're going to do _something_ to me involving your mouth…whether that means talking me into a corner or ki—you know, 'the other thing'—though, I don't know but—"

"The 'other thing'?" She cut him off and looked at him incredulously, the rope spinning stopping instantly as she tried her best not to laugh. '_He's kidding, right_?' "The_ 'other thing'_? Seriously, Football Head—you're using a euphemism for kissing _now_ when you practically threw me down on my couch last weekend and threw yourself on top of me, and then asked for round two after I tried to give you a pass on that awkward moment?" '_Perfect—yet another well placed reminder of how much he really enjoys kissing me_…'

Arnold stopped his hesitant approach at the comment and instantly dragged a hand down his face, letting out an exasperated sigh at this latest piece of Helga's continued efforts to do her best (and she had been seriously succeeding, so far) to make him feel like this was the most awkward evening of his life. '_Great, she just had to bring __that__ up_…'

Getting just a little sick of feeling so very much under Helga's thumb right now, Arnold opened his eyes and took another step toward her, scowling again and momentarily disregarding all of his embarrassment. "Hey, you know, for the record, Helga, like you said, _you_ threw _me_ onto the _coffee table_ first and then you just rolled on top of me so that we could get up when we fell on the floor and, I mean, I'd just realized that I liked you liked you and we'd just practically…practically _made out_! And I know I'm Arnold and that I'm always supposed to be 'innocent' and 'decent…'" he recalled some of the stereotypes of his personality she'd mentioned before, "But, like you said earlier, I'm also a real person with real flaws, and if _you_ were allowed to go a little crazy on the roof of that building last month just because I asked you what you were doing there, then, with all the stuff that happened between us last week, I think that just once it might have been okay for me to lose it a little bit myse—" And then suddenly Arnold blinked and shut up, realizing that bringing up the details of his actions and thoughts from last Saturday night probably wasn't going to make things here and now any easier for him...in fact everything he'd just said was probably playing right into Helga's plans, now that he thought about it. He glanced away from Helga, feeling that familiar heat trying to return to his cheeks but doing his best to ignore it. "Anyway, Helga, could you just…could you just not try to kiss me or trick me into getting so close to you that I kiss you, right now? Please!" He swallowed hard. "I mean, I felt guilty enough after everything last weekend and I'm only just starting to get over it now because of all that advice you gave me before, but, like I said, at least last week we weren't in your bedroom at night and at least we weren't completely alone! And I'm already really starting to feel guilty again and—"

"Oh, Arnold…" Helga suddenly began innocently, cutting him off and smiling, "Now, when have I ever done anything to 'trick' you? And into _kissing me_, of all things!" Suddenly, she feigned a guilty look and put her hand not holding the rope to her mouth. "Oh wait…this _is_ _me_ we're talking about, isn't it? Hmm…well, I see your point, Football Head." Letting the rope drop upon her pink blankets once more, Helga leaned over to the right and suddenly picked up her pink ribbon from her pillow. She quickly tied it in her still-down hair, and then glanced at her reflection in the mirror across her room once more. "Hey, not bad—wearing the hair down looked alright but leaving in the bow when it's like this _definitely_ takes it up a notch." She turned to a still flustered looking Arnold. "What do you think, Football Head? Just an overall opinion for if I decide to take this public anytime in the future—is the Cecile look too girly or can 'beautiful' old me really pull it off?" She jokingly batted her eyelashes a few times and pulled her legs closer into her body, slanting them to the side.

Arnold just looked at her in frustration once again that evening, feeling his heart flutter at the sight and idea of her once again actually trying to look attractive…and all for him. In a small way, though, he couldn't help a smile threatening to come to his lips once more that evening at all the effort she was putting in right now and at the fact that it was actually sort of working… '_Okay, really REALLY working…_' he had to admit to himself.

Arnold just sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, and then looked to the girl before him, finally cracking the smile that had been threatening to come. "You're not going to make this easy, are you, Helga?"

Helga shrugged, twirling a bit of her hair around one of her fingers again. "When do I ever?" She chuckled. "Besides, hey, _you_ complicate _my_ life with this sudden sexist modesty streak if yours…maybe _I_ complicate _your_ life by saying a few suggestive things and working with what I've got appearance-wise and the fact that you randomly enough find me kind of pretty…especially when I look like I did last Valentine's Day." She winked and did her best to hide any blushing underneath her hair. '_There we go, Arnold…get comfortable and let the guard down and for Pete's sake just get on this bed already…'_ She continued to smile coyly as she added out loud to her half-true explanations about her behavior right now, "And _maybe_ this is also a little revenge for that weekend of tutoring in your room when you flirted with me more than once to get your way, Arnoldo… I mean, seriously, I know it bugs you and that I said I wouldn't do it anymore but you have no idea how amusing it is to me to watch you squirm right now…" She shook her head back and forth, still smiling. "Seven years of me almost going into cardiac arrest every time you said 'hello' to me, and now I've got you sweating because you think I look kind of cute with my hair down and twirling a rope… It's like karma or something has finally come full circle, you know…" She laughed a little at the idea and then shrugged, wrapping things up. "So yeah, maybe I'm the one holding all the cards here and this is just one great big moment of fun for me…**or** maybe I'm just completely bluffing about everything and am just as terrified as you are of my parents suddenly coming back early with Olga because her flight got cancelled or delayed or something, and finding us up here..." She let out a sigh and gazed at her beloved. "Only one way to find out, I suppose..."

"Helga…" he tried to say her name in that annoyed tone of voice of his once more, but the second it came out of his mouth Arnold knew it sounded more amused than anything. And he knew that the small smile that was still on his face and only growing probably wasn't helping make her take his protests seriously either. '_I knew it…she might be going a little farther than I thought she would but basically she's just taking advantage of the fact that I admitted I think she's beautiful, and doing everything she's been doing right now just so that I'll stay around and she can savor it all for a few extra minutes…_' He was about to shake his head in amusement, when what Helga said next made him stop and look at her with an eyebrow raised in just a bit of surprise at her continuing to add to the joke…

"Oh, I believe that's 'sweet Helga,' Arnold…" she corrected him, her eyes going half lidded, "Because between the poem and the closet and you showing up here in a tree with that precious First Anniversary story, not to mention this whole shyness routine and the fact that you now fully like me in every way I've ever liked you, that's the only Helga you're getting right now, my darling—hands down." She giggled slightly once more, reminding Arnold with a swallow of the girl who'd thrown him on the floor not too long ago cooing his name and trying to kiss him. "You remember…" Helga continued with a wink, almost as though she could read the thoughts currently passing through his mind, "The Helga who called you her 'little angel' when she threw you on the floor before…and the Helga on top of FTi who said 'I'll go with you' after you said 'I need to lie down.'" Here grin grew a bit and the patted the surface of her bed with one of her hands. "Well, now's our chance!"

And suddenly things were getting a little too intense again. The smile fell from Arnold's face and he instantly backtracked several steps. "Helga, I don't know whether you're really gone on me again or—"

"Gone? Or _back_…?" She winked at him.

Arnold did his best to ignore her and began more firmly, "_I don't know whether you're gone on me again_…" he swallowed hard and took a breath before continuing, "or…or whether you're just acting, but if you don't stop then I really _am_ just going to go downstairs and leave by the door…" He looked at her, his eyes narrowed slightly in reprimand at how even though he'd agreed to go along with her desire to have him climb out of her window and even though he'd very clearly expressed the current discomfort she was making him feel, she still wasn't letting up on him. "Even if your parents do see me, at least I can make a break for the boarding house. _You're_ the one who'll have to stay here all night dealing with them…and with no Olga to help you." He half smiled as he felt himself gaining at least some ground in this current situation between them. "And as for filling in Gerald and everyone else on everything with the Anniversary, I'll tell them all what happened tonight _myself_ if it means that I can get out of here without doing something I'll regret in the morning." He looked at her seriously. "I promise."

And, indeed, Arnold did seem quite serious with these statements, and that coupled with the fact that Helga had already sufficiently freaked him out more than enough to satisfy her sense of humor (for _now_, at least) led her to just sigh and roll her eyes once more at the on edge boy before her as she replied in 'defeat', "Oh, _fine_, Football Head—I'll cut it out. No more flirting." She smiled sincerely at him. "In fact, if I give you my word this ONE time that I won't try anything on you even though it's _my own_ room, will you just crawl onto my bed and over to the window and get out already so that I can get back to getting ready to go to sleep already? I promise—no tricks."

Arnold blinked at her sudden…her sudden…complacency…and the sense of déjà vous that went along with it. It was then, with a blink, that he couldn't help but realize that he was being reminded of not too long ago when they had been trying to talk about her problem with his being worried about kissing her in her room because she was a girl and she'd proceeded to give in to his feelings on the matter unusually easily… Arnold would have taken a moment to consider the significance of the potential connection between these two incidents but the feeling of suspicion he was currently experiencing was being suddenly counterbalanced by the bit of relief he couldn't help but find himself feeling due to the return of Helga's normal tone of voice as well as the sudden absence of that dreamy gaze she could get, and the fact that both of these things meant she indeed wouldn't be tossing him on the floor anytime soon…and throwing herself on top of him…and resting her head against his chest…and holding his head gently in her hands…and gazing lovingly into his eyes…and leaning in to…

Pushing these thoughts away so that he could focus on the matter at hand, Arnold took a step back toward the bed and asked hesitantly in response to the promise she'd just made about at least a temporary ceasefire. "Really…?"

Helga smiled again. "Sure, Football head." She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted just slightly away from the window and rope. "I'll just sit here with my arms crossed and not even look at you. Pataki's honor."

Though the suspicious look was still in his eye and the suspicious tone still in his voice, Arnold took another step toward the bed (much to Helga's delight). "And trying to _talk_ me into feeling completely humiliated?"

Helga just sighed and shrugged at the question, and replied casually, "Hey, _you're_ the moral one, here. I mean, it's understandable that if I just threw you down and started kissing you that you probably wouldn't exactly try and stop me, but I'm certain that with your 'impeccable' moral character and sense of right and wrong that I should be able to _say_ whatever I want without really leaving the chance for anything to happen…_right, Arnold_?" She eyed him, her grin growing. '_I've got him now…Hmph! Thinks he's so righteous… Well, we'll see how long this gentleman bit lasts the second he's on this bed…_'

Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but glance away and swallow hard at this argument. He wanted to be able to say something confident—like that he was sure he could handle anything she could dish out… And yet, at the same time… '_Knowing her, she'll come up with the worst thing imaginable to say to me… She's already been doing pretty good so far between bringing up last Saturday and then the hair and the lip gloss_…' Arnold mentally weighed the consequences for a few more seconds, but then reminded himself of Helga's determination to not let him leave unless he used the rope like she wanted and the fact that resisting it so far had only led to him spending even more time here and to Helga just getting closer and closer to weakening his resolve to be as much of a gentleman as possible tonight considering where they were and the fact that it was their Anniversary and the fact that she really was the most special person he'd ever met and really deserved to be treated like a real girlfriend…

Finally, Arnold just let out a sigh and looked back up at the girl before him, knowing the only course of action he could really take right now. He replied to her challenge in a determined though at the same time noticeably tinged-with-frustration voice, "Fine, Helga…"

Helga's smile brightened at the response, and she instantly turned her head away from Arnold and the window as part of their deal, looking to the head of her bed. "Great! Besides, it really is better if you take that way down because, personally, I do _not_ want to have to deal with any after effects of my parents or any other grown-ups who could tip them off finding out you were here tonight. And anyway, I really do want to get back to getting ready for bed and finishing up my writing…" She paused and let out a sigh as she heard the shift of the mattress, signaling that Arnold was finally upon the bed with her. "Though, once again, I don't have much to write about thanks to you and this gentleman malarkey you keep spouting in a pathetic attempt to backpedal even though after last weekend it's pretty obvious that you like more than just innocently talking to me even if it is in _my_ house, Arnoldo. _A lot_." She heard a very annoyed sigh come from Arnold who, from the sound of it, was obviously right beside her. "Sorry—just testing you, Football Head…"

Arnold, meanwhile, now indeed on his hands and knees beside Helga on the bed, just rolled his eyes and did his best to ignore her. '_It's okay…it's just Helga being Helga. It's not like I wasn't expecting this…' _Turning back to the task at hand, he crawled towards the open window and used his hand not holding Helga's pink book to reach for the rope end that Helga had let fall to her pink blankets. Meanwhile, he continued to glance at her out of the corner of his eye when he could, expecting her to quit circling at anytime and inevitably strike the final blow that he knew she must have on her mind…

Helga, however, more to Arnold's continued suspicion than relief, just continued sitting there with a mildly content smile on her face, still looking to the side just like she'd promised she'd do and still with her arms crossed in front of herself.

Arnold finally paused for a moment in his exit and just let out a sigh at the seemingly innocent sight of her, and considered. '_I don't know… Maybe she really isn't planning anything_…' This doubt crossed his mind as he proceeded to glance out over the window ledge for a moment, working out in his head the best way to get back down. His thoughts continued to wander. '_Maybe she really has just trying to drive me nuts by acting the way she's been acting for the last few minutes—just getting a last laugh before I go about how nervous it's all making me_…' He half smiled to himself as an amusing new thought suddenly entered his head. '_I almost have half a mind to __actually__ surprise her and grab her and kiss her out of nowhere like she keeps practically begging me to do—It'd serve her right after everything tonight…_' He did his best not to chuckle to himself at the idea of how much something like that would really throw the crafty girl beside him for a loop. With a slightly amused sigh to himself and feeling a bit more relaxed, he temporarily put down the pink book upon the surface of the bed and took a moment to secure the rope end around his body before picking up the small volume once more and finally taking a deep breath as he prepared to begin his descent.

Arnold moved forward and began to try and get one of his legs out onto Helga's windowsill, still smiling to himself about the small joke in his head, when…

He heard Helga sigh to herself, and laugh just slightly. "You know, Arnoldo…this might sound like kind of a random topic for me to bring up but it's just something that's been popping into my head every once in a while over the past week…and I just figured I might as well mention it as long as you're going to be here for a few more seconds…"

Arnold swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath at the sudden sound of her voice, trying his best to just ignore her and continue with getting the rest of the way off of her bed. '_The sooner I'm back down in her yard, the sooner there won't be any chance that something could happen between us…'_

Helga cleared her throat, still not looking at him and still not moving, just as she'd promised, and continued speaking. "I…I think the first time that I knew I had seriously started something with that confession of mine was when you started grabbing me and spinning me and dipping me at the April Fools Dance and saying I was in 'good hands…' " She couldn't help but feel herself swallow hard at the memory, though she tried not to make the nervous action obvious. She cleared her throat and resumed speaking. "I mean, there's been other stuff since then, of course, but that was the _first_ thing, and I've gotta say good call on your part for trying to distract me because it definitely terrified and confused the heck out of me. Now, of course, I can handle stuff like that better…but that first time…" She half glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and sighed girlishly to herself.

Arnold hesitated for just a second in his journey across the windowsill, and turned his gaze in Helga's direction, giving her a look…and feeling another blush coming on at suddenly being unable to help recalling some of the stuff from that tango together and how…how fun it had been that first time to finally meet Helga on her own level…to see her challenge and raise it in the one way he'd never dreamed of in a million years (at least until her confession)... and to have had it actually work! He shook his head to clear it of these distracting memories and glanced up again, resuming eyeing Helga. She still wasn't looking at him, though, (at least, she didn't seem to be, though her hair was hiding a fair amount of her face and he wasn't at the best angle to tell, to begin with) and so Arnold just took a breath to focus himself once again, and then resumed trying to get over the windowsill as safely and securely as he could.

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is…" Helga continued in a tone so casual it was obviously suspicious, glancing at him just a bit more out of the corner of her eye, though the action continued to be hidden by her hair, "Even if liking the kissing _is_ just another part of who we both are and not some 'horrible stain upon our personalities'…" she did her best not to laugh at the memory of Arnold's dramatics from earlier that evening, "Well, like you said once before, underneath all of the sarcasm and the bullying and the jokes I do actually have a serious sweet, loving, romantic side just waiting to come out: the person who writes the poems and monologues and smiles at every word you say..." She took a breath, still smiling to herself. "But…_Arnold_…" Something about the way she'd just said his name made him freeze once again in his attempt to exit her room (he now had one leg reaching over the ledge, trying to find a tree branch to begin putting his weight upon)… The way she'd slowly pronounced it and with just a touch of that way of speaking she had whenever she got carried away by her feelings for him…

Helga continued, interrupting his thoughts on the matter and causing Arnold to blink a couple of times as he came back to the situation at hand (and to put aside once more the memories of some of those feelings the more extreme side of her love could provoke in him). "Arnold, my point is, the kissing aside…if there's a secret sweet side to me that I kind of don't mind letting out every once in a while then you've got to admit, especially after everything that's happened between us lately…" He felt his heartbeat starting to pick up at the amount of anticipation her tone was creating. He glanced up at her once more…and finally noticed a touch of scarlet creep up into her face despite her hair trying to cover it. His heart started to pound a bit more. She took a breath and finally finished. "…You have to admit that there's a secret _dark_ side to _you_, Arnold…and that you _like_ it!"

And with this culminating sentence she turned to wink at Arnold just as her words made him finally spazz in utter mortification and surprise, dropping the pink book upon her bed and falling over the windowsill ledge and into the tree outside. In an instant, Helga was in front of the window and she reached over and outside, grabbing both of her beloved's arms firmly and holding him up. Seeing he was just a little stunned but otherwise okay ('_Oh Arnold, if you actually had fallen and hurt you perfect self I would never have forgiven myself! No lesson would be worth that_!') she just grinned down at his wide eyes and terrified facial expression. "Hey, you're finally off the forbidden bed, Don Juan. Good for you! I knew you could be stubborn enough to do it if you really tried, Football Head!" She winked again.

Arnold, meanwhile, just felt himself continuing to breathe quickly and deeply in distress, his face burning hot. Helga was continuing to hold onto him and her blue eyes were staring mischievously right down into his green ones in triumph. Nonetheless, he did his best to avoid eye contact with the girl whose face was less than a foot from his own. "HELGA!!!" he yelled in total panic, his voice actually squeaking a bit and his heart beating like crazy! '_I—I don't…I mean…Well…_' Arnold could barely manage a coherent thought, he was so flustered, and yet something inside of him couldn't deny that when it came to those few times when he'd done things with Helga that had made him feel guilty later… Well, let's just say that even though he'd felt bad about them he wasn't entirely sure that he would have taken them back even if he could have…

Helga, meanwhile, rolled her eyes and the sound of her voice cut off his thoughts (which he was trying to avoid anyway right now) on the matter. "Oh don't even _start_ with me about what I just said about you, Arnoldo!" She scoffed and gazed down at him in amusement again. "You know it's true, Mr. 'I think I'd like to try it again'!" She chuckled to herself at the memory of her last encounter with Arnold's aggressive side exactly one week ago.

She watched (and found herself very much entertained) as Arnold's wide eyes just proceeded to dart around in desperation at this latest statement from her, his breaths still coming quite quickly. "But you—Well, that's not the—Just because I—I mean, can't we just not talk about this…right now…" His eyes finally came to fall upon hers again, and he finally found it in himself to get his bearings enough to secure his footing a bit on a sturdy limb below him. '_She—I—she_…' He couldn't even begin to logically think through what Helga had just said or the point she'd just made about his personality back inside (the validity of which he was starting to feel less and less able to really doubt as more memories of some of the feelings he'd associated with _those_ aspects of his relationship with her continued to resurface), and so he just settled for opening his mouth and repeating desperately some of the things he'd been trying to express to her all evening ever since they'd first talked about the kissing. "Helga, I told you, I still feel a little weird about the living room last weekend, and then the April Fool's tango and all of these feelings I keep having in general lately. And I _really_ wasn't expecting you to be in your room tonight…and then the shrine and the hair and poem and the bed and you—you want me to…" His heart continued to pound and heat continued to flood his face, and he quickly closed his eyes for a second and he shook his head and did his best to move on. "Well, I'm not even sure exactly what you want me to do anymore, but it's just different alone and at night and here like this, okay?" He looked up at her desperately again. "Just trust me Helga, it _is_! And I—"

He was instantly cut off as Helga, seeing that he was able to stand on his own now, suddenly released her grip on his arms, leaned as far out of her window as she could…and grabbed his shoulders and forced his head toward her own, (finally) kissing him! 'Roof of the FTi building' kissing him he managed to notice before he got lost in her sudden surprise action…pulling him in and pressing her mouth hard against his and turning her head to the side and making that moaning sound…

And along with his heart beating like crazy and the funny, light feeling in his stomach and the sparks of warmth flowing through his body (and the slight draft he was feeling upon his head as it seemed, faithful to the first time she'd kissed him like this, the sudden force and intensity and passion of her action had caused the hat to fly off of his head once more…and it probably hadn't helped that one of her hands had pleasantly started moving through his hair at some point during the beginning of the kiss, though Arnold really couldn't recall when and really didn't care as long as it kept happening), this unexpected kiss suddenly gave Arnold the wonderful feeling of all of the tension and nervousness and embarrassment of the evening starting to flow away… just like those few times he and Helga had kissed over the last few weeks to fix small bits of awkwardness between them but about a million times better considering everything he'd been letting build up inside of himself lately. And so, rather than making any attempt to protest or fight what Helga was doing right now, Arnold instead just melted into the kiss and let her do it and hold him and pull him closer…and eventually along with that feeling of elation and release, he also noticed that none of the fears he'd been having about liking the kissing or getting carried away or doing it in her room suddenly seemed to matter to him all that much right now, or at least not as much as they had before when he'd been trying to avoid things…because he was kissing Helga again, like he'd wanted to do this entire night and actually for this entire WEEK ever since their last date…and it felt right and it felt good and it felt happy, and like nothing he'd ever experienced before. So what else was there? '_Helga_…' He felt a contented sigh escape through his nose and he noticed the reaction made Helga shudder slightly and moan again just like she'd done at the closet before, and as usual it made the whole thing just… '_Amazing_…'

It seemed like forever, but after a good half a minute or so, Arnold finally felt Helga pull away from him. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times, not aware of much other than the fact that his heart was currently fluttering like mad. After a moment or two he managed to get his vision in focus enough to return his eyes back up to Helga's face, and he almost had to laugh at the sight of her scowling down at him with her hands on her hips while meanwhile she was breathing heavily and blushing just as much as he was. '_How can she be angry about anything in the world after that_?' he couldn't help but ask to himself in lovesick amusement.

"No, Arnold!" The sound of her firm voice brought him out of the funny thought (though his goofy smile still more than remained). "The kissing's different alone and at night and back _there_!" She jerked her thumb back inside of her room, mocking what he'd said before their latest kiss. "But _here_," she pointed to the tree and the yard below, "It's just the same as always." She crossed her arms over her chest. "According to you, a grand total of three inches of window sill just changed _you_ from the guilty party responsible for what we just did to _me_—which is a complete load, Football Head, since I just spent the last half hour practically seducing you just to prove this point!" He saw a half smile threaten to come to her stern face as she added, "I mean, and also because doing it was hysterical, but mostly to prove this point." She finally sighed in exasperation and leaned on her elbows out of the window, looking down at him, the expression on her face becoming just a bit more understanding though a slight scowl remained. "Now, listen, Head Boy, like I said, the 'chivalry' thing is cute to a point and if it's really a solid part of who you are and not just the result of too many bad romantic movies then obviously we can work out some kind of compromise that keeps _you_ feeling like a decent person but _me_ from wanting to smack you." She glared at him. "But, either way, don't you _ever_ pull that macho 'oh but you're a 'girl'—what if I'm taking advantage of you, you can't make decisions for yourself when you're in a place as vulnerable as your bedroom' horse hockey on me _ever_ again, or the next time I kiss you like that we'll both be needing dentures! Got it, Football Head?"

As she had spoken, revealing the purpose behind all of the flirting and the smiling and the kiss as proving this point to him, Arnold had just remained standing on the tree limb with a small, dreamy smile on his face and trying his best to catch his breath and to even begin to get over all of the feelings Helga's passionate action had suddenly caused to explode inside of him, though it wasn't easy. At the sound of her familiar name for him, though, his eyes finally blinked and he began to try and muster the strength and capacity for a response, which she seemed to be expecting from him. "I…I…" At the sight of her leaning over just above him, though—looking so angry with her scowl and yet so pretty with her hair still down and the slight blush on her cheeks—Arnold, with a grin, could only come up with, in his dazed and lovesick state, "I…" he let out a happy sigh,_ "Yes_, _mam_!" '_Well…if she insists_!'

Helga smiled brightly at the reply and actually did her best not laugh. ' _'Yes, Mam…'? Oh brother, he's got it __bad__._' She leaned out of her windowsill just a bit more. "Good! Because, I've gotta say, Arnoldo, if I couldn't kiss you like that for another seventy years or so then I'd be a little upset myself." She straightened herself up, starting to reform one of her pigtails now that her hair being down had served its purpose. "Now, get on back to the boarding house before I really do test your chivalry and pull you back inside now that I've already broken the ice and convinced you of just how okay it is to kiss me in here." She began to reform the other side of her hair. "And be careful getting down the tree! You already botched your entrance with this crazy scheme of yours—the least you could do is pull off the exit strategy!" She winked at her beloved and then shut her window, obviously laughing to herself a bit at her joke and the effect it had had on him, though Arnold could no longer hear her clearly with the pane of glass separating them.

Arnold, meanwhile, just continued to remain standing in surprise and elation on the tree limb below his feet, still waiting for his heartbeat to slow down and for full feeling to return to his limbs instead of that warm tingling sensation he was feeling everywhere (both of which probably needed to happen if he was hoping to have any success in climbing down a tree in the dark using nothing but a piece of rope to guide him).

A few more seconds passed and Arnold could finally feel his senses just starting to thaw out when suddenly the sound of the window sliding up caused his eyes to snap back up in the direction of Helga's room and then to go wide at the sight of the girl in question (her pigtails fully reformed and the classic ribbon back in her hair) suddenly before him once more and smiling with that familiar spark of mischief in her eyes. "Oh, and, Football Head…"

Arnold felt himself swallow hard. She seemed to grab something nearby and then brought one of her hands out of the window clutching a familiar item. "Here, don't forget my poems…" She reached down and placed the pink book in question into one of his hands, and then moved her head and shoulders back inside of her room, just kneeling upon her bed with her arms crossed over her chest and looking at him with a half smile.

Arnold gripped the pink book as firmly as he could considering his current physical state, and then felt himself let out a small breath of relief at the fact that she'd just returned to give him the precious object he'd suddenly remembered he let drop upon her bed before falling into the tree. Not that her opening the window again to give him another kiss would have been a bad thing, but if he was going to have any kind of a chance of getting down to her yard and back to the boarding house, he was pretty sure, once again, that the capacity to walk and breathe and feel something besides sparks and warmth throughout his body would help. "Oh…Uh…" he managed to take in a breath and reply as coherently as he could to the grinning girl above him, "Thanks…Helga…"

She couldn't help but giggle slightly at the intense effect her kiss had seemed to have on him. '_I'm actually starting to consider the possibility that these little intimate moments are making him go even more ga-ga than me sometimes_!' "No problem, Football Head… Oh and don't forget to find your hat before you leave my yard." She reached out and quickly tapped the top of his bare head, grinning to herself. "Can't have you going through another 'existential crisis' if you wake up tomorrow morning and realize you don't have it… Besides…you know…it always did make you look just a little bit cuter!" She let out a giggle followed by a happy sigh as the noticed the sudden blush this comment started to make creep up into Arnold's cheeks, and she was about to just shake her head at the sight of him being so in love with her and wish him goodnight when she suddenly recalled, thanks to the daydreamy look still on his face, one final thing she'd wanted to address about the so very 'Arnold' moral dilemma he'd confessed to her tonight. "Oh, and before I forget, Arnoldo…one more thing about that little kissing confession of yours…"

Arnold felt his heart pick up full speed again and warmth fully flood his face as she suddenly leaned all the way out of the window once more, though this time slightly to the side, moving her face right alongside his own... She whispered into his ear. "If you ever _do_ get the sudden urge to pull me into a closet or a classroom while we're in school so that we can 'talk'…don't worry about how you might mess it up or who might see us, and just go for it, Football Head! Because I would be willing to do ANY amount of damage control for that experience…" He heard her giggle slightly once more. "And besides, if you don't do it, now that the idea's in my head, I'll probably do it _myself_ pretty soon. But…somehow I think we'd both enjoy it more if _you_ did it, Arnold…or at least me and your dark side would enjoy it more."

And with these last playfully whispered words Helga pulled away from Arnold's blushing face and once again wide eyes and, with a satisfied smile, closed her window once more.

* * *

Arnold just continued to stand upon the tree limb and lean forward against the side of Helga's house, staring up in the direction in which she'd disappeared for a few more seconds though she was no longer at all in sight of the warmly glowing window. Finally, he realized that he had pretty much stopped breathing courtesy of the last five minutes or so he'd just spent with Helga, and took a deep breath which came out of him as a dreamy sigh. '_She's just_…' the elation of their kiss and the idea of what she'd just expressed her approval of in terms of a future one possibly at school, and pretty much everything else he'd come to learn about Helga G. Pataki in general over the last month or so still lingered with him, and he was at a loss for words. '_Wow_…'

Arnold was finally brought fully out of his reverie by the sound of a clock tower chiming the hour: 9 pm. He blinked. "Uh oh—Grandpa's going to kill me if I don't get home!" He instantly started to climb down the tree using the rope to guide himself and doing his best to keep Helga's pink book as safe as possible from getting scratched by the twigs and branches around him. "I can't believe I was here for _two_ _hours_…I think this is going to the first time I've ever actually been late for curfew…" He finally reached the bottom of Helga's tree and glanced up at her warm, glowing window once more. "Still…" his dreamy smile returned a bit and another sigh escaped him, "It might be worth getting in a little trouble for _her_…"

His face took on a full grin as the words he'd just heard himself say made her comment about him having a dark side surface in his head again. "Well…" He recalled in a flash all of the sneaking around and the fun times and near misses and the fights and the apologies and the dramatics and the laughs of their time together over the last two weeks, and couldn't help but almost chuckle to himself as he gave the rope a firm pull out of the tree and coiled it up before throwing it over the shoulder of his arm the hand of which still clutched Helga's pink book. Feeling another slight draft on his head, he recalled Helga's reminder about grabbing his hat and, glancing down, his eyes fell upon the small blue object resting against the base of her tree. With a slight shake of his head at this symbol at just how intense Helga's kisses had the capacity to be, he quickly picked it up and popped it back upon his head. He then, with a smile, walked over to Helga's backyard fence and opened the gate with his free hand, stepping out into the street and continuing his thought. "Well…Helga's sweet side is kind of nice, so maybe…maybe my dark side isn't so bad either…" He couldn't help a touch of a blush coming into his face at this notion...but he also couldn't help smiling just a bit more as well… '_And_…' he began to add silently to himself, '_Maybe she's right…maybe I do really like having that part of myself…a little_…' And then he recalled with a laugh how much he had already admitted to himself that despite all of that guilt he'd been feeling before he still hadn't wanted to take back any of the stuff his love for Helga had suddenly given him the impulse to do on several occasions so far over the last few weeks. "Okay…maybe I like it a lot…" he mumbled to himself with a smile.

As Arnold closed the gate door behind him he just sighed at his last concept and shook his head in amusement, commencing to walk up the street back in the direction of the front of Helga's house to get to the bus stop nearby. Recalling the pink book in his hands once more, he flipped it open to near the end and tried, in the glow of the streetlights, to locate the most recent poem Helga had written—the realistic one about why, of all people, he was lucky enough to have someone like her care so much about someone like him.

Flipping a few more pages forward, Arnold finally found what he was looking for…and he had to chuckle as he finally understood what Helga had meant when she'd said that this poem was more explicitly about him than his had been about her…

He sighed and started reading to himself as he walked. '_A is for Arnold, who liked my pink bow, R is for_—'

"Arnold! Hey, ARNOLD!"

Arnold blinked and looked up, his reading suddenly interrupted by the sound of his best friend's voice unexpectedly calling his name. In the night of the streets he blinked as he saw Gerald as well as Phoebe suddenly run up to him, slightly worried looks on both of their faces.

"Uh, hi guys… Is everything okay?" He raised an eyebrow at both of them, closing the pink book and letting the hand holding it drop to his side.

"Well…Arnold…" Phoebe stopped before him and took a second to catch her breath, and then quickly continued, a very concerned expression on her face. "You see…Helga promised that she would call me as soon as you two had finished discussing the…I mean talking about…um…" She couldn't help but blush and stutter at the awkward and rather personal topic.

Gerald crossed his arms over his chest and looked Arnold in the eye as he bluntly finished Phoebe's sentence. "Helga said she'd call back after you two finished having it out about the fact that she's got a monument to you in her closet, and it's been over an hour and we were a little concerned so we decided to swing by and see what's up?" A half smile came to his face. "By the way, you know I'm never letting you live this down, right? I mean Helga would beat the stuffing out of me if laid into her fully so I'm going to have to curb myself a bit, but we are going to have some huge laughs about this shrine thing tomorrow, man. I mean, me standing in your room pointing at you and just laughing for a VERY long time…with commentary to follow as soon as I get myself calmed down enough." He smirked smugly. "Seriously."

Despite Gerald's teasing tone, rather than getting embarrassed for about the billionth time that night, Arnold just sighed and smiled and rolled his eyes at his best friend. "Sure thing, Gerald. And then we can also laugh about you passing out in the middle of Phoebe's kitchen when you heard about the shrine in the first place."

Arnold looked to Phoebe who was now doing her best not to laugh as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Gerald (who was currently blushing just a bit and looking down with a sheepish smile thanks to Arnold's comeback). "Heh, heh…uh…yeah…Point well taken, man."

Arnold just chuckled to himself at this reply and at the sight of his usually confident best friend looking so flustered. "Sorry, Gerald." He then turned his attention back to Phoebe. "Anyway, Phoebe, don't worry—everything's fine with me and Helga. We just had a lot of things to talk about with the shrine and then some other stuff after the shrine, and it took a little while but…" he glanced back at her house again, "I think it was really good for us to go over some things we didn't get a chance to get to last weekend or the weekend before that…" He was lost in his thoughts for a second but then just shook his head and looked back at the now smiling young girl before him.

Phoebe let out a relieved sigh. "I'm…very glad to hear that, Arnold. Helga's very fortunate to have you in her life…and I think she's a lot…happier…because of it, Arnold. More than she's ever been ever since I've known her." She looked at him sincerely.

Arnold smiled warmly at her observation, glancing down. "I…think you're right, Phoebe. And…I think I'm happier too."

There was a moment of silence during which Arnold let himself get a bit lost in his contented thoughts about Helga Pataki, and Phoebe just kept watching him with a relieved expression at the fact that things were still okay between her best friend and the boy before her.

After a few seconds (SEVERAL seconds, actually), Arnold recalled that he was indeed with other people and in mid conversation, and quickly blinked and cleared his throat, hoping that neither Gerald nor Phoebe had noticed his sudden bout of daydreaming (though the amused looks he finally noticed they were both giving him right now said otherwise). "Um…" He swallowed hard and then gestured with his head to the Pataki household, trying to move along from the awkward moment. "Anyway…Helga's upstairs getting ready for bed, if you still want to talk to her, Phoebe..." His eyes fell back upon the girl before him.

Phoebe glanced in the direction of Helga's house, considered for a second, and then turned back to Arnold, smiling. "Actually, Arnold, as long as everything's fine between the two of you, I might return to my house and just call her tonight or in the morning, especially if she's already getting ready to go to sleep. Besides, I promised my mother I'd be back as soon as possible considering the hour."

"Yeah…" Gerald nodded his head in agreement, and then sighed and yawned, stretching up. "Hitting the sack sounds pretty good right about now, actually. I think I'll head home too." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides…" he smiled to himself, "I've got the entire school day on Monday to have some 'fun' with Helga about this shrine thing after I let out the big stuff on you, Arnold… Aw, man, I'll keep them pretty mild so that she doesn't pound me when no one's looking but still she is not going to be able to turn a corner without seeing me standing there with a grin and ready and waiting to nail her with another joke! "

"Gerald!" Phoebe scowled at him slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew Helga and Gerald, though they were friends now, indeed had a relationship based more in jokes and innocent mocking than anything else…but still this was obviously a pretty sensitive topic to her best friend considering that last phone call they'd had, and if Gerald pushed things even a little too far it seemed like Helga could easily get quite upset.

Gerald instantly held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I'm not going to go public with it or anything, but I think it would freak her out _more_ if I _didn't_ say anything at all—like I had something big planned and was just circling around her and waiting to strike the blow, you know?" He smiled sheepishly. "Besides, like I said, I'll keep it mild—I just want to get her back a little bit for the seven years of torture and for whatever she's going to say about me passing out at your house, not freak her out and send her into the air vents again, you know?"

To Gerald's delight this small joke not only took her scowl away but actually made Phoebe smile and giggle slightly. Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but be reminded of the last thought he'd had before exiting the Pataki window mere minutes ago about Helga possibly using the same strategy on him of building up to some kind of argument climax (which he had been right about), and suddenly he found himself laughing warmly at the memory.

Phoebe and Gerald both turned to him, eyebrows raised. "Hey, man, the joke wasn't that funny? Save the laughter for tomorrow when we go over the shrine in your room." Gerald put a hand on his hip and smirked once more at his best friend.

Arnold cleared his throat, getting his laughter under control and glancing away. "Oh, no, Gerald, I was just thinking about…" He took a deep breath and tried to keep his blushing under control as he realized there was really no way to talk about anything from the window experience before without going into the 'entire' experience. He turned back to his friends. "Um…Never mind… Anyway…" searching for a different topic of conversation, Arnold found himself starting to yawn, and then instantly recalled the hour and his friends' recently stated plans to return back to their houses for the night, "I was just going to take the _bus_ home myself but…" he looked up at the shining moon over head and the clear stars in the sky, and felt the warm night spring air around him. "I think I might just _walk_ back to the boarding house and read some poems along the way." He absentmindedly gestured to the pink book still in his hand. "It's only a few minutes away and I don't think Grandpa would mind if I was a little late. Goodnight guys."

Smiling happily to himself, he took a few steps past Gerald and Phoebe and then started to open the pink book again as he commenced his walk…

"Hey…Arnold?"

Arnold stopped and turned around at the sound of his best friend calling his name once again...though this time in a much more hesitant tone than when they'd first encountered each other just moments ago. He blinked as he saw Gerald approach him and then pick up a very large twig from the ground just by Arnold's feet, a very curious look on his face as he glanced back and forth from the bit of tree to his best friend and back again.

And then Gerald blinked as he noticed, in the bright light of the street lamp under which Arnold was currently standing, several more twigs just like the one in his hand clinging to his best friend's sweater and hair…

Gerald was silent for a second like he was processing something, and then he glanced back in the unusual direction from which Arnold had just come for someone leaving Helga's house (the front door of which was NOT in that direction). He looked to Arnold once more…his expression of curiosity instantly replaced by one of almost disbelief. "Arnold…did you…climb Helga's tree to get into her bedroom…using that rope?" Gerald pointed to the rope in question that was still slung over one of Arnold's shoulders, and that he had just now taken the opportunity to fully notice considering the other break-in related evidence currently staring him in the face.

Arnold blinked at the question, swallowing hard as he recalled the coil of rope he still had with him. "Oh…uh…" He felt a blush rising in his cheeks again. His face remained blank. '_I really am bad at this crazy scheme thing, aren't I?_' "Well…I, uh…" Arnold really wasn't sure what to say (at least, what to say that WOULDN'T absolutely humiliate him and maybe reveal some of the more intimate stuff from the evening he'd just spent with Helga that she might not want revealed to Gerald regardless of what he already knew about her secret and considering the fact that he'd already accidentally been filled-in on the existence of the closet shrine tonight).

"And…" The sound of Gerald's voice brought Arnold out of his internal deliberation, and he watched as his best friend took another step forward, pointing to the small, square item in his hand, "And do you have another one of those pink book things you mentioned to me with all those poems she writes about you?"

"Um…" Arnold glanced down and swallowed hard, his blushing only growing stronger. He mentally sighed to himself._ 'I leave by the window and I still get caught… Helga and I really are irony's best friends, aren't we?'_ "I…uh…"

"_And_…" Gerald continued, ignoring Arnold's stutterings and finally walking the remaining distance toward him as he noticed, with a blink, the faint glint of the streetlight just over their head's catching against something on his best friend's twig strewn sweater. Gerald stopped and reached forward… and with his thumb and index fingers proceeded to pull a single long strand of blonde hair off of Arnold's shoulder.

Gerald's eyes went wide and he looked from the hair to his best friend. "And…do you have one of her hairs on your sweater?"

Arnold cleared his throat nervously, blinking several times and putting his hands behind his back and not even _attempting_ to say anything at this point. '_And this is why, no matter what she just said, it'd be better if __she__ was the one to pull __me__ into a closet at school…because I just don't think these things through_…' And yet he couldn't help grinning slightly and forgetting for just a second about Gerald's questions or even Gerald's presence, for that matter, as his thought continued... '_But if she really __does __insist__, then maybe I_—'

He was broken from this train of thinking by the sound of Gerald suddenly exclaiming in a shocked voice at his friend's continued nervous silence, "You're not talking about it!" And then Gerald couldn't help but recall the last and only Helga related incident Arnold had hesitated talking to him about...one involving a certain FTi building... He suddenly crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, giving his best friend a bit of a look. "You made out with her again, didn't you?"

Arnold's eyes went wide at the statement, and he felt his cheeks instantly grow hot. He looked up at Gerald and then blinked once more and swallowed and did his best to half smile. "Heh, heh…" He shrugged innocently, his hands still behind his back, and then said the only thing he could think of that would be honest and yet that wouldn't go into too much detail. "Uh…one week Anniversary…?"

Gerald's jaw instantly dropped at these words and at what Arnold had just confirmed for him about his activities that evening. He raised a hand and a small sound came out of his mouth like he was about to say something, but then he stopped…only to start again. Finally, after a repetition or two of this process, he just let out a sigh and dragged a hand down his face, closing his eyes and shaking his head to himself. "Mmm, mmm, mmm..." He turned back around to Phoebe, who had been watching this little exchange between the boys and trying her best not to smile too much. "Phoebe," he put a hand on one of his hips, "what it wrong with our best friends, exactly?"

Phoebe approached Gerald, shrugging and glancing away. "I believe they're in love, Gerald."

Gerald felt himself blush slightly at the way she'd put it, but rolled his eyes to try and smoothly cover up the reaction. "Yeah, but…" he crossed his arms over his chest, "Like Helga said, people our age get crushes all the time but…" he jerked his thumb back in a very sheepish looking Arnold's direction, "They usually also aren't breaking into each other's rooms for random necking sessions every weekend." Arnold rolled his eyes and gave Gerald a slightly annoyed look from behind him, though Gerald didn't notice as he continued talking to Phoebe. "I mean, _I_ like _you_ a lot but I'm not…" Gerald suddenly realized what he had started saying and closed his mouth, blushing a bit more noticeably this time. He couldn't see it since his best friend was still behind him, but Arnold smiled with just a touch of both satisfaction and sympathy at this little awkward slip. "I-I mean…" Gerald started to try and backpedal.

And then Phoebe, to his surprise, suddenly stepped forward, clearing her throat and saving him the trouble. "Well…" she glanced away, still smiling, "Everyone expresses how they feel differently, I suppose, Gerald. Take Helga and her poetry, for example—she's expressed herself through that for years and I believe she'll continue to do so for the rest of her life." Phoebe swallowed, the small smile still on her face, and managed to continue despite the more than a touch of nervousness that she was currently feeling. "…And sometimes…if certain things progress…people can change their preferred methods of expressing themselves or even add new ones. Like with kissing…for example." She blushed and felt her stomach lightly twist just a bit as she courageously added that last sentence.

Gerald just continued to look blankly at her as she finished speaking, the blush still on his cheeks...and growing stronger. He didn't say anything.

Realizing that a private moment might be in order (he'd needed enough of those with Helga over the last two weeks), a grinning Arnold took a few steps backward away from the unofficial couple. He cleared his throat. "Um, I'm just…going to head home and read a few more of Helga's poems. Have a good night, you guys, and…" he recalled some of the stuff in reference to kissing he and Helga had talked about that evening, "Have fun!" He winked and then departed around the corner in the direction of the bus stop near Helga's door.

At the sound of Arnold's voice interrupting the silence (and that last slightly suggestive piece of advice he'd given), Gerald had turned his head in the direction of his best friend. Now, though, finally left alone in the warm night with Phoebe, he turned back to the girl before him. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to laugh off the awkward moment. "Heh, heh…So, uh…you wanna maybe just keep walking and talking and pretend me putting my foot in my mouth didn't just happen?"

Phoebe let out a small sigh and, still smiling, took a quick breath and leaned up…and gave Gerald a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. She pulled away, blushing and with her smile having grown just a bit wider. "No." And then she quickly turned and proceeded to walk back in the direction from which they'd come, her hands shyly behind her back.

Gerald just remained standing where we was on the sidewalk in complete shock, his eyes wide and his now agape mouth starting to pull into a smile….and his heart suddenly pounding!

Noticing he wasn't following her, Phoebe stopped in her walk and turned back to the slightly in shock boy now several feet behind her, still smiling. "Are you coming, Gerald?"

The sound of her saying his name finally brought Gerald out of his momentary paralysis. He blinked several times and managed to close his mouth, and then swallowed hard. '_Hey, you know what, Arnold and Helga can get married and move into Mighty Pete together and come up with a whole __library__ of poetry for all I care—dealing with their shenanigans is __definitely__ worth it for this_!'

"You got it, babe!" He suddenly called out with a smile, running after her. The familiar reply made Phoebe laugh, and, as the boy caught up with her, with the last bit of bravery she had and recalling all _Helga_ had had the courage to do tonight and over the last few weeks…she took his hand in hers.

And so the two walked back home under the moonlight, laughing and talking while Arnold walked away from Helga's house reading her latest love poem for him and while Helga (now that she was certain Arnold was out of her tree and out of eyesight of her bedroom) gave herself a few minutes to squeal and giggle and roll around on her bed and monologue her heart out about everything from Arnold's initial entrance into her room to celebrate their 'Anniversary' to the final passionate kiss she'd gotten the opportunity to give him. And though it was already somewhat late, and although she was starting with a fresh volume since Arnold had taken her most recent one, Helga knew that by the morning the pink book count was certain to have gone up…

* * *

"_A is for Arnold who liked my pink bow_

_R is for the right things he helps me know_

_N is for never hating me no matter what I've done._

_O is for opening his window and wanting me to come._

_L is for loving me despite (and for) the stalking and shrines and poems, and_

_D is for driving me nuts, just because we're in my own home._

_And since you're name isn't poetic enough to have an odd number of letters like mine,_

_(Good going Football Head, you really do just love to complicate my life),_

_I'm adding this stanza to say point blank, my dense little Arnold, _

_That how anyone could help __but__ love you would be beyond my skill to write."_

Arnold paused in his walk for a moment as he finished reading the poem, laughing a bit to himself at the closing lines. He glanced back over his shoulder at Helga's house which was now a few hundred feet away, and he smiled at the fact that could still make out a faint glow coming from one of the windows that let him know that she was still awake.

He turned back to the book of poems in his hands and smiled just a bit more, recalling his most recent one-on-one encounter with its author mere minutes ago that had lasted four times as long as the initial quick delivery of her present that he'd planned for this evening had been supposed to. He sighed to himself. '_Grandpa really isn't going to be happy with me for being so late though…even if I'm pretty sure he knew what I was doing tonight had something to do with Helga..._' Arnold recalled the sly smile the old man had given him when he had told the older man that he had to meet a 'friend' about something and wouldn't be out long…and, if that wasn't enough, Phil's final comment to a departing Arnold two hours ago about 'leaving the porch lights on' pretty much assured him that his grandfather had been expecting there to be complications in whatever it was his grandson had been planning.

Arnold sighed to himself once more…and then considered a few of the things that had passed between himself and Helga that evening…and recalled his grandfather's understanding face…and then couldn't help but smile at the memory of Gerald and Phoebe walking off together so happily just now…and finally, with a happy smile, came to a (slightly risky, especially for Arnold) decision.

He turned back in the direction of Helga's house…

* * *

**A/N:**

Yes, yes, I know AGAIN that I am horrible for the cliffies, but in my defense, when I was originally writing this fic I didn't expect it to be long at all, but then I'd get to the end of an 'act' I'd guess you'd call it and suddenly be like 'You know…I could write about what happens next, couldn't I?' and then just tack on a sentence like the last one of this chapter…which would explain why the full rough draft of this story I have takes us through this weekend as well as quite a few weeks ahead in Arnold and Helga's relationship, lol! Oh, and about the Helga thing that's also in SuprSingr's story, it's the wearing her hair down strategy—because, come on, Arnold was practically head over heels for Helga when he saw her like that on Valentine's Day ;)

Okay, so, anyway, as for chapter 6 I'll try for only a week though it might be two, but if it's any consolation the next installment's got just as much awkwardness as this one only with a bunch more chaos thrown in to make it even more of a roller coaster ride, lol ;) What could Arnold be planning? And what could possibly happen to complicate it? Lol, I hope you guys enjoy it when it finally gets up!

And, again, please oh please review!!! They keep me alive and full of energy to do edits! ;)

Happy Reading!!!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!!!!


	6. Busted! aka A&H's Anniversary, Part 2

**A/N:**

Hey guys! Sorry this is a little late, but my life's been CRAZY lately and also I had to do a ton of work on that epilogue to "A Perfect Ten" and then… Okay, so, like I've mentioned, this story was supposed to cover the whole weekend after Arnold and Helga's first date but then jump a few weeks ahead to another incident, but then I got this great idea to insert a chapter or two in between those two things that's just kind of like a montage of mini stories about their courtship, and I've been writing those like crazy for the past two weeks and they've been so much fun, and I'm so happy I decided to do them! Lol, okay, but, anyway, those won't be coming for a little while so, for now, I hope you'll enjoy this next installment of LTBH! And, as always, please R&R because it truly makes all the writing and editing and brainstorming until 4 am all worth it!

_Disclaimer:_

I think I forgot to put one of these but, guys, come on—if I owned HA! I'd be sending out DVD's of this story fully animated to all of you, not submitting fanfic chapters online ;) Sadly, Nick and Viacom own the rights…but it's okay because it gets balanced out by the fact that the wonderful and talented genius that is Craig Bartlett also owns this show! Yay, CB!

Yes, yes, as usual, enough of my rambling… :)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 6:**

**Busted!**

**(aka Arnold and Helga's Anniversary: Part 2!)**

* * *

At first, Arnold walked past Helga's front stoop and around to her backyard again, about to climb up the familiar dumpster that would allow him to get over her fence so that he could climb her tree to reach her window once more that evening. He paused, though, in mid-reach for the dumpster lid and reconsidered this course of action for a moment. '_There was barely enough light for me to get over and make it across her yard and then climb the tree two hours ago when I first got here… It'd be almost impossible to do it __now__ without hurting myself…_' Arnold continued to hesitate, really wanting to go through with the idea that had suddenly sprung into his head as a way to let Helga know that he truly understood why she had done all of that stuff just now in response to him trying to treat her like a 'girl', and that he had learned something from it, but…it would be a little pointless if he ended up with a broken leg in the process. And yet, it seemed just so anticlimactic to be unable to do it, all for the lack of a bit of daylight…

But then, suddenly, Arnold recalled some other moments of his evening so far with Helga G. Pataki—specifically, her comment just after his arrival about how sweet his idea had been to do the 'gift' delivery through her window even though there was another option he could have tried first… And then Arnold's eyes suddenly lit up and he quickly raced back around to the front of Helga's house.

Arriving at her stoop, he walked up the few concrete steps to her door and lifted up the mat…and, sure enough, there was a small silver key there. He smiled to himself and instantly picked up the object and used it to unlock the door to the large brownstone and let himself in. For a moment, upon entering Helga's dim foyer and closing her front door behind him, he felt a ghost of the guilt he had experienced earlier that evening at the idea of sneaking into her house…but it quickly melted away entirely as he then suddenly recalled the image her sitting on her bed and twirling that rope with that familiar mischievous smile on her face all in an attempt to prove to him once and for all that if there was ever one person who could never be taken advantage of, it was Helga G. Pataki. He smiled.

And Arnold's smile only grew as, upon resuming his journey back to Helga, he suddenly passed by the trophy room where, two weeks ago, she had defended him to her father and where he'd found out that Gerald knew Helga's secret too. And then he shook his head in amusement and almost chuckled as he next passed by the living room where he had admitted his feelings to Helga last weekend and given his first real kiss to her…and received one back in return…and then given her another one. He finally had to actually laugh out loud at that particular memory and everything it had led to over the last seven days as he reached the end of the entrance hall and proceeded to make his way upstairs…where, somehow, he had the feeling, a few more unforgettable memories might be waiting for him tonight... '_I cannot believe I actually like Helga so much that I'm actually going to do this…_' He just sighed to himself and shook his head. _'Oh well…how bad could it turn out, all things considered_?'

Reaching the top of the landing, Arnold glanced around the dim hallway until his eyes finally rested on Helga's door, around the edge of which the lamplight from her room glowed a rosy orange in the grays and purples of the darkness around it. He paused for a second and took a breath, and then, summing up his courage, approached her door. '_Maybe she's right—maybe I __am__ getting better at coming up with responses to stuff she does that might actually top what she comes up with in the first place_…'

Finally finding himself in front of Helga's bedroom door, Arnold had to fight back another chuckle at this thought as he reached up and rapped lightly (so that it wouldn't open entirely, of course—being Arnold, regardless of whose bedroom door he was knocking upon, he still had a baseline of politeness to maintain) at Helga's actually slightly ajar door. "Helga?"

* * *

As Arnold had been rushing to Helga's stoop and then reminiscing as he walked through her downstairs and proceeded to make his way to her bedroom door, this is what Helga had been doing…

"Oh, Arnold! Oh, my darling, wonderful Arnold!" Helga squealed, throwing herself onto her bed once more and squeezing one of her pink pillows in her arms, a huge smile on her face and her eyes shut tight with joy. "You came up with an Anniversary for us and you accepted the existence of the closet shrine and you talked to me about your feelings and you think I look nice and we kissed TWO times! _TWO_! And one of them was mutual instead of me just leaning out of that window, but you liked that one so much you actually said 'Yes mam!' when I asked if you'd learned anything!" She stood up now, suddenly twirling around her room. "Oh Arnold—this is the most wonderful, the most incredible the most fantastic feeling I've ever…" She couldn't contain herself. "I mean, I even went a little nutty on you there for a second after you vented to me about all that stuff with the kissing but you still want me! You still love me! _ME_!" Her adoring eyes fluttering open and suddenly falling upon Arnold's smiling face in her Arnold locket that was still upon her nightstand, Helga quickly picked it up and held it out before her, dancing across her room once more though this time with said object lovingly in hand.

"Ow!" This action, however, eventually resulted in Helga accidentally slamming into her full-length mirror near her door. She stood up, leaving the mirror half fallen on the floor, and rubbed her head in pain for a second. Opening her eyes, though, her gaze quickly fell once again on her Arnold locket now on the floor, and the dreamy grin instantly returned to her face. "Oh Arnold…" she cooed gently, bending down and delicately picking up her prized dedication to her beloved, "Happy Anniversary…" She brought her lips to the glass and began to kiss it…

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

"Helga?"

Helga's eyes flew open at the sound of the knocking and at the slight movement inward of her slightly ajar door. What made her heart actually stop, though, was the sound of Arnold saying her name.

Over the course of about five seconds, Helga looked with wide eyes from the door to herself kissing the Arnold locket back to her bed upon which were several pink books that she'd been looking over and reveling in since Arnold had left and one she'd actually been writing in, to the yahoo soda bottle dolls of her and Arnold on her nightstand that she'd taken down from the attic space the second he'd gone and had been admiring because he'd admired them, to her bed which was a complete mess from her rolling around on it in glee, and back to her lips still pressed against the glass of her locket…

She instantly let the locket drop to the floor and bolted for the door, slamming it fully shut.

"Helga?" She heard Arnold's concerned voice from the other side, and felt the door handle move as he obviously tried to use it to open the door once more. "Are you okay?"

Helga took a few deep breaths, still pressed against her door, and tried to get her thoughts together. '_What the heck is he doing back here?_' And then her next thought. '_How the heck am I gonna keep him in the hallway long enough to get this stuff cleaned up so he doesn't think I'm a completely pathetically desperate lunatic? I mean, even more than he probably already __does__ even though so far he's been okay with it all?_'

"Helga?" His voice sounded a touch more concerned at this point. After all, she hadn't yet responded to him.

"Uh…just a sec, Football Head!" Helga managed to call back, trying to use as firm and calm of a voice as possible, though she knew a touch of nervousness must be evident even to someone as dense as her beloved. "I'm, uh…" she glanced around her room, trying to come up with a decent excuse for keeping him out there for a few minutes while she cleaned things up a bit…and then her eyes happily fell on her dresser with the nightgown still hanging out of it. '_Perfect—I told him I was going to get ready for bed anyway_!' "I'm getting dressed for bed, so just hold your horses!"

"Oh…" Helga figured, as she proceeded to scramble to throw her pink books and her mini shrine dolls back into her closet, that Arnold must have been blushing pretty hard for the silence that followed that 'oh' of his to actually sound like he was blushing. '_Good—maybe that little modesty streak of his will actually make my life easier for once and keep him out in the hall longer_!'

Helga heard Arnold clear his throat as she continued trying to get her room straightened up. He spoke up shyly, still from just behind her door. "I'm sorry to bother you again, Helga, but I just wanted to officially say sorry about being so stubborn about the whole 'gentleman' thing and trying to treat you like things between us should be any different when we're here just because you're a girl. I guess I was just…letting wanting to be nice to you stop me from considering that how you _want_ me to treat you is more important. And I wanted to…" He hesitated, which Helga couldn't help but pick up on, "To…show you that I understand…"

And, indeed, Helga couldn't help but feel like he'd chosen these last words carefully. However, at the moment she was too busy making her room look like it _didn't_ belong to a half-crazed, Football Head obsessed ten year old to really think about it. "Oh…uh…okay, Football Head. Just give me two more seconds…" She slammed the closet door shut, officially leaving her room free of Arnold memorabilia. _'Perfect, now I just have to do the bed!_' She commenced straightening her pink sheets and blankets.

After another second of silence, she heard Arnold add to his initial statements almost as an afterthought. "Oh, and I wanted to let you know that I read the poem—the one you wrote tonight. It was really beautiful, Helga. Thanks. I think it really helped me understand things a little better." He laughed a little. "And I liked the last few lines that you threw in because my name's an even number of letters. It was really good."

Helga couldn't help a smile coming to her face at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Football Head. I…I'm glad you liked it." She laughed a bit herself and rolled her eyes as she adjusted some of her pillows. "Yeah, way to go having a name that's six letters instead of five—I think that if there's _any_ sign that we should leave the majority of the poetry in this relationship to me, it's _that_."

She heard Arnold laugh once again from the other side of her door. "Yeah…and, you know, reading it made me think that it might actually be fun for me to try writing a poem about you one day, but in _your_ normal style. I think it could be really interesting…"

That comment made Helga, who had just finished remaking the bed (finally) and who had collapsed on it to rest for a brief second as she let out a deep sigh of exhaustion, sit up, her heart fluttering slightly. "Really?"

"_Really_, Helga." Arnold chuckled again behind the door. "I don't know when it'll happen though, of course…I mean if it might have taken _you_ _days_ to find the right inspiration to write the more realistic one you just did about me, I wouldn't be surprised if finding the right inspiration for writing a more…well… 'creative' one about you took _me_ _weeks_ or even _months_…" Another amused laugh escaped him as he finished with, "Like you said, Helga, the poetry in this relationship would probably be better off left to you."

Helga, who was full on grinning at this point thanks to Arnold's words, finally let out a relaxing breath and got up from her bed, walking across her room toward her door. "Well, I'm sure after all that 'tutoring' with me that it'll happen soon than you think, Arnoldo…" she replied playfully, and was about to grab the door handle and open it when she caught sight of her reflection in her still crooked mirror and saw that she was still fully dressed. '_Crimeny, how sloppy am I __getting__ around him!'_ She quickly adjusted the mirror and then jumped over to her dresser and slipped out of her jumper and into her long purple nightshirt.

"Maybe…" she heard Arnold reply playfully back to her in response to yet another tutoring joke between them.

Helga, meanwhile, now in her pajamas and with her room looking more or less as it had when Arnold had left via her window not too long ago, took a deep breath to center herself and then positioned herself casually in front of the doorway. "Okay, Football Head, you can come in."

"Oh…Okay…" Suddenly, Helga's doorknob moved again and the door slowly opened, revealing Arnold and his half lidded gaze, a half smile on his face.

He was met with Helga G. Pataki in her usual pigtails but also a long purple nightgown, her hands crossed over her chest. She half smiled at him and asked sarcastically, "Not that I don't appreciate the encore of _you_ finally coming to _my_ room for once, Arnoldo, but shouldn't you have just gone back to the boarding house and called me or something? I mean, the last thing I need is your Grandpa grounding you from our date next Friday for breaking curfew."

"Oh…don't worry about that, Helga..." Arnold couldn't help but smile a bit more, taking a step further into the room. "I didn't tell him about the Anniversary thing but I think he knew I was coming to see you, anyway, and that I'd probably be later than I said I'd be… Besides, I really did want to thank you for the poem…and also, like I said, to apologize for how I acted…" Helga couldn't help but feel her heart suddenly skip a beat as he then proceeded to take another step farther into her room…which meant another step _closer_ to _her_…and it didn't help that he was still smiling strangely to himself...and blushing just slightly... "And I guess, like I said…" he continued, lowering his voice just slightly, "I also wanted to really show you that you really got through to me… That it stuck, that whole thing you did, I mean..."

Helga swallowed hard as the memory of all that flirting she'd done mere minutes ago suddenly flashed through her mind. "Oh…uh, yeah..." She looked at Arnold a bit sheepishly. "Sorry if I went a little overboard with all that, by the way, Football head. I mean…the swinging the rope thing while I twirled my hair and said 'come get it' was probably a bit much… Once again, more reasons why I prefer a good monster movie to all those romantic comedies Olga shoved down my throat last weekend after you left, Football Head—the last thing I need is someone putting even mo_r_e ideas in my slightly off head about how to snag a guy…Heh, heh…" She tried to laugh a bit to calm herself down a little. Arnold WAS getting awfully close, after all…and she was starting to recognize something in that strange look in his eye...and, once again, as she had been having to admit to herself all week, despite how interesting and fun he could be, Helga really could only handle Arnold's (very unexpected) slightly more aggressive side in small doses… She felt herself swallow hard.

Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but blush just a bit more as that image of Helga flirting with him at the window before and how it had made him feel entered his mind once again, but then couldn't help laughing just a bit at the memory along with her (although his laughter was much more relaxed than Helga's obviously nervous chuckle…a fact which wasn't at all lost on Arnold). _'Hmm…I should probably remember the next time she uses how I feel about her to corner me that __I'm __not the __only one__ in love here_…' "Actually," he continued, putting his hands behind his back and proceeding to look at the obviously uneasy girl before him very consciously with his half lidded gaze, "I think you did perfect. I wanted a 'girl' friend and I got one—and I think it was just what I needed to remember that I prefer you instead."

At this statement, Helga instantly lost the nervous, blushing look that had been dominating her features, and scowled, putting her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?" she asked in a very demanding tone.

Arnold blinked and the smile instantly fell from his face as he realized how what he had just said could easily be taken the wrong way. He did his best to explain. "I mean…I mean not that you aren't a girl and really pretty and nice and feminine but…I mean…" he searched for the right way to express what he had to say. "You're…you don't just fall into this stereotypical category of how a 'girl's' supposed to act." His smile started to return a bit. "When you want to dress up and write poetry and act sweet and romantic you do, but when you want to yell and play baseball and throw rocks at dumpsters and go on adventures you do that too. And I shouldn't try to box you into being one of those people just because you're my girlfriend now instead of my friend." He took another step toward her, looking at her now intently listening and also slightly blushing face. "And you were smart enough to find a way to remind me of that while at the same time reminding me that no matter how you're acting, you're a perfectly intelligent and reasonable person, and it shouldn't matter where we are when we kiss because you're just as capable of making a choice about as I am, no matter what."

Helga blinked a few times as his words set in, and as he finished she felt her already pretty strong blush increase just slightly in her cheeks. It didn't help that Arnold was within a foot of her at this point. "Oh….well, thanks, Arnold…I—I mean, I'm glad it all got through to you, Football Head."

Arnold laughed to himself once more. "Oh yeah…it _definitely_ got through to me…" He leaned in just a bit closer to the blushing girl before him, and cleared his throat, glancing to the side for a moment as he asked with a smile and his eyes still half lidded, "So…you, um…you said your parents would probably still be out for a little while, right? I mean…" he glanced back up at her, "Like you said earlier, it probably wouldn't be good for me to walk downstairs and see them about to open the door…Don't want _you_ to get grounded from our date on Friday either." He winked at her.

"Uh…" Helga felt her breaths coming more and more shallowly at his proximity and smile…and not to mention at the suggestive direction in which this conversation was turning. "They, uh...they said they'd be back around 9 or 10 so we…I mean, uh, you probably still have some time…" Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. _'Okay, I know I basically spent the last half hour putting him through the same thing he's doing to me right now, but after a full two hours together I'm not exactly 'fresh' at the moment to be dealing with another Arnold situation and I could just __kill__ him for doing this to me right now…even if he is looking at me with those gorgeous green eyes and speaking to me out of those gorgeous, soft lips and standing so close to me that I can actually feel the warmth coming off of his gorgeous, perfect body. Oh, Arnold, I—_'

She was (luckily for her) cut off in mid internal monologue by the sound of Arnold replying simply to her affirmation that they indeed had at least a little while longer of being alone here guaranteed to them, "Oh. Good…" And then, much to Helga's slight relief…he stopped leaning in so closely toward her and lost the half lidded gaze, smiling just a bit more normally. Arnold then also removed his arms from behind his back and crossed them over his chest, and let out a breath, and continued speaking, though now in a much more casual tone. "So, you see, Helga…I'm alone with you in your room right now at night and I'm perfectly fine with it…as long as you're okay with it…" For just a moment his half lidded gaze returned.

"I'm…I'm good." Helga managed to get out, finally feeling her heart rate go down a bit as the distance between her and her beloved had decreased just slightly. '_Oh boy… Okay, Helga, old girl, that beautiful gaze of his is back but at least he's backing off a bit…Probably just trying to get you back a little for all that stuff you put him through before, just like you've been suspecting ever since he walked in here just now with that suggestive look and voice of his…Just take a few deep breaths and say goodnight and do a little more poetry writing and you'll be fine by morning_…'

As Helga finished trying to soothe herself with these thoughts, Arnold just took another breath and smiled happily at her reply, and then glanced back at the door by which he'd entered her room. "Well…I guess I should get going then." He didn't move though…And Helga didn't fail to notice this fact. "But…" All of a sudden, he gently placed the rope still hanging over his shoulder and her pink book still clasped in one of his hands upon the floor, and then turned back to still slightly wide eyed and blushing girl in question, and leaned in toward her once more, glancing away with a shy smile on his face. "Me just coming up here…I mean, it's basically the same thing I did when I first got here so I guess it doesn't really prove to you just how much you got through to me…" he glanced back up at her, "About _everything_ tonight..." His smile grew just a bit, and suddenly he was right back in that position of his beautiful face being within inches of Helga's more than obviously confused and nervous one.

"Arnold," Helga, however, rather than going into another internal monologue, suddenly took a deep breath and closed her eyes and then let out a sigh, and finally asked in as level a voice as she could, feeling about a hundred percent certain at this point about where her beloved was going with all of this flirting, "Are you going to kiss me?" She rubbed her eyes with her thumb and forefinger in a bit of impatience: not that another kiss from her beloved wouldn't be a great thing (as it always was) but it _was_ getting a little late and she _had_ already been tired for a while now and her parents _were_ due home very soon, and also, honestly, she just wasn't in the mood right now for some big, drawn out, dramatic build up to whatever Arnold had on his mind after having already gone through a good two hours of drama with him this evening. Dropping her hand to her side, she kept her eyes closed and her voice sounding as patient as possible, and continued. "Because if you _are_, Football Head, then can you please just gently take my hand and lean in and do it already like the last two times you actually got the courage to do it despite the moral dilemma you were having, because, seriously, if my parents _do_ get home and catch us here, there's a good chance we won't live to see our one _month _Anniv—"

Helga was cut off (and incredibly surprised, as her eyes instantly flying open in shock attested to) by the feeling of Arnold suddenly grabbing her around the waist and pulling her close to him, looking right into her wide eyes with his half lidded ones, their noses almost touching. She swallowed hard, feeling her heart return to pounding like a jackhammer in her chest, though even strong than before thanks to the new addition of physical contact between her and her beloved. '_Uh oh_…'

"Hey," Arnold began in a low, playful voice, "If I WAS going to kiss you, who says I'd do it like that again…? I mean…" Helga felt her breath catch in her throat as his hand not around her body came up to twirl a piece of hair at the end of one of her pigtails, "I might be thinking of trying something more _your_ style, you know? After all, you tried to write more like me with that poem before, so maybe I should try to kiss more like you right now..." He chuckled just a bit to himself and Helga felt him grip her a bit more firmly around her back as he added, "I did it last weekend on the couch, after all..."

Helga, who was doing everything she could at this point to avoid going into serious meltdown, did her best to scoff at Arnold, though with how wildly her heart was beating right now and how almost unbearably nervous she was feeling at being so close to him and as she recalled how unpredictable she knew the more aggressive side of him could be, she was sure the attempt sounded weak if not laughable to say the least. "Y-yeah, b-but, um…that really _was_ the heat of the moment, Football He—A-Arnold…" She involuntarily felt herself switch to his real name as his arm wrapped at bit more firmly around her waist at the sound of her familiar, defensive nickname for him.

Helga just swallowed hard and did her best to continue and to ignore the sudden jolt of electricity that had instantly been sent through her body at this movement of his. "And I…I know I said that you have a dark side, Arnold, but…" She fished for some more logic to back up her argument, because at this point what Arnold was doing had her feeling so crazy inside that she was fairly certain that if he didn't just let her go and leave and quit all of this playful revenge flirting already that she was going to go into a monologing state the likes of which neither of them had ever seen. '_Aw man, he's seen me bad before but not like how I could get if he doesn't get out of here so I can let out the big stuff in my pink books and to my locket and even in front of the shrine if all else fails_…' "But it's a dark side that definitely doesn't come out unless he's provoked…" she finally managed to come up with. "Uh, you know..." Helga did her best (and failed) to sound casual as she continued, "Just like you keep having to provoke me to go all 'ga ga out of my mind' on you…" She did her best to start taking some even breaths, though the continued feeling of him casually playing with that end of her pigtail wasn't helping. At all. "So, um…anyway, I really don't think there's any way you could do something like that when you've had a chance to think about it first, heh, heh…" Helga finally managed to finish with yet another nervous laugh.

And, honestly, Helga actually _was_ kind of clinging to this logic that Arnold didn't have it in him to give her a planned out passionate kiss… _'A sweet gentle kiss or maybe a little making out, but not something like__ I__ gave __him__ at the window before or on FTi_ …' He was just too shy and too modest and too much of a goodie two shoes when you got right down to it… And besides, there was _one more_ problem with him actually doing to her what he was maybe suggesting doing to her: that one, spontaneous, passionate kiss he'd given her on the couch last weekend had, of course, been a surprise, and because of that she'd been too shocked to really take it and its full implications in until later when there had finally been time to express how it had made her feel via her usual, safe outlets (poetry books, private monologuing, etc.)… But this situation right here and now with him announcing it and building up to it was giving her too much time to think it over, too much time to let the anticipation grow and consume her, and, honestly…she wasn't sure how she would react if he actually…if he really _did_…

Helga instantly had to shut down her thoughts on the subject, the idea of it was so incredible and unprecedented that she couldn't even bear thinking about it without feeling herself practically melt.

"True…" She was also brought out of her wild thoughts by this simple reply from her beloved to her accusation that he couldn't possibly be spontaneous enough to go through with kissing her like she'd just kissed him. She blinked once and then her vision came back into focus and she just watched as he continued staring deeply into her eyes, his dreamy gaze still shining down upon her from his perfect face.

Helga managed a weak smile at him. '_Okay, well, at least he agrees with me…that's step __one__ in the right direction…Now I just have to convince him to let me go before I propose or pass out or something_.' And, indeed, Helga was about to open her mouth to speak so she could finally try and reason herself out of this unprecedented romantic situation…

"…Unless all that stuff at the window before took care of most of the provoking." At least, until this sentence left her beloved's mouth.

Helga's smile instantly dropped away again, leaving only that terrified looking face she'd had before. '_Oh boy…This…could be bad for me, couldn't it? Oh well, at least it's a good kind of bad…No, wait—what am I saying? I've…I've got to get back on the defensive, take control of the room again! I—I_…' And yet, at this point in the evening she couldn't even find it in her to break from her beloved's intoxicating gaze…and those two green jelly beans like perfect pools she could have bathed in. _'I'm about to completely lose all credibility as the dominant one in this relationship, aren't I? Darn it…_'

Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but almost laugh at the flustered look that instantly descended upon the girl in his arms once more in response to his simple words. _'I really think I'm starting to understand what she meant before when she said that doing all of that stuff to me earlier was hysterical along with being part of teaching me a lesson…I'd forgotten how much fun getting to Helga through her feelings could be…just like at the April Fools dance. Hmm…that should make the next five minutes kind of interesting, actually_…' "You know," he suddenly continued, still gazing into her wide unsure eyes and feeling the rise and fall of her chest coming more and more slowly as her breaths became shallower, "I was thinking for a few minutes when I was outside, and I think that of all the things you were right about tonight, the kissing was probably the biggest and most important one… Because, like you said, it all really does build up if you try and avoid it..." He suddenly moved his hand that had been gently playing with her hair to behind her head, right between her neck and hairline, and he felt a slight shiver pass through her at the shift of his touch. He continued to stare into those wide, adoring blue eyes of hers as he finished, "And I know that technically it's only been a week since the last time I really let myself kiss you like on your couch but…you know…the more I think about it the more I think I've been trying to avoid the fact that you like me…and that I've maybe always liked you too just a little… for seven years…Which is about a year longer than you'd gone through when you kissed me on the FTi building, so…"

"Arnold, I swear…" Helga suddenly began, feeling heat flooding her face and a tingling, almost searing sensation in those places on her back and neck against which his arms were currently pressed. '_Okay, you know what? He can kiss me and I don't even care what it does to me at this point, but so help me I just want it to happen already!'_ She did her best to scowl defensively despite the whole 'Arnold's eyes keeping her eyes locked in a wide-eyed stare' thing, and then continued in a firm a voice as she could muster. "I SWEAR, if this turns into another one of those anticlimactic things from before or if you're just trying to mess with me to get back at me for all of the flirting…true love or not, I'm going to _kill_ yo—" A very on edge Helga Pataki managed to only get out this much of her sentence before she felt Arnold use his excellent grip on her to pull her just a bit closer, and then she knew that if she spoke, even that much of a movement would cause their lips to touch…

With a very slight chuckle to himself at how this simple movement closer had suddenly completely silenced the most talkative and opinionated person he knew, Arnold then proceeded to lean his head over to the side just a bit (just as Helga had done to him at the window before they'd parted before) and then to whisper into her ear, "You know…I know I said I thought you looked nice with your hair down but…you're also really pretty when you're nervous…and surprised…and even angry." He pulled back and resumed looking into her eyes, and frowned just slightly as he added, "You're probably going to smile at me and throw me down on the floor again or something after I do this, though…." He smiled again. "But, I guess it's worth it… Besides, your smiles are really pretty too."

And with these words, Arnold finally closed his eyes and pulled himself and the stunned girl in his arms the remaining distance closer to one another kissed her as hard as he could—as hard as she had kissed him at the window before, or on the coffee table last weekend or on the roof of the FTi building…holding her as close as possible and using his hand behind her head to pull her mouth even more into contact with his and to feel her soft hair under his fingers once again. And as this chaotic contact between them continued, he did his best to put everything he'd been trying to avoid regarding her ever since their first date and since the tutoring and since her confession and since he'd first met her into it, along with his own new feelings about Helga G. Pataki that had been developing exponentially over the last week.

And, after a few seconds, Arnold heard that familiar sigh and moan of Helga's…and after a few more seconds he also felt how she seemed to just collapse in his arms, melting against him…and in the end he couldn't help but find no guilt or fear or worry inside of himself at all while kissing Helga in _her_ room this time—just pure happiness at being with the person he loved. '_Okay, I also understand now why she keeps wanting to kiss me like this…doing it slowly and gently is great and everything, but this is…__wow__…No wonder she kept trying to do it again and again after that first time on the FTi roof! I just wish we'd had more time and that I hadn't been so scared and that Gerald hadn't been waiting…it could have been an interesting morning!_'

And then, eventually, just like Helga had said to him before when he'd explained his fear about nothing being there to stop the kissing, Arnold suddenly felt more like talking to Helga and seeing her reaction to what he'd just done rather than continuing to kiss her (for now, at least), and, so, with one final push forward to end the kiss on as strong a note as possible, he then separated their mouths, took a few deep breaths, and finally released their bodies and took a step back, smiling at her, his hands now crossed over his chest.

Arnold just watched in interested amusement as Helga now just stood there before him, a _very_ content smile on her face (just as Arnold had predicted to himself), and breathing quite heavily herself. "Uh…wow…you…_wow_…"

Arnold almost had to chuckle, and couldn't help but let out a happy sigh as he responded mentally to her exclamation, _'Exactly what I was thinking, Helga_…'

He then continued to watch as Helga then took a deep breath, still smiling, and finally managed to speak a full sentence. "Are, uh…are you the same Football Head who keeps telling me he's afraid he's a lousy kisser because, I've gotta tell you…" she had to let out a small giggle, she was brimming with so many emotions and feelings inside right now, "Getting back to the tutoring puns: The uh…the student just surpassed the teacher, Arnoldo. In spades." She blinked a few times and had to take a step back and put a hand to her head. "I mean, really… I don't just need to 'lie down'…I need to collapse into a freaking puddle right now!" And then, something in the way of coherent thoughts managed to start to take shape in her head. '_Arnold just…Arnold just…he didn't even just kiss me, he…he held me close and pulled me in and had his arms around me and leaned me back and I think he even moaned a little and he __kissed__ me kissed me…! Oh, please just let him ask me to marry him right here and right now so that we can start our fabulous, destined-to-be life together as soon as possible_!' She gave a girlish internal sigh, and then blinked as she realized, her smile growing even more at the thought, '_Oh, and I'm even still alive and all in one piece after all of that! I mean, I didn't actually faint and go into a semi-conscious state of lovesickness for the rest of my life. Uh…great_!'

Helga's final tutoring joke for the evening (coupled with the ironic reference to her confession), meanwhile, finally caused an audible warm laugh to escape from Arnold's mouth (the sound of which brought Helga's attention out of her dreamy thoughts and back to her beloved before her). She watched, still in a state of total bliss, as Arnold glanced down, resuming a bit of his former shyness, though a very happy grin and a very distinct blush still remained on his face. "So, anyway, Helga, I guess the point I was trying to make was that I'm not worried about kissing in your room anymore…and that I'm taking your advice about doing it a little more often and letting it be a part of me like it wants to be." He chuckled slightly to himself once more, taking a step back toward her and putting his hands shyly behind his back once again. "And, also, I think you might be a little right about me having a dark side…" Suddenly, he lifted up one of his hands and, to Helga's total shock, grazed the side of her face with its backside, causing her eyes to go wide again and her to blush hotly. "But it makes your sweet side come out so I guess it's not such a bad thing…" He winked.

He gently pulled his hand away, smiling, and Helga felt herself sigh girlishly once more and reach up to the place on her face that Arnold had just touched. "Uh…well…._I _could have told you _that_, Football Head…" she managed to breathe out, the dreamy smile still upon her face.

Arnold just sighed in amusement at the familiar bit of sarcasm trying to shine through her dazed sounding voice, and then glanced at the clock on her nightstand once again that evening. 9:30: exactly between the hours of 9 and 10. He looked back to Helga. "Well, it's starting to really get late so I guess I really should get home now, Helga. I'll see you at school on Monday…and then I'll _really_ see you at my house on Friday." He winked and then took one of her hands in his and gave it a quick but gentle kiss, and slowly lowered it to her side before turning to head for her bedroom door to make his final exit…

Turning to head for her bedroom door to make his final exit, that was, until the sound of someone (or two people, which was much more likely considering the time and situation), opening and entering the door downstairs made him stop and his heart drop to his stomach. He turned around, wide-eyed, to Helga, who looked back at him with an equal amount of shock and fear suddenly on her face.

"Ol—"

"Bob!" came Miriam's slightly scolding voice. "Remember what Olga said…"

"Huh…oh, right, right. Uh, _Helga_, we're home!" Bob's voice boomed from downstairs.

"B, be quiet! She might be asleep!" came Miriam's normal speaking voice faintly.

"What are you talking about?" Bob's loud voice sounded out again, "I can see the light from her room shining in the hall up there."

And then there was the sound of the steps creaking as they were walked upon…

Helga and Arnold only had to stare at each other for a second more before they instantly approached each other and whispered quickly…

"You get to the window…"

"…And you stall them!"

They nodded to each other and then quickly ran in their separate directions. Across her room in a flash, Helga opened her door as slightly as possible and slipped out into the hall, closing it firmly behind her. "Uh, hey, Mom, hey, Dad! Olga's flight leave on time? Heh, heh…" she asked as innocently as possible.

Arnold, meanwhile, snatched Helga's pink book and the rope from her floor and raced over to her bed, crawling across its surface as fast as he could as he did his best to secure the rope around his body once more and to tie part of it to the nearest tree limb so that he could attempt getting down again. It might have been pitch black outside at this hour, but he was _pretty certain_ that repelling down twenty feet to Helga's yard only by the light of her window was much MUCH safer than heading out into her hall, wishing Mr. and Mrs. Pataki a quick goodnight, and walking out through her front door… '_Uh oh...this could be really bad, couldn't it? I know I said it might be worth it to get in a little trouble for her but_…' Arnold had to swallow hard as he instantly recalled a very VERY angry Big Bob Pataki from two weeks ago who had seemed ready to pummel him just because he and Helga had seemed to be getting a little close while working on some homework…but if he was caught in this situation… Arnold had to gulp once more: after all, it had only taken _Gerald_ a couple of minutes before to figure out some of what he and Helga had been doing this evening…but he knew somehow that if Helga's parents opened that door they would know in an instant…and Arnold wasn't so sure that Helga would be able to save him this time.

"Eh, half an hour delay—stupid airlines!" Arnold's scary thoughts were interrupted as he suddenly heard Bob grumble this statement from the hall in response to his younger daughter's inquiry. "Half a mind to write them a letter…"

"Did you have a nice night at home, dear?" Miriam's voice, addressing Helga. "Did any of your friends come by?"

"OH, uh…" Arnold heard the touch of panic in Helga's voice…and then her attempt to cover it up as she quickly finished with, "No, no…just a quiet evening at home. Heh, heh…"

"But…then, why was the front door unlocked, Helga?" proceeded to ask her mother with a touch of confusion evident in her voice.

Arnold could just imagine the look of terror on Helga's face and the sudden loss of color in her cheeks and the sudden pounding of her heart, as it was all happening to him right now at this very excellent question. He froze for a second, half over the window ledge, awaiting Helga's response. '_Come on, Helga—you're the best at this! I mean, you got me to believe that you kissed me for a minute straight during the school play just because you were 'acting' '_. Arnold would have laughed at the memory but terror was by far the most prominent emotion going through him at the moment.

"Oh, well, uh…" Arnold heard her swallow hard, but then manage (luckily, for both of them) to impressively come up with, "I didn't have anyone over but I…I got hungry and the Jollie Ollie man was passing by for his last run just after you guys left so I popped out and got a Mr. Fudgie." He heard her laugh slightly (though a little less nervously, thankfully) as she finished with, "Sorry I forgot to lock it again—maybe Olga was right about leaving a ten year old to watch a house by herself…heh, heh…"

There was a second of silence.

And then, to Arnold's TREMENDOUS relief, he heard Bob yawn and finally say, "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay. It's been a long day and I'm gonna need all the sleep I can get if I don't have one of Olga's breakfasts to wake me up tomorrow morning…"

"I'm…just going to use the bathroom first, B…" Miriam replied slowly. "You go on ahead."

Arnold, now fully over the window ledge and just trying to get his footing on the limb he'd stood on before when Helga had kissed him earlier that night, heard Bob yawn once more, though it sounded farther away this time. "Alright. Goodnight Miriam…Goodnight Ol—uh, Helga."

"Uh, goodnight, Dad!" Arnold heard Helga pause, and then add, "I'm…just going to head to bed myself. See you in the morning, Mom!"

Letting out a relieved sigh, Arnold, now standing stably on the tree limb that had been his goal, stood on tiptoe and did his best to peek in over the edge of Helga's windowsill, his hands gripping it in anticipation (his left, as best it could since it still held Helga's pink book) as he awaited Helga's return to confirm once and for all that keeping her parents from suspecting anything had indeed been a success.

A second passed and then he saw, with a smile, Helga's door quickly open and close as she slipped back into the room. He watched with relief as she took a deep breath and slid down to the floor in an obvious amount of relief herself, putting a hand to her heart. Opening her eyes and not seeing Arnold in her room (and assuming he'd gone already), Helga couldn't help mumble to herself in disbelief at how close of a call that had just been, "Worse than the time I woke up in his shower…Absolutely worse…"

"Helga?" Arnold suddenly popped his head over the windowsill fully, an eyebrow raised and grinning a little. '_Waking up in my shower_?'

Helga's eyes instantly flew open and she stood up, turned around and locked her door, and then ran over to her bed and climbed over it, kneeling out of the window. She whispered down in panic and surprise to her beloved, "Football Head, what are you still doing here? Get back to your house, already!"

"So…" he leaned an elbow on the edge of the windowsill and rested his head upon his hand, "when did you wake up in my shower, exactly?" Trying to stifle a laugh, he couldn't help asking this question which, despite the current circumstances, he felt was a pretty legitimate one.

Helga blinked and blushed at the question, and then couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that he was actually more interested in another one of her wacky stories than getting the heck out of there already! '_His priorities always were a little loopy…'_ She finally just sighed and whispered back with a half smile, "Let's just say your fire escape wasn't nearly the _only_ place I sleepwalked to that one time. By the way, ask your Grandma who Eleanor is sometime, and tell her that, along with her fried chicken from two weeks ago, she makes great eggs!" She winked, then shrugged. "I mean, I was asleep for eating half of them, but the ones I remember eating after I woke up were great!"

Arnold felt himself about to burst into laughter, though he really tried to fight it considering the fact that the window of Helga's parent's bedroom where both Bob and Miriam had said they were headed was less than ten feet away.

Helga just rolled her eyes again at his obvious struggle of his not to have another fit of chuckles that evening. "Laugh about it when both of our necks _aren't_ on the line, okay, Football Head?"

Arnold did his best to get himself under control. "O-okay, Helga. Goodnight!" he whispered and began to try and maneuver himself down the tree as quickly and quietly as possible.

And, indeed, Arnold was just about to take the first step to a lower limb…when he suddenly heard Helga whisper his name once more. "Hey…Arnold?"

He stopped and smiled up at her. "Yes, Helga?"

"Um…" He noticed her swallow hard and glance to the side, trying to seem casual though it was obvious that what she was about to say or ask was important to her…and he couldn't help but smile a bit more at the idea of her still managing to find ways to feel shy around him even after all of the stuff they'd been through lately...and during their whole lives together. She continued. "I…I know I'm not really into a lot of stereotypically girly stuff like this, like I've been saying all evening, so this might seem a little random but, um…Do you…" she cleared her throat, still not making eye contact with him, though a small smile seemed to be coming to her face and Arnold could just make out that she was blushing a bit in the lamplight surrounding her. She began to play with one of her pigtails, and finally asked her question. "Do you…really think that I…that I'm…you know…uh…beautiful or whatever?" Helga said the last part as quickly as possible, and felt heat rush to her face as she did. '_I know it's stupid but…still_…'

Arnold had to blink at the question. And then he couldn't help the smile that came to his face. Suddenly, to Helga's surprise, he reached up and took her idle hand in his free one, causing her eyes to widen and to look down into his own…and then, finally, he gave her just a bit of a look as he let out a sigh and replied, "No, Helga—I was _faking_ being about to pass out when you winked at me with your hair down and your legs crossed and that smile on your face and asked me what flavor I'd like to taste the next time we kissed."

It took Helga a second to process the fact that, perhaps for the first time in his life, Arnold had said something sarcastic ('_I really __am__ rubbing off on him, aren't I_?'). When she finally did, though, she couldn't help breaking into a full smile and pulling her hand out of his to give him a hard flick on the ear. "Jerk! Good job at your first genuine attempt at sarcasm, though—I'll give you that."

Despite the small, sharp pain from her flick, Arnold just rubbed his ear and continued to smile at her, chuckling slightly. "Thanks Helga… Guess I couldn't resist again…"

Helga was about to roll her eyes and say something witty in response to her beloved followed by a quick goodnight, when suddenly he cut her off by resting his hands against her windowsill and leaning up a bit, looking at her lovingly once more. "But really, though, Helga…I think…" he swallowed hard and Helga observed a bit more of a blush creep up into his face, "I think you're…I think I…I mean…" She watched as Arnold stopped and closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as though to clear his head. He then opened his eyes again and looked to her once more, just a bit more of a smile coming to his face. "I think that I think you're so pretty sometimes that I can barely keep myself from stuttering or saying something stupid like I'm trying as hard as I can to do right now…if that makes any sense, Helga…"

Helga just felt herself break into even more of a warm smile at this adorable reply. With a touch more a blush coming to her face and resting her head in one of her hands, she then asked in as casual a voice as she could, though it couldn't help but be accompanied by a slightly nervous swallow (in her defense though…well, she was curious…and as long as they were already on the subject…), "Even prettier than Ruth or Lila or Summer?"

Arnold's eyes went wide in a bit of surprise for a moment at the question, and he looked at her unsurely. Though Helga had made the occasional side comment about some of his former crushes over the past few weeks…she'd never actually asked for a flat out comparison… And Arnold couldn't help but sense, despite the fact that she was trying to seem casual and playful about it, that how he responded would probably be really important to her. After all, she _had_ gotten awfully upset and emotional during those final hours and arguments in his room that Sunday during the tutoring when he'd tried to defend the fact that he'd developed feelings for so many people over the course of the past year…and then later during their final big fight when she'd seemed to think that him liking being around her was going to be just another case of him having a mild interest in a girl that would quickly pass the second someone else came along.

"Hey, Football Head…" suddenly came Helga's voice (with a slightly annoyed tone underlying it) to break him out of these thoughts, "You know, 'hesitation' really isn't the best way to start out answering this question…" A bit of indignation was obvious in her tone as well as she finished, "I mean, you think I'm pretty or whatever but…and I know it's not really supposed to matter to me since I'm not into all that girly stuff like I keep saying, but…prettier than Ruth or Lila or Summer, or _what_? Just give me a straight answer, Football Head! Sheesh!" '_I knew I shouldn't have asked that. I mean…okay, maybe I could pull off being prettier than Lila if he prefers blondes to redheads…but Ruth was tall and always had those expensive barrettes in her hair and had those warm eyes even if they were that ruddy brown color…And Summer—I mean, really, now that just wasn't fair! How old was she, anyway? Sheesh, yeah right, what was I thinking—like I could compete with the body and hair and the eyes and the voice and_…' She had to let out a sigh and almost shook her head at her foolishness. _'Arnold really could do so much better than me, couldn't he?'_

Arnold, meanwhile, had just blinked in a bit of surprise at the sound of Helga's voice suddenly interrupting his thought…but then he couldn't help his smile instantly returning at the idea that she would even think the answer would be anything other than 'yes', especially considering everything that had passed between them that evening. _'I guess she really __does__ need to just hear it from me, though, doesn't she…? After all, she's been in love with me for seven years—me suddenly liking her back is still probably a bit of a shock to her._' And so, fully aware of how important his answer was probably going to be to the still impatiently waiting girl before him despite how much she was trying to deny it, Arnold considered what the best way would be to phrase his affirmative response for just a second longer…

And then a satisfied grin suddenly came to Arnold's face and with a sigh he moved his head forward and gently and sweetly kissed the back of Helga's hand that he was still clasping in one of his own…before finally looking up into her eyes and saying in a bit of a dazed voice, "Let's see…prettier than Lila or Ruth or Summer…" He almost laughed as he then finished with, "I'm sorry, Helga, but…_who_?" And, to be honest, when thoughts of his previous crushes had come to Arnold's mind lately only to stand next to how he now felt around Helga…that one word question seemed more than accurate to describe his feelings.

Helga, who's eyes had gone a bit wide at Arnold's sudden gesture of kissing her hand yet again that evening, just stood there continuing to blush for a second or two at how he'd just responded to her doubts about her appearance in comparison with the other girls he'd had feelings for in his life… But then Arnold watched with a smile as her own smile returned and then grew just a bit more…and then a giggle or two escaped her…and finally she even started laughing to herself…very warmly, like she was genuinely happy about something.

"Helga?" Arnold asked with curiosity at this response to his reply. "What's so funny?"

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Helga, what are you doing in there? Are you alright?"

The sound of Miriam's voice coming from just outside the bedroom door made Helga's eyes go wide and caused her to get her laughter quickly under control. "Uh…" she suddenly called out over her shoulder, "Just a sec, Miriam!" With a nervous swallow and feeling UNBELIEVABLY thankful that she had thought to lock the door behind her before coming over to Arnold just now, Helga quickly leaned down and whispered to her beloved, "Sorry, didn't mean to laugh, Football Head, but…Well, first of all, me saying those three names and you responding with something along the lines of 'Who?' has been a personal fantasy of mine for quite a long time, so, thanks for that. Very excellent boyfriend response." She giggled and then rested both of her arms against the windowsill, resting her head down on top of them. "And, second, as for that whole thing you mentioned first about you getting all tongue-tied around me now—well, welcome to _my_ world! Crimeny, you think it was _easy_ spending seven years learning how to _not_ sound like a lovesick fool every time I ran into you, my handsome little Football Head?" Helga giggled slightly once more, both from the elation about Arnold having just admitted outright that he did indeed think she was beautiful (and more beautiful than those other three romantic freeloaders who'd almost stolen his heart, thank you very much) as well as at the sight of him turning a bit scarlet at her comment. She sighed and rolled her eyes, still smiling. "Oh, come on, Arnold, we already went over the fact that I pretty much think you're the most adorable and gorgeous guy on the planet a long time ago—no need to start blushing about it again _now_…especially when there's plenty of other things you did tonight that you could be blushing about…" She winked. '_Yeah, I think he deserves that for the near heart attack he just gave me with all of that build up before that kiss…_'

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Helga, sweetie?" Miriam again.

"Crimeny, Miriam, just a minute!" Helga couldn't help but yell with a scowl toward the door before turning back to Arnold with a sweet smile once again as she awaited whatever response he'd give to her good natured little ribbing about his sudden new romantic tendencies.

Arnold, meanwhile, initially felt a touch of that awkwardness and discomfort like he'd been experiencing earlier that evening come upon him at her small joke…but then it quickly ebbed as he recalled how silly he'd come to realize all of that guilt and worry had been. His former lovesick grin returned….and then grew into a full smile…and then that smile resulted in a warm chuckle. Though Helga was still smiling at him, she had to at least raise part of her brow at this strange reaction. Before she could question him about it, though, Arnold suddenly cooled his laughter a bit (both so he could address her confusion and to keep Miriam Pataki from hearing anything else) and looked back up at her again lovingly… and then said simply, "You know…I'm really happy that I love you, Helga"

"_Oh_…" Helga's eyes went wide again that evening for just a second at these unexpected words, but then her dreamy smile quickly returned. "Yeah, well…" she glanced to the side, her grin only growing, "I'd tell you that _I'm _pretty psyched about that _myself_, but I'd rather show you…" She blushed and then looked at him again, realizing how what she'd said could be interpreted in multiple ways...(though, to be honest, she hadn't really been thinking too clearly when she'd spoken just now and had probably kind of meant it just the way it sounded…) "Uh, you know, I mean…" she did her best to move on from the awkward moment, "like with another book of poems for Friday…that I'm going to go write right now considering the amount of inspiration I've gotten from this night and from the last ten minutes alone!" Suddenly, the sound of someone actually trying to open Helga's door interrupted the moment, and her and Arnold's breaths caught in their throats and their eyes went wide simultaneously. Helga, realizing she had to get to taking care of Miriam already before things got too suspicious, shook her head to clear it and instantly reached up to close her window, quickly whispering down to her beloved, "Uh, see you, Football Head. And thanks again for being such a sport about the shrines thing before. You are _such_ a weirdo for being okay with that, by the way, you know that?" She couldn't help but smirk.

Arnold just rolled his eyes at the comment and smiled. And he probably could have just wished her goodbye as well right then and been done with their evening, but…

Instead, Arnold swallowed and, summing up a bit more of his courage and reminding himself that, after all, _Helga_ had gotten the chance to ask something _she_ was kind of curious about, so didn't _he_ deserve the same opportunity, he asked in a loud whisper, before she could pull down the pane of glass that would separate them once more that evening, "Hey…Helga?"

"Mmm hmm?" though a bit of panic was still obviously about her face at the fact that Miriam seemed to have suddenly decided that she needed to pay her younger daughter a visit before turning in for the night, Helga couldn't help but resume her dreamy gaze as she paused in the middle of beginning to pull the window closed and looked to her beloved once more that evening. '_After how wonderful he's made me feel lately, especially tonight, he more than deserves an extra minute to talk regardless of the risks with Bob and Miriam_…'

"Um…Well…" Arnold swallowed just a bit nervously and glanced down—two facts that weren't lost on Helga who suddenly had to raise part of her brow slightly in curiosity. _'I know it's stupid to ask, but_…' He let out a breath and continued, glancing back up at her. "Well, as long as we're asking questions we should already know the answers to…" he had to smile just a bit as he qualified, "Because, honestly, I really don't see how you could think I wouldn't think you were the best of any other girl I've ever met in _every_ way…" The comment made Helga blush and giggle slightly once more, which helped to relax Arnold just a little…though he still felt the need to take a deep breath to calm himself as he finally asked, "But, just to be sure…Do you really think that I…" he couldn't help but glance away just a bit shyly again, "…That I give terrific kisses?" He felt heat flood his face as the words left his mouth, and he continued nervously. "Because I—I'm really not sure what I'm doing half the time…_all_ the time, actually… But you seem like…well, like you were born to do it or something..." He managed to glance back up at her, looking very unsure to day the least. '_She really is amazing at it and I'm just…just kind of going along with her and whatever feels right…But she did say before that she thinks mine are terrific so_…'

His doubtful thoughts were interrupted by the sound and sight of Helga suddenly chuckling slightly and shaking her head with a small smile on her face. '_Oh brother…sheesh, I really __must__ be good at the whole kissing thing to make him __that__ self-conscious…_' "Yes, Arnold…" she began in an understanding tone, "you give terrific, fantastic, unbelievable, incredible, unimaginable, 'amazing' kisses." She laughed just a bit more before continuing. "And as for thinking you don't know what you're doing—just keep going with tossing me down on couches and showing up at my door with suggestive smiles and suddenly dipping me back when I'm least expecting it and any other wonderful thing your instincts come up with, and I think we'll be fine!" she finished with a wink.

Arnold just blushed and laughed to himself at her response to his doubt, and then gazed up at her happily. "Thanks, Helga." '_Maybe she's right…maybe I __should__ just keep going with my instincts… After all, if I keep making her moan and shudder and sigh like that, I have to be doing something right, right_?'

Helga just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at him. "You're welcome, Romeo," she responded playfully.

Arnold smiled a bit more and opened his mouth like he was about to say something (probably some kind of amusing reference to that first kiss of theirs as Romeo and Juliet and the fact that he was basically coming up to her 'balcony' right now)…

Suddenly, though, there was another knock or two at the door…and they were much more firm sounding this time. "Helga? You're starting to worry me a little…is everything okay in there, honey?" came Miriam's voice from the other side, this time with more than a bit of urgency behind her tone.

Helga instantly swallowed hard, coming out of her lovesick state and realizing that she really needed to deal with her mother right now, regardless of these last little tender moments her and Arnold were managing to squeeze in, _before_ his secret visit to her room became not so secret anymore. "Sorry, Arnold—gotta go take care of Miriam and Bob before they realize something's up! Goodnight and…thanks for coming back and doing what you did…" She smiled and then her eyes went wide and she couldn't help but blush a bit once more that evening at the implications of yet another statement she'd allowed to slip out without thinking about it first. "I mean, for telling me all that stuff about how you listened to me before and how you understand that I don't want some kind of double standard…" She swallowed hard and glanced down, a bit of a dreamy smile coming back to her face as she had to add, truthfully, "But, I mean…for that kiss too, of course…" She couldn't help but sighed dreamily to herself as she then turned her eyes to Arnold's once more and added, "Crimeny, Football Head, talk about ending the Anniversary 'festivities' with a bang! You got me back for all that stuff on the bed before and _then some_…_Very_ impressive, Arnoldo. Not many people can throw Helga G. Pataki for a loop!" She brought her arms down from the window and had to just cross them over her chest and shake her head at her beloved with an impressed smile for a moment.

As she finished on this lighter note, Arnold couldn't help but just chuckle at her statement and her stuttering and at the memories of everything they'd done tonight in general. "Whatever you say, Helga. And thanks for helping me with the kissing thing in the first place…" He winked.

"Helga, honey? Are you sick?" Miriam again, much to Helga's terror…and sounding more and more concerned…and trying to get the door open again.

Though she could feel her heart starting to race a bit with the anxiety of Miriam being just outside of her door and seemingly determined to enter it, Helga still managed to roll her eyes and grin down at her beloved as she quickly replied in a loud whisper, "Oh, just shut up and go break into someone else's house, Arnoldo."

Arnold just laughed once more and then prepared to resume his climb down Helga's tree once again that evening, accepting, despite how much it seemed like the two of them could just talk to each other forever and never get bored, that Helga really did probably need to go and deal with her mom before they both got caught and he was banned from the Pataki house for life. "Goodnight again, Helga." He paused for just a second in his descent…and then looked back up at her and added shyly. "I…I love you." He had to laugh to himself mentally at those words. '_It's funny but…when I first found out that she loved me and people kept trying to say that I liked her back too…Well, I thought that maybe there was a chance that I like-liked her a little, but…I couldn't even think of the word love without almost panicking. But, now…that really __is__ the only way to describe what it is, I think. I love her…a lot…_' He had to smile just a bit more as his thought finished progressing. '_And she loves me…and it's gone from being the scariest thing in the world to something I don't think I could live without even if I tried…_'

Helga, meanwhile, at the sound of this last little addition to Arnold's goodnight, paused one final time in the middle of being about to shut the window. She blushed and smiled, and looked down at him lovingly just once more. "Goodnight Arnold…" she whispered back, "I love you too."

Another knock. "Helga, you're really starting to worry me—I'm going to get your father."

Helga's eyes went very VERY wide and she instantly slammed the window shut and ran back into her room and out of Arnold's sight. _'Miriam I can work…Bob I can work…but not the two of them together…and NOT about THIS_!'

* * *

A little while later, Arnold found himself entering the Boarding House. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he stepped into the dim foyer and closed the familiar door behind him. '_Maybe Grandpa went to bed early…I guess I should wake him up and let him know that I'm home, and apologize for getting back so long after I said I was going to…But…' _he glanced down, '_Then again…I __did__ kind of go through a lot tonight so…maybe just this once I could just get up to my room and hope he doesn't notice how late I am_…' Arnold knew it might be a little wrong to do this but, in his defense, he really _had_ been through a lot this evening…

And, so, our Football Headed hero began to walk slowly and quietly in the direction of the stairs when, suddenly, the basement door opened, flooding the hallway with light, and out stepped Phil in his pajamas, holding a newspaper. "Whew! Nothing like a half hour in the comfort of my own private, secret bathroom!" He stretched up and yawned, and then turned in the direction of the stairs, only to meet with a very wide-eyed Arnold.

"Uh…" Arnold smiled sheepishly up at the old man, "Hi, Grandpa…I was just, uh…just getting…a drink of water…"

Phil raised an eyebrow at the ten-year-old boy before him. "_Mmm hmm_…" He smiled slyly, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you're just coming from bed to do this, I'm assuming… Where you should have been an hour ago."

"Uh…" Arnold put his arms behind his back and glanced to the side nervously. '_Where's Helga when I need her?_' "Well, I…"

"Which would explain…" Phil continued, now putting a hand on his hip, "Why you're still in your clothes and have a rope over your shoulder and some kind of little book behind your back and a bunch of leaves and twigs and stuff in your hair…"

Arnold suddenly recalled his appearance and the items he was carrying with him and blushed, his eyes going even wider.

Grandpa tried not to laugh. "I'm waiting, Shortman…"

Finally, Arnold just sighed and removed his free arm from behind his back (unable to help the compulsion to still keep Helga's pink book out of sight), dragging a hand down his face. "I'm sorry I'm late, Grandpa…" he began apologetically, "I thought I was only going to be a half an hour but, well…I went to see Helga and I was going to try and surprise her with something but it kind of didn't work out…but then it kind of did…and it just…took a little while to sort out…" Despite his situation, Arnold couldn't help but feel a small smile pull at the corners of his mouth at just how well things at Helga's had worked out indeed…

Phil crossed his arms over his chest again…obviously fighting back a serious smile. "And the rope?"

"Oh…um…" Arnold blinked, coming out of his happy memories, and then glanced at the rope still coiled around his shoulder. '_I'm going to try and explain this right now and no matter how I put it, it's going to be very embarrassing, isn't it?_' He sighed mentally. '_Oh well—at least none of the other boarders or Grandma are here to see this_…' Arnold then took a deep breath and looked back up at his grandfather sheepishly. "Well…you see, Helga usually sneaks in through my window whenever she wants to surprise _me_ so…" His eyes instantly went wide and he felt heat flood his face, and he tried his best to backpedal a little. "I mean, not that she does that, all that much…" Still, Arnold wanted to at least try being truthful, especially considering how much trouble he was sure he was already in. "I mean, she used to do it a lot before we…uh…" '_Oh boy…_' "I mean, she _still_ does it but…but not at night like I just did at her house…" he tried to state firmly, and then realized what he had just suggested about himself, and felt his blush return in full force. "I mean, not that I _meant_ to do it at night, heh, heh…." He laughed nervously. "I actually didn't think she'd be home, but I only stayed when I found out she _was _home because it took a while to sort some things out between us, like I said…" He swallowed hard, realizing he was only digging himself deeper, and finally just did his best to wrap things up. "A-anyway, like I said, she comes in through _my_ window sometimes so…I kind of used the rope to sneak in through _her_ window tonight."

The old man in front of him was obviously holding back laughter. "A-and the branches and l-leaves?" he managed to get out without breaking.

"I…" Arnold tried to brush some of the debris from his hair on instinct, though he stopped himself, instantly accepting that any attempts he might make in that area were already far too late to help his situation. "Well…" he continued, glancing down, "Helga usually uses the fire escape to get to _my_ room, but part of sneaking into—I mean, uh, 'visiting' _her_ room tonight might have been…climbing a tree in her backyard..." He glanced back up at his grandfather nervously.

Phil's grin, meanwhile, was only growing. "And the book…?" he asked finally.

Arnold blushed and cleared his throat, and did his best to hide Helga's pink book behind his back a bit more. "Oh, uh…well…that's kind of private, Grandpa. Sorry." '_I couldn't begin to give a non-embarrassing explanation about Helga's poetry even if I tried_…'

Phil, meanwhile, just let out a sigh at this reply, still grinning down at his grandson and obviously doing his best to still fight back a laugh out of politeness. "And all this was for what, again, exactly, Shortman?"

Arnold took a deep breath, unbelieving that he was even about to say these words...but, in all fairness, he _had_ been rather late and his grandfather _did_ deserve to know the reason why…and also, Phil _had_ been decent enough to let the pink book thing go without explanation. "It was for our, um…our one week Anniversary." Arnold glanced unsurely at his grandfather, almost cringing at whatever reaction the old man would give to this last admission.

Phil just looked at the boy for a second longer…and then finally burst into uncontrollable laughter, holding his sides and doubling over in amusement…

* * *

_Ten minutes later…_

Arnold, _still_ being a very understanding ten-year-old boy and knowing very well his grandfather's sense of humor, had been trying to be very patient with the second basically ceaseless fit of laughter that he had been forced to endure this evening at his expense. Finally, though, he had to just cross his arms over his chest, scowl just slightly at the older man before him, and roll his eyes as he seriously considered walking right back out the boarding house door and returning to Helga's because, to be frank, dealing with Big Bob Pataki was starting to seem like a better option than continuing to entertain his grandfather with the slightly awkward evening he'd just had. "Grandpa…can I just get my punishment and maybe go to bed now? Please!" Arnold finally asked in a level voice.

Phil, after a few more seconds of belly-busting chuckles, wiped a few more tears from his eyes and finally managed to straighten up a bit and address his grandson. "_Oh boy_…" he had to take several deep breaths before he could really continue to speak coherently to the obviously slightly annoyed boy before him. "Yeah, we can get to that if you really want to…But, you know, Shortman…" Phil had to shake his head in amusement, "_First_, I've just gotta say that I just lost a bet with your Grandma because she was sure you wouldn't be back for at least another hour…but it was completely worth it for that story! Heh, heh, heh!" He had to give in to some chuckles once again.

Arnold, at hearing this information, instantly lost his slightly annoyed look. Indeed, his eyes went wide in shock and embarrassment. "Grandpa!" He felt heat flood his face. "You guys bet on me not getting home from Helga's house until _11 o' clock at night_!"

Phil laughed a bit more to himself and then looked down at Arnold once again. "Actually, _I_ bet you wouldn't be back until _midnight_, but the winner was whoever got the closest, so I'm gonna have to give this one to Pookie when she wakes up in the morning!" He continued laughing to himself at bit.

Arnold just swallowed hard and glanced down, stammering in disbelief, "Oh, come on, Grandpa…you—you didn't _really_ think I'd be over there for _five_ hours…"

Phil took another deep breath to curb his laughter, and then wiped a tear of hilarity from his eye as he replied to the obviously flustered boy before him, "Well, you just figured out that you love the girl, Arnold, and she loves you, and you're growing up a bit and it's a Saturday night…" He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Arnold a look. "We just figured that you might actually be trying a date that _isn't_ just you talking her ear off in your room after school and then buying her an ice cream cone! Heh, heh…"

"Grandpa!" Arnold instantly blushed even more strongly, looking up at the older man with desperation in his eyes. "She's just…I mean, yeah, we…but we're only…and I was just…" He sighed in distress. "_Grandpa_!"

"Oh relax, Shortman!" Phil waved him off. "I'm just teasing you!" He put a hand on Arnold's shoulder. "Don't get so worked up about it, though—you know I started going with your Grandma when I was about your age…"

Arnold blinked at this unexpected information, and managed to ask, despite how quickly he could feel his heart pumping in humiliation courtesy of his grandfather's good natured ribbing, "Wait…you've known Grandma since you were ten?"

Phil began to lead Arnold toward the stairs. "Oh, I've known your Grandma since we were practically babies…" He removed his hand from his grandson's shoulder and put it to his chin in thought. "Now, I KNOW I told you some kind of story about how she was always driving me nuts ever since before I could remember…What was it again…? Something about when we were both in school…"

Phil continued up another step or two, racking his brain…

…Arnold, meanwhile, just remained frozen on the first step of the boarding house staircase, his jaw completely dropped and his eyes wide, and the pink book and rope having suddenly dropped to the floor on either side of him with soft plops.

"Shortman?" Phil blinked and turned around, realizing from the sound of the two items falling to the wooden floor some distance behind him that his Grandson who was no longer following at his side. He raised an eyebrow at the strange look on Arnold's face. "Something the matter?"

Arnold just blinked, a memory and then a sudden torrent of realization washing over him. "Grandma…was Gertie…" he began in a level and yet obviously stunned tone, "The girl who was always picking on you and playing pranks on you and making your life miserable… _Grandma was Gertie_?"

Grandpa just smiled and rolled his eyes at him. "Well, of course, Shortman! She was always doing stuff like that, and then one day I caught her actually doing something to _help_ me this one time the boarding house almost got torn down, and I asked her what the deal was and the crazy bird admitted it was all 'cause she was _in love_ with me and then she _kissed_ me! Heh, heh…" He had to laugh to himself at the memory. "And I thought about that for a little while and didn't believe it at first and kept trying to get her to talk about it but, let me tell you Arnold, your Grandma's about the most stubborn girl in the world…" He shook his head in a bit of exasperation. "Anyway, I kept spending so much time trying to get her to talk about it that I actually started to kind of get to know her a little, and then when I actually thought about it I realized I was all confused about how I felt about her. So then one day, out of the blue, I'm talking to my best friend Jimmy Kafka about it and he says over a couple of sarsaparillas, 'Well, maybe your not _smitten_ with her, Phil, but you sure don't just like her anymore… so maybe that means you're just _starting_ to fall for her, Phil.' And then boom, it hit me like a ton of bricks—I was actually getting feelings for Gertie!" He smiled and crossed his arms over his chest as he concluded, "So, I just got her on a date and told her how I felt and kissed her and, well…here we are over seventy years later!" Phil had to laugh to himself once more at the whole story.

Arnold, meanwhile, despite this amusing (and very ironic) anecdote, just continued standing there, unblinking and unbreathing with his mouth slightly agape. "So…" he managed after a few seconds, blinking a few more times, "_Grandma_…was…_Gertie_?"

Phil just had to scratch his head at his grandson's strange tone and his repetition of this seemingly already answered question. "Shortman, are you sure you didn't fall out of that tree or something and hit your head? Yes—your Grandma's the girl who was always driving me nuts when I was a kid, just like Helga's always driving you nuts now." He smiled smugly, and put a hand to one of his hips. "Just plain _uncanny_, isn't it?"

Arnold blinked and finally took a real breath. "Grandpa…" his eyes darted back and forth in a mixture of disbelief and realization, until they fell to the old man again, "Why didn't you TELL me that the _first time_ you told me that story? I mean…" he looked like his mind was being blown, and his voice attested to this fact as well, "If you had, I probably wouldn't started liking Helga back right away or anything…but I probably wouldn't have had to wait until FTi to figure out that she really _does_ like me!" He looked up at the old man in just a bit of desperation. '_But if…if Grandpa ended up marrying Grandma and she was the girl who was always bothering him because she secretly liked him, then…I mean, if things keep being so similar between what happened to him and what's been happening with me and Helga, does that mean…I mean, could that mean that_…'

His confused thoughts were interrupted by Phil rolling his eyes again and replying simply to his grandson's desperate statements and questions, "Well, I figured it wouldn't make a difference, Shortman. Besides, even _without_ me mentioning that Gertie was your Grandma I TRIED to tell you about a million times that day and every day since then that that Helga girl was nuts about you, but you didn't want to hear it." He geared up for an Arnold impression. "Oh no, Grandpa: there's _no way_ she likes me—she follows me around and picks on me and tries everything in the book to get my attention and spends all her time watching me and crashing through my ceiling but it's impossible that she actually—"

Arnold, despite his total shock and all of the chaotic and heretofore unconsidered thoughts currently racing through his mind, suddenly blinked and turned to his grandfather, an eyebrow raised. "Wait, wait, wait—what do you mean 'crashing through my ceiling'…?"

Phil blinked at the question and then looked back down to Arnold. "Oh, well, I figured for the poor girl's sake I shouldn't mention it to you, but you both finally figured things out so…" He smiled a bit to himself and began the story. "A few months ago after you went to school one day your Grandma and I were just sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast and all of a sudden we heard some noises and some creaking, and then that girlfriend of yours just crashed through the ceiling and landed smack dab in the middle of the table. We were gonna ask her what was up but she seemed pretty determined about getting somewhere so we figured we should just leave it alone for now…you know?" He grinned down at Arnold.

And Arnold, meanwhile, once again despite the shock he'd just received with finding out the truth behind the whole Gertie thing, couldn't help but put a hand to his mouth where a serious grin was now forming both at the idea of what 'Helga story' could possibly be behind this particular random incident as well as at the memory suddenly resurfacing in his mind of his own crash through a ceiling with Helga back at PS 118 two weeks ago. '_Well, that clears up a lot of the things about how she knew how to get us through the air vents so well…'_

Realizing, though, that now probably wasn't the ideal time to get lost in humorous memories about Helga G. Pataki, Arnold did his best to clear his throat and avoid the laugh dying to get out of him…at least, until he was finished talking with his grandfather. "Oh…" he merely replied with a small smile on his face as he picked up the pink book and rope once more, "I see…Thanks for, um…for telling me, Grandpa."

Phil just continued smiling down at his grandson. "Anyway, as for the Gertie thing, Shortman—well, like I said, you didn't seem to want to hear it so I figured I shouldn't push it any further than that. Better to let things take their course, you know?" He winked all-knowingly.

Arnold just sighed at the gesture, and glanced down and shook his head, a very amused smile on his face by this point.

Grandpa walked back down to the step Arnold was still currently on, smiling slyly. He put a hand on his grandson's shoulder once more. "And, hey, be happy your getting fair warning _now_, Shortman—much more time to get used to the idea, decide when to propose, pick out the names of the kids…"

"_Grandpa_!" Arnold instantly lost his small smile and blushed furiously, completely looking away from him once more.

"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil laughed to himself at the reaction. "Oh I _know_ that blush, Shortman—I _invented_ that blush when I was your age and my father used to catch me coming in late from 'playdates' with Gertie…" He shook his head in amusement at the memories. "Good times, good times…"

Arnold, meanwhile, just sighed again and put a hand to his head, actually trying not to laugh a bit at the comment himself despite how embarrassing it was. "Grandpa, I…I think Helga and I should just try and make it to our one _month_ anniversary first before we think about anything else…" he responded simply, and then proceeded to resume heading up the boarding house stairs.

Phil just rolled his eyes, his all-knowing grin still more than present, and followed after his grandson. "Sure, Shortman…but from one 'picked on in particular' guy to another, fiery girls like that usually aren't inclined to ever let you go—at least not without a fight…and they have a way of making you feel the same way about them too." He winked again.

Arnold rolled his eyes and just did his best to not blush too much more at this very accurate description of Helga Pataki. "Whatever you say, Grandpa…"

Suddenly, the sound of his grandfather yawning caught Arnold's ears. "But to speed things up a bit with you and Helga, Shortman…" Arnold had to glance at the old man with an eyebrow raised, his tone suddenly sounding a bit wryer than usual… "How about we extend your curfew to, oh, let's say…ten o' clock?"

Arnold instantly blinked at his grandfather in surprise. "Really?"

Phil smiled back at him. "_Really_! Well, except for next weekend—it's eight since you came in quite a bit past when you were supposed to tonight…But after that, sure, why not?" He shrugged.

A wide smile suddenly came to Arnold's face. "Thanks, Grandpa!"

"And…" Phil continued, a sly look still about him as the two finally reached the second floor landing, "so that you can actually _afford_ dates at places besides an ice cream parlor, why don't we increase your allowance by, oh, let's say…two dollars a week? After you do a few extra chores around here this week, of course, as the other part of making up for the lateness tonight." Phil just continued to smile down at his grandson.

"Really?" Arnold couldn't help but respond again in surprise. "You mean it?" '_I can't believe this… This is…great_!'

Phil gave an affirming nod. "Yup—you're not getting any younger, Shortman, and the girl's _bound_ to want a real dinner out at some point instead of just picking at leftover's here and getting a sundae afterwards. Heh, heh…!"

Arnold had to laugh a bit to himself as well at this statement (and at the flash of memories that briefly played through his mind about his few attempts at dinners out with Helga so far in their lives) just as Phil just yawned once more, this time stretching up a bit. "Well, goodnight, Shortman…I'll see you in the morning." He began to head for his bedroom door, but then turned to Arnold as he put his hand on the doorknob. "And don't stay up too late thinking about Helga or anything…" He smiled. "Tomorrow's Sunday and we're both getting up bright and early to replace all the storm windows with screens in all the rooms." He put a hand to his chin in thought. "Supposed to have done it right around the time of that whole Sheck thing but with all the sneaking around and celebrating I never got the chance. We're a month and a half overdue!"

Arnold couldn't help but smile just a bit more and glance down in thought, finding something ironic in that last phrase the old man had used. "Okay Grandpa. Goodnight…" he looked back up at him, "And thanks again…" he finished sincerely, "for everything." He began to head down the hall toward the entrance to his room.

Phil just laughed and winked. "Sure thing, Shortman." He opened the door to his room…but then turned back to Arnold once more. "Oh, but Arnold…?"

Phil let out a bit of an exasperated sigh, and the sound caught Arnold's ears and caused him to raise an eyebrow as he stopped in his walk down the hall and turned back around once more. "Yes, Grandpa?" the young boy asked curiously.

Phil took a breath, a small bit of his smile returning. "I…don't think your Grandma and I were the only ones taking bets on tonight…So, just…try and ignore them as you're heading up to your room, okay? And I'll do my best to keep them at bay tomorrow…But, for now, though, they should probably be out here in three…two…one…"

Arnold just looked at his grandfather in confusion for a second longer…but then the sound of the first door down the hall opening caught his ears…and he instantly more than understood, with a sick lurch in his stomach, what the old man must be referring to…

"Hey, the kid's finally back!" announced Ernie Potts, suddenly entering the hall in a nightshirt. "Hey, Huynh, Kokoschka—get out here. We have some financial matters to settle!"

Arnold just stood there, his jaw dropping in shock yet again that night at the sound of the voices entering the hallway in front of him. '_They're not serious…they didn't really…they wouldn't have __actually__…_' He turned around slowly…and was met with his worst fears at the sight of the boarders indeed opening their doors and entering the hallway, obviously to collect on bets they had made about his 'visit to Helga's house' that evening… _'I really do need to have Helga teach me how to be just a bit sneakier, don't I_?'

"Ah, yes, Arnold is home! Let's found out who won the pools!" Mr. Huynh announced, suddenly entering the hall as well and likewise in pajamas.

"Did someone say Arnold's back?" Mr. Kokoschka announced, throwing his door open and jumping out. "Hooray, I get to win the pool!"

"Oskar!" Suzie suddenly stepped out of their room in a nightgown, rubbing her eyes and scowling at her husband. "I told you not to do this—leave those poor kids alone! That goes for all three of you!" She put her hands on her hips. However, none of the three men seemed to pay her much attention as they eagerly approached Arnold.

"_Mmm_…" Arnold couldn't help but growl to himself slightly as he just dragged a hand down his face. He turned back to Phil. "_Grandpa_…" he looked desperately to the old man.

Phil just shook his head and let out a sigh. "Don't look at _me_, Shortman—they figured out you were going out on a little date the second you left here acting all secretive and with a smile on your face." He yawned again. "Like I said, I'll help you with them in the morning but right now I'm a little tired from all that private time in my bathroom, and it _is_ getting pretty late, so just ignore them and head up to your room and I'm sure we can all work things out over breakfast tomorrow… Besides…" Phil looked to Arnold with a bit of a gleam in his eye once more, "your Grandma's asleep but we still have a couple more private bets to settle, so we can all just wait to hear the whole story about tonight from you when we're all awake tomorrow morning! Goodnight, Shortman!" And with that and a wink he entered the bedroom and closed it behind him, leaving Arnold alone to fend for himself in the hallway.

'_Well_…' Arnold finally just sighed and shook his head in disbelief, '_might as well get this over with and just try and ignore them for now_…' And so with this uneasy thought he hesitantly turned back to the three eager borders before him.

"Okay, Arnold," began Ernie, "You can take care of Grandma and the old man's wagers over breakfast if you want, but you'd be doing us a favor if you could just settle some stuff right now before you hit the hay."

"Yes!" Mr. Huynh affirmed with a smile.

"Hooray! If I get money now, I can still join some of the guys downtown for that poker game! OW!" Oskar had to finish with a yell as Suzie elbowed him, scowling at his immaturity.

Mr. Potts, ignoring the enthusiasm of his two friends, took another step toward Arnold with a smile and began to explain. "Okay, so, here's all the basic bets the three of us have got going—and a lot of money's riding on this, so be straight with us kid! See, to start, me and Huynh got ten bucks each against Kokoschka that says that you—"

Arnold, however, with a deep sigh, instantly cut off Mr. Potts, holding up his hand. "You guys…I appreciate your, um…'enthusiasm' about me and Helga's new…um… 'relationship'…" he had to blush a bit at the word, "But…I'm a little tired so do you think this really could maybe wait until the morning?"

A collective "Aw!" instantly came from all three boarders, whose faces now bore more than a look of disappointment.

"Yes, you three!" Suzie suddenly chimed in, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at the three grown men in the hall. "At least let Arnold get to bed and have a good night's rest BEFORE he has to decide a bunch of immature bets!"

"Oh, _okay_…" Mr. Potts finally conceded in frustration…though he couldn't help but yawning himself at the reminder both from Phil before and Suzie now at just how late it indeed had become, "I guess it _is_ getting pretty late..."

"Yes…" Mr. Huynh nodded his head. "Agreed. Breakfast tomorrow morning might be better, just like the old man and Arnold say..."

"Oh, but, I want to collect my money now and—OW!" Oskar suddenly yelled yet again as Suzie, this time, grabbed him by the ear, shaking her head in disbelief.

Arnold smiled over at her gratefully. "Thanks, Mrs. Kokoschka." And with that he proceeded to secure his grip on the rope and pink book and head down the hall.

As Arnold reached the attic entrance to his room and pulled down the steps, though, he did pause for a moment, consider, and then with a small smile on his face turn back around to the still full hallway. He cleared his throat, getting their attentions. "Um…I think I do kind of want to say at least _one_ thing, though, before I go to bed..." He glanced down and to the side. "Actually, I've been meaning to mention it for a week now but Helga reminded me of it tonight so I should probably say it before I forget again..." He mentally sighed. '_Why not? This night's been so full of embarrassing things anyway—at least this one might actually help in some way_.'

The three men and even Suzie paused in the middle of heading back into their rooms, and each turned to Arnold with eyebrows raised and slightly eager faces.

Arnold took a deep breath, did his best to keep his blushing under control, and then finally announced very quickly, "Helga told me when she called me a lousy kisser two weeks ago that she just said that because she was angry… Actually, she let me know a couple of times tonight that I give terrific kisses…even better than hers sometimes…Which is actually saying something because hers are always pretty…well…_amazing_ …" Arnold did his very best not to actually laugh out loud at both the memories of Helga complimenting his kissing and the shocked looks on the faces of Mr. Potts, Mr. Kokoschka and Mr. Huynh around him (and Suzie's happy smile). He then just took one more deep breath, waved and said "Goodnight, everyone!" to the hallway of boarders, and finally headed up his attic steps, smiling contentedly.

The last sounds from the hallway that met Arnold's ears (causing him to just shake his head in amusement) included Oskar announcing proudly, "Hey, they kissed at least once. That means I win the pool! Yay!"

Followed by…

"No, you bum—we've gotta find out how many _times_ exactly before we start exchanging money! Remember, you bet five bucks against me and Huynh that they'd get as far as kissing, but me and Huynh got ten against you that says if they did, they managed it three times or more!" Ernie.

"Yes!" chimed in Mr. Huynh firmly, "We have to wait to find out all of the details. That is the only fair way!"

"You boys! Stop it, already, and get to bed!" Suzie.

Arnold just laughed warmly to himself at his extended family as he finished climbing the attic steps.

* * *

Now inside of his room, ready for bed and finally alone with himself to just calmly and quietly think, Arnold couldn't help but shake his head and recall, as he placed his twig covered clothes into his hamper, all of the insane and yet undeniably wonderful events of the evening he'd just had…especially that last part where he'd gotten home only to find out that his grandfather's own school bully had ended up becoming his wife of seventy years (and, of course, his proud revelation to the rest of his extended family that, in Helga's opinion at least (and did any other opinion really matter?), he was far from being a 'lousy kisser'...)

Moving on to placing the rope in his closet now that his clothes were taken care of, Arnold's thoughts focused on the Gertie story once more and he just had to smile at the irony considering the similar romantic turns of his own young life…and at all of it's potential implications…. '_Me and Helga…__married__…_' He couldn't help but briefly recall his dream about that particular situation not too long ago… and then how he had told Helga about it during their date yesterday when she'd curiously asked what he had meant by that line in his poem about dreaming about her, and how she had scowled a bit at first when he'd explained it to her…but then blushed as he'd gotten to the end where things had turned out pretty okay… And then he recalled, as well, the brief story she'd told him in return just before letting him see the math book shrine about a similar though radically different dream she'd had about them being married, also courtesy of Rhonda's origami marriage predictor… And how he'd laughed warmly when she had finished and she'd just scowled at him for this reaction…until he had managed to stop laughing for a moment and had merely looked at her and said 'You win.' And then she'd blinked, and quickly broken into a smile and started laughing warmly herself and he'd resumed laughing warmly right along with her…and they'd both had just remained happily like that for what had felt like forever…

Arnold sighed to himself again as, now done putting the rope away and closing his closet door, he next walked across his room and then crawled across his covers to place Helga's latest pink book atop a pile of a few of the other ones he still had of hers…the group of which he had taken to keeping on a shelf near the head of his bed. It wasn't exactly a shrine but, still…Arnold couldn't deny a small similarity in that, over the past week, he had at least come to like looking at the poems and then just the small stack of familiar pink before drifting off to sleep at night. It was nice and it…somehow it just made him smile and feel really happy and comfortable and safe inside every evening before his eyes closed for the final time until morning…

Arnold shook his head to clear his thoughts on the matter, a small smile upon his face, and then pulled back his covers and got into bed. Just laying there now, in the peaceful silence of his room, he suddenly couldn't help but find himself recalling in an instant all of the memories of all of the craziness Helga G. Pataki had managed to bring into his life not just that evening or over the course of the last week or two, but ever since they had _met_…and how, even though it was lot to handle and sometimes very confusing and sometimes even a little scary (he could still distinctly remember the sound of Big Bob coming up those stairs before, and how he had been certain it had made all of the color drain from his face despite the amount of blushing he'd been doing just seconds before the Pataki parents had arrived home, all things considered), it was also wonderful and fun and exciting and somehow perfect and right in all of its insanity. '_Well_,' Arnold smiled to himself with his eyes closed, trying not to laugh as his conversation with his grandfather came to his mind once more, _'At least we'd have plenty of stories for __our__ grandkids…'_

Arnold then yawned and turned on his side, opening his eyes once more to let them fall on Helga's pink books. And he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as the thought suddenly entered into his head, underneath the moon and stars so visible in the clear evening sky, _'And I have to remember to ask Grandma about Eleanor tomorrow…' _

* * *

While Arnold had been doing his best (though in vain) to sneak back into the boarding house, only to find himself having a very interesting and enlightening talk with his grandfather…and a very amusing confrontation with the boarders…Helga G. Pataki had had her own situation to contend with before finally getting the chance to go to sleep…

Upon shutting the window and letting Arnold go once and for all that night, Helga had instantly rushed back over to her door to deal with Miriam. '_Please don't let Miriam get __Bob__ before I open the door! PLEASE don't let Miriam get __BOB__ before I open the door!_' Helga reached for the doorknob, undid the lock, and flung open the door just in time to see her mother in mid step down the hall in the direction of her parent's bedroom. '_Yes—perfect timing!'_

"MOM!" Helga instantly yelled with just a touch of unintentional panic, effectively causing Miriam to pause in her journey…but also to eye her daughter just a little suspiciously. "I mean…" Helga swallowed and tried her best to get on the offensive, scowling a bit as she added in a more annoyed and casual sounding tone, "Miriam, what is it? Crimeny, some of us are trying to _sleep_, here!"

Miriam proceeded to walk the few steps back in the direction of her younger daughter's room and now stood in the doorway, her arms crossed in front of her, and smiling at Helga…in a way, Helga noted with a touch of unease, that couldn't help but make her feel like Miriam was here to do more than just say goodnight again…

"Helga…why didn't you answer the door the first time I knocked?" Miriam suddenly asked, looking at her daughter like she already knew the answer…which made Helga swallow. Hard.

Helga glanced from side to side. "Uh…well…" '_Okay, okay…just focus… After all the only two people more dense in the world than Arnold are Bob and Miriam_...' She glanced up hesitantly at her mother, doing her best to maintain some form of scowl. "Well…like I said, Miriam, I was just trying to get some sleep…so it took me a few minutes to really wake up when you called…"

Miriam raised an eyebrow, the smile still on her face. "You were sleeping…with your lights still on?"

Helga blinked and turned back in the direction of her lamp on her nightstand which, she realized, had been on the whole time and obviously giving off light into the hallway through the cracks around the edge of her door.

She turned back to her mother, her scowl faltering just slightly. "Well…I…was…just, uh…I was…" She cleared her throat and then, an idea occurring to her, decided to make one small sacrifice of her pride for the sake of maintaining another much larger point of personal importance for her. "I'm afraid of the dark so I was…sleeping with the light on." She looked up at Miriam, knowing full well the nervousness that must be apparent in her eyes but hoping, once again, that her mother was too dense or too out of it or some combination of the two to really notice. "Heh, heh…" '_Crimeny—what the heck is with all of these questions?_'

Miriam just sighed in response at first...that strange smile still on her face, though. "_Mmm hmm_…" She then (and much against Helga's wishes) walked into her younger daughter's room, paused for a second looking down and to her left (and it sounded like she laughed slightly, which didn't do anything to make Helga feel less like she was about to die from the anxiety of this entire situation). And then, much to Helga's continued surprise, her mother resumed walking across her room, only to finally turn at the end of her journey and sit on the edge of Helga's bed. She then looked to her daughter and addressed her very sincerely. "Helga?"

"Uh…Yeah?" Helga felt her heart pounding at seeing Miriam all of a sudden so close to where Arnold had been just seconds ago ('_Oh PLEASE do not let him come back here for Arnold and Helga's Anniversary: Part 3! __PLEASE__!)_

"You know…" Miriam began, still smiling, and taking Helga out of her panicked thoughts and back to the reality of the situation. Miriam continued, the sincerity of her gaze suddenly matching her tone, "It's okay if you had a 'friend' over here tonight, Helga, honey…"

At the strange way her mother said the word 'friend' Helga had suddenly realized a very big error in judgment she had made earlier that evening: she'd let Olga and Miriam ride in a car together and wait in an airport for hours with nothing to stop them from talking about one of Olga's favorite topics…her baby sister. '_This…is…a....nightmare…_' Helga could almost feel the color draining from her face. '_She wouldn't really…Olga wouldn't…If she did, though…if she actually __did__…this really is just a freaking __nightmare__…_'

Helga took a few steps forward, trying to resume her usual scowl, though, honestly, it was all she could do to keep herself standing and speaking at this point. "Miriam, I—I told you…I just went out to the Jollie Ollie man to get a Mr. Fudgie and that's why the door was unlocked. No one came over…" Helga did her best to end firmly. '_At least not through the __door__…at least not the __first__ time…_' she couldn't help but add to herself mentally, though.

Miriam just let out a sigh, that all-knowing smile still on her face. "Well, I don't know how that happened, Helga, since half the neighborhood including me saw the Jollie Ollie man get pulled over by his boss last night while you were out with Olga and get suspended for a week for selling ice cream at half price to kids…" Miriam eyed her daughter, awaiting a response.

Helga felt her heart drop into her stomach. She lost any amount of scowl she'd been managing to keep up completely. She didn't move. '_Why do all of my crazy schemes ultimately back fire? __Why__?_'

Miriam then suddenly stood up and walked back over to Helga, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking down at her with a knowing gaze…and effectively causing Helga's heart to feel like it had gone from the lowest pit of her stomach to just stopping dead entirely. "You know, Helga…I was talking to Olga when we were waiting together in the airport…and she mentioned you've been getting a lot closer with your little friend…Arthur, Artie…uh…"

"Arno—" Helga actually felt her mouth open in an automatic reaction to correcting her mother. She instantly closed her lips and shut up, though, her eyes going wide as she realized what she had been about to do. '_Oh, __please__ don't let her have heard that! __Please_!'

Yet, the damage had been done…

Miriam smiled and chuckled to herself, removing her hand from Helga's shoulder and putting it to her mouth. "Yes, that's it—Arnold. The nice little boy who was here two weeks ago when there was that misunderstanding between you and Olga…and I think Olga said something about inviting him over so you two could watch a movie together before your slumber party last weekend…" Her smile became just a bit smugger. "And I heard he might have given you a little kiss on the cheek before he said goodnight…and that you might have asked him out on a second… 'date'?" She awaited a response from her daughter once again.

"Miriam…" Helga began in as level a voice as she could muster, and trying to make the expression on her face look just a little less full of total mayday terror than she actually felt. '_Okay, just stay calm and deny, deny, DENY! Then kill Olga.'_ She took a deep breath. "I don't know what you're driving at and I don't know what randomness Olga was spouting but, as I explicitly stated two weeks ago during that little trophy room interrogation you and Bob put me through, there is _nothing__going on_ between me and Arnold. And he _definitely_ wasn't here tonight, if that's what you're thinking. Case closed." She crossed her arms over her chest, her full scowl reset firmly again on her face. _'I actually __am__ going to kill Olga for this…. And if Miriam doesn't buy what I'm saying right now, then I really will kill little miss Mary Sunshine, bring her back from the dead and then kill her __again_…' Helga recalled that particular threat she'd made against her sister and co-conspirators as part of her initial response to all of their interference with setting up that date for her and Arnold last weekend. '_I don't even care if that night IS half the reason we're together now… She's going __down_!'

"Hmm…" As Helga had been having these rather angry thoughts, Miriam, still smiling, just walked past her in the direction of the door…and for a brief second Helga suddenly felt a bit of relief wash over her. '_Okay, she's leaving—dodged a SERIOUS bullet there. Oh man—and, okay, maybe I won't actually KILL my big sister but Olga is still at least getting __such__ a phone call from me the second Miriam goes to sleep. Seriously, I know that Arnold knows and that he loves me too but that doesn't suddenly make my love life part of public record or something_!' Still, though, for now, Helga was just happy that Miriam seemed to be buying her story… Even if Olga _had_ given their mother some considerable hints about Arnold, at least she'd managed to fix things before they'd gotten out of hand…

The only problem with Helga's sudden ebbing of anxiety and panic at the sight of her mother seemingly leaving her room was that Miriam, in fact, paused several feet before her daughter's bedroom door…and then bent over…and picked up a small, familiar object from the floor that she had noticed (with a slight chuckle to herself) upon entering the room in the first place.

And then, instantly, any relief Helga had been experiencing was completely quashed by the sound of her mother suddenly turning back around and asking, with an obvious bit of laughter underlying her voice, "Well, then…what's this, Helga?"

Helga, coming out of her thankful thoughts about having avoided her mother actually finding out about her love for Arnold, blinked at the sound of Miriam asking this strange question…And, then, as her eyes suddenly focused on her mother…and more specifically on what her mother now had in one of her hands…Helga knew that, if she hadn't been vaguely aware at the back of her head that doing so would wake up her father and bring _him_ into this chaos, she would have given one of her classic blood curdling screams at the heretofore unimaginable sight before her…

Miriam was standing there with a smile on her face…and holding up Helga's Arnold locket by its chain…the locket Helga had tossed upon the floor when trying to get her room ready for Arnold not long ago and had forgotten to pick up in all of the chaos and kissing that had ensued.

That was the last image to enter Helga's mind before she felt things go dark and passed out upon her floor…

* * *

**A/N:**

I know, I know—another cruel cliffie! Sorry, I think that's now going to be a standard thing with this story, except for maybe where it breaks between the end of this weekend and then the stuff that happens later on. But, hey—in chapter 7 (which I should have up in a week or two) you get a conversation that ranges from really tender to really awkward between Helga and her parents…and don't think Arnold's out of the picture for this night just yet ;) And some other characters may make an appearance too…

Anyway, I really hope you all liked this and please review to keep me chugging along with all of my HA! fanaticism!

Happy Reading guys!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!


	7. Helga's Mom and Dad

**A/N:**

Hey guys! How's it going? Alright, I think I'm within the time frame I set for myself for getting this chapter up so YAY! :) And, SHOCKING NEWS, this one actually doesn't end on a cliff hanger…I mean, it ends with the anticipation of an event in the next chapter but it's not like when I kept you guys hanging on for Arnold reacting to the closet shrine or talking about his problem with the kissing, lol. Also, whereas the other chapters were more focused on the romance and Arnold and Helga, this chapter really is about giving Helga something I think we can all agree she deserves as a character in her life besides the requiting of her unrequited love—a decent home life! (In fact, this is the only chapter of this fic in which Arnold's not present at all! He'll be back though in the next chapter, don't worry ;) ). And, as I've mentioned before, I like that this fic is giving me a chance to wrap up a lot of loose ends from TA, so I figured we might as well call Bob and Miriam on their actions on top of everything, am I right? Besides, working on their relationship with Helga _now_ makes stuff that happens in the chapters dealing with Sunday a lot more fun ;)

Okay, so, please read and review as always my lovely HA! fandom! You're comments make me smile (and make me quit watching Law & Order SVU marathons to do more edits!)

Also, YAY, I'm now employed! More income to continue eBaying HA! stuff for my collection!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 7:**

**Helga's Mom and Dad**

* * *

"Ugh…did anyone get the license plate number of the truck that hit me?" Helga groggily sat up a bit in her bed, rubbing the back of her head and blinking a few times as her eyes met with a bright (well, bright for someone who'd been out cold for several minutes) light.

Helga squinted briefly at first, but then finally managed to open her eyes fully upon which she looked around and took in that she was lying in her bed in her room alone. The darkness outside of her window told her that it was nighttime and she realized that the bright light that had met her eyes was coming from the lamp beside her bed on her nightstand…where her Arnold locket also sat, nicely propped up against the base of the lamp (similar to where she had left it upon finishing up her poetry writing before her beloved's arrival several hours ago).

Her eyes went wide at the sight of it and she instantly snatched the small gold object away from this more-than-conspicuous location, staring at it with just a bit of fright, to say the least. "Miriam didn't actually see this…right? I mean…" she glanced around at her indeed empty room, "I'm in bed right now and the locket's where it's supposed to be…so that…that was all probably a dream, right?" She looked around her empty room once more to confirm that was indeed nowhere in sight, and then crawled across her bed to her closed window, out of which she could only see the dark mass of her tree against the inky sky, blowing a bit in the late spring breeze.

"Or…" her face fell a bit, "Or maybe it was _all_ just a dream…" Helga frowned, recalling her beloved's former warm presence at her now dark and cold window…and how maybe it had all really just been her imagination…"The anniversary, the shoe, the shrine, all of the kisses…and that last one…" She felt her heart beat wildly at the idea and couldn't help smile just slightly. "Arnold actually coming up here, grabbing me and kissing me like that… Yeah, _really_, in my dreams..." She closed her eyes and shook her head in amusement, despite the bit of disappointment that this new doubt had created in her. "Sheesh, I almost have half a mind to call his house and see if EVERYTHING that's happened lately hasn't just been my imagination getting away from me…" She almost chuckled as she added mentally, recalling certain events from the previous Friday, '_If I was wrong, though, Gerald would never let me hear the end of it_…'

Helga's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of her door quietly opening and closing behind her.

She whipped around to see her mother tip-toeing across the room with a glass of water. Helga quickly slipped her locket around her neck and under her nightshirt. _'I don't know how much of everything was a dream or not, but I am __not__ taking any chances_.'

Miriam, meanwhile, upon catching the movement of her daughter out of the corner of her eye, paused in her journey across the room and looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, Helga, you're awake! Good…" she said with a relieved sigh, walking the rest of the way across the room. She smiled a bit more as she reached the edge of the bed. "You know, you got quite a bump on the head fainting like that. Are you okay?"

Helga glanced from the window to her mother and then slowly crawled back over to her pillow and rested back in the bed again, her thoughts racing…and panicked. '_Okay…so… there's a __very__high__ chance, considering what she just asked me, that everything I think might have happened tonight __actually__ indeed happened…including the locket._' She gulped, trying to calm herself (or at least prevent another shocked fainting spell). '_Okay, Helga old girl, just play it cool…Just play it cool…Hey, at least if it __is__ all true it means that Arnold actually __did__ sweep swept you off your feet a few hours ago..._' Helga swallowed hard and did her best to put aside memories of her beloved's seemingly real actions and to address her mother in as casual a voice as possible. "Uh…yeah…I'm, uh…I'm fine, Miriam…" She pulled the covers back over her body, still eyeing her mother with worry. '_Yeah, fine…and probably dead…Oh man, I've never even thought about what would happen if she, of all people, ever…ever found out that I…_' Helga shuddered, not letting the thought finish.

Miriam just smiled again at the response. "Oh, good." She then turned a bit and was about to place the glass of cold water for her daughter on her nightstand…when she hesitated and blinked, looking at the place she'd been about to put it. She turned back to Helga. "Helga, where did you little locket go?"

'_Oh…my…_' Helga could feel a ringing starting in her ears. '_Oh…oh for the love of… This…this isn't happening… This isn't…. __Oh boy__…_' She felt seriously woozy for a second and collapsed back all the way on her pillows, putting a hand to her head.

"Helga…?" Miriam put the glass down and then leaned over her daughter, putting the back of her hand to her forehead. "You don't feel warm but you look so pale… Are you sure you're okay, honey? Do you want me to make you some soup or something?"

At the feeling of her mother's touch upon her face, Helga instantly felt a new wave of nausea: like somehow the physical contact was suddenly making all the more real the situation that Miriam now knew that she loved Arnold. Helga pulled away and turned toward the wall, pulling her legs to her chest and pulling the covers completely over her head. "_Oh_…" she moaned, closing her eyes tight. '_Ugh, let me wake up! Let this be a dream! __Please__!'_

"Helga?" The concern in Miriam's voice was growing as she stood up and surveyed her daughter (or rather, the shape of her daughter curled in a ball and hidden under pink sheets and a pink blanket).

"_OH_…." Helga moaned again. "Miriam, just go—I can't believe that Olga told you…and then you found my…Oh, just _go_!" She didn't sound angry so much as desperate and still a little ill as these muffled words came out of her mouth.

This sudden explanation for Helga's strange behavior couldn't help but bring a slight smile to Miriam's mouth. She sighed and then sat on the edge of Helga's bed, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder which was still buried along with the rest of her body underneath the covers. "Helga, is that what's bothering you…" she began in an understanding tone, "That I found out that you've got a little boyfriend?"

"UGH!" Helga moaned, cringing. '_I'm calling Bliss for an emergency session first thing in the morning. This is __completely__ worse than the class finding out about my poetry, them hearing Arnold's poem about me, __and__ Gerald finding out about the shrine COMBINED! __Completely worse__!_'

Miriam couldn't help but giggle slightly at her daughter's continued dramatics. "Oh, Helga…" she sighed, removing her hand from her shoulder, "You know, you shouldn't blame Olga for talking to me about it… Besides…" Helga couldn't see it, but her mother's smile became just a bit slyer as she continued, "I _thought_ there must be something between you and that little Arnold boy ever since a few weeks ago when he brought you home and took care of you after you got hit on the head by that baseball…" She smiled warmly to herself at the memory. "He was so nice about everything… And then didn't he come by to walk you to school in the morning?"

'_She…thought…WHAT?_' Helga instantly shot up, the covers flying away from her. "You thought WHAT? WHEN?" Her wide eyes fell upon her mother's smiling face.

Miriam blinked, surprised by the reaction. "Well…" she began in explanation, "He was so good to take care of you like that, Helga…_You_ must have realized he was a little sweet on you…"

Helga felt herself blush. It didn't help that she then instantly recalled some of what Arnold had said earlier that evening about thinking that he might have liked her for a lot longer than he'd ever realized…about how it felt to him like he had been almost waiting for her confession to deal with it all. She swallowed and turned to her mother, once again putting aside reminiscing about her beloved and all of the wonderful memories he'd given her this evening in order to fully deal with the situation at hand. "Miriam…I…" and then, suddenly, she found herself scowling, as what Miriam had just said (as well as the degree to which her defensive nature could use it as a defense mechanism) truly processed, "Hey, if you thought that he…" Helga couldn't bring herself to actually say it… "If you thought that he…_you know_…then—then why didn't you ever _say_ anything?" Her scowl became firmer, and she raised an arm in a gesticulation. "I mean, seriously—where is this sudden insight coming from?" She then crossed her arms over her chest and added with even more anger and annoyance, "Except, of course, from _Olga_ who I'm going to find a way to _murder_ despite the fact that there's an entire country between us."

Miriam blinked once more at this sudden angry exclamation and then frowned slightly, glancing away from Helga. "Oh, well, I…I'm sorry I didn't mention it sooner, sweetie… It's just…well, when it's just you and your father and me in the house, I guess I just…" That dazed look that Miriam was so famous for suddenly came to her face. "I don't know…I kind of forget about things…"

Helga rolled her eyes, scowling even more, her usual gruff and defensive demeanor in full swing. '_Miriam letting me down in the end—oh WHAT a SURPRISE!_' "Oh _great_!" she began, gesticulating once again, "So, because _I'm_ not good enough to jog your memory, we're having this horrible conversation about a million years _after_ when it would have actually been _helpful_ to me instead of just making me want to drop off the face of the world? _Fantastic_, Miriam. _Thank you_!" And, with these words and a final frustrated scowl, Helga then threw herself back down on her bed, facing the wall again, and pulled the blankets up around near her shoulders and head…though this time, at least, she didn't cover her face.

Miriam, her eyes now wide at this second outburst, just blinked several times as she took in her daughter's words. Then a frown instantly came to her face. "Oh Helga…" she put a hand on the blankets covering her daughter's shoulder once more. "Don't say _that_. It's just that…" she glanced back and forth several times, as though trying to find the right words to express things, "It's just that when Olga comes she always has a million things to say, and we talk and it all just gets easier…and then your father talks more too and we all just—"

At the words 'your father,' Helga, to Miriam's total surprise, instantly shot up again…a look of total panic on her face this time. "You two DID NOT tell BOB about this!" She recalled in an instant how much Bob had freaked out just from thinking that her and Arnold had been hanging out alone when she had been tutoring him…but to now have an idea that they might be seriously dating…? '_He'll go kill Arnold right now…' _She swallowed hard. '_And then he'll kill __me__! For the love of…Forget the 9am phone call to Bliss—if they told Bob, there's going to be a phone call to Arnold RIGHT NOW telling him to get out of town ASAP_!'

A startled Miriam, meanwhile, almost stood, the amount of fear in her daughter's voice was so surprising and so great… But then, reflecting on the specifics of the question, she just smiled down at Helga reassuringly. "Honey, of course we didn't say anything to your father! Olga and I just got the chance to talk alone while he was parking the car and getting the bags at the airport, and that's when she brought up…uh, Arnold, right?"

Helga let out a huge sigh of relief and closed her eyes for a second. "Thank you…" she couldn't help but sigh with an obvious amount of gratitude to her mother. '_Sheesh, besides the football head killing spree he'd go on, Bob barely knows how to act around me NOW… but if he knew I had a boyfriend…_' She shuddered at the mere thought of how awkward every moment alone with her father would probably be as a result…

Suddenly, though, Helga realized the extent to which her question to Miriam about whether or not Bob 'knew' had possibly (or probably completely) confirmed the truth about there indeed being something between her and Arnold to know _about_… And regardless of how desperate the situation, it was Helga's default to always guard her most intimate secret at all costs. Thus, her eyes flew open once more and, upon seeing her mother still looking at her with that sly little smile, she just swallowed hard and did her best to backpedal. "I—I mean…" she stuttered, "not that there's all that much to tell in the first place… Because I don't actually…Arnold's just a…We don't even really…" Miriam, however, just continued to sit there with a skeptical and slightly smug grin, and it wasn't making it any easier for Helga not to falter in her denials of her relationship with Arnold.

"Which would explain…" Miriam suddenly began in reply to her daughter's stammerings, crossing her legs and leaning a bit closer, "How nice he is to you, and everything your sister told me, and that cute heart shaped little locket of yours with his picture in it…" Miriam laughed slightly to herself and found her eyes moving back to Helga's nightstand in search of the object. She blinked, though, as she recalled that it was no longer there. With a puzzled sigh she stood up, her hands on her hips, eyeing the nightstand and the area around it with curiosity. "Now where is that little thing—I know I put it right near your lamp…" She began to search around.

"Miriam!" Helga instantly yelled in distress again, sitting up and being unable to help feeling the cool metal of the locket around her neck graze her skin. She grabbed one of Miriam's arms. "Just…for Pete's sake, Miriam—just leave it _alone_, okay?" She felt herself blushing and glanced down. "Crimeny—leave me with SOME dignity here!"

Miriam instantly stopped searching at this request, and couldn't help the smile returning to her face at her daughter's touch. She sighed, moving away from the nightstand. "Okay, Helga, you don't have to tell me where it is if you don't want to…But, you know, it's not the worst thing in the world if you have a little crush, sweetie…"

"_Goodnight, Miriam_!" Helga released her mother and quickly threw herself back into her bed with a scowl, pulling the covers up around her head once again.

Miriam just crossed her arms over her chest and sighed once more, this time in a bit of exasperation. Still turned to the wall, Helga (with a very intentional growl of annoyance) felt the pressure of her mother suddenly sitting down on the edge of her bed once more. "Fine, Helga, if you don't want to talk about it then at least just listen to me, okay?"

Helga shifted a bit under the sheets once again. '_Why does she have to pick THIS of all things to want to be a good Mom about and 'talk about'? WHY_?' Still, it didn't look like Miriam was about to go away until she got this little parental moment out of her system, so Helga gave up on the protests for a moment and just decided to let her have her say if it meant she'd be leaving when it was over.

"Okay…" Miriam considered her words, and then did her best to comfort her obviously upset daughter. "Helga…before, when I said that things are easier when Olga's here…I didn't mean it was because _you_ weren't good enough. I just meant…" she glanced to the side for another moment as she carefully weighed her words before continuing, "Well…Olga opens up to us, honey…and when she does it just reminds us that we're a family and it helps us bond a bit. But you never talk to us, Helga…you always stomp around here seeming so angry or upset, or you're out with your friends all day, or you lock yourself up here doing who knows what for hours…But you don't really let us into your life…"

Helga, her normally almost non-existent patience growing thin, growled much more audibly at her mother's ridiculous excuse for her constant neglect...it also didn't help that Miriam had just brought up the 'inexplicable' hours Helga could spend up here in her room doing 'who knows what'…and how that 'who knows what' now included certain heretofore unimaginable things with her beloved, as this evening had show her. "Yeah, well…" Helga did her best, once again, to pull herself out of the romantic memories that threatened to engulf her mind, and to focus on the fact that she was not at all happy with Miriam's sudden need to pry into her private life… "Well, if _you_ weren't passed out all the time and off on another planet, and if _Bob_ could actually remember my name, maybe I'd be a little more _inclined_ to just 'gushing' to you two on the rare occasion when I actually get asked how my day was…"

Helga couldn't see it but Miriam really frowned at that observation, a serious look of guilt coming into her eyes. She sighed sadly. "I… You're right, Helga…"

That response made Helga's eyes open wide in surprise. Raising part of her brow, she slowly sat up, eyeing Miriam hesitantly. "What did you just say?"

Miriam wrung her hands in her lap, looking down almost in…shame? "I said you're right, Helga...You're father and I have been talking to Olga a bit and…she…she keeps telling us how things like that have been…well, bothering you a little…especially the thing about your name." She looked into Helga's eyes. "And we're…we're sorry, Helga…" she finished sincerely. "And we'd like to try a little harder if…if you'd like to…" She gave her daughter a weak smile.

Helga, meanwhile, as she had been during this entire little explanation, just continued to look at her mother with a face that was a perfect mixture of distrust and surprise. "Meaning…_what_…exactly…?" she finally asked slowly and hesitantly.

Miriam blinked at the interesting response…or rather, question. She glanced down for a moment as though in thought before replying. "Well…I mean…your Father's going to start calling you by your real name, of course…and I'm going to try and spend a bit more time with you and to have talks like we're having right now…" Her smile grew a bit. "And maybe we could…I don't…try doing some of those family bonding things that Olga always has us do when she's here." Miriam hesitated for a second but then reached forward and took one of her daughter's hands in her both of her own. "But we'd like _you_ to be a bit more open with _us_ too, Helga…to give us a chance." She almost seemed a bit teary-eyed as she continued. "I just…I feel like you're growing up so fast, honey, both of you girls—Olga's already going to graduate college and start a career and now you're interested in a boy and…" She sighed, looking at Helga as sincerely as possible. "Helga, whether you believe it or not…I really do want to be a good Mom to you and your Father wants to be a good Dad…And I know we forget sometimes but…I'm not forgetting right now, Helga."

Helga remained silent for a few more seconds, still eyeing Miriam's sincere smile with more than a touch of hesitation. Finally, she took a breath and spoke in a very no nonsense voice. "You'll understand if…if I'm a little _skeptical_, Miriam. It's been ten years, and Olga was only here for a week…and _now_ you're coming at me with all of this 'I want to be a better Mom' crap? No offense but it's not like I haven't heard it before…" She scowled a bit more. "I think we had about the same talk after the whole Beeper Queen fiasco…and then half a week later we went right back to 'Mom, where's my lunch? Oh, I don't know, honey—check the empty fridge while I make another smoothie.' " She ripped her hand from her mother's grasp and crossed her arms over her chest, staring the older woman down accusingly. '_No one suckers Helga G. Pataki twice…not even another Pataki…and not even her own mother_…_ No matter how soft being with Arnold might be making me…_'

At these harsh words, Miriam glanced down guiltily once more, a frown on her face. "I…I know, Helga…and I'm sorry. But I—" She sighed in frustration and then looked to her daughter again. "But Helga—this is such an important thing in your life—your first little love! I don't want to miss out on this! And I don't want you to go through it all alone…" She tried to smile. "A girl needs her mother more than ever when she starts to have real relationships with boys…even a boy as nice and sweet as Arnold, Helga."

Helga blushed and scowled, pulling the blankets up tight around herself, and refusing to make eye contact with Miriam.

To her surprise, Miriam suddenly stood up and shifted down her bed, and then leaned forward so that she was directly in front of her, facing her. "_Please_, Helga…I…" Helga actually glanced up at her and lost the scowl for a second at the tone of Miriam's voice… She had never heard her mother sound so desperate for anything…and she had never looked so distraught, at least not that Helga could ever recall. "I want to be there for…" Miriam considered for a second, and then looked up and smiled, "…for the first time he holds your hand…"

Helga couldn't help but roll her eyes, her scowl slightly returning. "It's been a few weeks— you're a little late for that, Miriam…"

"Oh…" Miriam replied with a noticeable touch of disappointment. "Well…" she glanced down once more and put a hand to her chin, trying to come up with something else. "Um…for your first date, then…?" She looked up with a weak smile again.

Helga gave a frustrated sigh and lay back down in her bed. '_Oh brother…with how advanced Arnold and I are after the last seven years, we could be here all night_!' "That would be last weekend before that slumber party Olga filled you in on…." she explained in mild irritation.

Miriam sighed as Helga continued showing her just how much she had already missed out on. "Okay…" she replied weakly. She was silent for a few seconds, wracking her brain for other potential 'firsts'… "Then…how about for the first time you really go out somewhere? Like to a restaurant or a school dance?"

Helga rolled her eyes, several of the events of the last year or so of her and Arnold's life instantly flashing through her mind. '_I knew it…__here all night__…_' "WAY too late for that one, Miriam…"

Miriam let out an even more frustrated sigh, that look of guilt growing… But then her eyes lit up and a small smile came to her face. All in all, she seemed to have an idea…and a good one, at that. She looked to her daughter eagerly. "Well, for your first real kiss, then!"

"Skip on down…"

Darn that argument autopilot…that pesky, awkward situation inducing, secret blabbing, always making things that already seemed as bad as they could be even _worse_, argument autopilot.

Miriam blinked. Then, suddenly, her daughter's response fully hit her. "Oh, _Helga_!" Miriam exclaimed in delight. She instantly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the ten-year-old blonde in a tight hug, smiling with joy.

Helga, meanwhile, slowly felt her entire nervous system shut down as what she'd just let slip really hit her… _'I just…I… Oh…my…._' She swallowed hard, her eyes wide.

Miriam, meanwhile, oblivious to her child's sudden state of panic and terror, squeezed her tighter as she continued speaking. "Oh, Helga, _he kissed you_? Oh, my little baby—only ten and already kissed by a boy! Oh, tell me how it happened Helga! Was it during that first little date of yours last weekend?"

"_Miriam_!" Helga managed to choke out in both due to embarrassment and the need to breath once more. "Crushing windpipe…with Olga hug…"

"Oh—sorry, honey!" Miriam shifted back slightly, giving her daughter some breathing room, though the beaming and eager smile was more than still on her face. "Oh, but isn't that sweet? That nice little boy giving you your first real kiss…" Her eyes lit up again. "Did you kiss him back?"

"MOM!" Helga looked at her wide eyed, allowing all blankets to drop from around herself and blushing with indignation as though she couldn't believe the forwardness of the question (which was the truth—in fact, no one had been that bold with her about her relationship with Arnold except maybe for Gerald when he'd caught her and tossed a few heavy questions at her that weekend of all the tutoring).

"I'll take the blushing as a yes, Helga…" Miriam crossed her arms over her chest and grinned just a bit more wryly as she provided this playful response to her daughter's silence.

"MIRIAM!" All indignation was gone now, replaced by full force blushing and flat out panic!

Miriam couldn't help but laugh to herself and then just sigh at the overly flustered young girl before her. "Well, you really are growing up, aren't you, Helga?" she continued, ignoring the dramatics. "You know, Olga didn't have her first kiss until she was twelve…and she didn't have her first boyfriend until she was fifteen. You're quite a bit ahead of her…"

"_Miriam_," Helga began once more, shaking her head to clear it and then scowling darkly, "I already told you, I do NOT want to talk about—_Wait…__really_?" Helga's angry eyes instantly went wide once again and she couldn't help but feel a touch of pride as this comment and its significance sank in. '_Well, at least I finally beat out Olga at __something__…and this is something that actually __means__ something!'_ She couldn't help a very satisfied half smile coming to her face.

Miriam just nodded in response to her daughter's disbelief. "Mmm Hmm… Oh, she gushed about it to me for _days_…" She laughed to herself slightly, recalling the memory. "And then about the next boy and the next one…" She let out a happy sigh and smiled, looking at Helga. "And she still calls me up every time someone new asks her out…" That sincere tone and look she'd had ever since first sitting down to talk with Helga this evening came to her face once more, "And I just want the chance to be there for you for the same thing, Helga…"

"_As if_…" Helga couldn't help rolling of her eyes away from her mother or suddenly letting slip from her mouth out this (very misinterpretable) comment…

And, indeed, Miriam couldn't help but take the two simple words as further evidence of her younger daughter's continued rejection of her efforts to bond… And suddenly a look of pure sadness came into the older woman's eyes and for a moment she seemed almost...almost…well, just devastated. "Oh Helga…I… _Oh Helga_…"

The almost tearful voice in which her mother said her name just then couldn't help but make Helga glance at Miriam out of the corner of her eye. And then she blinked at the sad sight she saw. '_Crimeny, is she okay? She looks even worse than when she ran out of that commercial shooting while she was running the Beeper Empire and told me she was sorry for ignoring me…_'

"Helga…" Miriam managed once more, and then finally found enough of a voice to continue, "I know that…I know that there's really no reason for you to care about letting me or your father try and be bigger parts of your life…And that you were probably just going along with a lot of that family bonding stuff this week because Olga was here and you girls have gotten so close…" She stopped glancing down and looked sincerely into Helga's eyes once more. "But please…if you could just give us one more chance. Even if you don't want to open up like Olga does right away…just _something_… And I promise you won't be disappointed this time, Helga…I mean it."

And it was then that it clicked with Helga how her mother had interpreted her 'As if…' '_Oh brother…You know, I never thought I'd say this but…I actually kind of feel bad for Miriam…and I think even a little…Aw, man, I'm feeling guilty again, aren't I?_' She almost had to let out an exasperated sigh. '_Crimeny, Football Head—why didn't anyone tell me that growing a genuine conscience was part of the fine print for starting a real relationship with you_?'

And so Helga considered for several more seconds…and then swallowed very hard and lost her scowl as a (not exactly ideal, if her defense mechanisms had anything to say about it) plan of action finally came to mind…And finally, with a very deep sigh and hoping very VERY much that she wouldn't end up regretting what she was about to do ('_Darn it, Arnold! We're going to have a serious talk about this sudden compulsion of mine to do the right thing_!'), she cleared her throat and did her best to clarify things. "Miriam…"she began hesitantly, all the while NOT making eye contact with her mother, "I… Sorry. I didn't mean that…well…that there was no chance that I'd ever talk to you about…_things_…" She COULD NOT bring herself to say 'boys.' "I just meant…" Helga stopped and instantly felt a furious blush come to her face as she realized just how nearly impossible it was going to be to try and explain what she'd meant without completely humiliating herself. "I…I…"

And then Helga had to pause for a second as a sense of déjà vous came over her…and she realized, with a blink, that she was stuck on her words because she was suddenly experiencing that pesky, frustrating feeling again…That feeling like when she'd been trying to tell Gerald the truth about Arnold in this same spot two weeks ago and had let that ball of fear inside of her stop her, tongue-tie her, make her turn to another stupid desperate lie instead of just admitting the truth already! The truth that, for crying out loud, Helga G. Pataki genuinely cared about another human being besides herself, and…and to heck with whoever had a problem with it!

As those memories and that current, annoying feeling washed over her, Helga scowled and finally let out a frustrated sigh. 'O_h for Pete's sake, why am I such a basketcase! I can freaking grab Arnold on a roof and pour my heart out to him but I can't just outright explain to MIRIAM that I…that I…_' And then with another angry sigh at her own stubbornness, Helga suddenly tossed herself back down on the bed once again that evening, pulling the covers high around her shoulders as she faced the wall once more.

"Helga?" Miriam asked at her daughter's hesitation and then sudden show of anger. She raised an eyebrow.

In reply, Helga hesitated another second or two, then let out one more sigh…and finally closed her eyes and did her best not to subconsciously bite off her own tongue to prevent saying what she needed to say. _'Just keep reminding yourself that anything's worth Arnold loving you back…even…ugh, __this_!' "I just meant…" she swallowed, and willed herself onward, "I just meant, before, that I'm not some boy crazy teenager like Olga was…you know, hopping from guy to guy." She took another breath. "I lo—like Arnold…" '_Hey, let's not push things!_' "Plain and Simple. And if I ever did completely lose my mind and talk to you about all this…_boys _stuff…" she shifted uncomfortably, having finally managed to at least say the word, "It wouldn't be about my latest crush for the next two weeks or something ridiculous like that…" And then with a one last release of breath she finally admitted in a light voice, "It would just all be about…Arnold..."

As Helga had spoken, Miriam had just stared at her with a surprised look….and she continued to do so as her daughter suddenly cleared her throat and continued…

"Anyway," Helga began in a less frustrated and mortified sounding tone, "That's why I said 'As if…' before when you were talking about Olga telling you about all those guys...Because 'as if' there's anyone else I'd ever like …except Arnold." She scowled a bit to herself as she added on a stronger note, "So quit trying to make me seem like some miniature Olga. Because I'm Helga. And I'm Olga's _sister_ not Olga's _second coming!"_ And with this last bit of telling the truth for once, Helga took a deep breath and gave herself a 'five minute break.' _'Well, there we go…I just made a complete idiot of myself to make Miriam feel better. Arnold, you SO owe me another make out session for this! Darn you and your contagious do-gooder nature_!' She felt her heart flutter slightly… '_Even if it IS wrapped in that adorable Football Head form of yours…with those wild tufts of hair that I love to run my fingers through when we embrace…and those intoxicating green eyes that burn into me especially when they get that edgy, daring, romantic look to them…and those perfect, soft, warm, surprisingly strong and enthusiastic little lips… Oh, and… FOCUS, Helga! Come on—a mental monologue! NOW? Sheesh, why don't we just take Arnold's advice and actually __have__ Miriam help out with carrying materials up to the attic for the next shrine! Crimeny_!'

While Helga had remained facing the wall in silence, her thoughts torn between fear at the consequences of what she had just revealed to Miriam and her near Arnold monologue, Miriam, an almost disbelieving look on her face, had as well remained quiet…just continuing to watch the shape of her daughter under the covers after having delivered her speech about the true meaning of her last sarcastic 'dismissal.'

Finally, hesitantly, she opened her mouth to address Helga…

"Aw, for Pete's sake, Miriam—I'm trying to sleep, and then I'm hearing things falling on the floor and you getting stuff from the kitchen and the girl practically having a fit! What the heck are you two doing in here, anyway?"

Helga's eyes went wide and she instantly sat up to face, along with her mother, her father, who had just groggily entered the room in his pajamas.

Miriam blinked at the sight of Bob Pataki but didn't falter. She put a smile on her face and addressed her husband. "Oh, B, Helga and I were just having a little girl talk. Nothing to worry about, right, Helga?" She turned to her (very pale, all of a sudden) daughter and quickly winked at her before turning back to her husband. She then stood up and walked over to Bob, touching his shoulder. "Now, you just get back to bed, B… And don't worry about breakfast tomorrow…" She suddenly added as an afterthought, recalling Bob's complaint prior to heading to their room before about having no 'Olga breakfast' to wake him up in the morning (as well as suddenly seeming enthused again about the idea of some family bonding). "Olga left me some of her recipes and I'm sure I can get together a spread just great as one of hers if I get up early enough, so we can all have a big family breakfast together!"

Bob, with a yawn and a stretch up, raised an eyebrow at his wife's unusually cheery disposition. "Family breakfast? With just you, me and the girl?"

Miriam gave him a look and squeezed his shoulder firmly. "Bob! Remember what we were talking about with Olga…!"

"Huh?" Suddenly, Bob blinked a few times, finally shaking off his half sleep, and looked at his wife. Her stern gaze made him consider for a second and then he blinked once more as realization set in. "Oh…uh, right, right. Family breakfast with you me and Ol—uh, Helga."

And then Bob, to Helga's complete surprise (and she was already pretty surprised by hearing her actual name come out of his mouth), took another step forward and rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor with a slight scowl on his face (though something about it seemed more directed to himself than to his wife or daughter). "Uh, listen, Helga…"

He cleared his throat and Helga was all ears. '_There is NO WAY he is going to give me an apology/bonding speech right now. Miriam—okay, yeah, __maybe__ after a week of Olga being on her back she'd come back to reality and realize she's not exactly 'Mom of the Year'…but Bob…?_' She scoffed. '_Yeah, maybe if Olga was behind him right now poking him with a sharp stick and threatening to drop out of college and get married again! Seriously, there is __no__way__…'_

"I…" Bob went on, letting out a breath and ending Helga's thoughts, "I was gonna bring this up to you in the morning, Helga, but…well, you're mother kind of reminded me of it just now…and since we're all awake and here and everything…" He shifted a little. "Well, like your mother said, Olga's been kind of talking to us a lot lately about some of that child development and family quanti—uh, quality time stuff… Heck, we haven't been able to get her to shut up about it ever since Monday and then don't even get me started on the drive to the airport today, heh, heh…" He tried to throw in this small joke to ease the tension, but then just swallowed nervously and continued, his wife and daughter still just watching him. "Anyway…I just, uh…well, I wanted to say I was sorry for blowing up at you in front of your friends a few weeks ago…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, Olga explained the whole misunderstanding to me, and I…uh, I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean to get upset with you and yell at you like that in the trophy room. It's just…" And then finally he let out a sigh and looked up at Helga, a bit of distress more than apparent in his eyes. "Well, sheesh, you're my daughter, Ol—uh, Helga, and when Olga told me two weeks ago that you were running off into the streets and sneaking around with some boy…I don't know…Crimeny, I worry about you, girl! I mean…I know you know how to take care of yourself—that's half the reason I always kind of leave you to do your own thing and always spend so much time making sure Olga's got everything she needs—but still…" He smiled. "Well, you're my girl, Helga, and, heck, I care about you…"

Bob's smile was sincere as was the smile of Miriam as they now stood there looking down at their youngest daughter…

…Whose jaw was practically on the floor and whose eyes were almost frighteningly wide at this point, by the way. Not a sound came out of her. '_What the…_?' was all her head could even begin to think.

Several seconds of stunned silence passed during which Helga slowly but fully took in her current (totally unexpected and practically unprecedented) situation… Eventually, though, she blinked once and then managed a reply to the words of her father in a very quiet, disbelieving voice. "Okay…Wow… I think there are two possible explanations that will make everything the two of just said to me actually make sense…

Bob and Miriam just raised an eyebrow each at this response.

Helga continued. "One: Bob you got into Miriam's smoothies, and Miriam you got into…well, I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling it's illegal. Explanation two: I fell asleep watching the Cleavers and somehow got into the pork rinds again and am now having the STRANGEST dream in the world. Ever. Period." '_And you know, that one's starting to seem like a pretty solid theory—Arnold gave me an incredible kiss and left and I was so unbearably happy that I passed out and started having a dream that EVERYTHING in my life was perfect, not just the romantic part. Hey, that means Miriam doesn't know my secret! Great!_' Helga was already starting to feel better. '_I'll just pinch myself and…OW!_' She couldn't help but wince as she pressed a bit of skin from one of her arms between her thumb and forefinger. And then she looked out from her bed across her room, expecting to find herself alone again now that she must be awake…And yet there continued to stand Bob and Miriam…still just looking at her with a bit of puzzlement. Helga almost groaned. '_Man—What the heck is going on around here lately? Please, someone, stop the roller coaster of 'major life alterations', I want to get off!'_

And then suddenly Helga came out of her melodramatic thoughts at the sound of Miriam starting to chuckle…and Bob actually starting to laugh a bit himself.

"Hey," Bob smiled in response to his daughter's 'explanations', "That wasn't half bad, Helga!"

Miriam put her hand to her mouth, still laughing. "Sweetie, where do you come up with things like that?"

'_Wh-what?_' Helga just blinked several times, staring at them with her head slightly tilted to the side, totally flabbergasted. '_Okay, fine, I'm not dreaming, but then…Who the… Well, darn it who the heck ARE these two?'_ "Okay, seriously you two—_snap out of it_!" she suddenly stated firmly, feeling more than a little freaked out by her parents actually…talking with her and…laughing with her…together…in…_reality_. She did her best to firm up her scowl as she added, "Not that this sudden parenting insight isn't…probably a good thing…But you're starting to creep me out!" She turned to her mother and then her father. "I mean, Miriam, go start the blender, and Bob call me Olga! Heck, I'll even take a trip down to the trophy room with you two to be reminded for the billionth time about how I really AM the second child in this family in every way possible! But this whole 'mutually wanting to bond forever, no strings attached' thing is starting to get 'the first third of a horror movie' creepy!" She began to gesticulate wildly as she got carried away with her thoughts. "You know, you two act all unnaturally euphoric to lull me into a false sense of security, then I fall asleep and only to wake up at 3am strapped to a table as a ritual sacrifice to the dark creature living in our basement that's turned you both into zombies!" She dropped her arms to her sides and rolled her eyes dramatically. "And with my luck the dark creature will be a possessed _Olga_ or something!"

Finishing her little outburst and now breathing just a little heavily, Helga turned her focus back to her parents again…only to find herself even more perplexed as they just looked to each other with blank faces…and then turned back to her, suddenly laughing even harder.

Helga just rolled her eyes and sighed, throwing herself down upon her bed once more. '_Oh brother—what the heck did Olga DO to them on that car ride! And during this whole week when I wasn't around, for that matter! I know that voice of hers can be mind numbing sometimes but I didn't think it was capable of __brainwashing__! I mean, really—is this really Bob and Miriam…__actually__ wanting to get to know me?" _Still, despite her continued surprise and doubt…Helga couldn't deny that there was a serious smile threatening to form on her own face as well at the sight of her parents just standing there cracking up all because of a joke she'd just made. "Hey…" she turned to Bob and Miriam, letting break a half smile, and shrugged, "It could happen… I always _did_ think there was something a little off about your first kid, you know…" She glanced down and finally chuckled to herself.

"Oh, Helga…" Miriam, getting her laughter under control, approached her daughter once again and upon reaching the edge of her bed suddenly proceeded to lean down and wrap her arms tight around Helga in a hug.

Helga blinked at the sudden gesture, her eyes going wide in surprise and almost…panic…or at the very least uncertainty about how to respond to her mother suddenly so tightly embracing her for seemingly no reason… At least before she had hugged her because of that kiss slip up, which made logical sense… But this… '_Okay, okay…just take a second and absorb things…all of these crazy, insane, very unexpected things…_' Finally, Helga took a deep breath in and out and with a half smile managed to say more playfully than harshly. "Uh, Miri—Mom…what did I say about the Olga hugs cutting off all circulation?"

She heard her mother chuckle once more at the question. Miriam then let out a breath but didn't release her daughter just yet. "Oh Helga…" she began in a relieved and happy voice near her ear, "I really am sorry, honey…that you've been so unhappy with how we've treated you. And I…I'm really sorry if we ever mess up again!" she added firmly, and then swallowed and finally finished with, "But…we're really going to try this time Helga. I promise." Finally she released Helga, and took a step away from the bed, just smiling over her warmly. Helga…smiled back.

Suddenly, both mother and daughter blinked as they then heard a warm sigh come from Bob, who was still by Helga's door. "Aw, what the heck…come here you two!" And then out of nowhere he approached the bed and put one arm around Miriam and wrapped the other around Helga, and pulled them both close in a large hug!

'_HUH!_' came the practically panicked thought. "BOB!" Helga instantly exclaimed in total surprise, her eyes as wide as possible. "_Crimeny_—can you hold this pose while I go get a camera or something? Seriously…"

Bob just let out a laugh once more at the comment and looked to Helga. "Heh, you know you're pretty quick with those jokes, Helga… Get that from me!" he added proudly, standing up and finally releasing mother and daughter. "Seriously, though..." suddenly he glanced down, looking a bit sheepish and just a little guilty. He spoke in a sincere tone. "We really are gonna try and make things a little better around here…" He rolled his eyes to the side and half smiled as he continued. "I mean, if we _don't_ I think _Olga's_ going to actually drag _Miriam and me_ into the trophy room for a good talking to for once, considering half the stuff she was saying in the car… But…" he shook his head to clear it and then looked to Helga again. "We're also gonna try and change a little because…well, because we _want_ to and…well, like I said, we care about you, girl…You're important to us…" His smile increased. "And if we forget all that sometimes…well then…don't just lock yourself up here or something—use that mouth of yours to tell us to cut it out _pronto_! Kick, scream, rant, rave, heck—call up Olga! But don't just give up on us again because…well…" He rubbed the back of his neck and hesitated for second as though trying to find the right words. "Look, I'll admit it—your Mom and I aren't the best at all of this bonding stuff and we were always used to Olga taking the reigns with it, and it might be hard at first but the point is…we want to do it all with you too…okay?" He looked at her hopefully and then added with a laugh to lighten the tender moment, "Heck, you won't be nine forever, right?" He gave her a playful nudge in the shoulder.

Helga just gave him a bit of a look, and then replied without missing a beat, "Twelve, Bob."

Bob's eyes flew wide open. "TWELVE! When the HECK did you turn—"

Helga instantly started laughing and fell back against her pillows. '_Classic_!' "Kidding, kidding, Bob—_ten_." With a few more chuckles she sat up, just shaking her head in amusement. "You were closer than usual that time though, I'll give you that! Birthday was about…oh…a month and a half ago." She raised part of her brow, looking first to her father and then to her mother as she continued. "Remember: _you_ handed me one of those obsolete, 'for display purposes only', models of beeper and then went to watch TV, and _you_ made a cake without any baking powder and baked it with the frosting already on it, and then fell asleep with your head on the counter?" Though these actions might have seemed like they deserved a bit of an acidic tone in the recounting, Helga was in fact reminding her parents of these events as casually as could be imagined. After all, after a decade she'd grown used to them happening in her life…and also, well, with all of these apparently sincere (for once) promises of turning over a new leaf, she couldn't help but feel too much pity Bob and Miriam to be _too_ harsh with them right now. _'Stupid conscience_…' Despite the thought, having it only made Helga smile just a bit more to herself…not just because it reminded her of Arnold but also because, well…it felt kind of nice to be putting trying to do the right thing over her own fears and insecurities and desire to keep herself emotionally 'safe' at all costs.

Meanwhile, upon hearing their daughter finish her explanation about her latest birthday, Bob and Miriam's eyes had gone wide and now they just looked first at each other guiltily and then back to Helga, seemingly speechless as to how to even begin to respond to what she'd just revealed about the depths of their poor parenting.

Helga, however, broke the silence rather quickly herself by just sighing patiently. She then closed her eyes and shook her head, still smiling slightly. "It's okay, it's okay—it actually turned out to be a pretty decent day anyway." She opened her eyes and rolled them to the side as she recalled the rest of her tenth birthday. "Olga sent me a really cool scarf from Alaska and Dr. Bliss gave me a book of prints of Edward Hopper paintings, and after the little 'birthday bash' here, Phoebe and I went out and blew a weeks worth of allowance at Slausen's and caught a movie." She smiled just a bit more. "And then we bumped into Arn—" Her eyes went wide and she instantly stopped and 'corrected' herself… "We bumped into Ar…a…bunch of people from my class! Yeah! And Phoebe told hi—um, _them_ what we were celebrating and he—_they_ wished me a happy birthday." She laughed a bit nervously at her several near slips and then cleared her throat and turned to her parents again and shrugged. "So, uh…like I said, no big deal…I'm used to it, anyway…" Still, despite the degree to which she was trying to amusingly move on from nearly bringing up Arnold, and how much she was trying to laugh things off for the 'new and improved' Bob and Miriam's sakes…she couldn't help but glance down, just a touch of sadness coming to her eyes, at the fact that she was indeed very much used to such treatment…and had been for awhile. _'Well…if they really are serious about changing, at least they can kind of use that whole mess of a day as an example of what NOT to do next year…'_

And then another interesting (and very much unexpected) thing happened…

Instead of her parents apologizing once more and promising to do better before finally wishing her goodnight…Helga suddenly heard Miriam's voice say very firmly, "Oh _no_—it is a VERY big deal, little lady!"

"_Huh_?" Helga blinked, coming out of her melancholy thoughts, and looked to her mother. Her wide eyes fell upon Miriam standing before her with her arms crossed over her chest and looking down at her daughter very seriously.

And then, before she could fully process this reaction on her mother's part, the sound of Bob's voice and the slight scowl that suddenly returned to his face quickly drew Helga's eyes to him now all of a sudden. "Of _course_ it's a big deal, Helga! Heck, if _my_ parents had done that to _me_ when _I _was your age I'd have probably set the house on fire or pulled the hose inside to flood the place or something just to get even!"

"I…I…" Once again this evening, a stunned Helga actually found herself quite speechless all of a sudden. Finally she took a quick breath as the replies of both of her parents fully sank in, and then her words started to return. "Well…" she began, her scowl returning slightly, "I made a choice wisecrack or two as I left here that day but _once again_…" And this time, despite wanting to encourage their newfound desires to be decent parents, Helga glared at Bob and then Miriam as she continued, "_Someone_ was too busy with the TV and _someone else_ was too busy being passed out to notice! So I just bailed!" She crossed her arms over her chest and added with a touch less anger and a touch more frustration and hurt, "Easier that way… I mean, trying to get you two to actually _care_ would've taken all day and I at least wanted to have time for _some_ actual birthday fun, you know?"

Miriam sighed and knelt down, looking at her daughter sincerely. "Helga…listen to me. We know, and you should too, that it's _not_ your responsibility to make sure we're loving you right. You're job is just to be ten. That's it." She smiled, and then put a hand atop one of Helga's, causing Helga to blink and bring her eyes up to her mother's. "But, like your father said…" Miriam continued with a smile, "Even though we're going to be trying our hardest, it might be hard for us to change so much so quickly… So if you ever do think we're slipping or messing up…even though you shouldn't have to…we'd appreciate any kind of nudge in the right direction you'd be willing to give us…" Miriam looked at her hopefully.

Helga just remained looking at Miriam for a second, her eyes once again wide in surprise…and then she turned her sights to Bob almost as if to confirm this statement of her mother's.

At his daughter's gaze, Bob glanced away guiltily. "She's right, Helga. I mean…" Then he looked to the ten-year-old girl, scowling slightly, "Seriously, though—DON'T set the house on fire! We've still got eight more years of payments on the place…" He cleared his throat, his face softening again. "But…well, I'm sure that _I'm_ overdue for a few well deserved angry rants from you in front of the TV, if you know what I mean..." He glanced at her sheepishly.

Helga, meanwhile, just raised an eyebrow at his statement…and then she couldn't help half smiling and glancing back and forth from Bob to Miriam with what actually appeared to be excitement in her eyes. '_Well, I'll be…_' Finally, she spoke, her smile only growing. "You two knuckleheads are really serious, aren't you? I mean…me forgiving you and us actually not hating each other for once is really important to you…isn't it? You actually CARE if it happens or not…" She couldn't keep the wonder out of her voice.

Miriam, a purely happy expression finally returning to her face, held up one of her hands in a pledge-like manner. "You have our words, Helga."

A second passed and then she nudged Bob, who turned to his wife and blinked, seeing her hand raised so officially… And then he held up one of his hands too and turned back to Helga. "Oh, uh, yeah—scouts honor!"

Miriam smiled at his agreement with her, and then turned back to her daughter. She leaned over slightly, looking into Helga's smiling eyes. "And to start things off right, how about you tell us whatever you really wanted for your birthday and we'll make it happen, no matter what it is!"

Helga blinked...and her jaw dropped. "Wait…_Seriously_?" She glanced back and forth in disbelief from Miriam to Bob. Sure, she'd gotten empty promises from them in the past about wanting to 'turn over a new leaf'…but never _action_!

"Sure, why the heck not?" asked Bob with a smile. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Heck, the Beeper Emporium's been doing pretty well and Olga's graduating in a few months so there's no more student loans to deal with besides the ones we've already got to pay off… So, shoot, girl! Whatever you want!"

Helga smiled to herself, and put a hand to her chin…and seriously considered for several seconds (as thoughts of total world domination couldn't help but flash into her head). "You know…" she managed to mumble with a slight laugh between daydreams, her grin turning very sly, "Giving a ten year old this much power over your actions is a little dangerous… And I'm pretty creative and just a little greedy…" She looked to them again. "Are you _sure_ it's 'anything I want'…?"

Miriam just put her hands on her hips and a bit of a challenging look flashed into her eyes as she replied firmly and with a smile, "Give us your best shot, little lady!"

Helga let out a sigh at this confirmation of her total control over the situation, and then considered for just a second more. Finally, she turned her gaze back to her parents once again, having finally settled on something in her mind…or actually _several_ things… "Okay…there's a _few_ things I can think of, I _guess_…" She cleared her throat, and then began to list her 'demands', speaking in a very firm tone, though her grin remained. "One…I want my curfew extended to ten instead of nine. I'm not getting any younger and I have places to be and people to see and nine's not cutting it anymore…" She crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting a response. '_Moment of truth, I guess…_' she couldn't help but think with a mental sigh… '_Either they'll actually give me what I want like they're promising or they'll go back to doing what's easier for them_…'

At this unusual belated birthday present request from their daughter, Bob and Miriam looked to each other in confusion for a second or two…but then suddenly a slight look of realization came to Miriam's eyes and she smiled, turning to her daughter. "Okay, Helga…I think that's fair. You deserve to spend a little more time with your friends… Just as long as you tell one of us where you're going and who you're going to be with, ten o'clock it is!" She glanced at her husband. "As long as you're okay with it too, B…"

"Hmm?" Miriam almost had to chuckle at the still slightly confused look on her husband's face. Finally, though, Bob just shrugged and then looked to his wife. "Uh…_sure_. Sounds good to me, I guess…" He smiled at Helga. "No problem!"

Helga smiled back, happy both that her request had been approved (a sign in favor of Bob and Miriam's sudden desire to change as parents being genuine) _and_ that Miriam (who, from the look on her face, had obviously realized the 'truer' (more Arnold-based) purpose behind her daughter wanting to stay out a bit later) thankfully hadn't spilled the beans about her new little 'boyfriend' to her father. On a side note, in regards to the first source of Helga's relief, not that her nine o'clock curfew had ever really been strictly enforced thanks to a certain degree of neglect from her mother and father, but Helga had intelligently figured that if Bob and Miriam were serious about being better parents they might start cracking down a bit on 'the rules' so… '_Might as well get some insurance for future dates with my perfect little love god…' _

Doing her best not to giggle at the amount of future fun she had just guaranteed for herself with Arnold, Helga cleared her throat again and came back to the situation at hand...and to her other birthday demands. "Okay, great…thanks, guys…" Her sly grin returned and she rubbed her hands together. "Alright, so, present number two…" She sighed mentally and couldn't help but think sarcastically, _'Oh boy—__this__ one should be fun_…' "I'd like to have a friend over tomorrow night for dinner…" She scowled slightly. "_And_ I'd like him to NOT be insanely interrogated this time…_Bob_!" She looked specifically at her father.

Bob blinked once or twice at being so suddenly and harshly addressed. He even raised an eyebrow in confusion…but then a look of realization came to his face (as well as a slight scowl, himself). "Wait…do you mean that kid with the weird-shaped head who Olga said you were sneaking out to meet two weeks ago?"

Helga felt herself swallow hard with nervousness, though she did her best to maintain her serious and commanding face as she replied firmly, "Yes, Bob! The _really nice_ boy who Olga later explained I was just tutoring…and who's one of my best friends…and…" she had to take a deep breath, but she finally managed to add, "And who I like a lot…and who likes me _despite_ you and Miriam and Olga practically diving down his throat the last time he was here!" She looked Bob square in the eye and finally summarized simply, "I want him to come over to eat and I want us to have a nice family dinner and I DON'T want any blustery side comments or angry looks or accusatory questions… _Got it?" _Helga knew she was coming off as defensive…probably too defensive to not arouse suspicions about just how strong her feelings were for her 'friend' Arnold…but still she was determined to put her foot down about this here and now. The two of them were dating and she wasn't about to have the love of her life finally love her back only to not be able to just stop by her freaking house every once in a while without a major scene taking place! '_Okay, yeah—I get that Bob and Miriam might have just been trying to be protective on top of being overbearing during that whole tutoring thing…But that's all over now and enough is enough, and if Arnold and me can eat dinner at __his__ house whenever we want then we should be able to eat at __my__ house without a problem too!_'

And indeed Helga, upon finishing her rant, just continued to stare down Bob in an effort to make her request and how seriously she meant it stick…and Bob, to her interest and slight worry, continued to stare her down a bit as well…torn between a scowl and a raised eyebrow at what she was asking.

'_And please don't let him ask if me and Arnold are dating…PLEASE don't let him ask if me and Arnold are dating! Miriam and Olga knowing is bad enough but if he does too my life is going to go from bearably chaotic to full on nightmare! There won't be any peace for me from the annoying side comments in this whole freaking house!_" Helga could feel her heart pounding warmly against the cool metal of her locket, still hanging against her chest.

Miriam, meanwhile, had just been watching this exchange between father and daughter unfold with quite a bit of interest…and just a touch of concern now as silence still remained between them. Indeed, she was about to open her mouth to try and smooth things over between Bob and Helga once more…

…When suddenly (or rather _finally_) Bob cleared his throat and spoke. "Ol—uh, Helga…" His scowl faltered and he glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look now…I get what you're asking but I just don't understand how this kid is so important to you all of a sudden! I mean, why—"

"_Uh-bup-bup_!" Helga raised a hand and instantly cut him off…and went with the only thing she could come up with on such short notice in response to her father (inevitably, as she had predicted) questioning her and Arnold's newfound 'very close' friendship. She looked to Bob, her scowl continuing. "I said _no accusatory questions,_ and that applies to both me _and_ Arnold, now _and_ in the future…and that was coming dangerously close to one, Bob!" She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to state bluntly and simply, once and for all, "I like him, he's nice, and I'm inviting him over for dinner, and I want you and Miriam to treat him just as nice as you keep _swearing_ you're going to be treating me from now on, okay?" She raised part of her brow at him, waiting for a reply. '_Wow, if it's this much of a struggle to get him to have the little shrimp over for a civil dinner, think how ridiculous it's going to be trying to announce the marriage to him in another ten years or so…_'

"_Mmm_…" Bob glanced away, still looking and sounding a bit frustrated. "Well…"

Suddenly, Miriam stepped toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. She smiled at him as he turned to look at her. "Oh, B, he's just a nice little ten-year-old boy…" she began soothingly.

Bob crossed his arms over his chest, scowling slightly again, and actually muttered under his breath in response, "Yeah, well…in case you forgot from Olga, Miriam, nice ten-year-old boys grow into not-so-nice fifteen-year-old boys pretty quickly…"

At this observation, Helga lost her scowl and felt a quick blush come to her face…especially as an echo of the term she'd coined earlier that evening for the more 'adventurous' aspects of Arnold's personality entitled 'Arnold's dark side', came to mind… She swallowed hard. '_Heh, heh…I think I might have given old Football Head a head start on whatever the heck Bob's talking about_…' She sighed mentally and couldn't help but smile a bit more to herself as her amusing thoughts continued, '_That little shrimp is gonna turn out to be a handful as a boyfriend, isn't he_?'

Miriam, meanwhile, just sighed and rolled her eyes at her husband's comment and continued in a firm voice, squeezing Bob's shoulder just a bit harder. "_He's just a nice little ten-year-old boy…" _she repeated firmly, "And your daughter wants to have him over for Sunday dinner. It's not like she's…sneaking him into her room or anything." Her smile grew a bit more at this little addition…and it wasn't lost on a suddenly very pale Helga.

And indeed, upon detecting the slight extra smirk that suddenly came to Miriam's mouth as she finished making this last comment, Helga could feel her heart instantly pick up speed…pounding away once again against her locket, and this time almost as hard as when Arnold had leaned her back for that kiss before... '_She doesn't…_' her panicked thoughts raced, _'She couldn't know he was here…__up__ here…There's…there's NO way…right?_' She swallowed hard…not even daring to think of the consequences if Miriam indeed had some kind of way of knowing the events between her daughter and a certain young boy that had actually taken place in the Pataki residence during the last few hours…

While Helga's fears mounted, Bob took a deep breath at this reassurance from his wife…and then finally agreed in a resigned but sincere voice. "Yeah, I guess so…" He looked to Helga, still sounding a bit hesitant though seeming much more reasonable as he nodded to his younger daughter and finally announced, "Okay, invite him over…" A touch more calmness began to come to his tone as he continued with, "After all, I mean…it's just one dinner and we'll all be there, so…"

"AND…" Helga suddenly cut him off, however, now scowling once again and putting the 'Miriam possibly knowing Arnold had been in her room' thing on the backburner for now. "And _after_ dinner…" she continued, "We're going to go out and get some ice cream or catch a movie or something—just _me_ _and_ _Arnold_. And as long as I'm back by ten I don't want to hear a word about it!" She looked at her father firmly and finally stated with just a touch of defiance, anticipating his potential problem with this situation, "I can hang out with whoever I want to and tomorrow night I want to hang out with him! Case closed." '_Well, there we go—all of my chips are on the table and it's sink or swim time... Let's see if this works or if I'm pushing things too far and need to at least continue keeping my dates with the little Football head a secret from these two…_'

Bob blinked at this little addition to his daughter's 'birthday present'… Instantly, his scowl was back in full force. "Hey, now, wait a minu—"

"Now, B!" Miriam quickly interjected, removing her hand from his shoulder and suddenly stepping right in front of him, looking at him and shrugging with a smile on her face, "We _did_ say ten o'clock for her new curfew, and she _is_ letting us know where she's going and who she's going with in advance…"

Bob paused and blinked at his wife's logic, his mouth half open. "But…"

"_Bob_…" However, Miriam just continued to give him a look…knowing full well he couldn't deny the logic of her argument.

Finally, after another second or two, Bob blinked once again, glanced down in thought…and then finally looked up and announced with a frustrated sigh, "Oh…_fine_…I guess…." He looked past Miriam at Helga, a weak scowl still present. "But I want you on those front steps at 9:59 sharp, little missy—alone and ready to get inside and get to bed! I mean…" he glanced down sheepishly, "It's not safe for a kid to be running around this city at night. And…" He seemed to consider for another second, and then suddenly blinked once more and looked back to Helga. "And just so we can always reach you even when you're out with Alfred…"

"_Arnold_, Dad." Helga corrected him politely but firmly, doing her best to maintain her cool while at the same time still feeling a nervous wreck inside about first having had to wrangle the Arnold situation with her mother and now finishing up trying to do it with her father.

"Fine, yeah—Arnold…" Bob replied, and then continued on, "Anyway, just so we know that you're safe and we can reach you, I'm taking _back_ that crummy beeper I gave you last month and we're getting you set up with one of the Emporium's top of the line cell phones—capiche?" He looked at her sternly.

Helga blinked, her eyes going wide at yet another out of the blue occurrence this evening… '_Did he just say…_' She smiled. "Uh…did you just say you want to give me a cell phone, Bob?" She almost had to laugh at the very notion…and at the idea that he would state it as though she would have some kind of problem with it… "Uh, yeah, sure…go for it! I've got no problem with even more free stuff as part of the deal..." She grinned a bit to herself, glancing down...and then couldn't resist the temptation to add… "I _might_ have to turn it off when Arnold and I in the theatre together tomorrow night, though, of course… You know…just so it doesn't go off and ruin things…"

"_You'll put it on vibrate and answer it if one of us calls_…" Bob quickly announced back to her.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes at the reply, and almost chuckled...a small surge of happiness suddenly rising up inside of her. "Oh, fine—I GUESS I can live with that…" '_He really actually cares about whether or not I'm safe…I mean, I'm going to have to put in some overtime making him realize that I really can handle myself, __especially__ when it comes to boys, just like I had to prove to Arnoldo tonight…But all that aside he really does care…and so does she…_' Her eyes fell to Miriam once again for a moment, who was doing her best not to chuckle at Bob's little outburst herself. Helga just shook her head in amusement. '_Who knew_?' Despite the fact that it was a rhetorical question…she couldn't help the answer of 'Olga' popping into her mind…

While Helga had been having been reflecting on the surprising and amusing events of the last half hour or so, Bob finally took a breath as Helga's agreement with his condition sank in, and the scowl began to leave his face. "Okay…" He inhaled once more and then, with a much calmer face and tone, looked at Helga again. "So…" he crossed his arms over his chest and half smiled, "Anything _else_ to make up for the birthday thing…?"

The grin returned to Helga's face at the question….And then she swallowed and took a deep breath and mustered all of her courage to ask as casually as possible, glancing down all the while… "Uh…yeah, actually…" _'Okay, Helga, just go for it! It's not going to seem suspicious…not even to Miriam… There's a slight chance she knows Arnold was up here but there's no way she knows EVERYTHING about it_!' With these reassuring thoughts, Helga then glanced innocently up at her father and mother…and continued… "I know this one might take a while…but…"

And then Helga continued with her explanation of her third gift…

* * *

"So, how about it…?" Helga shrugged innocently. "Any chance of getting something like that on top of the curfew and the dinner tomorrow and the bonus cell phone?" She smiled up at her parents, still trying to seem as casual as possible…despite her still quite quickly beating heart just pounding nervously away in her chest… '_It's okay, it's not suspicious…It'll __be__ suspicious, though, if you let yourself get all worked up and start blushing like crazy and sweating bullets! Just keep it casual, Helga…Keep it casual…_'

Bob and Miriam just looked at each other, both seemingly genuinely confused by the third and final birthday gift request their daughter had just made… Even Miriam failed to suddenly get some kind of look of realization like she had with the curfew thing despite the passing seconds, much to Helga's relief. '_Okay, see, I KNEW I was probably reading way too much into that comment of hers about Arnold being in my room…Whew—just a coincidence!'_ Helga had to smile at the thought of being in the clear about THAT potential most-awkward-situation-ever.

"Well…what do you think, B?" Miriam finally asked her husband, still sounding clueless.

Bob just rubbed the back of his neck and considered for a second longer. "Well…honestly, it wouldn't be too much trouble…I could probably put it together myself and it shouldn't cost too much… It'd just be a matter of me finding a free weekend to work on it…" He looked to his daughter, more than a bit of puzzlement still on his face. "Are you sure that's the last thing you want for your birthday, though, Helga? No tickets to anything or video games or party…just that?"

Helga shrugged and glanced to the side. "Well, like you said, Bob, I'm getting older, and so I just figured this place could use a few changes…" She gave him a half grin. "I mean, I would have asked for my own phone line or something but you already kind of took care of that with the cell phone so…just moving down to number two on the list…" She continued just innocently looking at him.

At this reply Bob sighed and then smiled back at his daughter. "Okay, Helga…I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks…Dad…" She smiled just a bit more fully and sincerely at him. '_I think…I think that this is the first birthday I can remember where I'm actually getting everything I asked for…And __voluntarily_!' She almost chuckled. '_Heh…_' a few of her birthday present daydreams from before flashed through Helga's head, '_Maybe I really should have asked for full control of the Beeper Empire's funds to begin my plans for total nation-wide political and financial domination_…'

While Helga was doing her best not to chuckle at the thoughts passing through her head and Bob was just smiling at how happy she seemed, Miriam couldn't help but grin at the sight of yet another nice exchange going on between her husband and her daughter, and was about to open her mouth to comment on the sight when she suddenly found herself yawning. She glanced over to Helga's nightstand and blinked at the time she saw on the clock. "B—it's already almost 11!"

Bob's eyes went wide at this information and he turned first to the clock and then to Miriam. "11?" He blinked. "Huh—Olga didn't say all this family talking would make the time go so fast..." And then suddenly he found himself stretching up and yawning as well as how late it was really sunk in. "Now that you mention it, though, I really could stand to hit the sack..." He looked from his wife to his daughter, his eyelids drooping a little but a smile still on his face. "Well, I guess we can talk more again in the morning during breakfast or something…"

Miriam smiled at the excellent suggestion. "That sounds good to me…" And then her eyes lit up as a thought occurred to her. "Oh and it's Sunday tomorrow, Bob…" She put a hand on his shoulder. "Since you don't have work maybe we could all go to a movie together or something…I hear there's a new romantic comedy out that—"

"_Romantic comedy_! Sheesh—give me a monster movie any day!"

Helga and Bob each opened their eyes wide as they realized that they had both just said this exact same sentence at the exact same time…in unison.

Father and daughter remained staring forward in a bit of shock for another second.

And then finally they just looked to each other…and suddenly burst into mutual laughter.

After several seconds, Helga finally got herself under control enough to suggest between laughs, "Hey—maybe we should check out _Rats_ again, huh, Bob?"

Bob only laughed even harder, barely finding the capacity to reply to the comment, "Heh, I almost forgot about that…!"

At the sight of the other two members of her family so thoroughly enjoying themselves, despite their obvious preference against her movie suggestion, Miriam could only smile and sigh and roll her eyes. "Okay, you two…" she put a hand on each other their shoulders, trying to stifle some chuckles herself, "Why don't we compromise and go to an action movie or something?"

Helga just shrugged at Miriam, still smiling. "Hey, whatever floats your boat…" Suddenly, she found herself yawning as well and laid back on her bed and pillow, pulling the blankets up around her body. "Besides, I'll probably want to save the monster movie for tomorrow night with old Football Head…" She felt her eyes closing with sleepiness. "He likes things like that…"

Bob and Miriam couldn't help but suddenly blink and raise an eyebrow each. "Football Head?" they asked in unison.

Helga blinked and then her eyes fluttered open once more. She sat up a bit and looked to them with a slight smile. "Oh…uh, yeah—that's…kind of one of my…uh… 'nicknames' for Arnold. You know—because of the 'head' thing…" She spread her arms wide out around her head in imitation of Arnold's own wide cranium. "I mean, he's also geekbait and shrimp and paste for brains…but Football Head's kind of my default, you know?" She crossed her arms over her chest and laid back once again against her pillows.

At this explanation, Bob just scratched his head while Miriam considered for a second and then put her hand to her mouth, doing her best to hide a slight smile and giggle.

Helga yawned to herself once more and then closed her eyes again. "Well, goodnight you two—see you in the morning..." She raised one of her hands and gave her parents a slight wave goodbye, and added with again, "That is, unless the pod people return to claim you and bring my _real_ parents back from planet Xanadu." She laughed slightly to herself at the joke.

At the same time, though, despite this humorous and seemingly casual goodnight to Bob and Miriam, Helga couldn't help crossing her fingers under the blankets and thinking as hard as possible to herself, '_Okay, so Arnold coming here and kissing the heck out of me because he loves me so much and thinks I'm so wonderful and beautiful and because it's our one week anniversary wasn't a dream… Well then—okay, I know it's a lot to ask on top of that but please, PLEASE, no matter what I was saying before, don't let this be a dream either! I don't even care anymore that it means Miriam found my locket…heck, I'll even lead her on a stroll up to the shrine if that's what it takes! But just __please__ don't let this be a dream—please let me be __this__ lucky…because if this really is all just a lot of talk…_' Helga almost felt herself cringe at the very notion…the notion that Bob and Miriam really would just go back to what was easier for them with no Olga around to keep them in line…all because it had always seemed that something about her—about Helga—had just never been enough for them.

But still now they were both, together, admitting that it was their fault—they were saying that they'd been the ones to mess up, not her…and that they were willing to really try if she was really willing to try. And so, keeping all of this in mind, Helga let her thought finish… all the while clinging to the last hour of genuine talking with her parents and everything it meant. '_If this really is all a lot of talk…then I just don't think I'll ever be able to try again with them… I mean, even __I __can only take so much abuse…_' Then suddenly memories about Phoebe and Olga and of course her beloved Arnold, among other people, quickly resurfaced in her mind as she assured herself, '_I know I can get through this if it's not for real but…_' She felt her smile grow at the thought of all the hope that this evening…and especially this last week…had recently imbibed her with. '_But it's nice feeling like I have a real Mom and Dad for once…_' She crossed her fingers just a bit more tightly. '_Please let me be lucky enough to have everything stay this good in my life! Please!'_

Helga, who had almost been drifting off to sleep between her consuming, heavy thoughts, her general tiredness and the fact that she was laying down with her eyes closed in her warm bed, suddenly blinked a few times and came a bit back to reality at the sound of Bob and Miriam laughing at the joke she'd just made about them. Still, despite being brought a little bit back to wakefulness, Helga just let out a yawn and closed her eyes once more. She heard Bob speak. "Well, come on, Miriam, let's get some sleep already."

"You…go on ahead B…" Miriam's slightly hesitant voice came to her ears, "I just want to say one more quick thing to Helga…"

This statement made Helga's ears prick up and her formerly heavy eyelids open. She shifted her gaze to the side and glanced over at her father who now stood near her doorway, wearing a somewhat confused expression on his face.

"Just a little more girl talk, B…" Miriam quickly explained, and then Helga's eyes fell to the smiling form of her mother glancing over her shoulder at Bob. "I'll be in in a few minutes…and don't worry—we won't wake you again…" she reassured him.

Helga watched as Bob just shrugged and yawned once more, sleep finally overcoming his curiosity. "Okay, Miriam…I'll leave the bedroom light on for you…"

And with that he left Helga's room, closing the door behind him and Miriam just watched him go with that warm (though arguably somewhat sly) smile still upon her face.

The older woman let out breath at her husband's departure and then turned back to her daughter's bed. She was expecting to have her eyes fall upon Helga's already half asleep form, upon which she would go and gently fully wake her once more to say a few quick (though important, if what she thought might be going on was indeed going on in terms of that Arnold boy) parting words to her before getting to sleep herself…

So Miriam was a little surprised, to say the least, when she turned around to instead see Helga sitting up and looking fully alert, glancing at her nervously and twiddling her thumbs.

Miriam blinked but before she could say anything Helga spoke. "Too much with practically saying I was going out on a date with the little Football Head after asking to have him over for dinner here?" she asked sincerely.

Miriam turned her head slightly to the side, looking at her younger daughter with a touch of curiosity before then smiling at her and crossing her arms over her chest at how frank she was suddenly being about this whole thing. "Uh…no, no…I think that was more than fair." Miriam almost chuckled. "It was a little sneaky getting your curfew extended first but I think it was okay too…" Her smile pulled up a bit on one side. "The comment about turning off the phone at the movie theatre might have been a little much for your father, though…"

Helga actually smiled and shrugged. "Hey, just having a little fun with him…"

Miriam chuckled slightly to herself and then approached her daughter's bed, sitting on the edge once more that evening. She took a breath and smiled at Helga...and at how much more relaxed she now seemed about talking about this whole boyfriend thing: no more desperate groans or hiding under the covers or defensive denials… "You really like this little boy, don't you, Helga?"

Helga blushed just slightly and shifted uncomfortably at the question…though a half smile remained on her face, much to Miriam's happiness.

And, indeed, just as Miriam had been noting to herself, Helga had officially decided to abandon her former dramatics and anger about the fact that her secret had been blown once again. '_What the heck—she knows. Denying it at this point would just be ridiculous… Might as well stop Arnold during our next kiss and tell him that just for the record I hate him, and expect him to buy it_…' She almost chuckled as she had to add as an afterthought, '_Although__ with how dense he can be sometimes_…' She smiled a bit more, her thoughts continuing. '_And besides…Miriam's actually being kind of helpful about this whole thing…Heck, she even got Bob to agree to half the stuff I asked for before. And anyway I think we all know that I'm going to be talking to Olga at some point about me and Arnold and that Olga's then going to be talking to Miriam at some point about me and Arnold, so maybe I should just cut out the middle man… At least it'll get rid of the fifty million embellishments I'm sure Olga would add about just how 'adorable and precious and scrumptious' the two of us are._' She recalled some of these adjectives her sister had been using for the past week about her baby sister and her little boyfriend, and almost shook her head in amusement.

"Helga…?" Miriam's prompting voice brought the ten-year-old blonde out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" Helga blinked and paused for just one more second to recall Miriam's question and then to muster her courage to answer it. She swallowed hard and finally spoke. "Y-yeah, Miri—Mom…I…I do...like him. A lot." And then, with a breath…and a serious bit of bravery considering the fears that had controlled her for so much of her past…Helga slowly reached up…and pulled a familiar golden chain from around her neck…sliding her Arnold locket out of her nightshirt.

Cupping the small object in her hands, Helga observed her beloved's face looking back at her for several seconds and couldn't help but smile at it herself in return, as she had always done ever since she could remember... Eventually, she continued speaking in a quiet, happy voice, still just gazing at the picture in her locket. "He's a very…very special person to me. He always has been…and like I said before he's not just the first boy…he's the only boy. He's my Football Head…and now he likes me too." Suddenly, Helga blinked and felt herself blushing as she quickly recalled that she was indeed saying all of this stuff to her mother...to Miriam. She shrugged and tried to finish with a slight (if not entirely false) joke, gently placing the locket in front of herself upon her bed. "Guess you could say I'm practically 'in love' with the big lug."

Finally, with a deep breath, Helga looked to Miriam, awaiting her reaction to this admission.

Helga had to blink as her eyes fell upon her mother just sitting there and looking at her with a curious expression. The older woman, now that her daughter had finished, glanced for a moment down at the Arnold locket now lying out before them, and then looked back to Helga and just observed her for several seconds more before finally opening her mouth and saying with just a touch of disbelief…and awe, "You…you really are different from Olga…aren't you, Helga?"

It took Helga a second to process the response to her admission of love. And then she just smiled and rolled her eyes at Miriam's chosen reply. "_Hel-lo_—isn't that what this whole 'Helga we recognize you as an individual and want to be better parents to you' thing was all about just now?" She rested back on her arms and almost chuckled. "Crimeny, Miriam—_I _could have told you I was different from Olga! No way it should have taken Arnold to make that fact apparent."

Miriam shared a small laugh with her daughter. "Yes, I guess you're right, sweetie..." But then a touch of guilt came back to her face as she added quietly, "Sorry again…"

Helga just shook her head in amusement and lay fully back on her bed once more. "Oh for Pete's sake, Miriam, tell Bob I said to quit apologizing already and, the two of you, just…do better from now on! Okay? I mean…" she shrugged, "You can't change the past, so just try working on things that are happening _right now_, you know? And don't worry…" she winked, "If I even _think_ you're starting to slip and mess up, BELIEVE ME, I'll drag you two into that trophy room for a Helga G. Pataki lecture so fast that all of Bob's beepers will be ten seconds behind from the speed!" She smiled even more. "AND I'll get Olga on the phone and put it on speaker just so we've got a fair fight—two fixing two!"

Miriam laughed, the guilt melting from her face, leaving only that happy look once more. "Okay, Helga…no more apologizing—just doing better!" She winked.

"Hey, that's all I ask!" Helga reassured her with a chuckle.

Miriam just smiled at her daughter and was about to open her mouth to say something…when suddenly she found herself yawning once again. She stretched and stood up. "Well, I guess I'll head to bed, Helga… Goodnight…" She turned to walk toward the door.

Helga pulled the covers up snugly around her once more, this time to be warm as opposed to hide from embarrassment. "Goodnight, Mom."

And with one final yawn Helga was about to reach up to turn off the lamp on her nightstand and finally get some much deserved rest… when suddenly she paused as Miriam stopped just before reaching her door, turned back, smiling, and added as she recalled her initial intentions with remaining with her daughter for a few more minutes this evening, "Oh and Helga…?"

"Uh…yeah?" Helga asked, her hand on the lamp switch and part of her brow raised.

Miriam let out a breath. Her smile grew just a bit. "Wherever Arnold's hiding in here, tell him to wait a few minutes until your father's asleep before he sneaks out the front door…okay?"

It took a second for this sentence to process with Helga…And when it did her jaw dropped and she looked at her mother with wide eyes, blushing furiously. "_MOM_!"

Miriam just laughed to herself and gave her daughter a look, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh come on, now, Helga—that flimsy excuse about getting ice cream from the Jollie Ollie man, the way you wouldn't let me in here before when I knocked and then made sure to lock the door behind you when you said you were going to bed…" She chuckled once more. "Olga's horrible at lying and even _she_ used to do better than that… Is he in the closet?" Miriam began to eagerly approach said location.

Helga instantly flew up out of her bed, dashed across her room, and splayed herself in front of the closet door, breathing heavily. "MIRIAM—he's NOT here!" She glanced around nervously and quickly added, her heart racing, "Okay, yes, I'll admit, he came over here while you guys were out—he wanted to drop off something for our, uh, our…" Helga felt herself stuttering in embarrassment over the words but she knew the only way out of this mistake of her mothers (while at the same time _not_ letting her see the actual contents of the closet which included a mass of pink books full of Arnold poems, the mini Arnold Helga shrine bottles, other assorted Arnold paraphernalia, and the attic door to her shrine which for all she knew Arnold could have left open) was to let her have as much of the truth as possible (or, at least, the _PG_ version of the truth).

Helga cleared her throat and took a breath, and finally managed to continue. "He…wanted to drop off something for our…one week anniversary…" '_Oh Crimeny, I can't believe I'm actually saying this…_' "But…but then I pulled hi—I mean, I _asked_ him in and we talked for a while and…" She could feel warmth flooding her face but tried to ignore it and say anything so long as it would convince her mother of the truthful fact that Arnold wasn't in the closet while at the same time not giving away too much about the actual intensity of their relationship. "And…okay, look, maybe he actually did come up to my room just for a few minutes so we could talk about some things…which isn't really a big deal, though, since I spend practically every weekend hanging out in his room…" Her eyes instantly went wide at what she'd just admitted and she looked to her mother. "I-I mean…we spend time at other places too—we don't just sit alone in his room all day together or anything…and we'd go _other_ places in his house when we're there but there's a ton of boarders and his grandparents so it's just more private up there…" She felt panic well up inside of herself and her heart begin to pound in her ears as she quickly tried to now fix THIS little slip. "NOT that we really need privacy for anything, heh, heh…but…uh…" Helga could practically feel herself sweating and Miriam was just watching her with amused interest, as she had been ever since her younger daughter had thrown herself in front of her closet to start on this explanation of her actions. '_Oh man, but none of this still even explains why I wouldn't let her in before…Uh…uh…' _Helga wracked her brain for some kind of salvation…

Finally, though, Miriam watched as Helga suddenly let out a deep breath and just, well…gave up. '_Oh, why fight it…_' And with one final breath the young blonde brought her arms down from blocking the door, leaned back against the entrance to her closet, and then brought up her right elbow to rest in her left palm and put her right hand against her temple. She spoke in a level, quiet and somewhat defeated voice, and started with a much-needed sigh. "Look, Miriam…I'm just going to level with you right now…which is something I don't normally do but I'm tired and I just don't have a clever scheme to get out of this one coming to mind, so here it goes…" She swallowed and then looked up at her mother and spoke earnestly. "Arnold's not in here, and I mean ANYWHERE in my room or this house—you have my word about that… And also all that stuff about our anniversary was true, though if you could do me a favor and forget all of those embarrassing things I mentioned about our 'dating habits', I wouldn't exactly complain about it…" She glanced down nervously. "Anyway…I didn't let you in right away when you and Bob came home before because…I had to clean some _things_ up…and I don't want you looking in the closet right now because that's where I tossed these…um…_things_…which, coincidentally, are related to all of this Arnold stuff…" She swallowed hard. "And I'd appreciate it if I could keep them to myself for now… I mean…" Helga managed to glance up at Miriam again, "You already saw the locket and I personally think it's a miracle that that didn't make me go toss myself in front of a bus, but you've got to give me time with everything else. I'm not the best at handling public change, especially when it comes to _this_—just ask Arnold." She almost smiled to herself. And then she took one more calming breath and looked her mother in the eye once more. "So, please, for tonight, just take my word for it that Arnold's safely tucked in his bed at home and that I'm just trying to keep from pushing mild embarrassment to total and irreparable mortification tonight, okay?" She crossed her arms over her chest and blushed a bit more as she finished. "I mean, I know we're trying to be open and honest and everything now but…you're still my MOM…and this all feels really weird for me, okay?"

Having finished this speech, Helga now just continued to stand firmly in front of the closet, awaiting her mother's response…her thoughts secretly racing. '_I NEED to get all those poetry books and the other stuff hidden away and the entrance to the shrine locked and bolted first thing in the morning before she starts snooping! Sheesh, this closet's basically a doorway into the most intimate reaches of my soul right now! And my mother wants in! That CANNOT be a good situation!_'

Miriam, meanwhile, upon absorbing the last of her daughter's explanation about her behavior this evening and Arnold's whereabouts, just continued watching Helga with interest for several seconds longer, her arms still crossed over her chest and that amused and intrigued grin still on her face…until eventually she just let out a breath, holding up her arms in defeat. "Okay, Helga, you win—I believe that Arnold's not here anymore and I'll leave you and the closet alone…" She crossed her arms over her chest again and sighed. "You're right—you already did open up more than I probably deserved tonight and I should just be grateful for that."

Helga breathed out a sigh of relief, and a grateful smile came to her face.

With a slight chuckle at this response, Miriam just turned and began to head toward her daughter's bedroom door again. However, a final thought coming to her mind, she paused once more in mid reach for the doorknob and turned around once again. "But, just for the future…if Arnold ever _is_ up here when your father gets home and you're trying to hide the poor boy and acting as nervous as you did tonight about a few little keepsakes, _don't_ hide him in the closet…" Miriam closed her eyes, shaking her head with a half smile like she was recalling something. "Your father found two boys in your sister's closet over the years and it didn't end very well for either of the poor things. Just…hide him under the bed or something and then call me or Olga and we'll see what we can do about getting him out of the house WITHOUT any permanent mental scarring…" She laughed to herself again as she continued to recall some of the incidents her first daughter's adolescence had put her and her husband through.

Helga's eyes instantly went wide. Her mouth flew open wide in shock. "OLGA…did WHAT?" she managed to squeak out in a totally floored voice.

Miriam opened her eyes and smiled at the exclamation. "Well, of course, Helga—she was a young lady once too, you know…"

Helga blinked, the look of disbelief still on her face. "I-I know but…" She still seemed to be having some trouble comprehending this sudden revelation. "But Olga…Olga's WAY too perfect and too much of a goodie two shoes to try something like that!" She looked to her mother in astonishment. "I couldn't even believe it when she had that Doug LeSham guy stay in the guest room down the hall when they were engaged!"

Miriam just sighed and replied with an all-knowing look, "Well, Helga, even the most 'perfect, goodie two shoes' person in the world can act a little different when they're a bit in love..."

She winked and Helga, despite feeling a slight blush creeping into her cheeks again, couldn't help the half grin growing on her face at the statement her mother had just made…and at how certain events from earlier this evening had already proven the observation more than true to her. "I…I _guess_ you're right…" She glanced away, almost giggling a bit as thoughts of her beloved in love with her flashed through her mind.

Miriam, despite still trying to smile supportively at her daughter's agreement, couldn't help but suddenly find herself yawning once more. She removed her glasses for a moment to clean them with the side of her dress. "Well, I really should let you get to bed then, Helga…" She let out a breath and seemed to frown a little as she put her glasses back on. "Ten-years- old and up this late…I really _do_ have a lot of things to fix about being a Mom, don't I…?" she mumbled to herself.

Helga, with a touch of concern in her eyes, was about try and reassure Miriam from her doubts once more that evening, when suddenly her mother just smiled to herself and then looked at Helga once again. "And speaking of that…as your 'Mom' I'd just like to go on record as saying that I'd prefer if the boy was snuck into the house and especially up to your room as minimally as possible when nobody's home… You said his grandparents and the rest of the people that live at his house are always around when you're in his room so that's fine…and I could probably even get your father to be okay with letting you two come up here alone when we're around as long as you don't lock the door…" She did her best not to let a chuckle escape her at the sight of how much Helga was blushing at this point. "But…" she went on to finish up, a warm smile still on her face, "From one girl to another…I can understand the need to try it every once in a while…and Arnold IS a very nice boy…so as long as your father doesn't find out I'd probably be willing to look the other way every once in a while…" She winked and Helga felt her face go entirely scarlet, much to her mother's continued amusement.

Miriam finally had to let out a giggle. "Oh Helga, you look so cute blushing like that…" Her eyes lit up. "We should try out some make up on you sometime…just in case you and Arnold go anywhere really formal. Oh you'd look so precious with just a little bit of pale pink blush and some lip gloss…" She had leaned over just slightly, really examining her daughter's face as she spoke. She pulled back now, though, and smiled, her arms crossed over her chest. "We didn't let Olga use make up until she was twelve, but like you said you two _are_ different people…so I think ten would be fine for you, if you'd like."

Helga just looked down and to the side at this sudden suggestion, her eyes wide, and her voice obviously riddled with nerves. Heat was flooding her face. "I-I'll, uh…I'll th-think about it, Miriam…" she managed to stutter, feeling complete embarrassment finally overtake her. '_Okay, she needs to leave now before I pass out…or she remembers that I admitted to kissing him. __Crimeny__, I have a big mouth!_'

Miriam smiled happily at her daughter. "Good! Well, goodnight again, sweetie!" She walked back over to Helga's door and turned the handle, opening it, but couldn't resist looking back over her shoulder and whispering so her voice wouldn't carry over into the next room, "Oh, and don't stay up too late giving Arnold a quick call goodnight and another kiss over the phone or anything—there's going to be a great big breakfast at 9 am sharp tomorrow with all of our names on it even if I have to get up at five to make it happen!" And before Helga could answer her mother winked once more and then shut the door behind her.

Helga remained frozen for several seconds right where she was…just feeling her pounding heart pumping more and more blood into her face, her stomach twisting and shifting unbearably, and her own voice completely paralyzed with disbelief.

Finally, a huge sigh erupted from her and Helga felt herself collapse to the floor so that she was now sitting with her back to the closet door. "That…" she managed to get out after another moment, taking several deep breaths as she attempted to bring her heart rate back to normal, "…That was the most awkward conversation I have ever had with _anyone_. _Ever. Including __Arnold_…" She closed her eyes and rested her head back against her closet door. "And _that's_ saying something…"

Helga just remained sitting and breathing like this for a little while longer in the quiet of her room…trying to enjoy the relief slowly washing over her at the fact that this unexpected, unusual, unimaginable, uncanny, and just plain unbelievable night was finally over. "Heh—so much for a simple evening of quietly writing poetry alone…" she finally observed to herself with a laugh.

Helga reminisced upon her floor for several more seconds until she felt herself yawn once again, upon which she stood up and stretched and approached her bed… though, despite her obvious desire and need for sleep, she did her best to fight back the tiredness that was consuming her. In fact, a slight scowl came to her face as she crawled into her covers and then reached over to her nightstand. "No way I'm going to bed just yet…Things may have worked out alright but Olga's still getting the phone call of her life from me…" She picked up the phone receiver and began to dial. A half smile came to her face. "It won't involve as many threats as it might have if things with her blowing my secret wide open to Bob and Miriam really _had_ gone south…" She chuckled at the sound of the receiver ringing quietly. "But still—it's gonna be a good one…"

* * *

**A/N:**

That's all for now, guys! I'll try and get the next chapter up in the next week or two and as I said, Arnold'll be back ;) Any guesses as to what Helga's third present is…because honestly I don't think it gets explicitly mentioned in this fic until many many chapters in the future, but I feel like it's either very obvious or very not obvious at all, lol. Oh and, slight spoiler alert: You will indeed, in very few chapters, be getting a full written out description of Arnold's dinner at the Pataki house complete with certain consequences of his date that night with Helga ;) It's going to be fun! YAY! And maybe a little more GeraldXPhoebe… ;)

Please review guys! You are all awesome my fellow HA! fans!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	8. PhoneBased Shenanigans

**A/N:**

HEY HA FANDOM! :) Okay, so, WOW, I think this is getting up in a week instead of two which is crazy for me because this is like one of the longest chapters of this whole fic! Over twenty thousand words, lol ;) Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this little conclusion to Arnold and Helga's Saturday night (Meanwhile I CANNOT believe it took me 8 CHAPTERS to get there but you know me—I love getting carried away with writing, especially about HA! ;) ). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this because you might have to give me two to three weeks for the next update—I'm starting a new job tomorrow and I'm almost blown out on AXH considering how much editing this chapter took, and I'm in the middle of a few other fic related things that I want to dabble with so I just need a mini break but I'll try and get up the first chapter dealing with Sunday asap ;) Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! You're all so wonderful!

Oh, random suggestion—I feel like the song "Calling You" by Blue October goes well with this chapter in case you're looking for a little background music :)

Okay, here we go!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 8:**

**Phone-Based Shenanigans**

* * *

_RING RING_

"Ugh…" Helga moaned quietly to herself with a sigh. She was currently relaxing in her bed with the phone receiver pressed to her ear and her bedside lamp now off, leaving her with just the faint glow of the moon entering through her window to see by. "I know I should be getting some sleep while I finally have the chance," she began to mumble to herself, "And that I should probably NOT be calling when she's in the middle of an international trip, but…" a few more rings passed and Helga double-checked the math in her head, '…_With the time difference it shouldn't be __too__ bad…And her flight __did__ leave around 8 so I'll probably just be able to catch her on her cell phone at her first layover…_' Helga smiled to herself with confidence at this plan.

Suddenly the receiver clicked.

"Hello? Award winning student teacher Olga Pataki speaking! May I ask who's calling?"

Helga just rolled her eyes. '_So very typical_…' "Sheesh, Olga," she began more humorously than sarcastically, "I told you to quit answering the phone like that when you're twenty-one-years-old and it's a CELL PHONE—you sound like a complete moron or the worlds most self-gratifying voice mail or something…"

"HELGA!"

The sound of her big sister happily squealing her name made Helga pull the phone away from her ear for a second. With a scowl she rubbed her ear and tentatively put the receiver back near her head. "Crimeny, Olga, lower the volume—I'd like to AVOID finishing up my Saturday night with a blown ear drum if you know what I mean!"

Olga just laughed on the other end of the line. "Oh I'm sorry, baby sister…I was just so excited that you called! Oh I know it's only been a few hours but I miss you so much already! How's everything at the house—are Mummy and Daddy doing alright?"

Helga rolled her eyes again but smiled, sitting up a little more in her bed. "Yes, Olga—in the last three hours since you saw them they're both still as hearty and healthy as ever…" Olga laughed a bit and Helga couldn't help but chuckle herself… Then she cleared her throat and continued in a quieter voice, "Actually…they're kind of part of the reason I called, Olga…"

There was a pause. "Is…is everything okay, baby sister?" Olga then asked with genuine concern in her voice…

Helga took another breath at the question, and then replied, almost disbelieving her own words, "Actually…everything's really…really good here, Olga." She swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck. "They, uh…they said that you…talked to them about me…and then we were talking just now and we're going to have breakfast and spend the day together tomorrow talking, and I…" Helga paused for a second, surprised by the smile that had formed on her face as she'd given this explanation. She cleared her throat and decided to do her best to move on from the mushy stuff a little, knowing full well how emotional Olga could get about things like that. "Well, anyway…let's just say that I think for once you did something behind my back that DIDN'T make my life completely miserable…so I just…I just wanted to say…well, thanks, Olga…You're a…you're a really good big sister…" She laughed to herself and added to lighten the mood a little more, "I mean, you're really good at _everything_, though, so I'm not sure how much it matters but…"

Helga was interrupted by what sounded like a very large and muffled horn blowing from the other end of the phone line. Olga's overly emotional and obviously tearful voice coming on next made Helga smile just a bit more as she realized that the 'horn' had been the sound of her older sister blowing her nose into a tissue as she had started to cry. "Oh…oh Helga…" she began in that tearful, dramatic, high-pitched tone of hers.

'_I knew this was gonna happen_…' "Olga…" Helga began patiently, used to her sister's capacity to burst into tears at even the smallest sentimental moment, "Just turn off the water works and quit getting all mushy on me for a minute—Besides, you don't want to freak the Canadians out about Americans do you?" she added with a chuckle.

She heard a laugh actually escape Olga at the joke. Then the older girl sniffled a few times and finally when she spoke again it sounded like she was a bit more in control of herself. "Oh but Helga, they really took my advice? Oh I'm so glad, baby sister! You deserve to have them treat you just as nice as they treated me when I was growing up!"

Helga laughed warmly, switching the phone to her opposite ear. "Hey, _I'm_ game—especially if it gets Bob apologizing to me and Miriam actually speaking a coherent sentence for once."

Olga sighed in just a bit of distress in response to the joke. "Now Helga, really—if they start slipping again you just give me a call and I'll be down there on the first flight to give them a good firm talking to!" Her voice gained even more firmness as she added in finish, "I don't care how things have been in the past—they're going to change and that's that!"

"Hey, hey, don't worry…" An impressed smile came to Helga's face at the sudden and unusual sound of determination in her sister's voice, "We already had a talk about that and if they start going back to how things were even a _little,_ I already told Miriam _they're_ both going to get a firm talking to in the trophy room from _us_ for once!"

There was a second of silence and then both girls burst into laughter.

Getting her chuckles under control after a few seconds, Helga finally heard Olga ask just a little hesitantly and yet with a ton of apparent anticipation, "So…Mummy and Daddy and you are doing good… Anything new with Arnold, lately, baby sister?" It was obvious she was trying to hold back a ton of giggles.

Helga rolled her eyes and her voice suddenly sounded a bit more scolding as she spoke, though playfully so, "_Yes_, actually…" '_Okay, I'm not going to kill her but we are still going to talk about this…_' "I recently found out that you might have spilled the beans all over the place to our mother in the middle of the airport a few hours ago…" Her scowl firmed up a bit. "And don't deny it because I knew the second she walked in and started wanting to talk to me about my new special 'friend' Arnold that you'd sung like a canary!" She let out an exasperated sigh and crossed her legs. "Seriously Olga, what happened to that whole 'we're sisters—they don't have to know everything that goes on between us' thing from the time I switched your college poetry class grade? Crimeny, I don't know what you told her but even if it was just hinting she basically put the whole thing together!" '_And yeah okay my locket didn't help_…' Helga had to add mentally to herself, '_But that's not the point right now!_' And she went back to waiting for a response from Olga.

"Oh…well…uh…" She heard Olga swallow nervously on the other end of the line. Finally the older girl let out a sigh and began apologetically, "Oh, I'm sorry, Helga, but I just…you're so closed mouth about things sometimes, baby sister, and I thought if I brought it up that it could help bring you and Mummy together just like it helped bring you and me together, so I might have just hinted…" The teary, high-pitched voice was coming back. "Oh Helga, please don't be angry with me, baby sister, I—"

"Yikes, take it easy, Olga!" Helga blinked, surprised at how upset her sister was getting at the mere idea that she'd done something wrong again in regards to her baby sister. She threw in a slight laugh, really trying to show that there were no hard feelings. "No more waterworks, okay? I'm _not_ angry…" She sighed, a bit of the exasperation returning to her tone. "I _am_ a little _peeved_…but I'm not angry. So we're still 'okay', so wipe the mascara tear trail off of your face and just take a deep breath, alright?"

Helga heard her sister inhale and exhale deeply once on the other end of the line, calming herself down.

"Okay…" '_Crimeny, how does she stand changing between euphoria and total melodrama like that?_' Shaking her head in amusement at the thought, Helga continued, smiling to herself and stretching back in her bed, trying to stifle a yawn. "So, like I just assured you, I'm not angry…And, even though I wish you'd maybe talked with me about it first, I _do_ understand why you did it—you just wanted to get the ball rolling with me and Miriam…" She rubbed the back of her neck and admitted with a chuckle, "Heck_, believe me_, if anyone needs a good 'push out of the plane' in terms of admitting certain secrets, it's me… But in the future can we keep anything I might say just between us…about Arnold, I mean?" She felt herself blush slightly at the mention of her beloved's name.

She heard another one of Olga's squeal/giggles and then her ears were met by the cheery reply of, "Oh of course Baby sister! Absolutely! My lips are sealed—it'll all just be between us sisters!"

Helga let out a breath and smiled gratefully to herself. "Thank you, Olga."

"You're welcome, Helga…" Olga replied warmly and happily.

A few seconds of content silence passed between the two sisters.

"_So_…" Olga finally broke in, and actually sounded like she was trying to keep back giggles again, strangely enough.

Helga blinked at the word, raising part of her brow. "_So_…what?" '_Am I missing something?_ _We're good now…right?'_

She heard an exasperated sigh from Olga. "SO…what's new with _Arnold_?"

Helga blinked once more, a bit taken aback by the question though she now recalled that she had never given her sister an answer the first time it had been asked during this conversation. "Well…" she hesitated for a single second, but then just smiled and rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness. '_Aw, what the heck—why not? Even if Olga blabs, Miriam already knows about the anniversary thing…and it's not like I'm going to fill Ms. Mary Sunshine in on EVERY intimate detail about what happened, anyway_…' She almost chuckled. _'Besides, I could use someone to gush to a little_…' Memories of her evening washed over her... _'It HAS been a pretty full night, after all…"_

Having made her decision about how to respond to her sister's question, Helga now cleared her throat and tried to sound as casual as possible as she spoke. "Well…you know, just the _usual_ stuff…" she began a bit coyly. "I mean…I saw him in school all this week, of course, like I told you yesterday…"

"Uh-huh? Yes?"

Olga's eagerness was more than apparent. In fact the degree to which she seemed to be hanging on her every word actually made Helga laugh just a little to herself, though she was still trying to sound casual as she went on. "And then, I mean…we spent the afternoon together yesterday, like I already mentioned to you last night…"

"Yes, baby sister? Go on!"

Helga had to blink at the amount of enthusiasm behind her tone. '_Sheesh, if you could bottle that pep you could light half the city! Although…I guess I __am__ kind of teasing her a little with all of this build-up…_' "Yeah…" she went on, still just smiling to herself and trying to seem like her words were no big deal though Helga knew that Olga was probably as aware as she was that she was building to something…And indeed, Helga finally decided to drop the big one… "And, well…I guess I might have seen him tonight for a little while too…when you and Bob and Miriam were out…" She ignored the blushing mounting in her face and finished, "He, uh…he stopped by to wish me a happy…happy one week Anniversary…"

The sound of Olga's squeal of delight at finally learning this piece of information actually left Helga with a ringing in her ears for a couple of seconds.

Indeed, the ten-year-old blonde had to put down the phone briefly and rub the sides of her head to make the slight pain go away. Finally she picked up the receiver once again with a scowl and spoke into it (from a safe distance of course). "Hey, Olga, for Pete's sake, I think you seriously just damaged something in my ear canal and I wouldn't be surprised if everything made of glass around you has a crack in it! Try to keep the girlish squeals of delight under control, okay? Crimeny!"

She heard Olga break just into happy giggles at her exclamation. "Oh, but baby sister, that's just so adorable! Your one week anniversary…OH—did he kiss you again?"

Helga felt her scowl leave and her blush return in full force…and then a dreamy smile come to her face as she couldn't help the thought entering her head, '_Better question is when __didn't__ he kiss me…again and again and then again tonight…_' She cleared her throat, putting aside the memories of Arnold's kisses for now, and went back to the conversation with her sister. "Well…I…" she let out a breath, hesitating for just a second once again before finally giving into her desire to share all of the wonderful things that had happened between her and her beloved with someone tonight before she exploded from happiness…And besides…talking to her big sister really had been starting to grow on her. "Now, Olga, if I tell you the truth…" '_Sort of' _Helga added mentally, '_I think I can leave out all the seduction and the shrine stuff and the discovery and exploration of Arnold's dark side that almost gave him a heart attack and then practically gave me one_…' "Do you promise not to freaking lose it?" she continued, "And to keep any obviously intimate details just between us unless I give the go ahead to say anything to Mom?"

Helga heard Olga take a deep breath and then reply enthusiastically, "Oh yes, Helga, I promise! Cross my heart!"

Helga rolled her eyes. _'Cross my heart—what are we, seven?_' She shook her head, a smile coming to her face as she came back to the question at hand about whether or not she and her beloved had kissed at all this evening. "Okay well…" she began slowly and shyly, "I guess we did…_maybe_…once or twice…or three times…"

There was only silence on the end of the phone line.

Helga raised part of her brow. "Olga?" '_Sheesh, I don't care what she promised—I expected the squeal of delight from __heck__ after that one… Did we get disconnected_?'

"Mmm hmm?" Helga was surprised to suddenly hear in muffled reply to her question.

The ten-year-old blonde scratched her head at this strange response…and then her eyes went wide and she had to do her very best not to smirk as what the sound reminded her of came to mind. "Olga, are you…are you holding your breath…so you don't squeal?"

"Mmm hmm!" She heard again, in a bit of a higher pitch.

Then Helga heard what sounded like a big exhale. Finally Olga spoke once more. "Sorry, baby sister—I couldn't keep quiet unless I held it in while you were talking and then just let it out after I'd had a second to calm down..." She took another deep breath and then exhaled slowly once more. "Okay, okay…I'm fine now, Helga…" A slight giggle escaped her. "Oh but you kissed, baby sister! How precious! Oh…" Olga was silent for a second and then added with anticipation, and in a loud whisper despite the fact that they were on a private phone conversation, "Was it…was it a real kiss this time, Helga…like both of you…_you know_…?"

Helga just raised part of her brow in confusion for a second…but then felt a blush instantly come to her face as it processed what Olga probably meant by a 'real kiss'…as opposed to that peck on the cheek Arnold had given her on her stoop last Saturday night, for example. She quickly bit her bottom lip and carefully considered how truthfully or not to answer this particular inquiry from her sister. '_Still, she said she wouldn't tell Miriam…she promised. And even if she let it slip by accident_…' Helga couldn't help but recall her own little slip this evening with letting her mother know that she and Arnold had indeed kissed at least once. _'Well…even if she let it slip…I don't know…Miriam sounded pretty cool with the whole 'me and Arnold' thing… And, of course, it'd be nice to maybe try telling someone the juicier details besides Phoebe…just this once at least_…_It __is__ my Anniversary after all_…' And then she almost chuckled as she had to add, '_And besides, apparently I stink at keeping this whole Arnold thing a secret in any way now so…what the heck?_'

"Olga…" Helga finally started slowly, the blush still in her face and a small smile still on her mouth… "If you're asking me if Arnold and I finally kissed on the lips for the first time—and I mean a real, honest, genuine, romantic kiss…" she qualified, recalling the circumstances of the Romeo & Juliet and Babewatch kisses… "Then…" Helga took a deep breath and finally just said it, "Then you're going to have to go back about six weeks to a whole different incident between me and Football Head…And on a rooftop of all places!" She finally had to let out a small laugh as the memory of FTi fully came back to her.

Helga awaited her sister's reply…but for several seconds (much like before when she'd admitted that her and Arnold had indeed kissed this evening) she heard only silence… So Helga, not having anything else to do, decided to continue (a bit.) '_Heck, if I'm going to embarrass myself might as well make a good show of it and go all the way…_' "I…" she began shyly once again, "…That might have been when I told him that I, uh…didn't exactly hate his guts…and then to kind of show him that I didn't, I might have…you know… 'kiss' kissed him there. On the lips. Heh, heh…"

Silence again for a few more seconds.

"Olga…?" Now Helga was starting to be a little concerned. She raised part of her brow as she asked, "Are you doing that holding your breath thing again or—"

She stopped talking as she heard the sound of one of Olga's giggles/squeals, though it sounded muffled and far away.

Finally after a few seconds of Helga continuing to have her eyebrow raised in utter confusion about what the heck was going on with her older sister at that airport, Olga's voice came back on the line and she was breathing rather heavily. "Oh I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, Helga, but when you told me all of that I just…I just couldn't hold it in that time so I ran and finally found an empty bathroom and pressed my backpack to my face so I didn't frighten anyone like you said and just let it out!" She took several more breaths and then cleared her throat and it seemed she must have composed herself now.

"Uh…that's…good…" was all Helga could think to say at this strange story. '_And I'M the child they send to the shrink on a regular basis?_'

One more moment of silence passed during which the older Pataki daughter fully regained her composure, and then Olga spoke up once again (in a voice the calmness of which she was obviously fighting to maintain). "Okay, Helga…now before I explode and while I still have a half an hour left before I board my flight to Alaska you really need to tell me all the juicy details about whatever kissing incident you're talking about!" Helga almost blinked—Olga's love of gossip and girly romantic stories was certainly in full swing and it was more than showing in her tone of voice. "Please, spill, baby sister! When did it happen and where did it happen and what did you say and what did _he_ say and when did he tell you he liked you back and WHY didn't you tell me any of this sooner?"

Helga just collapsed back against her pillows in laughter, holding her stomach with her free hand. She switched the phone to the other ear again. "Whoa, whoa, easy, Olga—one question at a time! And could we maybe talk about this tomorrow—it's already eleven o'clock here."

She heard her sister scoff slightly and reply in a patient though just slightly sarcastic voice to this request considering how much Helga had just teased her with the information, "Yes, and tomorrow's Sunday so there's no school and you don't have me 'getting you up at the crack of dawn' like you always say I do, Helga, and you don't sound all that tired to me right now, and anyway I NEED to know all about this otherwise I won't be able to sleep a wink so please tell me! Please, please, please, please!" she begged eagerly.

"Okay, okay!" Helga finally caved, trying not to laugh at her sister's extreme desperation to have her baby sister share with her now that Helga was starting to actually seem willing to do so. _'Well, I guess I did kind of shut her out for quite a few years…makes sense she's a little starved for bonding_.' Helga almost chuckled. _'I don't know, maybe the whole reason I'm even bringing up this 'technical first kiss' story right now is because I wouldn't mind getting a little caught up on some more bonding myself_…' She sighed and patiently continued. "Just go find a seat out in the terminal, Olga, and get cozy and keep that backpack handy to squeal into because this could take a while depending on how detailed my normal defensiveness and my annoyance at the fact that you keep trying to break my ears will let me get with it…"

Olga just laughed in reply. "Okay, Baby sister…hold on!"

Olga went away from the line for a minute or two, only to then come back on sounding as cheerful and happy as ever. "Okay, I've got a cozy spot and I grabbed cup of hot chocolate from the vending machine and now I'm all comfy and ready to hear about this first real kiss, Helga. Oh, I'm so HAPPY we can finally talk about boys together!" She sipped her drink.

Helga's smile turned just a bit smug at this observation…and her memory of the FTi confession took a brief backseat as some of the _other_ things besides Arnold that she'd talked about with Miriam tonight suddenly returned to her mind. "Yeah, and speaking of _boys_, Olga, I was having an interesting chat with Miriam before, and after I finish this story about me and Arnold I'd like to hear a little bit about how yo—"

Suddenly, though, Helga was cut short as she heard the familiar intermittent buzz on her end of the call that meant that someone was on the call waiting for the Pataki house. She blinked. "Uh, Olga, can you hold on just one second? Someone else is trying to get through."

To her initial confusion she heard Olga giggle in response to this information. "Oh, let's see…" the older girl began coyly, "I wonder who would be calling our house at this hour on your one week Anniversary after he just left you a little while ago to maybe say goodnight…"

Helga blushed and rolled her eyes, and did her best to respond without sounding too embarrassed by the comment, "Very funny, Olga—let me just ditch this salesman or whoever this is and I'll be right back."

Helga removed the phone from her face to press the call-waiting button. Before she managed to switch lines, though, she heard Olga laugh once more and say before being put on hold. "Whatever you say, baby sister—oh and say hi to Arnold for me!"

Helga rolled her eyes and sighed. _'Yeah right—even Arnold's not that lovesick… Heck, even I'M not that lovesick…_' She pressed the button and brought the receiver to her ear, and spoke in a very frank tone. "This better be _some_ long distance service you're trying to peddle, buddy, because it is eleven o'clock at night and I've got a very important client on the other line!"

In response to her threatening tone, to her total shock, Helga heard...laughter?

Familiar, lovely, heavenly, warm laughter.

"Hello, Eleanor."

She blinked, her jaw dropping in surprise. "ARNOLD!"

Instantly, at the sound of her own flabbergasted voice, Helga slapped her hand over her mouth and looked to her bedroom door, realizing how loud she'd exclaimed her beloved's name. She waited to hear the sound of footsteps across the wooden floorboards or a faint rap at her door from either one of her parents. Yet (and _thankfully_) the seconds passed and…nothing.

"Helga? Helga!" She heard Arnold's faint voice coming from the phone receiver in her hand.

Helga, still wide eyed, picked up the receiver and put it to her ear, whispering quietly. "Arnold, _shh_! My parents just went to bed and if they hear me talking to you…" Helga shuddered at the thought—Miriam coming in and stumbling upon a whole fresh batch of 'Helga's in love' ammunition to make little side comments with for the rest of the weekend, or Bob strolling in only to hear she was talking to Arnold this late in her room in secret and banning her from any more little late night chats with her beloved…or worse—possibly trying to listen in! Helga shook her head to clear it of these very not good thoughts and finally finished quickly, "Just…keep your voice low and I'll keep my voice low so no one else can hear us. Now, what do you want?" Despite her panic and surprise, the last question came out quite playfully…and indeed, having not expected her beloved to telephone her at all after the already very full night they'd spent together, she was pretty intrigued about his motivations right now to say the least.

Arnold, however, seemed in no hurry for explanations. "Who's the important client on the other line, anyway?" he asked with some amusement, ignoring her request for him to be direct for once.

Helga sighed at the question and rolled her eyes. "My sister, paste for brains." '_Clueless…_'

"I thought she was going back to Alaska tonight, though…." he continued casually. "Did she get there already?"

Helga sighed again with some impatience, rubbing between her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. '_Why does he love tangents so much?_' Still, his innocent questions despite her panic about her parents couldn't help but make a serious smile threaten to come to Helga's face as she replied with just a touch of that amusement that was in Arnold's tone. "No, Football Head. She's on a layover in Toronto right now but I felt like talking to someone and I knew she'd be up and lately we don't exactly hate each other anymore, so I gave her a ring." She chuckled to herself and finally just shook her head as she added, "You get interested in the most random things about me, you know that, Arnoldo?"

"Are you talking to her about us?" he then asked with happy anticipation, still intent on keeping to his own, random, agenda apparently.

Helga felt herself blush and she tried to keep up the sarcasm in her voice though it was hard as all she wanted to do was smile dreamily at this point and maybe write some more Arnold odes in a new pink book. "No genius—it was our anniversary and we both had major emotional break-throughs and we kissed about a million times and then after that last one you basically had to peel me off the ceiling, but I was just calling up one of the few people who knows about us and who I trust to ask her if Canadian culture really IS all that different from American culture."

Arnold started to laugh again. "Helga…"

She rolled her eyes, sitting up a bit more in her bed. "Hey, I can't help myself, Football Head—you leave yourself wide open for sarcastic comments with half the stuff that comes out of your mouth!"

Both kids shared a warm laugh at this observation, and then let out happy sighs and took a few seconds to just enjoy and savor each other's presences on their opposite ends of the phone lines.

"So…" Helga finally broke the silence, doing her best to fight back a yawn, "Phil catch you walking in late, Football Head, or were you smart enough to use the fire escape to get back into your room?"

There was a second of silence on the other end of the line followed by Arnold letting out a very frustrated sigh, and then what sounded like him hitting his hand against his forehead (probably to drag it down his face).

"I'll take that as a no…" Helga continued with a smirk. "How bad…the punishment, I mean?"

Arnold took a breath and replied in a once again warm and happy tone, "Actually, like I said back at your house, he was kind of expecting me to be back a bit late, so…I have to be home by eight all next weekend and I have to help him with some extra chores for a few days but otherwise…he was actually really nice about it…" Another chuckle escaped the football headed blonde. "He…he even added an hour to my regular curfew and gave me a raise in my allowance so that we could try going out on more official dates…If you want to, Helga…"

Helga smiled at this news, her eyes lighting up. _'Finally! An irony in our lives that's actually really good and convenient_!' "Really? That's great, Football head! Oh and hey, good news—I just got mine extended to ten o'clock _too_, Football Head! No allowance raise, though…" she added with a small laugh of her own, "So it looks like _you'll_ be bearing the brunt of any extra financial needs for now… But somehow I ended up with a cell phone tonight…"

She heard a sound come out of Arnold's mouth like he was about to ask her the whole story, but she cut him off, shutting her eyes and rubbing them with the thumb and forefinger of her free hand. "I'll tell you about it later, Football Head—it's a long story and I'm pretty tired, and like I said Olga's on the other line and I don't want to keep her waiting too long."

She heard an accepting sigh come from Arnold. "Whatever you say, Helga."

She smirked and couldn't help herself. "Oh come on, Arnoldo—give me 'yes mam' just one more time!"

There was a second of silence and then both of them burst into laughter again.

A few seconds passed and then finally Helga managed to get herself under control enough to speak. "I mean, crimeny, Arnold, I meant to prove a point with that kiss, not to take away your free will and make you my 'love slave!' Not that it wasn't an added bonus for a few seconds, but you were just plain gone, weren't you?" She was blushing considerably right now and figured Arnold must be doing the same, but she didn't care—she was having a good time talking to him and it seemed like the feeling was mutual. _'Oh man, I don't want to get all mushy but I'm having a late night romantic phone conversation with my boyfriend about our anniversary—and the boyfriend's Arnold! I think I'm gonna die!_' She did her best to fight back a girlish sigh.

"Hey!" Arnold countered, getting his laughter under control and bringing her out of her musings, "_You're_ the one who admitted that 'the student had surpassed the teacher' back in your room after_ I_ did it to _you_!" His voice became a little slyer. "And wasn't that only AFTER you had a few seconds to take it all in—I think the first thing out of your mouth was something like 'Uh…you…_wow_.'" He chuckled once again and finished proudly, "At least _I _came up with a complete sentence!"

Helga was seriously blushing now but also seriously smiling. "Hey, don't challenge me, Football Head! I can out kiss you any_time_ any_where_! You're talking to Helga G. Pataki! I was practicing on you when you were still chasing after random crushes and giving me confused looks every time I went out of my way to drive you nuts in particular—or do you not recall Babewatch and the school play?"

"Mmm _hmm_…" Arnold replied with a definite bit of skepticism in his tone, "Well, then, since we can't agree I guess the only fair and right thing to do would be to settle things about this during our next date on Friday…"

It took Helga a second to process what he had just suggested. When she did, though, her jaw dropped and she felt her heart skip a beat. _'Did he just suggest…what I think he just suggested? This is still Arnold we're talking to, right? Arnold…who a few hours ago felt bad about even holding my hand…_' She recalled all the efforts she had put in mere hours ago to correct such fears on his part. _'Wow, I __am__ good_!' "You…you are seriously into this kissing thing…aren't you, Football Head?" Her smile grew. "Don't tell me I created a monster with that little talk before or anything?" she added playfully.

Arnold, to her surprise, rather than getting all flustered again, just laughed in response to the question and replied warmly, "Just trying to take your advice, Helga: explore it and work with it and have fun with it. Besides…" he let out a happy sigh and managed to continue not _too_ obviously nervously, "Like you said, I am…attracted to you…and I DO have a dark side…and it's going to be hard enough to ignore that five days a week at school…I've got to have _something_ to look forward to for Friday unless I really do want to find myself randomly pulling you into closets or empty classrooms the rest of the week just to talk to you and watch you blush and smile at me…" His voice actually sounded like he was smiling more and more as he spoke…getting more and more lost in his thoughts and feelings about Helga "…And maybe to see if we could sneak in a little poetry 'inspiration'…just in case you needed any help with writing for English class that day, of course."

Helga knew he was grinning a lot now_. A lot_. Because so was she…and blushing like crazy…her heart pounding wildly at the reminder of this apparent little fantasy of her beloved's of suddenly pulling her by the collar into a room to suddenly smile at her and say sweet things to her and then maybe spontaneously kiss her because he couldn't wait anymore…

Lost in her daydreams, she girlishly sighed.

"Helga…?" came Arnold's amused voice to her at the sound he'd just heard.

Helga blinked at the sound of being addressed by her beloved and did her best to take a breath and regain herself before resuming her phone call. She cleared her throat and responded as causally as possible. "H-hey, Football Head—seriously, it is eleven o'clock and you already spent almost three hours with me today and my sister's waiting and we're both obviously on this phone call in necessary secrecy right now so that we don't get grounded for a month. So, is there any actual particular reason you phoned, Arnoldo…?" She smirked, adding necessarily as she lay back in her bed once more and grabbed up her Arnold locket from her covers, gazing at its face, "I mean OTHER than to flirt with me a whole heck of a lot more than you would be doing if we _hadn't_ just kissed like crazy and if you _weren't_ completely tired…"

She heard him laugh a little at the comment. "Yeah, I _am_ probably going to be pretty embarrassed about this when I wake up in the morning. Sorry in advance, Helga."

She rolled her eyes. '_Only Arnold would apologize for flirting too much with someone who's in love with him…_' She shook her head in amusement. "Don't apologize—just get to the point, paste for brains!"

Arnold chuckled at another one of her familiar names for him. "Okay…well…actually I was calling because I was talking to my Grandpa while we were both heading upstairs for bed a little while ago, and he told me the second part of a story he started telling me a few months ago…and it was kind of funny and I just thought you might like to hear it." He hesitated and she heard him (interestingly enough) swallow nervously, "I…think you'd really appreciate it, Helga."

She smiled at bit more at a touch of familiar shyness returning to his voice. "Well…" her eyes fell to her locket again and her smile grew just a bit more, "Normally, I'd tell you to quit being so random and to save something like this for small talk over ice cream next Friday afternoon but…what the heck? I'm awake, I'm happy you called, so I'm game—shoot, Football Head. Amuse me."

"Okay…" he replied warmly…and then a little bit of slyness returned to his tone as he added, "But if I tell you this story now then next week I expect to hear from you the story behind another interesting thing my Grandpa mentioned…" He was obviously trying to hold back a bit of laughter as he finished, "Something about you crashing through my kitchen ceiling one day just after I left for school a few months ago?"

Helga's face was blank for a second and part of her brow was raised…but then a touch of realization came over her and her eyes went wide as she recalled a certain incident with a loud mouthed parrot and a desperate last ditch escape from Arnold's vents to stop the thing from 'squawking' at all costs. She smiled nervously and cleared her throat, feeling warmth flood her face. "He, uh…he mentioned that finally, huh?"

"Mmm Hmm…" Arnold replied with a sigh, "And I can't wait to hear all about it…every single detail…" he added playfully.

Helga couldn't help a laugh coming to the back of her throat at his desire for yet another recounting of one of her wacky adventures from the past. "Hey, I'll tell you everything about that AND exactly how I got the other girls besides Lila to quit the school play so I could kiss you as Juliet if you'll just get on with your freaking story already so that I can get to bed!"

"Really, Helga?" So much anticipation was suddenly in his voice. "Okay!"

Helga had to laugh as she settled back, putting her locket aside for now, and prepared to hear his story. "Alright—start the storytelling, Football Head!"

Arnold cleared his throat, fighting back a laugh, and then began. "Well, I should probably start by saying that my Grandpa and my Grandma actually had a bet going about how late I would be back tonight…"

"Seriously?" Helga had to raise part of her brow and try very hard not to chuckle. '_Wow—that was probably fun for the little Football Head to walk into_.'

Arnold sighed and she heard him shift on his bed again on the other end of the line. "Yup…"

Helga turned on her side to get more comfortable and switched the phone to her opposite ear. "So…who won?"

Arnold laughed. "Grandma… She bet eleven and Grandpa bet midnight, and the winner was whoever got closest …" He let out a sigh.

Helga sat up and nearly scoffed. "Your Grandpa thought you wouldn't he home until _midnight_ after you'd been at my house since _seven_?"

She heard him clear his throat and knew he was blushing... The nervous tone returning to his voice confirmed her suspicions. "Well…uh, yeah… And that's where the funny story starts, actually…" He swallowed again before going on. "You see, a couple of months ago…that day we made the dioramas in class and you poured glue on my chair and threw feathers on me, actually…"

Helga cleared her throat to sheepishly interject. "Uh, yeah…sorry about that, Arnold. I mean, it was either do that to you or use the paste to find a way to glue our lips together for the rest of my life, and I figured you'd take the 'Arnold's a bird' thing better and that it would be a heck of a lot less suspicious all around…heh, heh…" She swallowed hard. "Uh…anyway, continue…"

She heard Arnold chuckle and then take a breath, continuing his story. "Anyway, he started telling me this story that afternoon after school when I told him about the prank and how you were always picking on me, and then he finished telling me the rest of it tonight…"

"And I know you enjoy dramatic build up more than anyone else on the planet, Arnoldo…" Helga suddenly interrupted again with a touch of sarcasm, "But it's late so can I get the abridged version? Your Grandpa finished telling you the rest of the story about 'what', again, exactly…?"

Arnold sighed…paused for another second…and then went on a bit shyly once more (a fact, once again, not lost on Helga). "…About…about how when he was our age there was this girl who treated him like she couldn't stand him—you know calling him names and picking on him and getting him in trouble…"

Helga rolled her eyes and couldn't help smiling. "Yeah, I get it—the situation sounds 'vaguely' familiar. Get to the point, Football Head!" She chuckled.

Arnold cleared his throat nervously yet again…. "Well…anyway…like I said, tonight he told me the rest of the story…" He let out a breath and finally went on as casually as he could manage. "So…this girl was always picking on him, and he said that one day out of the blue she suddenly told him that the reason she did all that stuff was because she, uh…" She could tell he must be blushing again as he finally finished quickly, "Because she loved him…"

"Really?" '_Wow—talk about déjà vous…_' Helga's interest was definitely peaked now. "What happened?" she asked eagerly.

"Well..." Arnold continued slowly, and yet with an obvious touch of happiness in his voice now that she seemed so interested, "Anyway…so she told him she loved him and he said that he thought about it for a while and was really confused, but then he started spending time with her and getting to know her and suddenly one day he realized he was falling in love with her and—"

"Arnold?"

"Yes, Helga?"

Helga sighed in just a touch of obvious exasperation and crossed her arms over her chest, part of her brow raised. "Is this some kind of weird attempt at one of those 'I have this _friend_ who…' stories because this is sounding SCARILY like it's about us…I mean, you're noticing this, right?"

Arnold chuckled at the question. "I know, Helga, but, no—it really did happen and yes it really is just…well…uncanny."

She scoffed, crossing her legs. "Yeah—in spades."

Arnold laughed once more, and then continued. "So…then he told her he loved her too and then they started going out together and…anyway… the point is I guess he thought I'd be back so late tonight because he told me he remembered how long his dates could take with Gertie…" He paused for a moment and then added in explanation, "Oh, uh, that was the girl's name. Gertie."

Helga continued to blush a bit as this cute little parallel story finished, a small smile on her face. "Huh? Well…wonders never cease…" She reclined back, putting her free arm behind her head, and then mused out loud, "You know, I almost wish I could have met this chick, Football Head. Sounds like a girl after my own heart…"

There was a definite pause of considerable length on the other end of the line.

Helga raised part of her brow. "Football Head…what's the deal? You still there?"

Finally, she heard Arnold take a deep breath. "Well, _actually_, Helga…" she heard him laugh faintly to himself, "You already did."

Helga's face continued to bear a puzzled look. "I 'already did' what?"

"Meet her..." Arnold supplied. "A few times now…" He chuckled. "Probably even more than that that I don't know about, but…definitely a few times at least..."

Helga had to scratch her head, seriously confused at this point. "Arnold, what the heck are you talking about? Your Grandpa's like in his 80s, so this girl was around here almost seven decades ago! How could I have met her? My _parents_ couldn't even have met her…heck, I'm not even sure if my _grandparents_ could have met her…"

"That's what you think…" he just replied playfully, obviously enjoying whatever little secret he still seemed to be hiding, "But that's just because you don't know who she is yet, Helga…" He laughed warmly. "Or should I say 'Eleanor'…"

Helga processed the name…the name Arnold's Grandma liked to call her…but she still just couldn't wrap her head around the connection.

Her silence continued for a few seconds until Arnold, with a sigh, finally spoke up once again. "Helga, if you haven't figured out who she is yet then I think you might need to rethink who the dense one in this relationship is…" He laughed to himself again, then took a deep breath and said in a very casual voice, "She's my Grandma, Helga… that was the end of the story. Pretty funny, huh?"

The phone instantly dropped from Helga's hand. Her breathing had stopped but her heart was racing a mile a minute. '_She was Arnold's Grandma…the girl who told Arnold's Grandpa she loved him when they were kids…and they stayed together…they got married…they had kids…they had GRANDkids…specifically the most perfect grandchild in the world…and they got to live happily ever after in the boarding house…and Arnold specifically TOLD me the story…_'

As this last thought washed over her, Helga felt an Olga-like squeal of delight come over herself. She quickly pushed her pillow over her face and let out the sound of delight, actually kicking under her sheets as she did so, the amount of ecstasy flowing through her was so great.

"Helga? Helga?" She could hear Arnold's faint voice coming through the receiver, but she really did just need a minute to get all of this out of her system so she could respond to him coherently.

The sound of a quick knock at her door and the knob turning as said door suddenly opened, however, sobered her up pretty quickly. Indeed, Helga felt all color drain from her face and she quickly turned to look across the room only to observe, with wide eyes, her father suddenly appearing before her, looking very groggy like he'd just been woken up.

"Ol—uh, Helga…" Big Bob Pataki began with a yawn, "What's going on in here? I keep hearing voices and whispering and then it almost sounded like you screamed…" Suddenly he blinked and his eyes focused on the phone receiver currently off the hook and on her bed (Helga had dropped it to her covers in surprise). "And who the heck are you talking to at this hour, anyway?" He scowled…with just a faint touch of suspicion…

Helga swallowed hard, feeling a little frozen to say the least.

"Helg—" However, she did at least have the much-needed capacity to snatch up the phone and clasp her hand over the end of the receiver to keep Arnold's voice safely out of her room. Thinking once again on her feet, she then brought the object to her mouth and replied shakily into it, "Uh, j-just a second, OLGA!"

She brought the phone away from her face again (still muffling it with her hand, of course) and then turned back to he father, smiling innocently. "Uh…" Helga began with a casual smile, "Sorry, Bob…Just figured I'd call Olga…since she's on her layover in Canada now and everything. You know—see how the trip's going, tell her I miss her, junk like that…Heh, heh…" Helga cleared her throat and continued. "I…I mean, I just figured after traveling all night she'd be too tired to talk in the morning and then I'd have school all week and she'd have work all week so we'd have no time to talk then, so, you know…just getting it in now!" She quickly put her mouth back to the receiver for another second, feigning genuine sincerity in her voice and expression as she said into it, "Really, Olga? They've got money with hockey players on it up there in our 'neighbor to the north'? Huh—no kidding! Boy, you have to bring me some of that back the next time you come visit!"

Before any reply could come she pulled the phone away once more, once again clasping it between both of her hands, and smiled in her father's direction again. "Anyway, Bo—uh, Dad…sorry about all the noise and about the screaming sound. Uh…" She made a gesture like cleaning out one of her ears, and chuckled nervously. "Would you believe that was Olga! Sheesh, you tell her you miss her and she has a meltdown of delight! Whoo boy—I told her to cool it in the airport or they're going to arrest her for disturbing the peace but, hey, Olga never was good at not being an emotional wreck waiting to happen right? Heh, heh…" '_Oh __good__ thinking to explain that squeal! Looks like I've got a second wind tonight! YES!_' Helga couldn't help but mentally congratulate herself.

His daughter now just looking to him with a smile, Bob, in his still half sleep, just observed her for a second more… and then blinked and just yawned once again. "Oh…okay… Well, tell her I said hi and to have a safe flight… And don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Uh, sure thing, Bob…" Helga felt immense relief wash over her at this confirmation that he was buying it. "Her flight leaves pretty soon, anyway, so I was just getting ready to say goodbye."

Bob finished another yawn and then shuffled out Helga's door. "Okay. See you in the morning, Ol—Helga..."

"G'nite, Dad!" she called with a wave as he closed the door behind him.

Helga listened for a few seconds to the sounds of his footsteps heading down the hallway and the light creak that came from him opening and closing his and Miriam's bedroom door.

Letting a few more seconds pass just for good measure (and to make sure he didn't want to come back to mention or ask about something else—'_It figures Bob and Miriam pick tonight of all nights to want to talk my ear off!' _Helga couldn't help but note with amused irony), Helga then finally let out a breath and brought the receiver back to her mouth, talking in a much more hushed whisper than before. "Uh, sorry about that, Football Head—my Dad came in and I think he'd be a little ticked off if he knew I was talking to you about getting married at nearly midnight."

Arnold just laughed on the other end. "No problem, Helga…" He then cleared his throat and added, getting back to the Gertie story, "Well, anyway, like I said, I just thought it was a funny story about my grandparents, and that if you were still up you might like to hear it."

"Football Head," trying not to laugh, Helga brought her free hand up to her head and began to rub one of her temples, "This isn't some corny way of getting me prepped for you showing up at my door on our one _month_ anniversary or something and popping the question so we can start some kind of ten year engagement, is it?"

"Helga!" There was embarrassment in the way he said her name but it was outweighed by amusement.

"Well, sheesh, Arnoldo!" She rolled her eyes. "You just told me a story that started out with two people eerily similar to us falling in love and ended by telling me that you're they're grandchild! What the heck else am I supposed to think?" She smiled a bit more as another thought then occurred to her. "By the way, if you're getting a raise in your allowance, like you said, then I better get the most stunning ring imaginable. Seriously—nothing from that machine with the rings in the plastic eggs that costs a quarter. I expect you to head to the _fifty cent_ one! _Repeatedly_ until you get me just the right rock, Football Head!"

She heard Arnold sigh and reply playfully, "Now Helga, don't you think that would be doing things a little out of order—shouldn't it be the Helga locket first and then the Helga shrine and _then_ an engagement ring?"

Helga chuckled, still trying to keep her voice low but kind of wishing that they were alone and with each other again so that she could just laugh out loud at her beloved and all of his adorableness. "Hey, the order's not important to me so long as it all gets done eventually, Arnoldo!" She heard Arnold's chuckling pick up a little, and her own couldn't help escalating just slighting in turn. "Crimeny, though, Football Head…" she couldn't help but add, "On a side note, if I ever _do_ catch you with a Helga locket or shrine I will never let you hear the end of it! I don't care if I have an Arnold locket and you're cool with it—just the idea of you keeping a picture of me around your neck in a heart-shaped frame or something is possibly the most humorous image I've ever had in my head…Even better than Gerald practically passing out in Phoebe's arms before..." She almost snorted, recalling that little incident from not too long ago.

"Yeah…" she heard Arnold respond with a sigh after getting his chuckles under control a few seconds later, "I think Gerald would have plenty to say about it if _he_ ever found me with something like that either…" He laughed once more to himself. "For now, though, I'm already getting ready to hear it about 'the shrine' from him on Monday…"

Despite the fact that it was a reminder that another huge part of her Arnold obsession had accidentally been blown to a less-than-ideal person this evening, Helga couldn't help but just smile even more at the memory of the (retrospectively) amusing incident.

"Meanwhile, though…" Arnold continued, letting out a breath, "You're focusing on a locket when the bigger picture is it looks like we're supposed to date for ten or fifteen years and then get married and have a family or something…" He laughed warmly to himself as he added almost casually, "How weird would that be if we really were just like my grandparents…?"

Helga felt a pleasant twist in her stomach and a flutter in her heart. She did her best to maintain her composure, though, recalling how letting herself go into that girlish sigh before after her beloved had finished telling his story had been one of the key things to bring a tired Bob knocking on her door with questions. "You know, Football Head…" she began in reply, her eyes dreamy and still half lidded, though she'd at least managed to make her voice not quite as airy as usual during her monologuing states, "If you're trying to make the sweet Helga come out you're getting really close with all this marriage talk and acting like you'd be happy about it or something…" She almost giggled. "I mean, crimeny, it's a good thing you had the sense to hold this little 'story telling session' over the phone or I think I'd be about one more flirtatious remark away from losing it and jumping right on top of you again..."

"Oh. Hmm…" He almost sounded…disappointed? Helga had to raise part of her brow at the unexpected reaction…but then suddenly found herself blushing furiously with understanding as Arnold then finished by saying, "Well, I guess I should have waited then… I mean, the you who throws herself at me and jumps on top of me is a little scary but she's also a lot of fun as long as we're being honest…" He laughed. "She's fun on rooftops and in closets and on your coffee table and in your room and maybe even in my room one of these days if I ever get the timing right—"

"ARNOLD!" Helga couldn't help but exclaiming in a louder whisper, feeling her heart pound at the memories and at how much he sounded like he wanted more of them…and as soon as possible, maybe...

Her beloved just laughed a bit more loudly on the other end of the line. "Sorry, Helga…I really don't know why I'm saying things like that and acting a little strange right now…I guess it's just how late it is and all that stuff you said to me and all the stuff we did and then that story…" He let out a happy sigh. "I just feel like I could sit here and talk to you all night and it'd make me…happy." From the way he had said it, it sounded like the word had just occurred to him to describe his feelings…but also like he couldn't help but be, well, 'happy' with how appropriate it was. "Really, really happy…" he added with another warm laugh. "I mean, until I needed to kiss you again, of course…" came the playful finish.

"_Arnold_!" Helga exclaimed more firmly, though trying to keep her volume down again…it wasn't helping her be any more in control of her responses to him, though, that she could feel her face growing hotter and hotter… Still, she wouldn't have traded this little spontaneous phone-based addition to their evening together for anything, as the embarrassed though proud smirk now upon her face attested to.

Arnold just let out a happy (if not slightly embarrassed, himself) sounding sigh, and laughed a little to himself at yet another surprised exclamation of his name from her at everything he was saying. "Right, right—bad 'dark Arnold,' very bad. Sorry, Helga…" She heard him take a second to shift on his bed, and a touch of that familiar shyness returned to his voice. "I mean also want to talk to you and do things together and read more poems and hear you tell me more fun stories about trying to keep your secret from me…" He swallowed hard, and then added with that streak of slyness returning, "I just really want to do other things with you now too, I guess…" He took a second to reflect. "Hmm…this whole other part of my personality is going to take some time to get used to, isn't it, Helga?"

Helga just chuckled and shook her head at her silly little lovesick beloved's question. "Ah, don't worry about it, Football Head. I think I can keep you in check!" She began to absentmindedly twirl the phone cord around one of her fingers.

Arnold just chuckled and added, the amusement and daring returning to his tone a bit more strongly, "And yet I have the strange feeling that you're not going to want to keep me in check too often… But maybe I'm just focusing too much on the image of you with your hair down sitting on your bed and swinging that rope and saying 'come get it…'. What do you think Helga?"

Ignoring the strong blushing she could feel going on in her face once again, Helga just reached up with her free hand and rubbed her tired eyes, the happy grin still more than on her face, though. "I _think_, Football Head, that I need to let Olga know that I'm still alive and that you need to get back to bed until you've had a sufficient amount of sleep to NOT sound like a lovesick idiot. Believe me, if anyone knows what that sounds like, it's me, Arnoldo—I invented it!"

He laughed warmly and was about to respond to the joke with another cleverly flirtatious remark when Helga's eyes went wide and she instantly buried the phone in her hands and under her blankets once more…the result of suddenly hearing footsteps creaking across the dark hall beyond her door once more. She swallowed hard and quickly said aloud in an audible voice, "Yeah, well, gotta go now, Olga—it's getting pretty late here and I don't want to keep everyone up. Have a safe plane ride and call tomorrow after you finally get back to Alaska!"

With this cover, Helga then tried to audibly make it sound like she was burying herself in her blankets before going into total silence for several seconds, hoping that whoever was out there would assume she was indeed asleep now. In the darkness of her room, Helga, whose eyes were still quite wide and whose heart was still pounding in just a bit of panic, could see a faint light in the hallway under the crack of her door and then heard a few more floor creaks…and then, to her great relief, she heard the sound of a sink running and the sound of someone gargling. '_Whew—he just forgot to brush his teeth! Yes!_' She sat up, a smile on her face.

Helga's smile instantly fell, though, at the creaking sound of her door suddenly opening…revealing (thankfully) her mother this time, in a bathrobe rubbing one of her eyes in sleepiness.

"Helga…" Miriam yawned, speaking in a loud whisper with a half smile, "I hear from your father that you're on the phone with 'Olga'…" The emphasis on her older daughter's name and the disbelief implied by it were obvious. "But it really is getting late and you really are up way past your bedtime even for a weekend so please try to wrap things up soon…" She yawned once more. "Okay, sweetie?" Her smile grew just a bit. "You can talk to your 'sister' in the morning…" She winked at the word 'sister' (of course.)

Helga swallowed, feeling a blush creeping up into her cheeks, but tried her best to maintain some dignity. "Hey…" she began weakly, trying to keep her whisper a bit low since she was about to go a bit outside of the cover of 'talking with Olga,' "You know, I might actually _be_ on the phone with Olga…" '_Technically_…' she couldn't help but note mentally, _'I mean, she's on hold and Arnold's also on the phone so…that kind of counts…sort of…_'

Without missing a beat, Miriam stepped inside and gently closed the door behind her, effectively insuring her and her daughter just a bit more privacy, and then with a smirk instantly responded, "So…If I go downstairs and push the call button on the cordless phone in the kitchen, and say 'hello'…" she tried not to laugh at the sight of how pale her daughter had grown at this challenge, "…I'll hear Olga saying 'hello' back and no one else…?"

"Uh…" Helga swallowed and glanced around nervously. "_Y-yeah_…" she tried to reply with confidence, calling her mother's bluff, though her voice was obviously shaky… A second didn't pass though before, under Miriam's all knowing gaze, she let out a breath and collapsed back on her pillows in defeat, and continued with, "…As soon as I take her off hold because Arnold called ten minutes ago to say goodnight and we're still talking…"

Miriam did her best not to laugh at the admission. "Hmm…well, it's good you at least have her on the other line as a back-up if you needed it…" She let out a sigh, still smiling as she just shook her head in amusement at her youngest daughter. "Anyway, I know you and you-know-who have a lot to discuss since you're just starting out but there's always tomorrow morning, Helga…and that dinner you got your father to agree to…and your 'date' afterwards." She had to chuckle slightly. "Oh, I know it probably bothers you, Helga, but it's so cute that you two have little dates!"

Helga just rolled her eyes and scowled slightly at Miriam's slightly patronizing tone, though a half smirk was still on her face. "Oh, ha-ha, Mom… You should talk to Olga!" She crossed her arms over her chest. "She'd be dressing us up in little matching blue and pink sailor suits if she had her way…"

Miriam chuckled once more, still doing her best to keep her voice down. "Yes, that does sound like your sister…" She seemed reflective for a second, and then her eyes fell to Helga's again. "And as for Arnold…well, I guess since it _is_ your 'anniversary' and not a school night that it wouldn't be the worst thing if you talked for just a few minutes longer…But make sure you get to bed in time to get up for our family breakfast tomorrow!" She walked back to Helga's door and opened it up again. "Well, goodnight, Sweetie…" she whispered over her shoulder. "See you in the morning!"

Helga's face lost all scowl and now she just smiled appreciatively over at her mother. "Yeah, yeah…Goodnight, Miriam…"

Miriam returned the smile and was about to turn around and head to bed for good…when…

"Um…Miriam?"

She paused at this hesitant address from her younger daughter. "Yes, Helga?"

She watched with interest as Helga glanced down, twiddling her thumbs, looking a little nervous. "Um…thanks…and um…" Helga smiled just a bit more to herself. "You're…you're pretty okay…" Feeling the mushy moment overwhelm things just slightly the young girl rolled her eyes and added playfully, "You know, for a 'Mom'…"

Something in Miriam's eyes seemed to brighten at these words. "Thank you, Helga…"

A second or two of tender silence passed.

And then finally Helga couldn't take it anymore, and scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, okay…" she whispered back playfully to her mother, "Crimeny Miriam, I've got a drama queen sister and a dazed and confused boyfriend both on hold—let's finish the mushy stuff during 'Pataki bonding day' _tomorrow_ and let me get back to dealing with their shenanigans _now_!"

Miriam put her hand to her mouth and chuckled, really doing her best not to be too loud but finding it very hard to succeed. "Of course…Goodnight!"

And with that and another smile she left her daughter, closing the door gently behind her.

Helga let out a breath at her departure and just shook her head in amusement as she heard Miriam's footsteps continue up the hall to her and Bob's room, leaving her in silence again. The ten-year-old blond then picked up the receiver in her hand once more and went back to the phone conversation she had been interrupted from…though this time talking in the faintest whisper possible (she really didn't want to take any chances after all…) _'Heck, if we were loud enough for Miriam to hear us after all the precautions after Bob came in here, these walls must be thinner than a I thought!'_

Helga cleared her throat and spoke in a very, very faint voice. "Football Head…listen I seriously have to go. My Mom just caught us and she's giving us a few minutes but I don't want to take the chance of waking up my Dad again for anything…!"

"Aw, but Helga, I—" came his disappointed and just slightly desperate voice in reply.

"_SHHH_!" she had to whisper into the receiver at how loud the sound of his voice suddenly seemed in the still quiet of her dark room after getting caught on this call for a second time that night. "They're both light sleepers and right next door since not _all_ of us have the privilege of living in our own private attic room…" She couldn't help but add the last part just a bit smugly. "And when you talk normally, it sounds pretty loud in a quite house," she finished in explanation, "So just whisper, okay, Arnoldo?"

In her peaceful, dim room, Helga heard him laugh once more on the other end of the line and then she heard his faint whisper of acknowledgement to her request.

She couldn't help but smile in reply. "Good. Okay so, like I said it's late and I'm tired and I've still got Olga to deal with so goodnight, Football Head."

More whispering from Arnold's end.

Helga just rolled her eyes. "Arnold, _please_!" she whispered, turning toward her wall and window, "_Don't_ start trying to turn me into one of those girls who plays games like 'you hang up first, no YOU hang up first' with guys they like!" She almost had to laugh at the very idea. "I mean, the next thing you know you'll be slipping into the 'I love YOU more, no _I_ love YOU more' shtick and if that happens I'll have to personally come over and deprogram you from becoming the romantic sap you keep threatening to slip into tonight, Arnoldo."

More whispering from her beloved.

Helga scoffed as lightly as she could. "Oh yeah, you ARE just desperate enough to actually be opening your window right now in anticipation of my visit!" She almost shook her head in amusement. "Like I'm actually going to sneak out with my house full of adults and then sneak into your house full of adults on some pretext of making you act normal for once just so you can squeeze in one more good night kiss courtesy of this new little flirting streak of yours…" She laughed to herself. "You really do have an addiction to me, don't you Football Head?" She raised part of her brow. "You know, obsession is a dangerous thing, Arnold...One minute you're just writing the occasional poem and the next minute you're crawling through air vents with the object of your affections trying to stop the entire established social order of the fourth grade from collapsing! It's a slippery slope!"

Some obviously very amused whispering and laughing from the boarding house telephone in Arnold's room sounded in Helga's ear.

Helga did her best not to burst into laughter at sound of his happy chuckles. "Okay, Football Head, stop cracking up—I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be asleep by now and I don't need someone going to get a drink of water accidentally hearing you and grounding you tomorrow…" She swallowed. "Especially since I was kind of hoping you'd come over to dinner at my house… " she slipped in casually…

A few more choice whispers from Arnold.

"NO!" Helga began just a bit indignantly, feeling warmth flood her cheeks uncontrollably, "NOT just the two of us and some French food and candles like that one time at Chez Paris!" She swallowed and had to glance down in embarrassment, even though she was technically alone. "You really are gone about this whole in love thing aren't you Arnoldo?" And then she had to take a deep breath before finally admitting, once again as casually as possible, "Anyway…I meant with me and my parents…"

Some significantly more hesitant whispers came from Arnold's end of the call sounded in her ear this time.

Helga just rolled her eyes and shifted onto her back, putting her free hand behind her head. "And I _promise_ you'll be safe, Football Head…They're actually…" Helga felt the smile on her face grow quite a bit, "They're acting kind of cool right now…I don't know—it's a long story...Olga was talking to them and then they were talking to each other and then they talked to me…" She shook her head to clear it, recalling the late hour. "I'll fill you in tomorrow…after the little date I decided we're going on after dinner at my place!" she added with a giggle.

"Really?" Forgetting for a moment, in his enthusiasm, about the need to whisper, Arnold couldn't help this quite happy and quite eager exclamation from escaping his mouth.

Helga had to chuckle just slightly aloud at this unexpected little outburst. After a few seconds, though, she finally managed to clear her throat and return to her whisper. "Yikes, cool it, Football Head! All I did was ask you out on a date—at this point it shouldn't be THAT surprising…" She managed to lower her voice even more…in a manner more sultry than secretive though, "Yes…it shouldn't be all that surprising that I'm thinking just once a week on Friday afternoons isn't going to be nearly enough to get my fill of you, my adorable little Football Head, especially after a surprise evening like this one…and so I'm asking for a little more one-on-one time…" She giggled. "Oh just think about it, Arnold—after dinner you and me all alone on a lovely moonlit night…" Helga felt herself blushing and yet had already decided in advance that all of these little suggestive comments would be well worth hearing Arnold shift uncomfortably and say her name in that shy, slightly embarrassed way of his…

Which was why she was surprised to instead hear instead a few more low, enthusiastic whisperings from the phone line of the Boarding House a few blocks away.

Smiling like crazy, Helga suddenly felt her breath catch in her throat and the heat in her face reach its peak at how he'd chosen to respond. "Y-yes, I-I know, Arnold!" came her nervous voice with the only thing she could think to his sudden retort, "If I snuck out and came to your house right now like you said before we would indeed be alone again, but it's not happening…" She glanced down shyly. "Heh, heh…You crazy Football Head…"

A few more quiet words from Arnold…and some somewhat loud laughter considering he was supposed to be trying to keep quiet.

At this point Helga was over the embarrassment considering how tired she was and how used she was slowly starting to get to Arnold's flirting, and so she just scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh ha-ha, yes, Arnold—I'm sure that you are indeed just going to be _so_ on my mind again after everything tonight that I'll sleepwalk to your house no matter what I'm saying right now." She raised part of her brow and crossed an arm over her chest. "You know, thinking about you wasn't the only factor in that whole fiasco—otherwise it would have been happening for the last seven years straight!" The two kids shared a laugh, and then Helga admitted sheepishly and with a swallow, "I…might have started snacking on pork rinds at the time, and apparently they don't sit too well with me…Heh, heh…"

Another quick whisper or two courtesy of Arnold and his newfound sense of adventure sounded from the receiver.

"Oh my…Football Head! Seriously, what is with these lame lines of yours?" Helga was stammering and blushing once more. '_He is just…I…__Arnold__!_' she couldn't help but mentally squeal in delighted surprise at this new romantic streak of her beloved's. "I-I mean…" she finally managed to get out in a more than flustered voice, "Just how tired are you anyway, paste for brains?" She swallowed hard and found the courage to repeat the exact words he had just said to her in response to her confession about her particular problems with said particular snack food. " 'I should eat them a bit more often'? _Please_!" she tried to laugh and resume a more casual tone, though it wasn't easy. "I am cut off from those things _for life_! I already woke up at your door once and then on your fire escape and even in your shower—" She played with a bit of the phone cord in her free hand. "Next step was probably waking up curled in a ball at the end of your bed or something… " she added absentmindedly.

A pause from the other end of the line. And then finally a whisper from Arnold…and another pause…and then another whisper…

Helga, who had already been put through serious heart flutters a couple of times just now by her beloved, instantly felt her jaw drop and her heart start pounding and was thankful for being alone and in the dark so that no one could see the distinct ruby shade her face must be at this point. '_This is the most adorable, romantic, flirtatious conversation he has ever…He just better never do this in public…Oh but I wish he was with me doing it right now! He's so cute! Crimeny, I need to flirt him out of his modesty streak more often!_' "Oh I-I just bet you 'wouldn't really mind if that happened' Mr. Not So Goodie Two Shoes…" she managed to reply much more assertively. "I have half a mind to do it one day and see just how freaked out it actually makes you…"

Another whisper and a small laugh.

And now Helga, still grinning and blushing, had to just sigh and put her hand to her head, shaking it wonder. '_You know what—scratch what I said before_…' she thought to herself, recalling the closet shrine earlier, '_I actually __did__ break Arnold—before he was just a nice quiet normal ten-year-old boy who barely had enough courage to ask Lila to the cheese festival and now I've got him flirting near midnight with his girlfriend about ending up on his bed!_' She had to let out a small chuckle. '_Oh well—at least it's a good kind of broken_!' "Uh, T-Touché, F-Football Head…" Helga finally managed to stammer, unable to remove all the shyness from her voice just yet. "If I _did_ wake up there only to find you curled _next_ to me, _I'd_ probably be the one to spazz and fall on the floor." She half laughed as a memory came to mind, and gazed up at her ceiling. "But I guess I would be asking for it considering that whole 'I need to lie down, wonderful I'll go with you' thing…"

There was a second of silence and then her and Arnold shared a hearty (though still whispered) laugh together at the reminder of her confession.

Finally, though, Helga found one of her chuckles turning into a yawn, and so took a deep breath and recalled that even after getting done with him she still had her sister to finish up with. "Okay, okay, seriously, Arnold—once again, real name so I'm not kidding—I have to get back to Olga because she's already been on call waiting for twenty minutes and I'm pretty sure at this point she's figured out that I'm talking to you and the longer I'm gone the more I'm never going to hear the end of it from her…" Then Helga's eyes went wide for a second as she recalled one more phone conversation that she'd promised to have this evening. "Oh, and also, I forgot, but I promised to call up Phoebe (Hmph—lucky girl has a private line in her room and parents who DON'T sleep practically within twenty feet of her) and fill her in on the shrines thing after I found out how you were gonna take it." She put her free hand to her head. "Crimeny, she's probably sitting worried out of her mind by the phone or someth—"

Helga was cut off by several seconds of whispers from Arnold, who ended with a slight chuckle once again.

As he continued and then finished with what he'd had to say that was so important that he had to interrupt her recollection to phone her best friend, Helga's eyes had slowly widened considerably and finally it basically took all she had to keep from screaming Olga style. "Oh…OH…Oh no she didn't! Oh no _they_ didn't! You are kidding me, Arnold!"

Some whispers of assurance.

"Oh…!" Helga finally fell back onto her pillows and kicked under her blankets a few times in total elation at the news about Gerald and Phoebe. "Oh, _forget_ calling her then, Football Head!" She chuckled. "If your best friend's anything like you when you're head over heels for someone and they finally make a move, I wouldn't interrupt her tonight for the rest of the world!" She smirked a bit as she added, now also very happy that she had a bit more leverage considering certain events and certain blown secrets from this night, "Gerald is definitely getting a few choice jabs from me about this at school on Monday, though…"

A sigh a some more whispered words from Arnold.

Helga scowled in a bit of frustration and responded playfully, "Oh come on, you wet blanket! Crimeny, in case you don't remember, your best friend practically had a field day with me when he came into the loop about MY love life, so…" She continued, feigning as much innocence as possible in her tone, "You HAVE to at least give me a few fun little side comments to him when Phoebe's not around, like 'Hey, so, heard after two weeks of solid flirting that you finally got up the courage to do more than hold my best friend's hand…I mean, Arnold and I are already up to kiss number four thousand seven hundred and twelve, but keep trying to catch up!'" She chuckled just as Arnold laughed warmly at her joke, much to her delight. "Besides…" she stretched up, "You _know_ he's going to be laying into me about the shrine the second he sees me in the halls… Heck, like you just said, tall hair boy even confirmed when you saw him that he's just waiting for the chance to get at me, and that just proves my point about why I should get to give him a hard time too—I need _some_ kind of retaliation, after all!" Her grin picked up on one side and she added as an amusing afterthought. "Besides, that's the only way me and Geraldo really relate outside of caring about you and Phoebe, Football Head—he mildly insults me, I mildly insult him, rinse and repeat. It's cathartic or something…"

A confused whisper or two courtesy of Arnold.

Helga just rolled her eyes and responded patiently but humorously, "I don't know, Arnoldo, it means it makes you feel better!" She chuckled. "_Believe me_, when you hang out with Phoebe your vocabulary skyrockets without you even realizing it! Heh—by the end of the month I'm sure Gerald will be throwing 'antidisestablishmentarianism' around on a regular basis…"

A bit of laugher and a small whisper.

"Okay, but seriously this time, goodnight, Football Head— Gotta get back to Olga and then to bed!"

A quick whisper.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Yes, I love you too…" '_I am never going to let him forget this phone call—darn it, where is a tape recorder when you need one?_'

Another quick whisper from her one and only beloved.

"No, Arnold…" Helga began, turning on her stomach and resting her head in one of her hands, the smile now all but permanently etched on her face. "My comment before was _not_ a hint for you to actually start the 'I love you more, no I love you more' game." She giggled. "Just cuddle up with one of my pink books to soothe your lonely self and I'll see you tomorrow night around six on my front stoop for dinner here… And afterwards we'll catch a flick or something. I was thinking about ice cream again but I thought it might be nice to try a new approach. Besides I feel like that should be special for Friday's, don't you?"

Some more whispering and laughter from Arnold.

She giggled once again. "As always, I'm glad you see it my way Football Head…but if you were even remotely serious when you just suggested it, ixnai on seeing a romantic comedy." She let out a breath and couldn't help the urge to snuggle herself more under her warm, pink blankets. "I told you, I prefer a good monster or action movie, and besides I think it's safe to say that both of our lives have more than enough random romance-based misadventures in them already!"

Both of them shared a laugh at this more than accurate observation.

Helga took a breath and smiled as her giggles finally subsided. "Oh and Arnold…?" she asked in that delicate, light voice she knew intrigued him so much…

The whisper of a single word.

Helga let out a breath of pure contentment...before mustering the last bit of her sarcasm before the lovesickness practically overtook her to announce to her beloved, "I may be 'hanging up' first but…I love _you_ more, Arnold! Ha!" And with that Helga clicked down the button ending her phone call with Arnold and resuming her phone call with Olga. '_If she's still there of course, after all that_…' Helga couldn't help but think to herself with a blush at just how carried away she'd allowed herself to get with talking to him and… '_Aw let's just admit it—outrageously being flirted with by that lovely little Football Head!'_

Putting aside, for now, the thoughts of her beloved that she was more than certain would serve to inspire several more volumes of pink books in the coming days, Helga let out a deep breath and brought the receiver to her ear once more. "Hello…Olga?"

Silence.

"Olga, you still there?" Helga tried to talk a bit louder. After all, even if she did wake one of her parents up again, at least this time she genuinely was talking to her sister and not her boyfriend.

Finally, Helga let out a sigh. '_Crimeny, I didn't mean to ditch her like that…Oh well, I guess I can call her in the morning…'_

"Helga?"

The sound of Olga's voice actually suddenly coming on again caused Helga to pause in the middle of being about to hang up the phone!

"Oh Helga, I almost thought I'd lost you!" Olga suddenly announced in utter delight. "My flight's boarding in a few minutes—is everything okay, baby sister?"

Helga smiled and turned on her back, putting her hand without the phone behind her head. "Yeah, everything's fine, Olga…" She let out a breath and then cleared her throat and began sheepishly, hoping that she could maybe possibly get out of having both Miriam AND Olga kidding her for the rest of the weekend about her late night, First 'Anniversary' phone call with Arnold (though she was more than aware that it was pretty futile). "Sorry…those, uh…those pesky phone salesmen just won't take no for an answer sometimes…Heh, heh…"

"Helga, what did Arnold want?" Olga asked, not even buying it for a second.

Helga sighed and rubbed her eyes. '_Knew that wouldn't work. Darn it—now I've gotta tell the truth again. Arnold's conscience really is contagious._' Still, she didn't exactly mind telling this truth, all things considered. She let out a sigh. "Oh…To drive me nuts by calling about the most random things imaginable but making it so I couldn't hang up because every once in a while he'd throw in something about how much he likes me…" She shook her head in amusement and then opened her eyes as she realized with interest, "That seems to be pretty much standard for him, actually—A pointless point to start the conversation followed by random tangents until somehow we inevitably learn 'great truths' about each other..."

Olga giggled. "Ooo, and what did you learn about each other tonight, baby sister?" she asked with genuine interest.

Helga considered for a second, finding the sudden question and its many potential answers rather amusing. '_Eh, why not—damage control for tonight has all but been blown to shreds. Might as well get some fun out of it at least…and a load off my shoulders._' "Well…I think Arnold learned that near midnight is the perfect time to call with a bunch of out of character randomness because in the morning he can always just say it was the lack of sleep talking…" She had to laugh, knowing full well Mr. Modest Arnold would indeed probably be back by morning with a dozen little unnecessary apologies for all of his cuteness this evening.

Olga laughed along with her. "Okay, you're definitely going to have to explain more about this 'randomness' of his when we have more time to talk, baby sister, because I'm just bursting with curiosity at this point but there's so little time before I get on my plane!"

Helga finished her laugh and stretched her free arm up high, doing her best to fight a yawn. "You got it, Olga…I promise, explanations will abound tomorrow." And then Helga's grin returned in full force as she recalled that she'd only answered half of Olga's question. "Anyway, that's what _he_ learned tonight…and I learned that…well…" she felt the familiar blush creeping up into her cheeks, but at this point not only was she not really all that concerned with her sister finding out what she was about to tell her but she was busting to reveal a certain piece of information to someone and Phoebe was unfortunately currently 'indisposed'. So Helga took a deep breath and finally finished, "I learned that apparently he thinks a lot like you do, Olga..."

"How so…?" Olga asked her baby sister with genuine confusion.

Helga inhaled, considered once more the potential squealing consequences of saying what she was going to say next…but then just said it anyway (and hey, on top of these other good excuses, _she_ was entitled to randomly spill some things just because she was sleepy just as much as Arnold was). "Let's just say I think he's having some fun with the crazy idea that we should get married in the distant future, too…"

Silence.

Finally Olga spoke in a voice that sounded like she was obviously trying to control herself and probably pouting severely if Helga knew her older sister. "Baby Sister, do you have any idea how unfair it was of you to tell me that just now when I'm getting on the plane? If I scream they'll kick me off or something, Helga!"

Helga had to let a serious laugh escape her at this response, actually holding her sides for several seconds until she could get herself under control. "S-sorry Olga…I promise I'll call you in Alaska tomorrow and you can scream and squeal and giggle all you want…and I'll fill you in with more details then too about that first real kiss I mentioned earlier… But right now…" She finally couldn't fight it anymore and had to yawn, "I'm bushed, Olga, so I think I'll hit the hay…"

Olga just sighed in disappointment on the other end of the line. "Oh okay, baby sister, but I really do expect a phone call the first chance you get tomorrow! And if you don't call me you know for certain that I'll call you!" The sunshine returned to her voice in full force. "You liking a boy like this is practically the biggest thing that could ever happen to us as sisters! Oh, it's such a bonding experience!" She giggled.

And then all this talk of bonding and boys and sisters suddenly reminded Helga of something and made her eyes light up quite a bit as an interesting point of conversation entered her head for the second time during this phone call. '_This should be fun_…' "_Oh_ _yeah_!" she began in an overly innocent and eager voice, "I'll _definitely_ put gushing to you at the top of my to do list tomorrow!" '_Just under calling up Phoebe and getting all the juicy details about this hand holding and flirting and near kiss and walk home with tall hair boy!'_ Helga had to add mentally. She then cleared her throat…and dropped the bomb with a very satisfied smirk on her face that she only wished her big sister could see. "And then maybe we can talk about some things Miriam might have mentioned about your own little adolescent exploits when she cornered me before about the whole Arnold thing… Something about Bob finding guys hiding in your closet…TWICE?"

Much to Helga's entertainment, as she finished delivering this information she heard Olga cough and then practically sound like she was choking.

"Excuse me, miss…would you care for some water?" Helga heard a flight attendant say faintly, which only made her snort with laughter and have to bring a hand up to her mouth to control it.

"Um…" Olga coughed a bit more, "Oh, uh, yes—th-thank you. Sorry, something caught in my throat."

There was silence for a few seconds during which Helga assumed Olga must be drinking. '_And now we're even for her telling our mother that I've got a boyfriend_…' she thought to herself with satisfaction.

Finally, her sister's voice returned to the phone once again. Olga cleared her throat before speaking and feigned innocence in her tone as she started. "He-Helga…I don't know what, um…what Mummy told you but uh…heh, heh…I, uh…"

Helga just smirked, not even beginning to buy Olga's lame attempt to try and explain away this juicy story. "Oh, save it sister!" She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And _you_ were giving me grief about going off to study in Arnold's room alone for a couple of hours a few weeks ago! _Puh-lease_!"

She heard Olga laugh nervously and clear her throat once more. "Well…I…that is to say…" But then, obviously quite tired herself and quite aware that her baby sister was far too astute to be tricked into letting this go, Olga just sighed in exasperation. "I'm going to have such a talk with Mummy later…" She mumbled to herself on the plane. "A very, very _long_ talk…"

Helga chuckled. "Hey, do whatever you have to but _first_ you're going to have a long talk with me—If I've got to spill about all this Arnold stuff then you're giving something up too. Besides," she was doing her very best not to burst into laughter again as she finished humorously, playing with the phone cord in the fingers of her free hand, "I think it's good for my morale to hear about some of Ms. Perfect's less than perfect moments. A little self esteem boost, you know?"

A second of silence passed again and then finally Helga heard Olga sigh in defeat…and actually sound like she was trying to hold back a little bit of a laugh herself. "Okay, baby sister, you win—if you'll keep letting me know how things are going with Arnold then we'll talk about some of the things I might have done when I was younger…keeping in mind that I was _fifteen_ when I did most of them and not _ten_ of course!" she added a bit reproachfully. "Honestly Helga, if Daddy finds Arnold in your closet _now_ he'll never let you out of the house again!"

Helga felt herself blush rather quickly and had to glance down with a swallow. '_Oh Olga…if only you knew __half__ the places Arnold's been lately…my closet, the couch, my floor, against my door, on my bed, in my tree…_' She felt a shiver come over her at the thoughts, but then did her best to shake it off for now and respond to her sister in the casual, one-up tone she'd been assuming for the end of their conversation. "Don't worry, Olga, I've got Arnold covered. I just go over to his house Friday afternoons and we talk and then we get ice cream and I'm home in time for dinner. Not exactly the scandal of the decade." She had to smile a bit more as she then added proudly, "And if we want to try anything a bit more frequent, I fixed it so Arnold's coming over here for dinner tomorrow night so Bob can get used to him, you know? And then I told the overprotective Beeper King that me and the little shrimp are going out afterwards… Of course I worked it so that I got my curfew extended before I made that announcement—let's see, I don't think yours was ten o'clock until at least junior high, right?" Helga wasn't exactly trying to sound smug but in her defense it was rare that she ever truly excelled in anything more than her sister…and it was a little fun milking it just a bit.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Wait…really, Baby sister?" Olga finally asked in a perplexed voice.

Helga had to raise an eyebrow at just how disbelieving her sister's tone was, but otherwise continued smiling and just responded with a casual and happy, "Yup!"

"Well…now how in the world did you manage all of that?" Helga blinked at the sound of Olga actually chuckling, and then adding in a nostalgic tone, "I mean, I know you're very good at standing up for yourself and doing things your own way, baby sister, especially when it comes to Mummy and Daddy, but _I _could barely get away with getting a Valentine card from a boy when I was already in high school without some big scene! I remember once when I was fifteen and a boy gave me a card that said he loved me, Daddy practically…"

Helga cut her off with a yawn, knowing the story far too well. "Yeah, yeah, I remember—card with the word love, Valentine's Day about, oh…six or seven years ago, the first memory I have of Bob actually _not_ being pleased as punch with you…" Helga rolled her eyes and finished with a chuckle and a shrug, "What can I say—I know how to work 'em!"

Olga laughed as well, but then the sound quickly turned into a yawn. "Well," Olga began sleepily, "I'd love to hear more about how you managed to get Mummy and Daddy to be so flexible but I think I'm getting a little tired myself, Helga. Also, we're taking off soon so I'm sorry but I'll have to shut off the phone."

Helga just let out a sigh and turned on her side in the bed, the smile still on her face. "No problem, Olga…thanks for talking to me and for, uh…holding for so long…" She felt herself blush again and did her best to smooth over the slightly embarrassing moment with a joke. "Seriously, Football Head likes to talk _way_ too much sometimes… He's such a chatterbox."

Olga just laughed and yawned once more, and responded almost indifferently, as though she wasn't really thinking about the consequences of the observation, "Well, if you two are kissing already that should stop pretty quickly, baby sister…"

Helga blushed even deeper at this sudden statement, her eyes going wide. "_Olga_!" 'Crimeny, between the comments randomly coming out of Football Head and now her tonight I feel like my heart's gonna stop or something!'

Olga just chuckled again and the return of her bright tone suggested she'd gotten a temporary second wind of wakefulness at the sound of her sister exclaiming her name. "Just getting you back a little bit for bringing up the boys in the closets, Helga…" she announced playfully, and then let out a tired sigh. "Anyway, I'll talk to you tomorrow….Goodnight my not-so-baby sister."

Helga couldn't help a half smile coming to her face at the little alternation to her sister's usual nickname for her. "Goodnight, Olga. Thanks for everything," She swallowed and her tone took on a bit more sincerity and seriousness as she added, "I…I miss you, you know. And I love you." Her smile grew just slightly.

She heard Olga laugh quietly again…her voice bespeaking more and more tiredness. "I miss you too, Helga…And I always love my baby sister." She laughed again. "I mean my not-so-baby sister." She yawned once more and finished sleepily, "Goodnight."

Olga hung up and Helga hung up.

Her time on the phone finally ending for the evening, Helga took a deep breath and returned the receiver in her hand to her nightstand once more, and then glanced at the alarm clock beside her in the darkness. _'Midnight? Yeesh, what a day… I really __do__ need to get to sleep…especially if I've got a gossipy phone call with Olga, a gossipy phone call with Phoebe, a family breakfast and outing with Bob and Miriam, and a family dinner and then date with Arnold to look forward too_...'

She smiled to herself at all of these unusual (for her, at least, considering the last two thirds of her life) and yet very much to-be-looked-forward-to activities to come, and then turned over in her bed so that she could face her window and the dark, swaying familiar form of her tree outside from whose boughs she'd received such a wonderful surprise to start this perfect evening. "Goodnight Arnold." She whispered to herself...so very happily. "I love you."

She glanced out of her window one last time before closing her eyes, and couldn't help thoughts about the third thing she had requested for her birthday coming to her mind. '_Football Head is just going to die when Bob finally gets done with it…and Miriam looked pretty clueless when I brought it up so I think I'm in the clear…_' She laughed slightly to herself, snuggling close against her Arnold locket which she had slipped back around her neck where it belonged. '_Oh Arnold_…' she thought to herself in regards to her last birthday present, feeling the cool of the locket against her skin under the warm covers, _'It's not too much but until we do get married, my darling, it'll at least suffice to keep making things interesting…and to keep you more than comfortable with coming to my room…_' She giggled at the memory of all his little worries upon arriving there that evening, and then sighed to herself. '_I truly am queen of the crazy schemes…and this crazy scheme'll help Arnold actually be able to pull off some of his own without epically failing five minutes in…!_'

Helga let out a breath once again, slowly falling more and more into half sleep, and as she did so she began to allow her thoughts to wander a bit…in particular, over some of the most recent and unexpected events in her life. '_First our whole class treating me a little better, then Olga, then my parents… but you complete it, my Arnold…my little love… You make it all whole for me…you make it mean everything_…'

Helga sighed contentedly once more to herself and then in the quiet and comfort of the cool spring night she drifted off into her dreams, happily, and full of a much more perfect love than she could have imagined not too long ago…because it was made of many different kinds of love and it was real and for just right now, at least, even if things changed or backtracked or halted or stopped and had to start over again later…it was complete for this piece of the present. Perfect. And there was nothing, for the first time in a very, very long time, to bother the now sleeping and dreaming ten-year-old girl. "Arnold…" the name left her mouth again with a gentle sigh, as it had ever since she'd laid eyes upon its owner seven years ago.

Somewhere several blocks away, Helga, right on the line between consciousness and full sleep, couldn't help the strange feeling that somehow Arnold was saying the same thing to her… her name. Like a whisper that could carry across any distance just to reach her ears. "Arnold…" her lips whispered one more time, in reply to this strange and lovely feeling she had never predicted she'd feel in her entire life… And then she happily drifted into a night of lovely dreams in the darkness.

* * *

"I may be 'hanging up' first but…I love _you_ more, Arnold! Ha!"

Arnold heard the sound of the phone clicking as Helga suddenly hung up and couldn't help bursting into laughter at her little last exclamation. He placed the phone down on the receiver and lay back down in his bed, staring up at the night sky and stars through his skylight, a very content smile on his face.

He sighed happily, and then not too many seconds later found himself thinking aloud in the late night air about certain recent events in his life… "This really does feel so much better and so much more…more _right_ than before…" Arnold's eyes couldn't help but fall to the small stack of some of Helga's pink books currently resting on a shelf in his wall right near the head of his bed. "We're not angry at each other and we're not avoiding each other and we're not fighting with each other anymore…" The past seven years of bullying and denseness flashed through his mind in an amusing instant…as did, once again, how different things were now. "We're just…happy." His smile grew a bit more as that word came up again, and his gaze turned to the stars above as he put his arms behind his head and added, "And Helga doesn't hide anymore and I…" he had to laugh to himself, "And I finally figured out why my heart kept beating faster every time I was near her since her confession, and why I couldn't not like kissing her, and why even though she always acted so mean to me I always couldn't help but like her…And why I kissed her in her room that first time two weeks ago and why I've blushed about a million times around her ever since that whole confession..."He took a breath, another chuckle escaping him. "I'm in love with Helga…I'm in love with the person who wrote that book of love poems about me that I found one day on the bus, the person who snuck out on a Valentine's Date with me, the person who spent a week straight trying to get a part in the school play just to kiss me, the person who owned that heart-shaped locket that showed up in the boarding house a few weeks ago with my picture in it, the person who made it so I could save the neighborhood…and the person who taught me how to write some of that poetry that she's always thinking up…"

Arnold was about to reach over and shut off his lamp so that he could lay there in the darkness and fall asleep with these happy thoughts when he hesitated at this last observation he had made…and then found himself glancing once more at the small stack of pink books on the shelf… in particular the one on the top—the latest one he'd received from his beloved as a result of this very unexpected and very crazy night together…full of so many unforgettable surprises and confessions.

Suddenly, Arnold's eyes seemed to light up as though he were recalling something and he quickly glanced back at his nightstand, opening his drawer and rummaged for a second…and then his eyes fell on a welcome sight… He lifted up a small pen and then sat up and turned back to the pink books, grabbing the top one and flipping to the end where his eyes rested on the poem using the letters of his name that Helga had written not too long ago. He read it over once more with a smile…and then turned the page…to the start of several blank sheets which he had thought would probably be there as he briefly recalled Helga's remark before about his book being close enough to done for him to take…but not quite yet full.

Arnold clicked the end of the pen in his hand, hesitated, then went forward with the ink-producing item… Yet suddenly…he hesitated (the whole time a smile on his face as he considered the task he was about to try and undertake). And then with a sigh he gently closed the pink book and placed it back on the top of the stack. He glanced over at his desk where a couple of used spiral notebooks now sat…used specifically a couple of weeks ago when this whole wonderful mess had begun. He sighed and smiled, having just made a decision. '_No… When I put it in Helga's book, it should be perfect. But I can't just do it on the spot like her…She's the only person I've ever met who's got a talent like that…_' And indeed, Arnold couldn't help but recall how many times he had crossed things out or erased things or switched things when writing his first poem for Helga. He sighed to himself, knowing what he had to do. "I need to get it all worked out first in one of those notebooks or something and then it can go in her book." With these words he then placed the pen down on his nightstand and removed his covers, and was about to get up and go fetch the notebooks across the room so he could actually try and start writing as long as he was still awake and it wasn't a school night, when he suddenly heard creaking on his steps and a couple of soft knocks at his door.

Arnold looked to his door curiously with a raised eyebrow, but at the same time couldn't help a smile coming to his face as he thought to himself for just a second, '_Helga wouldn't really…she wouldn't really come here right now…would she?_' Alone, at night, this late, after all the kissing that had already happened? Even Arnold's more 'adventurous' side knew there was something a little extreme about that…though somehow it still sounded a little exciting to him just the same, he had to admit.

Suddenly his door opened halfway and familiar face (though certainly not Helga's) entered his room with a smile and a glass of water in one of her hands. "Kimba? What are you still doing up? Is everything okay?" Arnold's Grandma blinked a few times as her eyes met the lights of Arnold's room in contrast to the dim hallway in which she had just been.

Arnold smiled at the old woman from his bed. "Hi, Grandma. Yeah, everything's fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up…I was just…" he felt a slight blush come to his cheeks and glanced down shyly, "…Just talking to a friend on the phone and…thinking about some things." He looked back up at her sincerely. "I'm going to go to sleep now though—I promise."

To his surprise, his grandmother just smiled at his little 'guilty' admission and apologies. "Oh, don't worry, Kimba—I was just getting a drink from the kitchen and I happened to hear you and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And as for this phone call you mentioned…" Her grin became just a bit slyer. "It wouldn't have anything to do with that nice young lady you've been spending time with lately, would it? Helga?"

Arnold felt himself blush a bit more and go a little wide eyed in initial response to this question…but then the smile returned to his face and he managed to reply only a little sheepishly (slowly getting more and more used to the inevitable good-natured ribbing to come from all members of his extended family for his 'girlfriend.'), "Yes, Grandma. I… just wanted to give her a quick phone call to say goodnight...since I had to kind of hurry out when I left her house a little while ago…" He put his arms behind his back. "Sorry again about getting in so late …I don't know if Grandpa told you but he said you won the bet." Arnold glanced to the side and almost chuckled as he admitted, "I got in closer to 11 than 12."

Gertie watched him with that smile of hers for just a second longer as he finished this little explanation, and then couldn't help laughing to herself…especially about that last thing her Grandson had just filled her in on. "No, your Grandpa 'fell asleep' before he could mention that to me but thank you for letting me know, Kimba. We'll just bring it up to him in the morning." She winked at Arnold.

Arnold laughed along with her. "Okay, Grandma."

And then our football-headed hero was about to wish his grandmother goodnight once more when suddenly…(and probably courtesy of how much Helga's newfound presence in his life had been chipping away at his usual denseness) a certain fact hit Arnold that caused him to blink and look up at his grandmother in curiosity. "Hey…Grandma?"

"Yes, Kimba?" she had been about to reach for the door, but instead turned back around and smiled warmly at him once more.

The perplexed look continued on Arnold's face as he slowly observed, "You just called Helga 'Helga'…I mean…you didn't call her Eleanor." He half smiled. "Helga said that the last time you spoke to her that was who you decided she was. Like how I'm Kimba."

Gertie glanced up, a smile on her face and a hand to her chin as though recalling something... "Oh yes…I remember now. She stumbled in here one morning before you woke up. Poor dear was mumbling something about you and true love and being a total loon, and then just sat down at the table… Took me a few minutes to realize she must have been sleepwalking." Gertie laughed to herself at the memory. "I tried to tell her where she was but her eyes were completely closed and you know what they say about waking up sleepwalkers, Arnold." She shrugged. "Anyway, I tried to humor her for as long as possible but then I heard you coming downstairs, Kimba, and I figured she probably wouldn't like being caught like that very much so I just started talking to her as much as I could and giving her one of my names and hoping that she'd come out of it before you found her… Luckily the smell of that hot plate of food seemed to do the trick because when you came in I turned around and she was gone." Gertie just smiled at her Grandson, awaiting his reaction to this interesting story.

Arnold just stared at her in a bit of amazement for several seconds before finally blinking and managing to get out in a very surprised voice, "Grandma…you…you planned all that out so she wouldn't get caught? And you knew—actually knew from her—that she…that she…loved me?" Certainly, his grandfather had expressed his opinion that Helga liked-him liked-him more than once…but that had only been a guess. His grandmother, on the other hand, had apparently had confirmed proof that Helga full on loved him! But then just when Arnold was about to question, in his continued perplexity and surprise, this situation once more…something else his grandmother had just said caused his thoughts to halt and his eyes to blink. "And…" Arnold raised an eyebrow at her, "Grandma, what do you mean, one of 'your names'?"

At this question, Gertie just chuckled warmly to herself, glanced over her shoulder, shut his door slightly and then lowered her voice to a whisper to explain. "Well…now don't tell your Grandpa, Kimba, but…" She rolled her eyes up coyly and put her hands behind her back. "Most of those things with the names and the outfits and the slightly eccentric cooking that I do are, uh…_embellishments_, why don't we say?" She winked. "Just having a little fun with the old coot, you know…"

Arnold's jaw actually dropped. '_She's kidding…_'. "Grandma?" he exclaimed, "You mean you don't…you mean you're _pretending_ all that stuff with thinking me and Grandpa and the boarders are different people and that the holidays are mixed up and that—"

"Shh, shh…" Gertie shushed her shocked Grandson, still smiling. "Now you can't tell your Grandpa, okay? It'll just be between you and me…" She winked once more. "After all, I have to have _some_ fun around here and besides he likes it more than he lets on…" She chuckled again. "And I'm not pretending _everything_…Just the more colorful parts." A nostalgic look came into her eye… "Oh when I was a girl I used to imagine like I was going on adventures through the jungle or in different times or in different countries all the time! You know we didn't have all this TV and video games and stuff you kids have now…" She shrugged, looking back to Arnold. "So I had to improvise."

Arnold's now pleasantly surprised smile just kept growing, and that caused his grandmother's smile to grow as well. "Besides, Arnold," she continued, raising an eyebrow at him, "You didn't really think that a woman with a fifth degree black belt and the capacity to cook for a boarding house full of people every day and who could break out of a prison cell three times in a row last month while you were saving the neighborhood without cracking a sweat was really that gone _all_ the time, did you?" She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him just a little.

Arnold just continued looking at her for a second and finally felt himself overtaken by warm laughter. '_Just like Helga…now matter how strange all this love stuff makes her act around me, she's always got it in her to do anything._' Arnold felt his laughter subside into a smile again. "I'm sorry, Grandma…I shouldn't have underestimated you."

"Don't worry about it, Kimba." Gertie waved him off. "Just act surprised when you come downstairs tomorrow and find…oh, I don't know…" She put a hand to her chin for a moment like she was thinking, and then a twinkle came into her eyes… "When you find some poi for breakfast and me in a Hawaiian skirt with a lei and calling your grandpa Chief Kahuna, okay?"

Arnold yawned and lay back on his bed. "Sure thing, Grandma…I mean _Bwana_." He chuckled.

Gertie chuckled once more as well and headed toward her Grandson's door. "Oh Arnold, you really are a pip…" She let out a tired but happy sigh. "Goodnight…and no more calls to Helga until the morning!" she added in a playfully scolding voice. "I'm sure she loves hearing from you but you have to give the poor dear a chance to rest…Besides, it'll make it that much better when you call her first thing in the morning which I'm sure you'll try and do before your Grandpa gets you up for those extra chores." She winked and put a hand on his door handle and turned it, opening the door just slightly. "Don't worry though…I'll try and stall him as much as possible to buy you some extra time…" she got that mischievous look in her eyes again, "Maybe a little ukulele playing…I think that thing's in the closet or maybe the trunk…" She seemed to be genuinely considering the options as she opened the door fully and began to head down the ladder.

Arnold just watched her commence leaving with a smile…but then a curious look came to his face and he called out to her once more, causing her to stop half way down. "Hey…Grandma?"

Gertie, whose head was almost at the height of Arnold's floor at this point, looked up at him from her place on the ladder. "Yes, Arnold?"

"I was just curious…" he sat up a little more in his bead and raised an eyebrow, an intrigued smile on his face, "Why did you decide to call Helga 'Eleanor'?"

His grandmother's grin grew just a bit and she glanced to the side in thought. "Well…sneaking in here like that…not just that time with the sleepwalking but with a couple of other things…" The old woman tried not to laugh at some of the memories her and her husband had of a few of the little blonde girl's antics that had thankfully gone unnoticed by her grandson over the years, "And all because she cares about you?" She looked to Arnold again. "Well…that Helga of yours seems like one of the bravest and most passionate girls around…And when I was growing up I always thought Eleanor Roosevelt was kind of like that with all the stuff she accomplished as the first lady… You know, girls didn't have as equal a chance to make a difference or fight for what they believed in as boys did back then, but that brave woman managed just the same." She shrugged, the warm smile still on her face. "Anyway, that's why I called her Eleanor, Arnold: just a little acknowledgement from one strong willed and slightly eccentric girl to another to keep up the good fight just like good old Eleanor Roosevelt." She finished with a wink.

Arnold was just watching with interest as she made this explanation, and as she finished Gertie watch him glance down and put a hand to his chin in thought for a second or two, and then look up at her and reply slowly, with a smile of understanding. "I think…I think you picked a good name for her, Grandma. Thanks."

"You're welcome…and thank you, Arnold." Gertie replied sincerely, and then chuckled and shook her head in amusement as she added, "Besides I think she actually does have it in her to be a first lady one day…"

Arnold couldn't help but laugh to himself, not just at the comment but at the memory of a certain 'marriage themed' dream Helga had told him about that suddenly entered his mind. "Actually…I think she'd be better as the first woman president." He smiled at his grandmother.

"Now _that's_ an even better idea!" Gertie nodded with approval. Then, considering the hour and how long a day it had been of messing with her husband and the rest of her extended family and helping Arnold through the beginnings (FINALLY) of his romantic relationship with Helga, Gertie found herself yawning once more and so resumed her descent to the hallway once more. "Goodnight, Arnold..." she finished tiredly, "I'll see you in the morning…"

'_I know I should probably wait until breakfast but_…' Arnold hesitated just for a second as this thought lingered, hating to detain his grandmother any longer, especially when it was so late… but then he finally spoke up once more, very curious (and even slightly…hopeful…maybe…though he wasn't quite ready to completely admit it to himself just now….) about the answer to the question that had suddenly come upon his mind. "Grandma? Sorry but before you go can I ask you one more question?"

Gertie stopped midway down the next step and felt herself yawn once more. "Of course, Kimba. But if it's one with a long answer do you think it could wait until morning? I need my rest if I've got to spend another entire day bugging your Grandpa tomorrow." She grinned.

Arnold laughed at the response, though he did his best to keep it down now that the door was open, so that he wouldn't risk keeping anyone else up. "Sure, Grandma…I was just wondering…" he cleared his throat and glanced away shyly, feeling more than a tinge of a blush come to his cheeks, "Were you and Grandpa really just like me and Helga when you were younger?" He swallowed and clarified quickly, "I mean…with you teasing him all because you liked him and then confessing and him figuring out he loved you too after all that?"

Gertie just chuckled slightly to herself and rested an elbow upon Arnold's carpet and her chin upon her hand, having a 'vague' idea about where her grandson was going with this inquiry. "Want to know if you're somehow destined to marry Helga, huh?"

Arnold blinked and blushed much more strongly, instantly looking up at the old woman at the blunt question. "Grandma!"

She just chuckled even more, ignoring the young boy's embarrassed exclamation. "Well, it _is_ all seeming pretty familiar to me, Arnold…." She replied, and then glanced up as though recalling past times once again. "I mean, I'm sure there were some differences in the situations we went through and the specific experiences we had…but overall it seems like the same story." Her eyes met Arnold's again and she added playfully, "But do me a favor and just try and enjoy _right now_ before you start worrying about your and Helga's 'future lives together'. Okay, Kimba?" She gave him another quick wink!

Arnold rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the slightly suggestive comment...and at the fact that he couldn't help but recall once again that evening that they'd probably keep coming even from his Grandma now as long as he was dating Helga. '_Oh well_…' he thought to himself with an accepting sigh about the teasing, _'It's really not so bad…kind of fun sometimes actually…_' He almost chuckled. '_And as long as me and Helga get to be together and be happy…I don't care who knows or finds out about us_…!' "You know," he then added aloud as an interesting afterthought, the full Gertie story resurfacing in mind again, "I'd like to hear more stories about when you and Grandpa were little, one day, Grandma… It all sounds really…" he smiled to himself, "Really interesting..."

Gertie smiled at the request but then suddenly found the facial expression turning into another yawn. "Well Kimba, I'd love to tell you anything you want to know but I think that it'll have to wait until another day. Right now it's time for bed and we're both more than a few hours overdue." She blinked a few times sleepily.

Arnold smiled at her and nodded, suddenly feeling her yawn cause him to yawn as well. "Okay, Grandma…maybe tomorrow then…" He lay back down upon his pillows. "Or if you're too busy getting the house set up to look like Hawaii," he couldn't help but grin just a bit more, "maybe Grandpa could tell me some stuff again when we're doing chores…"

Gertie laughed to herself at the suggestion suddenly and rolled her eyes. "Well if you're _that_ desperate then by all means ask him in the morning when he wakes you up to work on those window screens…" She smirked slightly. "But promise me that when he's done filling you in on what he 'thinks' happened between us back then, that you'll come to me so I can set you straight. Alright, Arnold?"

Arnold, at this comment, sat his head up a bit and just stared at his grandmother in surprise once more…but then had to try very hard not to burst into laughter. "O-of course, Grandma. I'll double check things with you." He laid his head back down, just shaking it slightly in amusement. '_Come to think of it, I'm sure me and Helga's perspectives on a few things from the past would be pretty different, all things considered…'_

Gertie, meanwhile, smiled with satisfaction at his reply. "Good…Oh and bring Helga with you if she's free! I think she'd like to hear some of those stories just as much as you."

Arnold felt himself blush slightly once again, and found his shy eyes falling to the phone receiver by his bed. "Actually, when I called her up just now it might have been to, um…to tell her about you and Grandpa in general." Putting his hands behind his head, he gazed at the starry night through his skylight ceiling once more that night, still grinning.. "I just…thought she'd like to know…"

Arnold felt himself starting to get a little lost in a daydream (or possibly a real dream) or two, until he heard his Grandma's familiar laughter come from his doorway once more. "And what did she say to that?"

Arnold sighed and did his best not to laugh or blush too much as he answered truthfully, "She sighed…and then told me to stop flirting…and then told me that if this was some way of preparing her for a proposal in the near future that I at least better make sure I get her the best ring fourth grade money can buy."

"I wouldn't have said anything less myself…" came Gertie's simple reply.

Arnold's smile grew just a bit and he glanced up once more in his Grandmother's direction. "I know… Goodnight, Grandma."

"Goodnight, Arnold…" she replied warmly. And with that she pulled the door shut behind her by its base before concluding her descent down the ladder, leaving Arnold alone in his room once more.

Finally left to his private thoughts and reflections for the little bit of time left in this insane night, Arnold reclined his head back once more and removed a hand from behind his head to reach over to his nightstand for his remote to turn off his lights. The press of a button now left him in blue darkness except for the moon and stars above him, casting silver shadows randomly around the room.

Letting out a sigh as he let the thoughts not only of his conversations with Helga and then his grandfather, but now with his grandmother too, drift through his head, Arnold then glanced to his left at the shelves near his bed once more that night…specifically at that simple, pink stack of Helga's books of poetry. A smile grew on his face at the now familiar sight of them, still boldly looking pink even despite the dimness of the room…and then he reached up and just traced over their covers with the edge of his fingers, feeling the soft coolness under his touch.

After several SEVERAL seconds (or minutes…), tiredness consuming him as another yawn escaping his mouth attested to, Arnold felt his hand begin to drop away from this small sampling of 'volumes and books of poems about him'… Yet then…hesitated for a moment, his hand in mid air. His eyes opened fully once more and he sat up and, though he knew it was ridiculous, he couldn't help but glance from side to side in his room, almost like he was afraid of getting caught _('I wonder if Helga ever used to do that when she visited the shrine?_' he couldn't help but think with interested amusement), and then hesitated just a second longer…before reaching up with a slightly dreamy smile and grabbing the top pink book. He happily and tightly hugged the small, precious item to his chest and as he turned on his side to settle into his covers for the night.

"Goodnight, Helga…" he found himself whispering into the darkness, with a slight chuckle. Halfway between thoughts and dreams, he didn't realize it but he laughed once or twice more and whispered her name into the silver and blue and shadowy room. "Helga…" A light chuckle again. "Helga…"

And he almost felt like, in between dreams, that somehow, somewhere, she was saying his name back to him…and maybe (just maybe, mind you) hearing him mumble her wonderful name that had so very recently become and yet always on some level had been a part of his waking and even sleeping thoughts…

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, I hope I didn't get TOO sappy with the ending but sometimes even I've got to succumb fully to the desire for fluff, lol :) Anyway, like I said, we move onto Sunday and I believe Chapter 10 features Arnold's family dinner with the Patakis followed by another AXH date that is plagued by its own fair share of wacky shenanigans, lol! And for anyone who's interested or who thinks the fun could possible be over after Sunday, this fic looks like it's going to be at least 21 or 22 chapters so…there's plenty more to look forward to if you've enjoyed what's happened so far ;) Ha! I KNEW I could make this thing longer than it's original story if I tried hard enough, lol!

Okay, please review, and thanks so much for reading!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	9. In Anticipation of a Date,,,or Two?

**A/N:**

Hi all! :) Okay, so here it is—just a day shy of two weeks! And meanwhile, I thought the last chapter was just unusually long but this one beat it out by a good two thousand words, lol. Anyway, I just want to thank you all for your support and reviews and a shout out to **Twilight's-Mystery** for mentioning in her review that she wanted to see Grandma's Hawaii thing on a full scale—honestly, this chapter was the only one so far that wasn't entirely pre written out and it basically had the barest skeleton of a beginning but when she brought that up it got me thinking and provided a really fun intro for me to write, so once again tons of thanks :)

Okay, and also, I PROMISE that this is the last chapter in which Arnold and Helga don't actually come in contact with each other—Ch 10 equals dinner and Ch 11 equals their movie/date together…followed by a fun Monday morning so stay tuned ;)

Oh and also I have a **POLL ON MY PROFILE** asking what you'd like me to work on once LTBH is done so please respond because I really want to know what you guys would like to see next, okay? Thanks!

Oh and please check out **me and NintendoGal's collab fic "The Elevator" **(posted under her account) if you have a chance! And thanks bunches to everyone who's reviewed that so far ;)

Alright, I'll quit my yammering, lol. Please check my closing A/N for info about when the next update will be! And review of course, please :)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 9:**

**In Anticipation of a date…or two?**

* * *

_"HEY ARNOLD, HEY ARNOLD, HEY ARNOLD, HE—"_

Stretching out one of his arms from under the covers, a certain football headed young man successfully turned off his alarm clock and then, after a moment of tired hesitation, sat up in bed and stretched up with a yawn. He blinked a couple of times, a bit surprised at his own unusual sleepiness (Mr. Optimist Arnold, 'shockingly enough,' really always had been a morning person)…but then recalled exactly why he was probably still so tired despite the fact that it was already 9 a.m. (the usual time Arnold set his alarm clock to wake up on weekends)…

With a content smile the memories from his previous evening with Helga returned to Arnold's mind… Then his eyes fell to Helga's pink book nestled against the side of his pillow, and he instantly recalled having fallen asleep last night holding the precious item closely amid his thoughts and bits of dreams about its author.

With a small chuckle to himself, Arnold picked up the object in question and placed it back in its place on his shelf atop a few other small pink volumes from Helga G. Pataki currently in his possession. He just gazed at the lovely collection of pink for a moment and then let out a sigh…unable to recall a morning when he had woken up happier. '_Helga's right_…' he thought to himself, aspects of their pre-bed phone conversation returning to his mind (in particular, the invitation she'd given him to come to her house this evening for dinner and then another date), '_Forget about just Friday afternoons…I wouldn't have a problem spending __every__ day with her if it meant I'd get to have as much fun as I did last night!_'

But then a curious thought struck Arnold and he had to raise an eyebrow…because having all of that late night fun yesterday evening had, if his memory served him right, led to a slight punishment from his grandfather for him for coming home so late…and one that probably should have required him to be up at least an hour or two earlier to fulfill than he was right now. Arnold removed the blanket from his body and scratched his good-natured little head. "I wonder why Grandpa didn't wake me up? I hope he didn't decide to work on putting in those screens _alone_…Even if getting up early to do it with him hadn't been part of my punishment, I'd still have want to help him—it's a big job."

With this observation our always altruistic little Football Head was about to get up and get dressed and head downstairs to locate his grandfather and assist him…when a knock at the door caused him to pause in the middle of being about to lower his feet to the floor from his bed.

"Shortman? You up yet? I thought I heard that alarm of yours going off…" Phil then opened the door slightly and peeked into the room to make sure that his grandson was indeed awake.

Arnold smiled at the sight of him and waved, moving his legs back upon his bed once again. "Good morning, Grandpa! I was just coming to find you, actually… Sorry I slept so late—you didn't have to start the chores without me, did you?" Arnold's expression couldn't help but take on a slight look of guilt.

Rather than responding right away, though, Phil suddenly let out a deep (almost…relieved sounding…?) sigh, glanced over his shoulder, and then instantly bolted into the ten-year-old boy's room, slamming the door shut behind him and resting back against it with his eyes closed… And to Arnold's serious interest he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt that looked like it had been all but forced on him, a straw hat on his head, had a ukulele in one hand, and there was a large tiki idol on twine around his neck.

Phil didn't waste a second. His eyes then flew open and he looked at Arnold desperately. "Arnold, I'm so happy you're awake and that I finally managed to get up here! Cheese and crackers, I've never seen your Grandma on a rampage like this!" He put a hand to his head…unfortunately, though, it was the one holding the ukulele and the end of the neck caught him behind the ear. "Ow!" He scowled at the object. "Stupid ukulele!" And he quickly tossed it on the floor where it made one of those total nonsensical 'sheep being slaughtered' sounds that Foley artists love to use.

The old man shook his head and turned back to Arnold, his hands on his hips. "Anyway, what was I saying…" He reached up a hand to scratch his head and took a second to try and recall.

"Th-that, G-Grandma's on a r-r-r-rampage…" This stuttering was due to the fact that it was taking all Arnold had at the moment not to fall off of his bed and onto the floor in a fit of ceaseless laughter as a very interesting conversation he'd had last night with his colorful grandmother about her Hawaiian-themed plans for the morning now came to mind… It didn't help that the sight before him was more than proof that she had indeed succeeded with her intentions…and then some! '_She actually did it… And he…he really doesn't suspect anything, does he_?' He almost had to shake his head in amusement and at the irony of his grandfather's situation in comparison with his own. '_Grandma and Helga should spend some more time together—They have a lot in common…especially when it comes to showing affection.'_

Phil, meanwhile, still near the door and still looking just a bit panicked, just let out an exasperated sigh at Arnold's reminder about the main topic of their conversation aka his wife's over-the-top nuttiness this morning (even for her) and then threw his arms in the air in desperation, (so preoccupied with the situation at hand that he didn't even really notice his grandson's continuing failing attempts not to at least smirk). "Shortman, she's absolutely _convinced_ that this is Honolulu! She got me up at 7 shoving me into this shirt, the entire kitchen's covered in pineapples and whatever ingredients you use to make poi, leis are getting tossed over the place, and she's been playing that ukulele for hours!" He let out a breath and wiped his brow where a skittish sweat had been forming. "Somehow, though, by some miracle I managed to get the darn thing from her in between songs but BELIVE ME it was NO picnic! Easier going up against he Kaiser back in the war…" He crossed his arms over his chest, looking both frustrated and confused. "And _then_ when I tried to come up here and get you up two hours ago, she started barricading herself in front of the attic door and saying that," he made a gesture of waving his hands in the air in mock reverence, " 'the volcano gods would be displeased if you were disturbed from your slumber' or some such nonsense!" He let out a relieved sigh, laying back against the door again and closing his eyes for a moment. "Luckily, nearest I can figure, I think she must have heard the boarders starting to get up because she suddenly ran off down the hall saying something about adjusting her hula outfit before the 'morning luau!', so I was able to sneak up here, but…" He took several heavy deep breaths and then threw his hands up in the air once more in defeat. "Arnold, I'm plain at the end of my rope here!"

Several seconds of silence passed during which Arnold just took a deep breath with his eyes closed… And then he cleared his throat and put a hand in front of his mouth (trying to hide the small smile that he just simply couldn't repress just this second) as he addressed his grandfather's concerns. "Oh…really? H-Hawaii, huh? Hmm…well, that…that _is_ strange, Grandpa. Grandma usually doesn't take things this seriously unless it's a major Holiday…" Next he glanced down innocently, and did his best to seem calm as he let the hand fall away from his face. '_Thanks, Grandma_…' he had to think mentally, '_I really did need a couple extra hours of sleep after all of that stuff with Helga last night…_' He almost broke into the serious amount of laughter threatening to come as he then added, '_And more important, it looks like you had some fun!'_

Grandpa, while Arnold was having these few thoughts on this matter, just closed his eyes and shook his head at his grandson's reply, suddenly moving away from the door and pacing back and forth for a moment with his hands behind his back. "I know, I know…I wasn't expecting anything major until the Fourth of July so I don't know where this is coming from all of a sudden! And then to top it all off," he paused in his movements and his eyes opened and then a frustrated scowl came to them, and he crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes upward, "…Usually she spreads the news about her latest celebration to everyone in the house, but she's just been following _me_ around in particular—haven't been able to get a moment's peace! I mean, if I didn't know better I'd think she was doing it on purpose or something!" And then a movement from Arnold's bed caught his vision out of the corner of his eye and Phil looked to his grandson…and then blinked with concern. "Are you okay, Shortman?"

And indeed Arnold had by now broken into a very random and surprise 'coughing fit,' his wide head turned very much away from the old man addressing him. He practically seemed to be having convulsions. Hearing his Grandfather ask after him, though, Arnold swallowed, took a deep breath and finally did his best to turn back to Phil, just smiling innocently, "O-of course, Grandpa…Sorry, just…just a little something caught in my throat." He cleared his throat once more. "It's better now." _'I don't want to blow Grandma's secret but…this is really REALLY funny. Really, really, REALLY, funny. Hmm…I wonder if this was how I used to always seem to Helga when she'd pick on me all those years and I'd get a little annoyed and not be able to figure out why she wanted to torture me of all people_…?"

Phil eyed his grandson with confusion for a second longer but then finally seemed to accept his explanation for his sudden small fit, and so went back to his complaints. Indeed, he rolled his eyes once more and held out his arms in front of himself desperately. "Anyway, like I said, she WON'T leave me alone, and the weirdest thing is that between it bugging me so much and that talk we had last night about me and your Grandma when we were kids, the whole thing's almost starting to remind me of all those times in elementary school when she was always following me around and just to—"

"Hello—Phil, are you up here?"

A distinct creaking could be heard on the attic steps accompanying the sudden sound of Gertie's voice trying to call her husband.

Phil stopped in mid sentence (effectively not giving him time to finish articulating or to start really thinking about his very 'on the right track' thought about his wife's potential motivations for her colorful actions). His eyes instantly went wide and the color left his face. Suddenly, he raced over to his grandson, looking him desperately in the eye. "Arnold, you CAN'T let her in here!" he whispered in panic. "Don't you have a…a lock for your door that gets controlled by that remote of yours or something?"

Arnold just gave his grandfather a slightly pitying look at the request, trying his best once again not to smirk. "Sorry, Grandpa—it just works the couch, the lights and the stereo." '_And anyway…I'd kind of like to see this outfit Grandma put together_…' A bit of his smile managed to break through.

Then the distinct creak of the knob of Arnold's door turning sounded in the room, and made both the football headed young boy and the worried old man turn in the direction of the attic entrance.

The door opened…and Gertie entered.

"Oh hello, boys—I didn't realize you were up yet, Arnold."

Now Arnold had to raise an eyebrow (as did Phil) at the sight of the old woman suddenly standing before them…and, unexpectedly enough, looking just as she usually did everyday in a green dress and apron.

Arnold swallowed, still doing his best not to give into the laughter that wanted to consume him, and addressed his grandmother warmly. "Hi Grandma. Yeah, I just woke up. And Grandpa just came up to say good morning…and to, um…" He hesitated for just a moment, unsure if he should bring up the Hawaii thing directly since his grandmother didn't seem to be pursuing it right now… _'I wonder what she's up to…?_'

"Pookie!" Phil all of a sudden announced in utter confusion, taking a hesitant step or two in her direction back across the room, "Where the…where the heck did that grass skirt of yours go and the flowers and the spear and, and…"

The old woman just smiled and walked more into the room, shrugging and looking up innocently. "Why whatever are you talking about, Phil?"

His jaw dropped. "What—how the—where in the—I'm talking about the poi and the grass skirt and flowers and the music and the—"

"Oh now _Phil_…" Gertie approached him more, feigning a bit of concern. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? I've just been in the kitchen making breakfast and then doing a few morning chores around the house."

Phil, his mouth still open, held up a finger and tried to speak several more times but failed. Finally a scowl came to his face and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay then—if nothing's going on then explain how I ended up dressed like this!" He gestured to himself in the shirt and the tiki necklace.

"Oh so you found something to wear after all, General!" Gertie just exclaimed with a smile in response to the challenge, her eyes lighting up. "Good—And I promise the laundry should be done by the afternoon so you can change out of that old vacation shirt of yours!" Despite maintaining the innocent tone and look in her eyes, Arnold couldn't help but notice that she managed to smirk just slightly.

Phil sighed in frustration and took another step toward her, full on scowling at this point. "But what about all that food and the breakfast and the—"

Gertie just sighed at his continued protests and then looked to her Grandson. "Honestly, Kimba, he always complains about the raspberries so I decide to make pineapple turnovers instead this morning and he's STILL not happy—" She turned back to Phil and just shrugged again. "But if that's what you want, raspberries it is, I guess…"

Phil just had that utterly dumbstruck look on his face again, unable to even know where to begin (especially since his wife kept shutting him down with such…such logical responses!). Suddenly, though, his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Okay, wait a minute—the other boarders have gotta back me up on this! That'll be my proof of all the random Hawaiian horseplay you've been cooking up in this house all morning!" He glanced back to his grandson, trying to maintain his confident smile but looking just a _little_ shaken to say the least. "Really, Arnold, I swear she's—well I don't know what she's doing but…but the others _have_ to have seen it all too just now when they were waking up and coming into the hall—Huynh and Ernie and Kokoschka and—"

"Hey did somebody call us?"

And indeed suddenly the three aforementioned boarders were seen climbing up the ladder and entering Arnold's room through his still open door, still in their pajamas.

"Hooray!" Oskar announced with a smile, standing up straight, "Arnold's up—now we get to find out who won the pool!"

"Yes!" Mr. Huynh smiled. "It's money time!"

"Hey, hey, hold it you two—" Ernie held up his hands in a gesture for them to slow down. "First I wanna know what Gramps is going on about…" He turned back to Phil. "Sheesh old man, we could hear you from the hallway—what's up?"

Phil smiled and almost laughed to himself. "Oh, ho, ho, boy am I actually glad to see the three of you for once!" He got behind them and quickly ushered them into the room toward Arnold, and then went back around to stand in front of them and held out his arms in the direction of the boy. "Now, tell Arnold here how Pookie's been running all over about some 'Hawaiian thing' all morning!"

A second of silence passed.

Then, Ernie, Mr. Huynh and Oskar just looked at each other in confusion.

Finally Ernie turned to Phil, an eyebrow raised. "Uh, Gramps…what are you talking about?"

"Yes," Mr. Huynh chimed in, "We just got up—we haven't seen you or Grandma all morning!"

"Wait is the Hawaii thing something _you're_ doing today, Grandpa?" Oskar suddenly asked with a smirk as he stifled a chuckle, finally noticing Phil's outfit.

Mr. Huynh and Ernie glanced from Oskar to Phil and instantly picked up on what he was talking about. Now they had to start stifling chuckles as well.

A distinct rosiness came to Phil's cheeks as he glanced down at the outfit he was wearing (and its colorful flower patterns making a backdrop for the large idol hanging from his neck) and then back up at the boarders. "But—b-b-but…" he turned back to his Grandson, uncertainty now paramount in his gaze, "Arnold it…it's just because she's been following only _me_ around for the past two hours and because none of them were up, and now she's pretending like it didn't happen and, and…"

He looked so utterly distraught that Arnold reached up and put a hand on one of his grandfather's arms, speaking to him in a comforting voice and with a supportive smile…kind of feeling a little guilt right now, actually, to be honest. "It's okay, Grandpa. I believe you, anyway."

"Oh yes, General…" Gertie came forward with a sympathetic smile, putting a hand on his other shoulder. "We all 'believe you.'" Her supportive smile was threatening to turn into an amused grin at any moment. "Now, why don't you come downstairs and have a nice breakfast and then you and Arnold can get started on those pesky chores!"

Phil just looked slowly from his wife to his grandson to his tenants and then forward…and then finally blinked a few times and put a hand to his head, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Uh…yeah…M-maybe you're right…"

"Of course I'm right!" Gertie smiled brightly swinging a fist in the air. "Now you just get downstairs and the rest of us will be right behind you, General!"

"Mmm hmm…" Phil mumbled absentmindedly, blinking a few more times. "Maybe…maybe I was just dreaming or something…Went to bed kind of late last night, after all…"

He began to shuffle forward a bit toward the door

As Grandma was about to follow suite behind him though, Arnold reached up and pulled on one of his her sleeves, beckoning her closer so he could whisper to her, a smile on his face though more than a touch of guilt could be detected in his eyes. "Grandma, I know this is funny but…"

"Shh, shh, shh…" she quickly whispered back with a wink, "_Wait for it_…" She gestured with her head back to Phil…

…Whose back was now to the whole room…which meant the back of his shirt was facing the whole room…with the words "BIG KAHUNA PHIL" written brightly in paint on it!" Phil turned to descend the ladder. "Yeah, maybe I dreamed it or I'm mixing up the days or something…" He shook his head to clear it, and then spoke a bit louder as if coming out of his out loud thoughts. "OH, uh…and I'll get those screens for us to install after breakfast, Arnold…"

"You see, Arnold…_now_ it's _hysterical_!" Gertie whispered back, trying so very hard not to laugh out loud since Phil seemed frazzled enough as it was (as were the boarders, though they were failing at it a lot more than she was as the slight blush on his grandfather's face before he went out of sight and dropped to the hallway below completely attested to). "Ah, some of the best work I've done in years…" she announced to herself in a whisper with a proud smile.

Arnold just let out a sigh at her words, finally allowing the grin to consume his face now that his grandfather was no longer in the room (though the bit of guilt tugging at him still remained). "Grandma…" he began quietly so that the other three people in the room wouldn't hear, "Like I said, I know you're having fun but can't you explain things to him later so he doesn't think he's gone crazy or something? It just…seems like the right thing to do…" Still, despite this correct logic, Arnold continued smirking at the scene that had just taken place before him and couldn't help but remark to himself with amusement, '_Sometimes I wish someone had recorded some of that pre-confession stuff between me and Helga. I bet some of it's the funniest thing in the world…_' Images of their kiss during the school play and that time she'd thrown those feathers and that paste on him and called him a bird, and all of those spitballs over the years and the annoyed but patient looks he'd always given her in class because of them flashed hilariously through his mind.

Gertie, meanwhile, just let out a sigh and replied understandingly to her always sympathizing grandson, "Oh don't worry, Kimba, of course I won't let him go on thinking he's lost his marbles or something. I like messing with him, not upsetting him…I just went the extra mile with it today." She smiled reassuringly down at him. "Actually, I've still got the whole hula outfit in our room and I was planning to put it on before heading down to the kitchen and go right back into the Honolulu stuff so that he'll just think I was acting a little loopy for a while but stopped and that I'm back at it again. No harm done!" She winked.

And then…quite unexpectedly…she turned to the other three people still currently together on the other side of Arnold's…and made her voice louder to address them similarly, effectively bringing them into what had seemed to Arnold to be a necessarily private conversation considering the subject matter. Indeed, Gertie sighed and smiled, putting her arms behind her back, and spoke quite undeniably right to the three still smirking men. "Yes, I'll be putting on the Hawaii act in a little while in front of everyone so that poor Phil doesn't feel like he's finally lost it…" Her proud smile grew a bit. "But for now, wasn't this a fun way to start a Sunday morning, everyone?"

"Oh Grandma, that was hilarious! Heh, heh…" Oskar was doubled over and wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yes!" Mr. Huynh agreed, happy to be able to finally fully give into his laughter now that Phil was gone. "Grandma is the best at pranks!"

Ernie nodded in agreement, laughing very very hard as well. "Yeah, I've never seen you get the old man so worked up! Ha!" He took a breath or two to calm himself. "Where did that randomly come from all of a sudden? We weren't expecting anything from you _that_ big until at least the Fourth of July!"

"Oh, boys, you're too kind…" She chuckled and took a small 'bow', "But what can I say—I just felt…inspired! Actually…" she gestured to Arnold with her head, putting a hand on one of his shoulders, "Arnold here helped give me the idea last night when he got home from his little outing…"

Ernie blinked at the information and then smiled, turning his sights to Arnold. "Oh, hey, so the kid's in the loop now, huh?"

Now, during this entire exchange between his grandmother and the boarders, Arnold's face had first born a look of confusion…and then one of shock…and then disbelief…and now we were back to utter confusion. The sound his grandmother and then Mr. Potts addressing him, though, finally let him blink and find his voice.

"Grandma…" he began in an obviously surprised tone, "I…They…They KNOW…that it's all just…an act?" His eyes were quite wide as he tried to process this truth. "But…but no one ever said anything…and how come I didn't know, and…"

Gertie let out an understanding sigh and leaned down closer to his eye level, her hand still on his shoulder. "Oh, Kimba, of course they know…" Her eyes lit up. "How else do you think I started getting them to put on the costumes and the funny hats and the wigs all the time? Ha, ha, ha…" she finished with that crazy laugh of hers and then removed her hand from her grandson, straightening up and shrugging a little sheepishly. "And as for why we never told you until now, well…I'm sorry about that, Kimba, but you were so young before and you're such an honest young man that you used to tell everyone the truth about everything without even being asked from the time you could talk."

"Yikes, tell me about it!" Oskar suddenly added, rolling his eyes. "Between the ages of three and five you ruined almost every secret poker game I tried to have here."

Ernie smirked, turning to his two companions. "Yeah and remember when he busted me and Huynh that time we took the Packard on a joyride? Heh, heh…"

"I know!" Mr. Huynh put a hand to his head practically in distress. "I thought the old man was going to kick us out for sure!"

Arnold just blinked…and had to try very hard not to smile at these interesting stories from his younger days…that honestly sounded very stereotypically like things he would have done. '_Okay, __completely__ like things I would have done_.' He almost chuckled to himself. '_I used to tell the truth about everything I saw and heard about to everyone no matter what…Why do I feel like Helga wouldn't be surprised…at all.._.' "Uh…sorry about all of that, everyone…" he finally announced with a bit of a sheepish grin in the direction of the three boarders.

"Oh, Kimba, don't apologize—you were just being yourself…" Grandma finally continued, smiling down at him. She then shrugged. "It just seemed best to keep things about all of this a secret from you, though, until you were old enough to realize that it was just a harmless joke and that not _all_ secrets need to be told to _everyone_ right away…." She put a hand to her mouth and a small chuckle escaped her. "But I get the feeling that Helga's been helping you understand that idea a bit better lately…" she winked, "So…welcome to the club!" The old woman finished by laughing to herself warmly, not only at her own words but a the slight blush the 'keeping a secret' comment had brought to her Grandson's features.

Arnold, meanwhile, allowed his grandmother's words to process and then smiled in understanding (doing his best to ignore the slight bit of heat he could feel creeping into his face). He turned to his grandmother once again. "That…makes sense, Grandma. And yeah, you're right—Helga's kind of been helping me understand a lot about 'fun' secrets lately so…" He glanced once more from his grandmother to the other three people in the room. "Thanks for letting me in on this one, everyone."

The three boarders just smiled at Arnold as did his grandmother. "Oh you're welcome, Kimba. Now, come on!" A determined look came to her still smiling face as she glanced from him to the three men near the door. "You all get dressed and ready for the day, and I'll get back into character and costume, and then we'll have some breakfast Honolulu style! There're pineapple turnovers in the kitchen (and a few raspberry for Phil, of course) and poi galore! Ha, ha, ha!"

Arnold just chuckled to himself at her enthusiastic announcement. "Okay, Grandma. That all actually sounds really good."

"Yeah, you got it, Grandma! Time to start the day!" Mr. Potts announced with a wink and a thumbs up, and his two companions nodded in agreement…

With a nod back to them, Gertie was about to move toward the door, and with an amused sigh Arnold was finally about to get out of bed…

"But first, though…" Ernie then suddenly continued, now rubbing the back of his neck just a bit sheepishly, and effectively causing both grandmother and grandson to pause in their actions, "There's actually another reason the three of us came up here besides to see what was up with Gramps…" And to this statement his companions nodded as well.

And then the building demolisher's eyes fell once more to the ten-year-old boy still sitting in his bed. "Hey, uh, Arnold?"

Arnold blinked and turned his gaze to Ernie in just a bit of confusion, to say the least. ' "Yes, Mr. Potts?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

Ernie stretched up and yawned, some fatigue hitting him for a moment, but then resumed his address of the ten-year-old blonde before him. "Well, kid…we know you said last night that you'd settle our bets about your date with Helga at breakfast but…with all the time it's gonna take all of us to get ready and use the bathroom and with how much Suzie's probably going to be yelling at us about things as soon as she gets up and gets downstairs…" he suddenly jerked his head back to the two men behind him with a half grin, "…_right_, fellas?" he asked, looking for support for these predictions (and quite possible, in particular, that last one).

"Huh?" Oskar. That was, until Ernie suddenly gave him a quick elbow nudge and a slight look. "Oh, uh, _yes_!" A look of realization came into his eyes and he grinned just a little falsely. "Before Suzie yells at us about the betting. Heh, heh…"

Mr. Huynh stepped forward and instantly nodded earnestly. "Oh yes! Ernie is definitely right!"

Ernie just rolled his eyes at the two of them and quickly turned back to Arnold. "Yeah, so, anyway before we have to deal with all of that can't you at least give us a _little_ something right now?"

"Yes!" announced Mr. Huynh, taking one more hopeful step forward. "We were very good waiting all night!"

"Yeah, and there is a poker game in three hours and I need money to buy myself in!" Oskar added with a grin.

Arnold could see, out of the corner of his eye, his grandmother getting a somewhat stern expression and looking like she was about to say something to the three of them (to try and get him out of this embarrassing moment, no doubt) but he quickly sat up a bit more in his bed and cleared his throat, addressing her. "It's okay, Grandma…" He then looked to the three men, a half grin on his face. '_Might as well get at least part of this over with…. And…' _he considered for a moment, '_…maybe I can help Grandpa a little too…and myself…_' "Okay." He let out a sigh. "I'll settle ONE bet right now, everyone, but the rest have to wait until after breakfast and my chores today… And in exchange for me doing one _now,_ I'd like it if, during breakfast when Grandma goes back to acting like we're in Hawaii, you could all apologize to Grandpa for acting like everything was just in his head and laughing at him about the outfit, okay?" He let out a slightly amused sigh at his extended family and finished with, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to look at them just a bit more sternly, "And also, please no more bets about me and Helga in the future…Especially if she's around or anything. This whole dating thing is still a little new to us and I know you all think it's kind of funny but we're still getting used to everything, okay?"

Taking in Arnold's conditions the three boarders smiled at him in response. "Okay, kid," Ernie spoke up, "You've got yourself a deal! We'll tell the old man we're sorry for teasing him _and_ lay off you and your girlfriend a little bit more if you'll settle at least one wager for us here and now."

Arnold smiled at their accordance with his deal and rested his head on one of his hands. "Okay, so, which bet is it…?" '_After everything I managed to admit to Helga __and__ to myself last night, __nothing__ could be that bad to tell them…And anyway, Grandma's right—Helga's kind of been showing me the importance sometimes of not specifically saying certain things unless you really have too…_' That huge adventure with trying to keep her secret from the other kids two weeks ago had made that more than clear to him. '_So I think I can keep anything really intimate to myself even if I'm helping them settle a bet.'_

The three guys looked to each other with raised eyebrows at Arnold's question, then huddled and whispered for a few seconds, and then finally broke apart with nods and smiles.

"Okay, kid. We actually came up with this one last night after you went to bed…" Ernie began. "So, according to you, she actually thinks you're some kind of 'terrific' kisser…"

"Yes, so we bet…" Mr. Huynh added in excitement.

"…On how many times you two have kissed so far in total for her to say that!" finished Oskar with a grin.

Arnold felt himself swallow and a slight warmth come to his cheeks, but did his best to ignore these symptoms of humiliation. '_Great—we're back to the kissing thing again…And weren't all of the other bets they mentioned last night about that too?_' Yet, his grin had to pick up just slightly as his thoughts couldn't help but continue with, '_Still, I guess I should have realized that me and Helga moving into doing more than just holding hands and spending time together wasn't going to be a smooth change…especially when other people start to know about it._'

"Oh come on now, you three…" Gertie suddenly interjected, tapping her foot just a little impatiently, "It was one thing for me and Phil to bet on when he'd get back last night but he shouldn't have to go into details about his dates…" She then glanced off for a moment and a slightly nostalgic look came to her face. "They're…private…" The smile on her reminiscing face grew slightly.

Arnold just watched her with a smile of his own for a moment, but then tugged on her sleeve again to get her attention once more. "It's okay, Grandma, really…I don't mind just this once. And anyway I'm not feeling as shy about things anymore…" He glanced down a felt a touch of a blush quickly return. '_Not after last night anyway… And as for talking about our kissing, I'm just glad that there's something to talk __about__—after all, anything's worth it to me if it means we don't have to go back to the only times we'd ever touch being when we slammed into each other around street corners_.' He did his best not to chuckle at the memories of all those ironic times he'd found himself sprawled on the ground facing Helga…who, he now recalled, usually _had_ looked at him kind of 'funny' for a second before the scowl inevitably returned. He gave a mental sigh, imagining the unbearably clueless looks he must have always given her in return over the years. '_Helga's love…this Grandpa/Grandma thing…I really am very, very dense sometimes, aren't I_?'

"Alright, then, here we go!" Ernie began in an excited voice, effectively bringing Arnold out of his amusing reminisces and returning him to the bet-settling situation at hand. "So I said you two have probably kissed four times so far… You know probably at least once during that little date you had here Friday, and then both me and Huynh bet against Oskar that you managed it at least three times at her house last night—you know the initial 'Hey, I'm here, let me score a peck on the lips,' and then there had to be one during all those hours you two were together, and then of course the obligatory goodnight kiss…" He smiled smugly at this comment and finished with, "So anyway like I said—my bet's four times in total before you actually got her to say specifically last night that you're some kind of junior terrific kisser."

Arnold did his best not to blush to much as he nodded at Ernie. "Okay. So, you say four." He cleared his throat and then as casually as possible turned to the other two bettors.

"And I bet five times!" Mr. Huynh announced with a smile in response to Arnold's waiting (and semi-blushing) face. "Because I think you probably kissed her once in the past and it wasn't the best, which made her say you were lousy! But then last night you did just like Ernie said and by the time you got to the goodnight kiss you were finally decent at it and she told you so!"

Arnold swallowed, feeling just a touch more heat manage to make it into his face. "Okay. You say five." And yet somehow, despite the obvious embarrassment…a strange sort of smile was growing on his lips. "And you, Mr. Kokoschka?" he asked casually and innocently.

"Well, actually, Arnold, heh, heh…" Oskar began with a sheepish grin. "I bet that you've never kissed her and that you're just making it up because…Well, Arnold, _please_—you can't even steal an extra piece of toast from the breakfast table without saying sorry, but putting the moves on that girl?" He shook his head. "Impossible!"

With this last piece of the wager being announced, Arnold couldn't help but feel that smile that had been starting on his lips now significantly pull up the corners of his mouth. "Hmm…" he began feigning innocence, putting a hand to his chin and looking up as though in genuine thought, "Let's see…four or five or none…" '_Helga would love this conversation…No question_.' He tried not to laugh at the truth of that thought. Arnold then actually then went through a few things in his head (just to be sure of the numbers) and finally looked back to the three men. "Well, if the winner is whoever gets closest then it's Mr. Huynh…"

"_YES!" _Mr. Huynh threw his arms in the air in victory. "Five is my lucky number—pay up, everybody!" He turned to Ernie and Oskar smugly and held out his hand. The two losing boarders, grumbling and frowning, began to fish into their pockets.

"Actually, Mr. Huynh…everyone…" The football headed boy blushed and glanced down, interrupting the exchange of funds just for a moment as all eyes were on him once again, including his grandmother's who was interested in what more he could have to say after having already fulfilled his promised of settling one bet. '_I can't believe I'm admitting this…_' he thought to himself, still with a grin though, _'I mean, they're probably never going to let me hear the end of it once I say it… But…at least it'll surprise them. And I don't think Helga would mind too much. I think she even actually really likes that I talk to my family about things with us because she when she comes over here it's the only time when she doesn't have to keep her secret from anyone._' "Five is the _closest_ guess…" he finally continued, "but…Helga and I have actually kissed _twelve_ times in total. _So far_, at least…" He shrugged and looked up again, adding as he tried once more not to chuckle or blush even more, "We have another date tonight though, so that number's probably going to go up. Just mentioning it in case you wanted to take another bet on what the total will be by _tomorrow_ morning."

These words left Arnold's mouth, a second of silence passed, and then the mouths of all three boarders dropped practically to the floor. Grandma, meanwhile, just continued to stand near her grandson's bed, now with a very satisfied smile on her face at how well he had handled the situation of settling this little wager.

"Twelve?" all three men instantly exclaimed in confusion and just a bit of shock.

"Well, I guess that means _I _win then…"

And then all eyes suddenly turned to Suzie who had just climbed up the attic ladder and entered the room, wearing a nightgown and a smile.

Ernie just let out a deep sigh at her sudden appearance and rubbed his temples. "_Oh_ boy…"

"Ah! Busted!" Mr. Huynh yelled in frustration, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Uh…_Suzie_!" Oskar announced nervously, approaching her, his arms behind his back. "What are you doing here? And don't be silly—you weren't part of the bet—that was all just a dream last night! Heh, heh!"

"Oh no, you three—I am indeed part of at least _this_ particular bet and you all know it!" She gave them a look. "Remember, you said I could buy my way in but only for a bet of twenty dollars or more, so I pulled out a fifty and that shut all of you up pretty quickly…" She then crossed her arms over her chest and just shook her head. "But honestly, though—trying to settle things up here while I was asleep just so that there would be NO chance I could win! And then what were you going to do—tell me you'd already exchanged money and gotten it settled and to just pay the winner?" She smirked at the three boys. "Sorry, gentlemen, but remember I've been Oskar's wife for almost five years—there's not a thing in the world that any of you could try to pull on me that I wouldn't see coming a mile away." She put her hands on her hips, still smiling. "And speaking of which it looks like I caught you _and_ managed to hear Arnold admit that the magic number's twelve, and you all know my bet was ten kisses or higher so pay up!" And she held out her hand expectantly.

All three guys hesitated for just a second…and then let out very frustrated sighs and grumbles and reached into their pockets, reluctantly plopping bills into her hand.

Suzie just chuckled at the three grumpy boarders and then looked to Arnold. "Sorry, Arnold," she shrugged sheepishly, "but it was easy money…" She rolled her eyes. "These three thinking you'd only had it in you to kiss that nice Helga a handful of times when you've been spending time together for over two weeks—_honestly_!"

Arnold, who had just been watching with amazement and shock this sudden turn of gambling events, now found himself chuckling and at the same time feeling more blushing come to his face (though he had really stopped caring ages ago.) "Thanks, Mrs. Kokoschka," he simply said appreciatively.

Suzie smiled warmly at him. "You're welcome, Arnold." And then she gestured with her head back toward the door. "Alright boys, leave Arnold alone now—you've been harassing him for almost two weeks with all this Helga stuff and he was even nice enough to throw you a bone right now! At least give him a peaceful Sunday morning before he has to deal with the rest of your silly bets and jokes!" At this announcement, reluctantly and in obvious defeat, the three guys trudged towards Arnold's door then began to descend to the hallway, followed by Suzie.

"Letting your wife in on the action—way to go, Kokoschka…" Ernie.

"Yes! Me and Ernie should disqualify you from the other bets just for that!" Mr. Huynh

"Hey, I can't help it—it was a lot of money we could have gotten off of her and who knew Arnold could get a girl to kiss him more than ten times? _I_ hadn't even been kissed by girl that many times when I met Suzie! Besides, if I lose any of the other bets to you guys, at least I'll have that money she just won to pay you back with. Heh, heh…"

"Oh that's what you think, Oskar!" Suzie quickly interjected with a smug smile, half way down the ladder and glancing down toward him. "But I'm personally going to be using my winnings to grab a bite with Miriam next weekend if she's free! I haven't seen her in forever and it would be wonderful to catch up. Hmph!"

"Aw, but Suzie!"

Their voices faded as Suzie pulled the door closed and they all reached the hall and went their respective ways to their rooms.

Left alone, Gertie turned to Arnold (both parties trying hard not to laugh at the humorous and so very typical little exchange between the members of their extended family that had just met their ears). "Well, Kimba, I should get downstairs too so I can convince your grandpa he's not a 'crazy old bird' or something." She let out a chuckle or two.

Arnold smiled up at her. "Okay, Grandma. I'll change and be down in a few minutes."

"See you then, Kimba!" She winked and approached the door, opened it, and began to descend.

"Oh and Grandma?" Arnold called out before she disappeared from view.

She stopped and glanced at him. "Yes, Arnold?"

He smiled just a bit more to himself. "That was a really REALLY good prank. Really… And thanks for the extra sleep."

She smiled a bit more. "Thank you, Arnold…I try!" And with that and a wink she finally disappeared.

Now left entirely to himself again, Arnold let out a breath and had to chuckle warmly as an interesting thought he'd just expressed but had never really realized came back into his mind. '_I've kissed Helga G. Pataki twelve times…on the lips_…' His smile grew so much. _'I've kissed the lips of the most interesting, funny, pretty, creative, passionate girl I've ever met a dozen times_…_at least if you count what happened on our first date as three separate kisses_...' He couldn't help but be amused at the fact that a few months ago he'd never even considered the possibility of kissing a girl no matter how much he'd ever had a crush on someone…well, not _really_… Okay, yes, fine, admittedly the idea of _trying_ it just to see what it would be like _had_ crossed his mind on occasion, but with his usual modesty and shyness he'd certainly never considered being the one to initiate it…and he'd absolutely _never ever_ considered doing half the wonderful things being with Helga had made him want to do lately! And especially with her of all people! "But every time I do it…it just gets better and better and I want to do it more and more..." He laughed to himself his eyes going even more half lidded. "And the best part is, after last night, now I know for sure that it gets better and better for _her_ too!"

He swung his legs over to touch his feet to the floor, and let out a dreamy sigh. "Who'd have thought—Arnold and Helga…" he chuckled once more…another thought occurring to him now. '_Arnold and Helga…It almost sounds like one word, and not just two being stuck together. 'ArnoldAndHelga'_ "Hmm…" he started, a dreamy sigh escaping him, "Between how well our names fit together and how well our personalities fit together and how well our lips fit together…it almost makes it all make sense. Like it was meant to be."

And then his eyes fell on those notebooks he'd been planning to write in last night but which the conversation with his grandmother had made him temporarily forget about. Almost automatically he stood up, grabbed the pen from his nightstand and then quickly snatched one of the said notebooks and walked over to his couch, sitting down comfortably. He began to write a bit, just testing some things out, and to speak as he wrote, just grinning happily. "She's the most unexpected thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life…and I'm really loving every minute of it." He felt his heart skip a beat. "And she wants another date with me tonight! Helga G. Pataki wants another date with me…_tonight_… What could be more surprising than that…?"

_RING RING_

Arnold sighed at the sound of his phone ringing and put aside the notebook. "If this is Helga I almost don't want to answer it…" He half smiled as he had to admit to himself, no longer trying to avoid any of the slightly lovesick stuff that had been threatening to all but consume him over the past week, "I'm not sure if I could handle hearing her voice again and everything she'd probably say to me about last night, and then having to wait so many hours until later to see her for real…" And indeed the very idea of all the…well, the flirting he'd done with her during that phone call last night instantly sent scarlet into his features. Not that it hadn't been fun to recall that he wasn't the only one in love here and to use it just a little against her (just like he had back in her room before he'd kissed her) but still… '_I told her if I ever caught her sleepwalking into my bed that I'd curl up right next to her…And I think I might have meant it. Either way, I'm pretty sure she's never going to let me forget that, is she…?_' He absentmindedly reached over to pick up the phone. "Hello?" he said in an unavoidably dazed tone.

"Um…hey…Arnold…man. What's up, heh, heh?"

Arnold blinked at the (totally unexpected) sound of his best friend's voice on the other end of the line. He instantly came back to reality. "Gerald? Uh…hi. Um, nothing." '_Why does he sound so nervous?_' "Uh, what's up with _you_?" And then a thought occurred to Arnold as Gerald's sudden call reminded him of a few other things last night in regards to Helga's secret …and he let out a breath, speaking in a bit of a flat tone now though some of the smile remained at just how humorous that incident from last night had been. "Gerald, if this is about what I think it's about, can the shrine jokes wait until the Monday? Please. I was just doing some writing and then I've got some extra chores to help out Grandpa with since I got in so late last night, and plans with Helga later today and…"

"WHOA! Hold on! Stop _right_ there!" Arnold had to blink as the slightly nervous quality instantly dropped from Gerald's voice, replaced by both shock and accusation. "Oh man, Arnold," he started, very matter-of-factly, "If you are writing another Helga poem for Simmons and you even _think_ about handing it in and putting us through all of that stuff like during school last Monday, I _swear_ Phoebe and I are going to rope and hog tie you and your girlfriend, throw you back in that janitor's closet and leave you there until next September! Okay, man?"

Arnold had had to actually pull the phone a bit away from his head at how loud Gerald's voice had become while making this announcement. After his ears had had a second to process the yelling, though, he realized the misunderstanding and couldn't help but smile fully and actually have to try and not laugh. "No, no, Gerald…No more poetry situations at school, I promise. Besides…" Arnold felt himself blush just slightly. He absentmindedly twirled the phone chord around one of his fingers and his eyes fell to the open notebook beside him on the bed…which had a few lines of ideas he had managed to come up with so far. "This is…more of a private poem for Helga…" He blinked a couple of times, coming out of some daydreams, and then cleared his throat and did his best to move on from the topic. "Actually though I…I really should probably get downstairs to help Grandpa with those chores and to try and get some breakfast before the boarders eat it all, so I might just work on it later." And then Arnold remembered that _Gerald_ had been the one to call _him_…and so quite probably had something specific to talk about on his mind. "Did you need something though, Gerald?"

"Oh…" And there it was again—that very much on edge tone to his best friend's voice. "Um…well…kind of…" He swallowed. "But if—if you're busy it's no big deal, heh, heh… I… you know what, it's stupid, man. Don't worry about it…"

"…Gerald?" Arnold's curiosity (and also concern) was genuinely peaked at this point. "Come on…we've been best friend's our whole lives. You know you can tell me any problem…" He half smiled and reclined his head back on his couch, gazing up at the blue sky and clouds through his ceiling. "Besides, with all of this Helga stuff over the last two weeks I haven't had much of a chance to give anyone advice like usual and I'm starting to miss it a little. It'd be nice to help fix a problem in someone _else's_ life again."

That joke actually got a slight chuckle out of his best friend. And then finally Gerald let out a complacent sigh. "Okay, okay, man…guess I could give you a situation that needs advice if you're THAT hard up."

The two boys shared a small laugh and then Arnold waited patiently for Gerald to begin…which he did (eventually) but not until after a very deep breath to obviously stall as much as possible, of course.

"Okay…" A pause. "Okay, so, um…speaking of things happening later, actually, heh, heh…" Gerald did his best to joke, referring to Arnold's poetry writing as well as his plans with Helga tonight, "I might…uh…hypothetically…have some plans later myself…with…_someone_…kind of like, um…a…a 'date' I guess you could, you know, call it… "

At this admission Arnold sat up straight, his eyes lighting up and his voice returning, a full smile on his face. '_Wow, I knew they'd started to like each other a little more and that they walked home together last night and that Phoebe kissed him on the cheek, but I didn't think that_…' "Gerald…" he couldn't help but inquire with just a bit of interested surprise, "What did you and Phoebe _do_ exactly after I left you last night?"

"Uh…" Gerald's voice was starting to sound more and more riddled with nerves as he 'tried' to smoothly play off the question with, "Oh um…you know, just…just talked and walked and talked more… Nothing really…" He faked a scoff. "Told you, man—everything I'm saying is strictly hypothetical…"

"Gerald…" An all-knowing smile came to Arnold's face and he leaned a bit of his weight upon his free arm. "Last night you caught me sneaking out of Helga's bedroom window with a book of her poems and a strand of her hair on my shirt…and smiling. A lot. I really don't think there's anything you could tell me that would be more embarrassing than finding me in that situation. Also, I think I know how to tell if something similar to what's going on with me and Helga is going on with someone else…especially my best friend." He did his best not to chuckle as he then finally added, "And anyway I already saw Phoebe practically kiss you before you two left…That's actually why I left you guys alone—Me and Helga finally got the chance to kiss for real a while ago so…I just figured it was about time you and Phoebe got the chance to do the same."

There were several seconds of shocked silence.

"Gerald?" Arnold finally managed to ask again, the smile still on his face. '_He can't really think I wouldn't realize what's going on… 'Hypothetical'… Even __I'm__ not that dense…at least, not anymore…'_

Finally there was the sound of a defeated sigh and Gerald's normal voice returned (though there was at least a touch of expected awkwardness to it, considering the subject matter). "Okay, Okay…sheesh man, quit being so good at reading between the lines about this stuff! You're getting more and more like Helga every day, you know that?"

Arnold just laughed to himself and blushed at the comment. "Well, I think she's pretty great so…I hope so."

An exasperated sigh came from Gerald. "Oh brother…" He took another breath and then got back to the subject at hand. "Okay but, anyway…yeah…Phoebe and I…might have tried the, uh…you know…the kissing thing…for real…last night after I walked her home." He got a bit on the offensive as he added sarcastically, "I mean we're not writing odes to each other and breaking into each other's houses and throwing the fourth grade into chaos and making dedications to each other in CLOSETS…!"

"Gerald…" Arnold just rolled his eyes. "_Please_, can the shrine jokes wait until Monday? I think I at least deserve twenty-four hours to process the existence of the thing before I hear about how 'hilarious' it is."

Gerald actually laughed this time, seeming to loosen up a little. "Hey, just warming up, man!" He then cleared his throat and went on, sounding much calmer now. "But yeah, so—kissing equals a big checkmark."

Arnold's smile grew just a bit more. "Well that's great Gerald—I'm really happy for you guys…"

"Yeah…" Gerald then replied hesitantly. "But…um…" Silence. Or rather…hesitation.

Arnold's smile fell just a bit at the return of that strange tone of his. "Is there something wrong, Gerald? You like her, don't you…?"

"_Yeah_!" Gerald instantly announced in an almost high-pitched voice, almost sounding shocked at the question and the very idea that he could do anything _but_ like Phoebe! "Of course I like her! I think she's…" There was a slight pause and it couldn't help but make Arnold smile (especially considering the dazed tone Gerald had started slipping into at the last few words.) "Um, anyway…" Gerald began again, obviously coming out of his romantic thoughts/daydreams (just as Arnold had predicted he was about to), "We like each other and she kissed me—that's not the problem. The problem is, well…I don't really know what I should…I mean, how should I handle…you know, the date thing tonight?"

It took Arnold a second to process the concern.

When he did, though, he had to try very hard not to laugh just a bit, especially since this was obviously an important thing for Gerald.

Still, though, he couldn't help but figure, with how much he was going to be hearing about the shrine soon (coupled with Gerald's usual humorous little barbs about him loving 'Helga G. Pataki'), that he was at least entitled to say _something_ more sarcastic than sympathetic. '_And anyway I think he's right about Helga rubbing off on me a little_…' Indeed, Arnold couldn't help but recall Helga's comment last night at her window about him saying something sarcastic 'for the first time in his life' with his initial response to her doubts about her looks. "So…" Arnold then began slowly, and actually had to let out a small chuckle at the back of his throat. "So, you, Gerald, 'the smoothest, coolest most happening dude in the city'…" he recalled that phrase from the poetry tutoring weekend, "…are calling me, Arnold, Mr. Goodie Two Shoes…for dating advice…?"

Gerald's response to this comment was to just let out an exasperated sigh and lose the shy routine entirely again. "Oh come on, man, what do you want from me? You and Helga have given new meaning to the term 'first base' over the last few weeks! And usually no one even makes it to that base until junior high or the sixth grade or something!"

"Gerald!" Arnold instantly blushed considerably, the smile still on his face, though, of course. "You know…me and her DO do other stuff besides just 'make out' all the time…" '_On occasion…I mean, at least half the time's talking instead of kissing…on average. I really am starting to think, though, that if she'd let me I'd kiss her every second I could… It's happened a dozen times already and I still haven't been able to take in everything it makes me feel_…' He felt a small spark in his heart at just the very idea of it.

"EXACTLY!" Gerald's exclamation brought Arnold out of his distracting thoughts. "Now quick—fill me in on some of that stuff so I don't look like a complete doufous tonight! What do I wear and how do I act and where do I take her and—"

"What, The Guide to Cool Moves for Happening Dudes getting a little outdated, Gerald?" Arnold really just hadn't been able to help himself.

"Arnold—_puh-lease_!" Gerald said in a totally serious voice in reply. "We were nine and messing around—we are ten now and this is serious!"

That response made Arnold stop and take a few seconds to finally succumb to all of the laughter that had been building within him. "Okay, okay…sorry, Gerald…" he finally managed after the second or third impatient sigh from his best friend on the other end of the line in response to his chuckles, "I'm still a little sleepy and this is just…well, honestly, I always figured _I'd_ be the one coming to _you_ about girls when we were older but…alright I'll give it my best try…"

Arnold then cleared his throat and paused to consider, and finally just did his best to speak from the heart. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly with his free hand. "Well…I don't know…when it comes to dates we don't really have a lot of set plans… I mean mostly we just talk to each other about ourselves and our lives and our days, and little things we might like about each other…" He smiled warmly to himself at some memories…getting a bit lost in them. "…And then sometimes if we're both having a really good time we'll hold hands and if I bring up how much I like her enough I get Helga to have this really pretty blush or to sigh like she's really happy, and then maybe if things get really quiet no one's around she might lean in and then I might lean in and then we—"

"Arnold!" Gerald suddenly interrupted with more than a bit of sarcasm to his voice, bringing the football headed blonde out of his musings once more. " 'Getting off topic' alert! 'Getting off topic' alert! Seriously, stick with stuff about the _first_ half of that! The talking and the sharing and maybe the handholding! I may be coming to YOU for advice about this but I'm pretty sure not _every_ girl likes being thrown on the floor in her room and randomly kissed just because you've suddenly gone gaga!"

"Oh come on, Gerald!" Arnold felt the blush in his face grow hotter but couldn't help but keep smiling. "I didn't throw her on floor last night!" He gazed up at the sky again. "I mean I like her but I also like being a gentleman…"

"Yeah right…" came Gerald's incredulous reply, much to Arnold's surprise. "I've seen you over the last week or so with her, man…and I've heard some things from Phoebe….like about last weekend at Helga's house—I've got a feeling you throwing her on the floor for one of those crazy kisses you guys do was just for _starters_ last night!"

"Gerald, I mean it!" Arnold felt the blood pumping more and more into his features, especially at hearing that Gerald had now become aware of just how life altering and crazily intimate that first official date between himself and Helga had been. "I didn't do anything like that to her yesterday…I mean…" he felt his heart flutter slightly and his smile grow a little, and started twirling the phone cord in his fingers again, "_She_ might have thrown _me_ on the floor once but I didn't do anything…um," he swallowed, " 'unusual for me'…to her until I went back after I left you and Phoebe to show her I could be just as comfortable with the whole kissing thing as she is… But even then I didn't throw myself on top of her!" He had to chuckle to himself just a little as he then added as an afterthought. "Actually with all the times _she's_ done it to _me_ in our lives I think she's decided that's her job or something in this relationship." And for just a moment Arnold had to close his eyes as he felt a strange, funny, shivery feeling pass through him at the memories of all those times of suddenly feeling Helga's warmth and weight on top of him as she lost control for just a second and finally let all that love inside of her out in one perfectly passionate moment.

Meanwhile, there were just several seconds of silence from the other end of the line.

"Gerald?" Arnold finally asked when the silence had been so long that he'd actually managed to come out of his thoughts on Helga all on his own (and he tended to have a lot of them so it wasn't exactly a quick task). He raised an eyebrow. '_I thought he'd laugh… I mean, __I__ think Helga always doing that to me is pretty funny anyway…and really cute, actually_.' A half smile came to his lips again.

Finally, at actually addressing his best friend, Arnold just heard a simple sigh on the other end of the line…followed by Gerald observing with a more amused than anything tone, "Man…you two are just plain weird and about a million years ahead of where you're supposed to be, you know that?" And then he actually laughed. " All I can say is good luck to you, Arnold, and you'd better not let ever Big Bob catch you up there with her or you really _will_ need to just lay down and stay down to survive!"

Arnold just rolled his eyes at the joke and responded with a smile, reclining back a bit more comfortably on his couch, "Actually, Helga's having me over for dinner tonight with _both_ of her parents."

"Arnold…" Gerald's voice suddenly got very quiet, "Man…you just plain have a death wish don't you? That really is the only explanation for half the stuff you've been doing lately… Kissing a girl who could pound you in a second and crawling through the ceiling of the school and breaking into the Pataki house of all places…Mmm, mmm, _mmm_! I hope all the make out sessions and flirting and the permanent 'Get out of a pounding free' card you've got from Helga are all worth it!" he added jokingly.

Arnold just sighed and shook his head at Gerald's concerns. "Gerald, tonight'll be fine. Don't worry about it—I already talked to her and she said her Mom and Dad are acting a little…nicer, I guess." His smile grew just a bit. "Besides, I'd like to get the chance to know Helga's family a little bit better… She's already hit it off so well with the boarders and my grandparents, after all, and I'd like her to feel comfortable with us going over to her place just as often as coming here…"

"And also can I just say, I cannot believe you're actually 'meeting the parents…'" Gerald continued in a tone bespeaking a smirk, moving on from his warnings for the chance at a little sarcasm, especially in light of the joke or two Arnold had already made at his expense in terms of his own love life. "Are you going to ask for permission to 'have her hand' and then pop the question _the second you arrive_ or do you think _after dessert_ would be more appropriate?" He had to let out a chuckle at the back of his throat.

"Oh come on, Gerald…" Arnold countered with an exasperated sigh…the grin still wide on his face, though, of course. "I think we both know that no matter how she feels about me Helga would punch my lights out if I stood up in the middle of the dining room and asked her Dad for permission for her to marry me…" He smiled warmly to himself at the very idea. "And even if she was so deliriously happy that she decided diving on top of me again to kiss me would be more fun instead, her Dad would just end up being the one trying to punch me…" He laughed warmly and then sighed to himself, a dreamy look coming to his eyes which returned to gazing at the blue skies above once more in thought and daydreams… "Still, if it really did make her so happy that she kissed me like that then it might be worth it no matter what her Dad would do… Aw man, when she kisses it just—"

"Okay, Arnold, 'OFF TOPIC' Alert again!" Gerald suddenly announced into the phone once more, obviously not wanting all of the 'intimate details.' "Seriously man, I need you to keep 'Helga's mouth is wonderful' in check for a few minutes and just get back to giving me a few more dating tips—you know, for those of us who _haven't_ necessarily found our soul mate at the age of ten and who _aren't_ spending all of our free time trying to get our hands and lips on them…"

Arnold just let out a happy sigh, picking his head back up and resting it in his hand. "Okay, Gerald, but you know if you and Phoebe are holding hands and dating and gave each other a real kiss already, all that more intense stuff's bound to come eventually… No matter how much you might fight it or avoid it…" He couldn't help but add this last point with a slightly sheepish grin, considering last night...

"A-Arnold…" Gerald instantly stammered, and Arnold had to raise an eyebrow as the idea occurred to him that his best friend was most likely blushing right now considering the tone of his voice, "I…I don't know if you realize this," he continued, trying to sound a bit humorous to move on from the awkward situation, "But Phoebe's not exactly as 'outgoing' as Helga, in general… If you know what I mean… heh, heh…"

To this observation Arnold felt himself blush just a bit more before shrugging and replying in a quiet, happy voice. "Yeah, but…you would have probably said the same thing about _me_ a few weeks ago…"

Another very heavy silence between the two boys.

"O-okay, you know what…" Gerald finally began in a noticeably cracked voice that Arnold had to try very VERY hard not to laugh at, "Just…give me everything you've got, Arnold, and I'll use what I need whenever I need to as I need it, okay!"

And then a strange sound met Arnold's ears coming from Gerald's end of the line…a sound that made one of his eyebrows raise yet again and a distinct smirk come to his face as he asked in a surprised and intrigued voice, "Gerald, are you…actually writing down what I'm saying?" Indeed, the sound had seemed quite distinctly like a pen scratching on nearby paper.

"Heck _yes_!" Gerald replied, not even trying to deny it or his incredible dependence on his best friend's advice for his first real date anymore. "Half of it's also probably going to be on my hand tonight! Now get going again, already! Sheesh, you think you're the _only one_ with extra stuff to do this morning because of how late you got back? My parents didn't catch me but Jamie-O did and now I'm his personal slave all morning. I'm supposed to be polishing his weights right now, actually, but he's downstairs eating breakfast for another few minutes and this is WAY more important! I really want to be prepared, man!"

Arnold just laughed at his best friend's explanations, though for a moment it turned into him yawning off the last of his sleepiness. He stretched up to wake himself up more and then did his best to continue, really trying to think of how exactly to put just how well the chemistry between him and Helga always seemed to work for making their times together unforgettable. "Okay, okay…well…besides all the talking and sharing and stuff…I mean, sometimes Helga and I don't say anything at all and just _do_ something together instead…you know, so we can enjoy just being with each other…"

"Good, good…" Gerald briefly interrupted, the sound of his pen scratching away again meeting Arnold's ear. "Some examples?"

Arnold considered for a moment, glancing around his room as he tried to come up with an example that hadn't immediately led to him and Helga with their mouths pressed against each other. And then his eyes fell on his stereo system and he had to smile as a memory of one of the things that had started this whole crazy mutual romantic relationship between them came to mind. '_Perfect!'_ "Well…okay, that weekend with the poetry tutoring, for example, before all of that stuff with the phone calls from everybody we were just up here sitting on my bed and couch listening to music…Dino Spumoni mostly…But I wouldn't just go with that automatically or anything—we both liked it so it worked, but maybe try and find something that you and Phoebe both like, if that helps."

"Uh huh, uh huh…" More pen scratching. "Anything else?" came his best friend's still quite worried sounding voice.

And then once more, thoughts of Helga overcoming him again, Arnold gave in a little to his desire to have just a bit of fun with this 'not expected in a million years' conversation with his best friend. "Yeah…" he responded innocently enough…though the smile on his face bespoke other emotions and intentions, "Apparently if you kiss just right it can make her kind of moan and shudder...I don't know if that's just something Helga does but if it happens don't worry about it. It's a good thing."

Another very long, very deep silence.

"Gerald?" Arnold did his best not to laugh, biting his lower lip. "Did you get that one down?"

"Man…" Gerald began in a totally, utterly and thoroughly shocked voice, "Where the heck did THAT come from?"

Arnold finally had to give in to his laughter again at this question, and then responded quite truthfully and with a shrug, "I don't know. Apparently I have a 'dark side' or something that only Helga brings out—at least that's what _she_ thinks. And she says that I like it…" Still grinning, his eyes went a bit half lidded…or possibly a bit narrowed…it really was a fine line between the two, after all. "And you know…I think it actually IS starting to grow on me a little…" He recalled leaning Helga back for that kiss last night, and felt a strange but welcome twist in his stomach and an almost electric sensation travel through him as he remembered the feeling of teasing her with it…and then of suddenly pulling her mouth in contact with his…only to have her melt against him and go practically limp in his arms at his actions…and then just look at him utterly in love after he'd pulled away, admitting in her obvious state of bliss that she might have made him want to 'lie down' the first time she'd done something like that to him so many weeks ago on that fateful rooftop, but he had made her need to 'collapse into a puddle' doing it then and there… '_I made a girl want to collapse into a puddle…I made __Helga__ want to collapse into a puddle…'_

His romantic musings were interrupted once more buy the sound of is best friend just letting out a very deep sigh.

"This really is going to be a long adolescence, isn't it, Arnold?" Gerald then stated very simply.

Arnold took a second to absorb the rhetorical question, and then could only respond with a warm, happy chuckle. Gerald, now also an active player in the romantic insanity the next several years of their lives would probably bring, could only resist for a second or two before happily joining him.

* * *

_RING RING_

"_Helga_! Helga, _wake up_!"

"Mmmm…" Helga moaned to herself, keeping her eyes shut tight and turning to pull the covers over her head to block out the light starting to stream in through her window.

"Helga!"

She could hear Miriam's voice coming closer now and was dimly aware in her state of being half asleep and half (unfortunately) awake that her mother must be climbing the stairs and approaching her room.

"Helga…?" Miriam opened her youngest daughter's bedroom door, and then crossed her arms over her chest with a smile, leaning against the frame. "Breakfast has already been on the table for a while and your sister's called to talk to you every half hour since 7 am. Time to get up!"

"Ugh, _Miriam_…" Helga began in the groggiest voice imaginable, her head still hidden, "It's Sunday and I'm tired, for crimeny's sake…Just put a plate in the microwave for me and tell Olga to build an igloo or something until I'm good and ready to get up and talk to her…" Helga pulled the covers more tightly around her body. '_Yeah, family breakfast at 9 a.m. sharp sounded great 'on paper' last night when I WASN'T completely exhausted from putting up with Football Head and his shenanigans… And as for Olga, if I had to wait __six years__ to even __have__ a story about kissing Arnold then she can wait __a few more__ hours to just __hear__ about it!'_

Trying to let her thoughts taper off into sleep once more, Helga forgot about her mother entirely for a moment, which was understandable as she was used to Miriam giving up after only one or two attempts at waking her up in the mornings…and then maybe trudging back off to the kitchen muttering 'I need a smoothie' under her breath…

However, this time Helga actually heard Miriam laugh and she could tell from how close it sounded that her mother was still in her room. "Helga, come on—your Father and I said we'd all spend the day together and we meant it…starting with a family breakfast. And I've already let you sleep in a bit but it's almost 9:30 now so come on—up and at 'em!"

Suddenly, Helga felt the covers pulled from her body and her eyes flew open in surprise at the light making its way through her eyelids and the chill upon her arms and legs. She sat up and turned to her mother, now with wide, open eyes. "Miriam! Sheesh, what the heck? I get it—supposedly 'permanent family bonding time' starts today but for Pete's sake I'm ten and it's Sunday! It's like an unofficial constitutional amendment that I'm allowed to sleep in, especially when it's the first day in two weeks that Olga hasn't gotten me up at _six_!"

"Well Helga," Miriam began, a small grin on her face as she folded the blanket in her hands, only glancing at her daughter, "If you went to bed last night at 11 when I left you then you should be coming off a full ten hours or more of sleep…unless your little goodnight call to Arnold took until much later."

Helga just rolled her eyes, doing her best to put on a scowl. "Oh ha-ha, Miriam, you're just a regular riot with all the Arnold comments."

"Well it helps that you're still wearing his picture around your neck, dear…" Miriam replied without missing a beat, laying the folded blanket out at the end of her daughter's bed. "I'd…think about not wearing that at the table with your father… Might be a little much for him on top of the dinner tonight with Arnold and your little 'outing' with him afterwards…"

With a quick blush at the observation and her eyes going wide almost in fright, Helga glanced down at her Arnold locket which was indeed still around her neck from last night… _'Oh boy_…' But then the memories of Miriam basically finding out everything last night (including the incredibly intimate possession that was her Arnold locket) fully hit her, and she just closed her eyes and sighed once more, and then laid back on her side, facing the window and putting a pillow over her head to block out the sun. "Yeah, yeah, Miriam—once again, _hilarious_. Remind me to finish laughing when I get up in an hour or three."

Miriam smiled and was about to open her mouth when suddenly the sound of the phone ringing yet again that morning cut her off.

"Ugh…" Helga moaned in a muffled and tired voice from under her pillow, "Why doesn't your other child have an off switch or something, Miriam? _Crimeny_!"

Miriam just gave a small laugh at the comment as she picked up the phone receiver, "Just a moment…" she said into it, not waiting for a response, and then rested it near Helga's pillow. "Helga, I've been answering her calls all morning—now _you_ talk to her, and let her know _whatever_ it is she's been saying she 'need's to know from you ASAP', but that she keeps _swearing_ she won't tell me because it's 'just between you girls'…" She crossed her arms over her chest and her smile picked up on one side just a little as she added, "And also because she's a little unhappy with me for telling you about the boys in her closet."

Helga couldn't help but smirk at that reminder of last night, removing the pillow from her head. "Yeah, she freaked on the plane when I mentioned that…" She then turned away from the wall and sat up slightly, taking the receiver in one hand. "Okay, fine Miriam, I'll talk to her and I'll be downstairs when I'm done, okay?"

"Okay, Helga…" Miriam replied with a smile, heading back in the direction of the hallway. "But you'd better hurry before your Father eats all the eggs Benedict! And drinks all the coffee!"

Helga just sighed and couldn't help but give her mother a bland look in her mother's direction for a moment. "Uh, _ten,_ here, Miriam. Coffee's not exactly one of my top beverage choices."

Miriam instantly turned back around to face Helga and blinked and put a hand to her mouth. "Oh…right, right…I'll, uh, I'll pour some juice or some milk or something…" And with a sheepish smile she took a few steps back and then closed the door behind her to head back downstairs.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes, entirely more amused than anything else at this little slip-up of her mother's in terms of parenting. _'Hey, forgetting that kids don't drink coffee is honestly not the worst thing I expected from her when I woke up this morning_.' Coming out this humorous thought, Helga picked up the receiver still in her hand and then put it to the side of her head, letting out a breath, and speaking before she could be interrupted by Olga's squealing demands for a juicy Arnold story. "Olga, it's early and I swear you better be about to go into a full catatonic state or something from not hearing about this first 'kiss' of mine with Arnold, or the next time you sleep here you won't just find your hair half-dyed—it'll be shaved off completely!"

"Helga?"

Helga blinked at the familiar (and unexpected) timid voice that met her ears. She sat up a bit more alertly. "Pheebs?"

"Oh, uh, well…yes, Helga. I'm sorry, were you…were you expecting someone else?" There was a distinct undercurrent of nervousness in Phoebe's voice.

Helga's face took on a curious look. "Uh, yeah…sorry, Phoebe—apparently my sister's been calling here like crazy all morning and I just thought you were her again." Then she settled back in her bed a bit, a smile on her face. "So, anyway, what's up, Pheebs?"

She heard Phoebe clear her throat quite distinctly before speaking. "I'm sorry for telephoning you so early, Helga, but, well…I have a sort of 'hypothetical' question…and I think the sooner I discover an answer the better, so…"

Helga raised part of her brow. '_A hypothetical question?'_ "Phoebe, what are you talking about?"

She heard silence followed by more throat-clearing, and then Phoebe's timid voice sounded again. "Well…It's just, um…I might have a 'more official than usual' outing with…someone…tonight…to spend the evening together and I—"

Suddenly the last traces of Helga's fatigue were replaced by one distinct memory from the end of her phone conversation with Arnold last night. "_No way_!" she instantly exclaimed in total excitement! "Gerald asked you out on an official date last night after you guys left Football Head?" She grinned ecstatically. "Phoebe that's grea—"

"Um…" Phoebe's quiet voice interjected, "Actually…_I _was sort of the one to bring up the proposition of an actual first date with him yesterday evening..."

Helga blinked, her jaw dropping. '_Phoebe…made the first move?'_ "_Phoebe_?" The tone of pride in her voice was evident. "Alright! Way to go!" she announced encouragingly. "You can't wait for tall hair boy to get it together _forever_—heck, if he's anything like his best friend you'd be ninety before he even asked to hold your hand. Good job seeing what you wanted and going for it!" Helga's face then lit up even more as some of the specifics of what Arnold had whispered to her over the phone last night about their best friends resurfaced in her mind once more. "OH and hey—_awesome_ job also on being the one to give him that peck on the cheek last night! Arnold filled me in..." She smirked a little, stretching up with her free hand as she then asked half-jokingly (and unable to help herself), "So did you get any serious action _back_ from Geraldo after you two walked home or did he just stay in nervous, goofy-smiling, thumb-twiddling shock?"

"Helga!" The shyness and embarrassment in Phoebe's tone were abundant.

Helga couldn't help but laugh just a little to herself at the exclamation from her best friend. "Sorry, Pheebs—but seriously, it's about time he got it together!" She grinned just a bit more, adding (as her heart fluttered at the notion), "Crimeny, me and Arnold are already breaking into each other's houses for anniversary gift swaps—the _least_ Gerald could do was go for it and kiss you on the lips after you had it in you to go and ask him out."

"Helga…" The shock was gone from her meek tone but Phoebe still sounded just a bit distressed, to say the least.

Helga just sighed this time around at the sound of her name from the shy girl's end of the line, still smiling. "Sorry again, Phoebe—just happy things are working out for you just as much as they're working out for me."

"Um…no, it…it's not that…" Phoebe replied, even more bashfully now if that was possible (which caused Helga to raise part of her brow for a moment). "It's just that, well…we did manage a…a real kiss, Helga, but…_I_ was the one to give it to _him_…"

Helga genuinely almost dropped the phone. "_You_ put the moves on _tall hair boy_?"

"Um…uh huh…" Phoebe managed to squeak out. "I…suppose so…"

And then after another half a second of seeming in total shock, a _very_ satisfied smirk came to Helga's face. "Well, well, well…how the tables have turned huh? So, you sleepwalking into his house yet or were you just going to spend the first week gathering the materials for your first shrine or coming up with your first book of poems or something?"

"Helga…_please_!" Phoebe responded in obvious distress, and obviously blushing on the other end of the line. Her tone was desperate. "I really need advice right now, not jokes…I'm already quite nervous as it is…" She gulped. "I still can't believe I…Oh…"

Helga let out a breath at these little exclamations from Phoebe, and then instantly a tone of pure understanding and sympathy came to her voice. Her best friend really seemed to need her, and after all of the times _Phoebe_ had been there for _her_ with Arnold stuff over the years Helga was more than happy to oblige. "First of all, Pheebs, it's OK. You kissed a guy you liked…hey, at least you did it _honestly_ with him instead of spending days crafting an elaborate ruse to do it but in a way so that he wouldn't think it was a 'real kiss'. Remember Romeo & Juliet, Phoebe?" she finished with a half grin.

The question actually got a slight chuckle out of Phoebe, sounding like she was calming down a little and putting the situation into perspective. "Thanks…Helga…" she then replied warmly.

Helga smiled warmly to herself at how much better her best friend suddenly sounded. "You're welcome, Pheebs. And as for the jokes, I'm sorry, really. Just having a little fun with you…making an observation or two…" She leaned her weight on her free arm. "Seriously, though, what can I do you for? Name it. Need some advice on where to take him or what to do together or—"

She heard Phoebe take a deep breath in and then finally manage (with a distinct swallow), in response to this inquiry, "Well, what I really want to know, Helga, is…well…" She swallowed, and then finished quickly and quietly, her ease starting to diminish again, "How exactly do I go about…getting HIM to kiss ME, Helga?"

The question made Helga's eyes fly open wide. She blinked…then she hesitated for a second before finally managing in an almost uncomprehending voice, "Uh…excuse me?"

She heard Phoebe let out a sigh and speak quickly once more, the shyness leaving her in favor of a desire to fully explain her situation (especially to someone she could trust). "Well, you see…he seems almost afraid or…or rather shy about it, Helga…He…I mean…" Phoebe cleared her throat shyly once more. "As Arnold informed you, I gave Gerald a very quick kiss near his mouth last night…and then like I said maybe one more that was a bit more of a real first kiss when he walked me home…and _I_ liked it and I believe _he_ liked it but…well…" She took another breath and then finally found the courage to say what she had been building to plainly and without fear. "I'd just like _him_ to try kissing _me_ now, maybe…especially if we're going to try an official date… And, well, you…Oh let's face it, Helga ,you've been getting Arnold to kiss YOU for once for the last two weeks multiple times! So…how do you do that?"

Helga, her eyes still quite wide, felt a slight sound come from the back of her throat before she was finally able to summon her full voice. "You…you want advice on how to get a guy to kiss you…from me…?" It wasn't that Helga hadn't been expecting Phoebe to want SOME help from her with her new relationship with tall hair boy, but it was just…her wanting advice on how to get him to kiss her? It wasn't just the thing she hadn't expected Phoebe to ask her about first… it was also a particular thing she'd never expected Phoebe to be seriously interested in at all! At least, not until they were a little older, like with most people.

And then a half smile couldn't help but come to Helga's face as a simple thought occurred to her as she took into account some of both her best friend as well as her boyfriend's recent changes in behavior. '_Well what do you know…it really __is__ always the quiet ones, isn't it? Heh…'_

"Well, Helga…" Phoebe responding to Helga's exclamatory question brought the ten-year-old blonde out of her ironic thoughts and back to the phone conversation at hand, "If anyone's the expert on love and confessing, you must admit it's you. Heh, heh…" She laughed quite nervously and shyly at her small attempt at a joke, then cleared her throat and went on quietly. "So, anyway…how about it? The advice…about the kissing thing, I mean… If it's not too much trouble, of course." More and more of her familiar shyness was returning. "I AM sorry for calling so early but I was feeling a little desperate, I suppose…I mean…I've never had to deal with a situation like this and well, I…"

Suddenly, Helga cut her off, a more than sympathetic smile on her face as well as tone in her voice. "Phoebe, what time's your date tonight?"

"Oh, um…" Phoebe started, a bit surprised by the sudden question, "Well, Gerald will be picking me up at six o 'clock…"

Helga absorbed this information and then nodded. "Okay… You just…." putting a hand to her chin, she considered for a second more, a sly grin coming to her face... "You just tell good old tall hair boy to pick you up here at my house instead, and then you stop by here around four with whatever you're thinking of wearing and whatever make-up you can get your hands on and we'll fix you up so great that I guarantee you his jaw'll be on the floor the second the door opens and sees you! Believe me—the idea of wanting to kiss you will be on his mind all night!" A very satisfied smile was on her face. '_If Football Head's any indication of what turns boys into drooling idiots, that is…_' She gave a slight giggle as she recalled all of that flirting with her beloved last night and that little return of his to her room (and the kiss on Arnold's part) that it had brought on.

"Helga…" Phoebe responded, quite hesitantly, "I don't….I mean I've never tried…Are you sure that I—"

"Hey, Pheebs, come on…" Helga began reassuringly, crossing her legs. "He likes you and you like him and you already kissed him…we'll just help things along a little. Besides, don't be so shy…" she spoke sincerely, "You're really pretty already. We'll just add to the effect, okay?"

She heard a second of silence and then Phoebe spoke up again, though this time the insecurity in her voice was replaced by just a touch of modest pride. "Really, Helga?"

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Phoebe, _really_..."

"Oh…oh thank you, Helga…" Phoebe responded, practically sounding like she was beaming. "I mean, for what you just said and for…for helping me tonight too, of course."

Helga smiled. "You're welcome, Pheebs…and hey, as for the 'helping'…" she instantly added with a slight chuckle and sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck, "Let's just say that I'm paying you back for a few Arnold-related things over the last few weeks…heck, the last few _years_." She almost shook her head at some of those crazy memories of trying to keep her secret from her beloved, giving in to some of the warm laughter that had built up within her. Helga heard Phoebe's light laugh come through the receiver, and the two girls just took a few seconds to share in the joke.

Eventually, Helga's chuckles subsided and with a smile she cleared her throat and addressed her best friend once more. "Okay, so, we're burning daylight—get going calling tall hair boy to let him know what's up and then like I said show up here around four and we can—"

"Um, Helga…?" came Phoebe's voice, her hesitant tone returning as she meekly cut her off.

Helga raised part of her brow once more. "Yeah, Pheebs?"

"Well, I…" Phoebe sighed, "Is there any way that _you_ could call him for me? I just…I would just feel a little more comfortable if I didn't speak or see him until tonight…If that's okay, of course…"

Helga's brow remained partly raised for another moment…but then she couldn't help but grin as she absorbed her best friend's concern and quickly recalled a time not too long ago when she'd had Phoebe call Gerald to get Arnold to join them at Chez Paris because she didn't have the courage to just call him up and invite him herself. "Okay, Phoebe. You got it. Actually, Arnold's coming to my house around six tonight for dinner anyway, so why don't I just give him a quick call or something and tell him to let Gerald know that he'll be picking him up on his way over so that he can meet you at my house instead of yours, okay?"

"Oh…thank you, Helga!" The tone in Phoebe's voice brightened and it was brimming with gratitude and happiness.

Helga just laughed warmly to herself, reclining back a bit in her bed again as the laughter relaxed her and sleepiness slowly started to creep over her once more. "Hey, it gives me an excuse to not have to wait until tonight to talk to Arnold, right?" Both girls shared a chuckle at the observation. '_And after that phone call last night…_' Helga then thought to herself with a grin, '_I can't wait to hear what he'll say about half the adorable things that came out of his mouth_…' A quick blush came to her cheeks. ' '_I should eat pork rinds more often…He'd end up curled in a ball right next to me' ? Hmph, would serve him right if I held him to that promise one of these days… Us…actually laying down together…_' Something about the idea made her feel absolutely giddy, despite how simple the action seemed…just like it had right after her confession on the roof of FTi.

Suddenly, Helga's conversation and musings were interrupting by the familiar sound of a beeping on the line. She blinked. "Oh, uh, Phoebe, I think my sister's trying to get through again, but I promise we'll talk tons tonight while we're getting you ready, okay?"

"Of course, Helga," Phoebe replied, sounding much more relaxed and still quite grateful, "And thank you again for all of your assistance. I'll see you later this afternoon."

Helga smiled. "See ya, Pheebs!" And then she pressed the button to end the call with Phoebe and then pressed the button to talk to whoever was on the other line.

"Olga," Helga started, rubbing her temples as she recalled how unbearably enthusiastic her sister seemed to be this morning about hearing more gossip from her baby sister about Arnold, "For Pete's sake, you need to take a pill or something! I mean, crimeny, I wasn't just teasing you or something with all that stuff last night…" She almost had to chuckle as she announced quite plainly though with more than a touch of amusement, "I will indeed tell you about me and Arnold's first kiss if you'll just take a breath and relax already!"

Helga waited for the familiar response of her older sister's overly sunshiny voice and high-pitched girlish squeals.

"Actually…" began an amused and slightly lower voice instead, "I know you usually don't like repeating yourself, Helga, but if you have time I'd like to hear this story myself! But are we talking about the 'just acting' first kiss or the 'Arnold I love you, I've always loved you' first kiss? Or did you sneak into my room when I was asleep or something one day and do it before either of those two times? By the way, in that case, I REALLY want to hear this story."

Helga, shooting up, felt her face turn bright scarlet and she swallowed hard at the very familiar and very unexpected voice that said these few sentences to her with more than a touch of warm laughter behind them. Quickly, though, (slowly starting to get more and more used to things like this from this 'certain someone') she just let out a sigh and closed her eyes, dragging a hand down her face. "Football Head, I swear I am getting an unlisted number because it is too early in the morning for anymore of your phone-based shenanigans. Besides," she almost giggled as she asked with part of her brow raised, "Shouldn't this slightly goofy/lovesick thing from last night have worn off after a good eight or nine hours of bed rest?"

Arnold just laughed warmly to himself on the other end of the line in response to her question. "Sorry, Helga. I couldn't resist."

She rolled her eyes and responded playfully, leaning back against her pillows once more, "What else is new with you when it comes to stuff about me?"

"I could say the same thing about you, Helga…" he countered without missing a beat.

Both kids shared a content laugh.

A few seconds of this passed and then Helga took a breath, smiling and stretching up, now feeling more than awake from her two phone calls (especially this one). "So, what can I do you for at 9 a.m. on a Sunday, Football Head?" She yawned and then added as casually as possible, "I'm assuming the world is slowly falling into Armageddon or that you actually have decided to propose to me, since those would be the only acceptable reasons for calling me at this hour…"

Arnold just chuckled and sighed to himself on the other end of the line at her joke. "Yeah, sorry about all of that marriage stuff last night, Helga…I really was pretty tired and a little dazed I guess from those last few…uh…minutes together…" She heard him swallow hard. "Guess I need to work on my self control a bit, don't I?"

Helga just smiled to herself at the question, her eyes going a little half-lidded. "Nah, don't bother—besides, you're cute when you ramble, Football Head."

"Oh, um…thanks, Helga…" he responded shyly.

A giggle escaped her. "You're welcome…" she replied just a bit airily… And then her normal, casual, calm (though still humorously sarcastic) way of speaking around him when they were alone was instantly back as she continued with, "Now, enough beating around the bush—what the heck's on your mind, _my_ _Arnold_?" She'd have been lying if she'd said that the use of the penultimate word of that question hadn't been completely intentional. In reality, Helga had actually been trying to avoid the pet names a little over the past week (in case they proved to much for her beloved), but after last night she was more than certain he and that little daring streak of his could handle a few of them thrown out on occasion.

And indeed, it seemed to Helga that her new the 'my' before his name must have made Arnold blush, at the very least, as a second of silence followed by the sound of him clearing his throat just a bit uncomfortably attested to. The idea made her smile considerably, to say the least. "Well…um…" she heard him swallow hard, taking another moment to regain his thoughts, and then he continued, obviously trying to move past her awkward new way of addressing him, "Oh, uh, well, actually I was wondering if you'd gotten an early morning phone call like I did from one of our best friends about something that might be happening tonight…because of some things that happened _last_ _night_?"

Helga blinked at the question, and the romantic grin on her face was replaced by a surprised half smile. "Phoebe called you too?"

Arnold chuckled at the question. "No. Mine was from Gerald, actually. But I figured Phoebe had probably called you and let you know about it too."

A bit of Helga's romantic smile returned and she began to twirl the phone cord in her fingers again. "Yeah, I can't believe it finally happened with those two..." She then gazed lovingly down at the picture of her beloved resting comfortably against her chest in her familiar locket and almost giggled. "Sheesh, talk about dragging something out, right? Boy, am I glad you and me are far more direct than that, Football Head!"

Arnold, to her delight, laughed warmly at the joke. She'd always loved that laugh so…and her new ability to make it happen practically made her want to collapse in a fit of happy giggles herself. "Yeah..." he then responded humorously, "Could you even imagine if one of us was keeping how they felt a secret for six or seven years instead of just coming out and asking the other person out on a date?"

Helga smirked at the question, more than ready to see his challenge and raise it. "I know, right? Or if one of us took six or seven years and a bunch of random kisses and a poem and crazy scheme or a million to realize that the other one actually liked them instead of hating their guts?"

She heard chuckle once again at her sense of humor, and it made her heart flutter once more…

Coming out of her elated daydreamings as quickly as she could so as to be able to continue their conversation, Helga let out a happy sigh and resisted the urge to respond to his cute little rhetorical question with another flirtatious quip. After all, if she didn't get _down_stairs soon then Miriam would come _up_stairs…ugh, or maybe even…_Bob_! And Olga wasn't a 'call waiting' button away right now to use as cover in a pinch just in case… Besides, as for the flirting, her and Arnold would have all of tonight alone together for things like that…she almost got lost in her daydreams again at the idea of having actually another date with him to look forward to so soon. "Okay, okay, enough 'witty' humor about our weird relationship, Arnoldo…" she quickly announced, really trying not to get lost in her musings. "Any other reason you called me besides to gossip about this Gerald/Phoebe date?"

Arnold's laughter subsided a bit and he cleared his throat to answer the question. "Well, actually…" he sighed with just a touch of exasperation, though the amount of understanding in his tone overwhelmed it considerably, "Gerald wanted to ask Phoebe if she had any idea about where she'd like to go tonight but he won't talk to her 'under any circumstances' until their date…but I guess he wants to be extra prepared or something for whatever it is they're going to end up doing, so he asked me to ask you to ask Phoebe for him."

Helga's eyes widened for a second and then she couldn't help a sharp laugh coming out of her nose. "Aw man, you are not going to believe this—Phoebe came at me with the same 'I can't talk with him until tonight' problem and made _me_ promise to get _tall hair boy_ a message!"

She heard Arnold's voice brighten in surprise and amusement. "Really? She has a question too?"

Helga smiled warmly to herself. "Yup! Well…actually it's more of an announcement about where to pick her up. She's going to be at my house for a few hours until six getting ready and getting a makeover from yours truly…"

"Well, you know…if anyone knows how to look beautiful on a date, it's you, Helga…" Arnold suddenly interrupted, in that sweet and sincere voice of his.

Helga felt herself blush but did her best to ignore it and just rolled her eyes. "Oh rope it in, Casanova… And meanwhile where do you think I got the idea from in the first place?" She geared up for an Arnold impression. " 'Oh Helga if I promise I'll take the rope to get out of your room already will you please stop sitting there smiling so sweetly at me with your hair down and talking about your perfect lips!'" She broke into a giggle fit.

The reminder of last night got a bit of laughter from Arnold, though it was obvious that his shyness upon calling his girlfriend this morning still hadn't melted away entirely. "Whatever you say, Helga…" he merely finally responded in his quiet, familiar way.

Helga, meanwhile, managed to get her smiles and giggles at her beloved's surprisingly easy to break self-control when it came to her in check, and then recalled the conversation at hand. "Oh and as for Gerald's question about the specifics of where they should go tonight, you can tell tall hair boy to just plain work it out with Phoebe when he comes to pick her up. Sheesh, she's not going to bite his head off if the first words out of his mouth are 'let's go to a movie' and she'd rather 'check out a museum'...! The point is _he_ wants to do something with _her_ and _she_ wants to do something with _him_. Doi!" Helga considered for a second, and then her eyes lit up. "You know what—actually, tell him that to give them a bit of time to decide what the heck they want to do together (and a nice romantic atmosphere to do it in), there'll be dinner reservations for them at Chez Paris tonight. Courtesy of me."

"That's a great idea, Helga!" came Arnold's impressed voice instantly through the receiver in response to her plan of action. "I'll let him know… And you're right—it'll be good if they have some time to talk things out and a some time alone somewhere to do it…I mean, it worked for us, right?" He laughed just a bit, recalling their first date and several other instances of one-on-one conversations that had led to their relationship's current status.

Helga just rolled her eyes again, and couldn't help giving in to a chuckle or two herself once more as she added just a bit sarcastically, "Yeah, yeah, and we lived happily ever after. You're so corny Football Head, you know that?" Another giggle managed to escape her before she added, "Anyway, I'll let Phoebe know to at least be considering some potential things for them to do after the big dinner, and you just make sure Gerald knows to pick her up over here tonight at six sharp in whatever monkey suit he manages to scrape together for tonight, okay?"

"You think he should wear a suit or something?" Arnold asked with genuine curiosity and interest. Except for a few pre-confession, platonic outings together, after all, even _he and Helga_ hadn't had a date yet that was so official that it required getting dressed up.

Helga raised part of her brow and grinned at the question, not missing a beat, "Hey, Phoebe's my best friend—you BET he should wear a tux, and there better be flowers and chocolates and if it wasn't so last minute I'd say a horse drawn carriage too! Only the best for her—capiche, Football Head?"

Arnold just gave a small warm laugh again at her 'demands'. "Okay, okay, I'll tell him all about the tux and meeting at your house, Helga. I promise"

Helga smiled in satisfaction at his reply, switching the phone receiver to her other hand and putting her now free arm back behind her to rest her weight against it. "Good. And then as long as he's stopping by here tonight you two should come over together since that's when dinner's starting at my house…" Her grin became just a bit slyer and she added in a lower and pleasanter voice, "And then after that we can get to OUR date…and maybe we can settle this 'who's the better kisser' thing once and for all, _my Arnold_…" She made more than sure to coo the little pet name this time around, looking forward to another chance to get a little under his skin flirting-wise now that the Gerald and Phoebe situation had been squared away.

She heard Arnold clear his throat and shift uncomfortably once more at this new way of addressing him (much to her delight), though a touch of playfulness could be heard in the nervous way he said, "Helga!" into the phone.

Her eyes went a bit more half lidded, though she managed to resume her normal speaking voice. "Hey, you started it with the late night love drunk phone calls, head boy, not me." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'll check some movie times and we can decide what to see later, okay?"

She heard Arnold sigh good-naturedly at her suggestion. "Okay, Helga…I'll be there at six along with Gerald and then we can pick what to see together during our date."

"And _after_ the movie…?" she asked in that low, sweet voice again, adding one more giggle for effect. '_Oh Arnold, how I wish 'after the movie' was right now so that I could hold that dashing little Football headed form of yours in my arms where it belongs once more!_' She gave a girlish internal sigh.

"And _after_ the movie…" Arnold repeated, trying to maintain his normal speaking tone though it was more than obvious to Helga that he must be blushing considerably now as he continued, "…I'm going to take you home so that your Dad doesn't kill me. Okay?"

Helga just laughed and rolled her eyes at the comment, then pouted a little in that way she had of doing (he'd noticed). "Aw, you never let me have any fun, Football Head, you know that?"

Arnold just chuckled at the comment, causing Helga to just smile in perfect contentment to herself at the sweet, carefree sound of his laughter once more. '_Oh well_…' she mentally sighed just a bit in amusement to herself at the return of Arnold's familiar responsible nature as his replies to her advances just now seemed to show, '_So we're back to 'shy Arnold' again…I guess I really can't expect him to go all romantic on me at the drop of a hat ALL the time. Maybe after we've spent more time together…but for now I should probably just let him take things a little slowly if he's more comfortable with it_.' Her smile grew a little more_. 'As long as we're together and happy…I don't need anything else in the whole world…'_

While Helga had these thoughts a few seconds of silence passed…

…And then to her surprise Arnold suddenly asked curiously, "Hey, Helga…is there a movie that's been out for a while that you've been meaning to see but didn't get a chance to yet?"

Helga blinked at the strange question and raised part of her brow. "Uh…probably…it's been a pretty full two weeks, after all." She laughed slightly, but then that curious look and tone came back to her face and voice, respectively. "Why?"

"_Well_…" there was a trace of something in Arnold's voice now…even in that single word… "Well, try to pick something like that to see, if you don't mind…" he continued. "There'll probably be less people in the theatre and we don't want to be seen together or anything by any of the other kids, right?"

Helga swallowed and blinked at the observation. "Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so…" An impressed half smile came to her face. "Good plan, Arnoldo—now _that's_ how you take precautions for a crazy scheme…or in this case a secret date." _'Heh_…' she couldn't help but think with a swallow, '_And I thought for a second that he…Ah, never mind, he's just trying to toss a romantic tone into the modesty for my sake…the little sweetheart_…'

Arnold, meanwhile, just laughed warmly to himself from the other end of the line yet again in response to her compliment. "_Yeah_…" That strange bit of something was suddenly there in his tone once more…even more prominently, if that were possible... "And also, well…" he suddenly added just a little shyly at first, though that shyness quickly began to melt as he finished with, "…Since we have to go right back to your house after the movie to get you home on time…" his voice lowered and that daring tone he could assume instantly met Helga's ears in full force, "The more alone we are, the more comfortable I think I'd be…you know…settling this 'who's the better kisser' thing once and for all…THERE."

Helga's eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. Her heart was suddenly pounding wildly. She wasn't even sure of how she was still managing to hold onto the phone…or if she even _was_ still holding onto it for that matter as her limbs had just gone quite numb. '_Wh-what…?_' "Huh…?" she squeaked, not even really realizing it.

"See you tonight_, my Helga_! And I'll make sure Gerald's in a suit. Bye!" And then Arnold hung up with a laugh before she could say anything in response to the little pass he'd just made at her.

At some point, Helga felt herself press the button on the phone to hang it up, and then she just sat there for a few seconds, still with a shocked look and a bright blush on her face, and her blue eyes as wide as ever. Then instantly she collapsed back onto her pillows with a girlish sigh and a goofy grin, hugging the Arnold locket to her chest and doing everything she could not to just outright squeal in delight! '_He…he called me __his__ Helga…he…called me a romantic pet name…and he…he's actually going to kiss me…in the dark…at the movies…on a date…and he's going to try and impress me with his skills at it…like a contest! I…Oh __Arnold__!_' She finally grabbed her pillow and released into it one of those high-pitched, unmistakably happy squeals just waiting to get out from inside of her as, for possibly the first time ever, words fully escaped her to describe how she was feeling!

It took several new rings of the phone and a call from Miriam from downstairs for her to 'hurry for breakfast and please answer that—your father's taking out the trash and I'm in the middle of getting the dishes done, sweetie' before Helga snapped out of it enough to actually press the button again on the phone receiver.

"Hello," she started in an airy voice, the grin and gaze on her face both brimming with love, "You've reached the Pataki residence. Helga is unavailable to come to the phone right now as she is currently on cloud nine. Please leave a message at the sound of the—"

"Helga, silly, what are you talking about? Are you okay?" came Olga's voice from the other end of the line

At the sound of her sister addressing her, Helga quickly blinked and suddenly sat up, realizing just how gone she'd been! She cleared her throat and did her best to resume her normal voice. "Oh, uh, hey, Olga…sorry about that I was just…just kind of half asleep and half daydreaming and uh…" She shook her head to clear it. "Anyway, what, uh…what's up?"

There was a second of silence and then Helga heard Olga giggle. "Were you just talking to Arnold, baby sister?"

Helga's blush gained in force. "_No_! Of—of _course_ not! I was just…and then I…well, I…" And then she just sighed in defeat. '_Once again, why fight it?_' "Yeah, okay…" her voice completely lost its edge of embarrassment, "He might have called just now to let me know about something and then I was just thinking about our date tonight after dinner here, and I…" Helga took another deep breath, allowing her heart rate to finally return to normal "Don't worry Olga, I'm fine now." She cleared her throat and did her best to move on, raising part of her brow in amusement. "And anyway, enough about me…Last I heard, _you'd_ called here four times already to hear all about me planting a real one on the little Football Head for the first time. So since I've kind of started to really like you a little and since I know that you'll never give up until you get this story out of me, I'll make you a deal—you just let me get dressed and eat breakfast with Bob and Miriam because I'm starving, and then I'll lock myself in my room and gush to you like crazy until the three of us leave on our 'family bonding day', and _then_ I'll call you up again tomorrow morning to gush about me and Arnold's date later, okay?" '_Besides_,' Helga couldn't help but add in thought to herself, '_I wouldn't mind going over the specifics of FTi, (to an extent of course), with another person besides my therapist or Football Head…and as for tomorrow's phone call I've got a feeling after yesterday that me and Arnold's date tonight is going to be memorable to say the least_…' A small half smile was on her face.

Olga just giggled in response to Helga's 'offer'. "Oh, okay, Helga…" She sounded a little disappointed, but her usual abundance of cheer was more than apparent right underneath it. "I'm sorry I keep being so eager but you left me with quite a cliffhanger last night, you know!" she added in a playfully scolding way.

Helga couldn't help but scoff and then roll her eyes at her sister's comment. '_Oh wow—she had to wait a whole night…Puh-lease!' _Helga smirked, switching the phone to the other side of her head, and replied with good-natured sarcasm, "Yeah well, I was basically _living_ a cliff hanger from the second I told the little jerk I liked him until he kissed me and told me he liked me too, so just go whale watching or whatever the heck you do for fun up there in Alaska, and I'll fill you in after I get some food before Bob scarfs it all down, Olga."

Olga just giggled again. "Okay, Baby sister," she replied warmly once more, "I'll be patient. But don't you forget to make those calls to me…" she started, once again feigning a scolding tone, "Or I'll send my lil' sis over there to pester you until you do!"

The 'threat' made Helga chuckle at the back of her throat and then just shake her head in amusement. "Only _you_ would realize that Lila's one of my greatest weaknesses, Olga…only you…" Helga then yawned and swung her legs over the bed and stretched up once more, knowing that she really did probably need to get up and get downstairs at this point. "Don't worry, I won't forget. You have my word as everyone's favorite anonymous poet at PS 118."

Olga's voice beamed with anticipation and excitement. "Alright, baby sister—I'll talk to you in a little while! Love you!"

"Yeah, talk to you later, Olga." Helga rolled her eyes and with a half grin 'managed' to get out, "And I kind of love you too or whatever…" She heard Olga giggle, in response to which she just sighed with a smile and hung up, ending their conversation for now.

Hanging up the phone and standing up, Helga walked across her room and opened her closet door to get an outfit…but then blinked as the sight that met her eyes upon doing so made her instantly recall the 'Arnold memorabilia related' mess still upon the floor in there from last night that she still needed to clean up before Miriam came in there 'organizing' or something and 'accidentally' stumbled upon it thanks to her newly rediscovered interest in and curiosity about her youngest daughter and _especially_ her youngest daughter's love life.

Helga bent down and began to gather and hide away the assorted pink books and pieces of shrine as best she could for now…a smile coming to her face as her thoughts wandered._ 'Hmm…a family breakfast, a sister to sister talk or two with Olga, quality time with Bob and Miriam, a family dinner with my beloved, a DATE with my beloved…_' Helga shivered at this last thought, '…_And in the middle of it all a best friend to get ready for her first date!'_

Finishing up the last bit of cleaning up her closet, Helga brushed the dust from her palms with a satisfied smile and then put her hands on her hips as she turned to her clothes to finally pick out a jumper for the day. _'I think this might actually be the first totally well-adjusted day I've ever lived through in my entire life_.' She laughed to herself, reaching up to grab one of the familiar pink items and then a shirt to go with it…as well as something else. _'I should ask Bliss for a ribbon or something…for the first day and then for the first five and then for the first ten…'_

Helga turned and then tossed her finally chosen outfit over onto her bed before shutting the closet door behind her, still just grinning to herself in pleasant disbelief at her own good fortune. She then closed her eyes and took a breath and shook her head, trying to stay focused despite the newfound feeling of contentment and happiness threatening to all but consume her just as her hidden love for Arnold sometimes had over the years. "First things first though…me and Arnold are set and Bob and Miriam seem to be starting out okay, so now I've really gotta make sure Phoebe and Gerald work out tonight for sure!" She giggled to herself, opening her eyes…thoughts of makeovers for Phoebe to blow tall hair boy humorously away already forming in her mind. "This is going to be almost as amusing as it is sweet, isn't it?"

"Helga, sweetie, I mean it—everything's going to get cold if you don't get down here!" came Miriam's slightly pleading voice from downstairs, interrupting Helga's contemplations.

"Yeah, come on, girl! I'm starving!" came Bob's voice now suddenly as well, sounding just a bit cranky with hunger indeed, much to Helga's amusement.

"And don't worry about what to drink—" Miriam suddenly added brightly, "I found some mix in the cupboard and I made you a big glass of strawberry milk!"

Helga rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help smiling. Hey, at least Miriam was TRYING. And everyone was entitled to a miss or two to start out with. Besides, at least strawberry milk was more age-appropriate than coffee, right? She was about to announce as gently as possible to her mother her mistake when…

"Hey, hey, hey—Miriam, she's allergic to strawberries!"

…When Bob's quite concerned sounding voice suddenly did it for her.

Helga felt her jaw drop. _'He…he actually remembered?' _She recalled that day when Miriam had been away when they'd been grocery shopping and her father had grabbed a carton of strawberries for her only to be met with her angrily announcing in shock that he couldn't just buy stuff only _he_ liked because she was allergic to strawberries and they gave her hives! But even though he'd seemed like he hadn't been listening to her that day…he had actually _remembered_! Impressed didn't even begin to describe how Helga was feeling right now…she considered for a second and then with a small smile realized that the word 'loved' was actually the only even close to accurate word coming to her mind. '_Heh…well, what do you know…?'_

Then Helga's ears were met with the slightly sheepish reply from her mother of, "Oh…uh…of course. She's allergic to strawberries. I…I knew that…" Her voice got a bit louder and she was obviously trying to talk more to Helga now. "Sorry, Helga—I'll pour you a plain glass of milk right away!" Helga could just make out the sound of her mother scurrying across the kitchen linoleum and opening a cupboard or two. The ten-year-old blonde just did her best not to laugh too much to herself at her mother's good-natured mistake and sudden hurry to correct it, or at how happy her father actually remembering this one simple fact about her had actually just made her feel.

Letting the incident absorb, Helga then sighed and suddenly remarked to herself with interest, "A lot of random things are never gonna be the same now, are they…?" Helga then felt her eyes shift to the fresh pink book in her hands that she'd just snagged from her closet after grabbing her clothes, ready to be filled with poems about how much she loved _being with_ Arnold instead of how much she LONGED to be with him… Next, her gaze moved back to her closet with it's slowly less and less revered Arnold shrine in its ceiling (and quite a few little reminders of her beloved now tucked away in several random shoe boxes in the lower section until she'd have the time to properly store them in the attic space once more)… Her eyes then proceeded to move to the Arnold locket still around her neck and still with her beloved's poem for her in it along with her engraving to him of course…and then she looked up and over to her window where he'd snuck in to celebrate their one week anniversary not many hours ago...and then turned back to the door her mother and father had come through last night swearing that they'd keep trying hard to be better to her like they were actually doing this morning…and finally Helga's eyes rested upon the phone on her nightstand that she'd suddenly been finding herself using to have heart-to-hearts with her big sister, and open and honest chats about boys with her best friend…and that had, of course, finally been the source of yet another romantic conversation with her beloved: all things totally unforeseen and totally unexpected not too long ago.

Another moment or two of contemplation passed for her and then Helga chuckled once more to herself, before just sighing and shrugging. "Eh, what the heck, I'm game—bring on the change!" Her happy face then fell to her Arnold locket around her neck once more, and she spoke in a slightly lower and dreamy voice as she added, cupping it and then allowing it to rest delicately in one of her palms so that it was facing her, "Especially if that means a kissing contest with you in a dark theatre my interesting and apparently quite a bit more enthusiastic than I would have ever guessed you could be beloved."

And with this thought causing a blush to rise in her cheeks and a slight giggle to escape her lips, Helga took one more final stretch up in the middle of her sunlit room and then began to prepare for the long and wonderful day ahead of her.

* * *

"_Yeah_…And also, well…Since we have to go right back to your house after the movie to get you home on time…" he spoke a bit lower, "The more alone we are, the more comfortable I think I'd be…you know…settling this 'who's the better kisser' thing once and for all…THERE." He paused for effect. "See you tonight_, my Helga_! And I'll make sure Gerald's in a suit. Bye!" And before she could reply Arnold hung up the phone, feeling butterflies all inside of him at Helga's new little 'my' before his name…and at having just used it with her.

" 'My Helga…' " He couldn't help but smile just a bit goofily to himself and feel his heart skip a beat as he hung up the receiver, now fully dressed and ready to head downstairs for breakfast and chores as he awaited his evening with the charming, surprising, captivating Helga G. Pataki. He took a moment first, though, to let those two affectionate words she'd just called him, and the ones he'd just called her, sink in. Then he just shrugged happily. "Why not? She _is_ kind of a part of me now…and it looks like I've _always_ been a part of her." He smiled and let out a sigh, his eyes going lovingly half lidded … "My Helga…" he had to whisper at least once more to himself.

"Arnold, breakfast's ready! And get down here so I can show you I was right—it looks like a Polynesian resort in here! Heh, heh, heh!"

"Yes Kimba come on before it gets cold, otherwise I'll have to heat things up using the volcano again! Ha, ha, ha!"

"Pookie!" More than a bit of warm happy laughter underlied Phil's voice.

"And there's another raspberry turnover for the Big Kahuna!" Gertie suddenly announced.

"Ooo, my stomach…uh, thank you, Pookie…"

Arnold blinked at the sounds of his grandparent's voices calling up to him (and couldn't help but laugh just a bit to himself at the final part of their conversation) and then he recalled once more breakfast and his chores and how he still had a lot of the day to get through before getting to finally see Helga in person again. "Be right there Grandpa and Grandm—uh, Bwana!"

With a smile at his grandmother's nickname and the whole concept of the joke that it was, Arnold then stretched up to get the last bit of tiredness out of himself, and finally stood up from his couch. As he made his way across his room toward his door, he suddenly he couldn't help but find himself wondering with just a tiny bit of curiosity (speaking of Helga), "I wonder if she's got any other nicknames saved up to call me…I mean she has a lot of interesting ways of talking about me in her poems, but as for calling me any of them…regularly…" His blushing grew as he opened his door and proceeded to head down his ladder…memories of 'flaxen haired angel' and 'idol of my preteen heart' and 'green eyed troubadour of romance' and 'eternal emperor of emotional ecstasy' among others instantly popping into his mind. Still, though, as the amount of warm scarlet grew in his face…so did his smile. "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see…" He glanced at the stack of pink books just before losing sight of the inside of his room as he finished he descent down the ladder. "Until tonight then, my Helga…" and then with another warm chuckle to himself he stepped into the hallway, ready to begin the day…and more than anticipating the night to come.

* * *

**A/N:**

And that's all she wrote! :) J/K…actually she's also written close to another 150 thousand words of drafts….this will never end, will it? Ah what the heck, I'm loving every minute of it, and at this point we're looking at 25 chapters now so I'm just going to keep going with it ;)

Okay, as for the next update, while I love all of you and this site and this story and HA! I just recently started working full time and I'm taking some classes and on top of it all I have to take two GRE exams in about seven weeks and I've got to study like crazy for them because they cost a hundred and fifty bucks each and I am SO not taking them over again, lol. For my non American readers I believe that at this point 150 bucks translates to about a loonie and whatever change you can find in your couch in Canadian money, and like tuppence or something in British money. Actually, on a totally random note, do tuppence even exist? They mentioned them in Mary Poppins but then again there were also flying nannies in that movie so…

Alright, 'Getting off topic' alert for me ;) Anyway, I'm not putting this on hiatus or anything but updates will probably take a minimum of three weeks or so instead of two. Keep looking for stuff with me and NintendoGal's collab fic though and if you vote in my poll maybe I'll try and post one of those things too!

Happy Reading and much HA! love!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	10. As Gerald Put It, 'Meeting the Parents'

**New A/N:**

Hey guys! So, as an avid HA! fan I'm slightly ashamed to admit that it was brought to my attention that I sort of violated a bit of HA! canon with part of this chapter, so I reworded a thing or two to fix things :) SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HASN'T READ THE CHAPTER YET:

I just switched the parts about the synchronized swimming so that Helga knew about it previously since **Zabei **let me know that Helga was actually in the audience at the time. Thanks Zabei ;))))

**Old A/N:**

HEY GUYS! :D Okay, here we go—Arnold's dinner at the Pataki house! And once again I swore I was going to keep things at a reasonable length and once again I'm at over twenty thousand words, but I really like how it turned out and I hope you all do too! Please review!

Also, apologies in advance for my potentially atrocious Japanese… especially that word that Phoebe teaches Gerald (for the love of HA! I hope I conjugated that right and am using it in the correct sense, lol!)

Please enjoy and review and read my closing A/N for news about the next update!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 10: **

**As Gerald put it, 'Meeting the parents!'**

* * *

_DING DONG!_

"I'll get it, I'll get it—nobody touches that door!" Helga Pataki suddenly yelled out as she ran through the hallway and down the stairs to the foyer of her house, pulling her slightly startled best friend alongside her.

"Helga! Please slow down!" Phoebe Heyerdahl called out, trying not to trip on the last few steps and a bit surprised by Helga's sudden enthusiasm. In point of fact the young Japanese-American girl wouldn't have minded a moment or two longer to gather her courage before encountering who, in all likelihood, was on Helga's stoop currently waiting to be let in…

Helga, meanwhile, finally having gotten them both to the door, released Phoebe's hand and put her palms against her knees for a second as she leaned over slightly to catch her breath. The smile was still on her face as she turned to her best friend. "Oh come on, Phoebe—you don't want to keep tall hair boy waiting, especially on your first date." She straightened up and winked as she added with a half grin and a shrug, "Besides, I've been looking forward to this all day! And also that doorbell ringing means Arnold's also here too, so we've got a triple win situation here!"

Helga reached forward enthusiastically to the door handle.

She stopped, though, as she felt Phoebe's small hand (with freshly painted red fingernails) tug at her shirtsleeve. "Helga…" she began nervously, "Are you sure I look…are you sure I look alright?" The genuine uncertainty about her personal appearance was evident in the young girl's eyes as she glanced down after asking this question.

Helga just blinked at the (in her opinion, completely unjustifiable) question. "Phoebe," she suddenly began, her face melting into a warm smile as she turned away from the door for a moment to look her best friend in the eye. In a small way Helga couldn't help but be reminded of her own doubts about her own looks from yesterday that Arnold had made disappear in their entirety with his wonderful assurances that he found her to be the prettiest girl he'd ever cared about. "You look completely boss! I mean it…" Helga rolled her eyes and grabbed Phoebe's wrist again, now pulling her to a mirror hanging up over an end table in the hallway. "Look!"

Helga gave Phoebe a nudge in front of the mirror and then stepped back to give the girl a chance to really observe her appearance after two hours of being made up by Helga (with an occasional call to Olga for ideas).

Phoebe just blinked and her mouth dropped open slightly at the sight of the finished product before her.

She was in a red sweater instead of her usual blue one, and the color matched her nails that Helga had painted. Her hair was pulled back in its normal style except her usual faded blue hair scrunchie was replaced by a large chocolate-brown one with sparkles in it, and there were two small silver clips on either side of her head to add to the sparkling visual effect. And on her lips was just a touch of red, almost glittery lip-gloss.

Helga just smiled at the obviously surprised expression on her best friend's face. '_Told her she looked great… Helga G. Pataki—the master of makeovers. Yeah, I could get used to the sound of that! Hmph—eat your heart out, Ms. RhondaLloyd!_' She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall next to the mirror, a very proud smile on her face. "What did I tell you—am I a genius or am I a genius? You are going to blow tall hair boy away, Phoebe—no question."

Phoebe just blinked once more at the sight in front of her (like she was trying to verify it as a reality) and then finally turned to her best friend. A very grateful smile instantly blossomed upon her face. "Oh…oh thank you, Helga!" Suddenly she threw herself at Helga and hugged her tightly.

Helga blinked a couple of times at the sudden embrace, but then her smile only grew. "Aw, hey, Pheebs—what are friends for? Besides, like I said, I really owed you from that whole sleepwalking/pork rinds thing, anyway."

Phoebe giggled and pulled away from Helga, a big smile still on her face. She took a deep breath and then stated, sounding much more confidant, "Okay, Helga—I'm ready now."

Suddenly, there was a knock or two at the door.

"Helga, I could hear you yelling all the way from your hall and coming down the stairs—are you going to let us in yet? It's actually starting to feel a little cold out here."

Helga just rolled her eyes at the sound of the warm voice that had taken on such a big and active presence her life over the past week. She smirked in the direction of the door, putting her hands on her hips. "Hey cool it, Arnoldo—haven't you ever heard of making the guy wait a little bit before just throwing yourself into his arms for a date?"

"Actually, _yeah_…" came the playful response without missing a beat, "You did something like an extended version of that once, right, Helga?" She heard him laugh to himself.

Helga blushed slightly at the comment but just rolled her eyes yet again, now crossing her arms over her chest as she shot back (still with her smirk), "Ha-ha, yeah we get it, Romeo—your wit never ceases to amaze. Now just cool it and I'll let you and the 'man of the hour' in in a second."

Helga then turned back to Phoebe, still grinning. "Okay, so, before those two 'freeze' in the slight chill of a late spring evening, why don't we do this?"

Phoebe nodded confidently. "Doing!"

Helga nodded back and then returned her sights to the door, approached it once more, gripped the handle and finally opened it wide.

She was met with the smiling face of her beloved right outside, standing contentedly upon the landing of her stoop. Her eyes became half lidded as she looked at him with a smile, leaning against the side of her doorway with her arms crossed in front of herself. "Hiya, Football Head!" she started, then sighed in mock pity, shaking her head a little. "So you couldn't stay away, huh? You missed me _that_ much?" She shrugged, thoroughly enjoying this. "I mean, it _has_ been a _whole_ nine or ten hours since the last time you heard my voice so I guess it's understandable that you—"

She watched as Arnold just sighed and smiled at her words, and then cut her off by suddenly placing a single finger lightly across her mouth.

"It's nice to see you again too, Helga." He winked at her…and did his best to leave it at that…for now. It wasn't helping, though, that they had been apart for so many hours…and that the last time they had been together a lot of 'stuff' had happened…and that she was standing right there looking so nice, as usual…and that he was technically touching her lips. _'I knew this was going to happen…I stop being afraid of liking her so much and now I can't stop smiling every single time we see each other…_' He almost chuckled to himself. _'Oh well…as long as we're happy_…'

Meanwhile, Helga's face had flushed and her heart was now pounding at the feeling of even his finger upon her lips, and their sudden proximity after so many hours apart wasn't helping much either. Her blue eyes continued to stay wide as Arnold, whether he knew it or not, just kept looking at her with a slight spark of that mischief in his gaze that he'd been getting more and more frequently lately. '_Heh, well…no more ten foot minimum distance so at least it looks like he took my advice to heart for the long haul last night_…' she thought to herself in nervous, almost giddy anticipation.

"Hey, SOME of us would still like to have appetites for dinner, and also SOME of us are 'Arnold and Helga' 'd out, so can you two save it until later?"

The sound of Gerald's annoyed voice coming from the bottom of the stoop made Arnold and Helga each quickly blinked and then pull away from each other, blushing and glancing to the side awkwardly…both still smiling slightly though.

Finally, Helga cleared her throat and found herself glancing to Gerald, now recalling that her and Arnold were indeed not alone in their own little world. As her awkward gaze fell to him, though, her eyes suddenly lit up and a big smile came to face, and any notions of embarrassment were quickly put on the backburner. "Hey, you actually got him to show up in a suit and tie?" She turned to Arnold. "Good job following orders, Football head! I'm impressed!" And indeed Gerald was dressed in grey pants and a jacket, a white shirt, and he was wearing a red tie that (much to Helga's delight) pretty much matched the color dominant in Phoebe's ensemble.

Arnold, with a smile, was about to thank her and (of course) try and tack on something clever and just a little bit flirtatious to see if he could make return to her features that blush he'd come to like so especially…

However, Gerald cut him off, taking a step up toward Helga and letting out an exasperated sigh. "Okay, Helga—look, let's level here. Yes, I'm dressed up, yes I'm going on a date, and yes I actually have you to thank for it when you get right down to it, but how about a deal?" He crossed his arms over his chest and proposed with a mixture of seriousness, desperation and anticipated embarrassment, "No cheap shots about all of that stuff for now and I'll hold off on the shrine lay in until Monday. Okay?"

Helga looked quite intrigued at the offer for a moment, and then suddenly smirked and let out a chuckle and opened one of her hands, palm facing out, in mock defense. "Hey, I was _already_ going to at least try and keep the teasing to a minimum since my best friend actually likes you…" She turned her face back into the house and hollered out, "Don't you, Phoebe?", raising part of her brow.

A quiet yet nervous, "Helga!" was heard from somewhere nearby the door, though neither boy could see far enough past Helga to catch a glimpse of the well-known person who owned it.

Helga, meanwhile, just laughed to herself at Phoebe's flustered response and then turned back to the boys. "Anyway, with all that stuff I…guess I figured you deserve a break…" She just shrugged and smiled innocently at Gerald…

…Who was giving her a more than cautious 'Not exactly buying it' look.

Finally, at his unflinching look of scrutiny, Helga let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay, okay, I _might_ have had an awkward comment or two planned to throw in just for good measure… But, good call on your part, Geraldo, because it probably would keep me from getting too carried away with sarcasm if you kept my whole 'not-so-secret-anymore dedication to your best friend' on the back burner for now…_maybe_." She winked.

Gerald just rolled his eyes but couldn't help half smiling at her admission. "Okay, okay…I get it—you won't 'destroy me' right now but you just wouldn't be you if you didn't at least say _something_." He sighed, the half smile remaining on his face though. "But can we at least just get this whole 'you basking in the irony of this situation' thing over with as soon as possible so that me and Phoebe can leave, because I'm starving!"

Helga just laughed at his very correct observation of her nature. "You got it, Geraldo!" she announced and then glanced back into the house, calling out to the person they were all waiting for (and who was obviously still clinging to a wall somewhere specifically out of sight of the two boys [or at least specifically out of sight of ONE of the two boys]…and maybe having a second thought or two about all of this, she was feeling so nervous all of a sudden now that the time had really come). "Hey, Phoebe!" Helga began with a smile. "Some chucklehead's here to pick you up for a date or something. Don't worry, though—I checked him out and he seems like a decent enough guy. He gives you any 'lip,' tonight, though, that isn't part of a good night kiss, you just let me know and Old Betsey and the Five Avengers will take care of him!"

"_Helga_!" came both Gerald and Phoebe's simultaneous embarrassed exclamations at the kissing comment.

Helga couldn't help laughing to herself at the responses. She opened her mouth and was actually about to make another small comment (in her defense, this was the first romantic situation in quite a while that she'd been a part of that hadn't been PAINFULLY awkward for her) when she blinked as she suddenly felt Arnold gently take one of her hands and pull her all the way out onto the top of stoop alongside himself.

"Come on, Helga…" he began with a patient, warm smile, "I think that's enough. Besides, you know the sooner they start their date the sooner we get to ours." He winked, and then gently raised her hand and kissed the back of it before lowering it to their sides, still keeping his fingers laced with hers. '_Am I going to feel like holding her or touching her this much the second I see her __every time_ _we're apart and then see each other again…?'_ He recalled the sudden warm loveliness that her opening the door had made unexpectedly flow through him…as well as the sudden urge to hug her hello or to take her hand and gently kiss it like he'd just done or even to just plain be standing near her again… '_Well, at least it's something to look forward to whenever our dates end_…' he thought to himself with a mental chuckle.

Helga, meanwhile, felt her heart flutter and her eyes go wide in surprise for just a moment at his sudden mention of their date, but then she couldn't help succumbing to a smile and a giggle at the romantic gesture that had accompanied it. "Uh, yeah, of course. Good call, Arnoldo… We should just let Pheebs and tall hair boy get to it, already. Heh, good thing you've got enough of a conscience for the both of us, right?" She gripped his hand just a little more firmly.

Arnold just chuckled at the comment and felt a warmth come to his cheeks. He opened his mouth, about to reply with something that he hoped would make her laugh like that…giggle like that, again…

Gerald, meanwhile, still with his arms crossed on the sidewalk, just sighed in impatient exasperation once more. "Once again, you two, can the obvious flirting be saved for the make out session pre-gamming or something that I'm sure you're going to do the second your both alone again, because I—"

A movement near the doorway had caused Gerald's scowling eyes to shift half way from Arnold and Helga to the entrance to the Pataki household as he had started speaking. His gaze now went there entirely though (and his jaw dropped quite significantly) at the sight of Phoebe coming out onto the front steps.

The young girl, her hands shyly behind her back and glancing down, cleared her throat slightly and announced quietly with a smile on her face. "Good evening, Gerald. How are you this evening?

Arnold couldn't help but have to stifle a chuckle as Helga suddenly leaned in close to his ear and eagerly whispered. "_Alright_! I _knew_ his mouth would be on the floor the second he saw her! Sheesh, what is with boys becoming drooling, mindless, speechless zombies the second they see a pretty girl, Football Head?"

Arnold just blushed and let out a sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Helga…" he whispered back, opening his eyes, a grin more than apparent on his face. "I did not drool last night…"

She tried very hard to suppress her laugh at the reply.

Gerald, meanwhile, just continued looking at Phoebe, his eyes very, very wide and his mouth still quite agape.

Finally Helga rolled her eyes and, with a grin, leaned over and loudly whispered over toward him. "Hey, tall hair boy, this is the part where you say 'I'm cool—how are you, babe?' and then take her to dinner! Anytime!"

She pulled back smiling to herself and Arnold couldn't help rolling his eyes and having to try and stifle a chuckle.

At the sound of being addressed Gerald blinked a couple of times and then blushed. Then he cleared his throat, put his arms behind his back, and did his best to smile up casually at Phoebe. "Uh hi, Phoebe…I'm, I'm fine…how are you?"

The response and the nervous voice in which it was said actually made Phoebe giggle warmly, helping to relax the shy girl a bit. She took a few steps down the stoop. "I'm quite well, Gerald. Thank you."

Finally after another second or two of just staring awkwardly (yet adorably) at each other, Gerald cleared his throat once more and brought his arms forward again, rubbing one with the other nervously. "Hey, uh, you know, you look great tonight, Phoebe…" He seemed lost in her eyes for a second, but then blinked and blushed slightly. "I mean, you look great all the time but…I guess there's just something special about tonight…"

Phoebe smiled and blushed just a little. "Arigato gozaimasu, Gerald." '_Helga's correct—this…isn't so difficult once you take the first step._'

He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck, smiling as well, and looked up at her, trying to seem like he wasn't a _complete_ nervous wreck. _'Man, Arnold makes all of this look a lot easier than it really is_.' "Hey, and dooitashimashite right back at you."

Phoebe blinked at the response, her eyes lighting up. "Gerald, you remembered from yesterday!"

Gerald laughed a little, glancing away sheepishly. "Yeah, well…I think spending time with you just makes me absorb new words or something. Even Japanese words, apparently too."

She laughed and he laughed.

Helga ribbed Arnold and quickly whispered to him again. "See, I told you! He's practically in love with her already! He calls you up later and starts using anything more than five syllables and you'll know something happened between them."

Arnold did his best once again not to laugh out loud at the comment. "Okay, Helga. I'll make sure to be on the look out for any new vocabulary the next time we talk…" he whispered back.

Meanwhile, as this small exchange between the two blondes took place, another awkward but adorable moment of silence passed between Gerald and Phoebe until finally Gerald, smiling in a sort of daze, took a breath and reached forward, gently taking one of Phoebe's hands and giving a small kiss to the back of it.

She just blushed and blinked several times at the unexpected (though very welcome) gesture, and then smiled warmly at him in return (a touch of red creeping up into her cheeks, coming close to matching the shade of her sweater).

Suddenly, meanwhile, Gerald blinked and, realizing his actions, instantly released his date's hand and took a step back, swallowing hard. He decided to do his best to move on from the romantic/awkward moment, especially since he had no idea where the heck THAT had come from all of a sudden (in point of fact, that had been the first time he had kissed the back of Phoebe's hand like that, but he guessed that because he had seen Arnold doing it just now with Helga that something in him had figured that doing the same would somehow at least be a _start_ to putting him on the right track for tonight). "Uh…so," he finally spoke up, trying to put on a smooth smile (though he wasn't doing the best at it, and the fact that his voice had just cracked a little wasn't helping matters), "…do you want to, um…get going now? I think our reservations are at 6:30 and we don't want to be late, right, babe?" He managed a small laugh.

Phoebe blushed at the inquiry (and of course at the fact that the sweet, suddenly shy boy in front of her had actually kissed her hand) and then smiled more than Gerald ever seen her smile—ever! "Of-of course, Gerald. Let's depart."

"Aw, Arnold…" Helga suddenly announced (this time aloud), releasing her hand from Arnold's and now putting an arm around his shoulders, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her. "Look at them!" she continued almost sentimentally, gesturing with her head down in Gerald and Phoebe's direction. "Our best friends going out on their first official date after two solid weeks of side flirting while you and I were having the biggest emotional crisis of our lives…" She sighed dramatically. "They grow up so fast!"

Gerald rolled his eyes to side, and then put a hand on one of his hips and looked to his best friend with a smug grin. "Hey, Arnold, can you tell your girlfriend to save the wit for someone who's got time…like that Arnold shaped thing in her closet? I'm pretty sure _he_ doesn't have any plans for tonight and that he'd just _love_ to hear her cheap jokes."

Arnold tried to fight it but had to let out a few chuckles at that comment. He glanced from Gerald to Helga, who smirked and looked like she was about to give some clever trump reply. More than foreseeing this course of action, though, our football headed hero suddenly reached up with his hand closest to the door to take the hand of hers now dangling over his shoulder, and then replied with a smile back to his best friend. "Oh, I don't know, Gerald…I think she's got a point. It kind of feels like you two are leaving the nest or something, you know?" '_Hmm_…' he couldn't help but observe to himself, having taken a second or two to actually consider why Helga might be laying it on a little thick right now, '…_maybe Helga's got the right idea with a few jokes… Both of them __do__ look sort of nervous so it probably wouldn't hurt to lighten the mood just a little_…' He recalled the butterflies in his stomach during his own first date last weekend and couldn't help but sympathize.

Gerald, meanwhile, just sighed and dragged a hand down his face at suddenly finding himself double-teamed, while Phoebe just glanced away, blushing and smiling slightly to herself at the idea of her and Gerald kind of graduating to a new level of their relationship.

Back with the two blondes, Helga's smile brightened at the sound of Arnold actually going along with her (and of course at the feeling of managing to both have her arm around him while at the same time getting to hold his hand again). She looked to him. "Exactly! There you go, Football Head! Our little Gerald and Phoebe, all grown up!"

Arnold laughed warmly to himself and Helga joined in.

Finally, Gerald just sighed and smiled at Phoebe, jerking his head in the direction of the blonde couple. "We should probably get going before they really get started." He held out his hand, a much more relaxed look upon his face now.

Phoebe sighed and smiled in return, stepping forward and cupping her hand with his, also looking just a little calmer. "Yes, I believe that would be best."

"Oh, wait a minute!" Helga suddenly exclaimed, grinning ear to ear and causing them both to turn back to face her with raised eyebrows. "Just hold that pose for _one_ second—I need to get the camera!"

She instantly unwound her arm from around her beloved and was actually about to head back in the direction of the door…when Arnold's continued grip on her hand caused her to pause and turn around.

"Helga…" he began, still in that warm, understanding tone of his, "Don't you think we should actually let them get going so that they don't miss their reservations…?" He smiled sweetly at her. After all, a little good-natured joking was one thing but there was something to be said for embarrassing their friends _too_ much. _'If Olga or Phoebe or Lila had come downstairs to take pictures during our first date, I…_' The blood rushed to his face and he couldn't finish his thought…though a small, embarrassed yet lovesick smile finished them without words.

Helga frowned just a little bit at his hesitation and then sighed to herself. '_And here we go—back to Mr. Responsible. Come on, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I'd KILL for pictures from OUR first date…_' That idea almost brought a lovesick grin back to her face. "Aw, Football Head, come on you were doing really good there for a minute—don't go back to having no sense of humor aga—"

"…You can take the pictures after." He suddenly cut her off, shrugging and winking playfully. '_Oh, I guess just one photo of them when they're done or tomorrow to celebrate if she really wants one wouldn't be the worst thing… Besides, it's…kind of hard to say no to her when she looks sad at all…_' And slowly he was slipping more and more back into being dazed at just the mere sight of her…and at how she'd pouted just now. She could look even prettier when she did that…her lower lip pushing out just slightly…almost like she knew it was cute and was doing it on purpose for him…

At this new suggestion of his, meanwhile, Helga couldn't help but blink at Arnold…and at the strange, sudden blush and half lidded gaze on his face (which she wasn't going to question at the moment but figured couldn't be foreshadowing of anything too 'horrible' for the rest of her night) and then a large smile came to her face. "You are a lot more fun ever since I came into the picture, you know that, Arnoldo?"

His smile in her direction brightened at the observation…and that made her giggle…and that made him chuckle…and at this point they would have probably been more than content with just staring into each other's eyes for the rest of the night…or the rest of forever…

"I hate you two SO much right now…" This sarcastic statement from Gerald as he rubbed his temples and shook his head, smiling to himself, caused Arnold and Helga to break from their trance in front of Helga's door, and to turn from looking at each other to looking back to their best friends on the sidewalk.

They observed as Gerald just took a breath, the smile still on his face, then cleared his throat, and just turned back to Phoebe, gripping her hand just a little more firmly. "You, uh, seriously wanna get out of here before our best friends bust a gut?"

Phoebe, a small blush in her face, gave him a small half smile and squeezed his hand back. "I do believe that would be the best course of action, Gerald…" she replied. "Helga's never been known for stopping a good joke once she's gotten going."

Gerald laughed at the comment. "Yeah, and like I was saying last night, Arnold's basically a sucker for her at this point so I'm pretty sure he'd go along with the whole gag until she stopped." He shook his head. "Mmm, mmm, _mmm_…boy never could hold his own around a girl he liked…let alone around one he loves!"

Phoebe giggled as her and Gerald commenced walking away from the stoop and up the street, still suddenly totally ignoring Arnold and Helga...and totally gossiping about them! "Yes, and as long as it was making Arnold smile, I'm sure Helga would keep up the teasing as long as she could." Phoebe rolled her eyes. "She does have quite a fixation on his smile." She sighed in just a touch of exasperation. "I've lost track of the number of times I've caught her just staring at pictures of him for hours…or staring at _him_ for hours…"

Gerald laughed and rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least you didn't have to hear this morning about how nice it is when Helga smiles and blushes and…" he geared up for an Arnold impression, "and how when she kisses it just…" he sighed dramatically and chuckled. "I had to cut him off at that point so that I wouldn't lose my lunch. Man, are those two gone on each other or what?"

Phoebe nodded. "Shitsurenshimasenyo."

Gerald blinked and hesitated for a second just before they rounded the street corner they had been approaching. "Huh?"

Phoebe glanced back at him and smiled. "It means they have absolutely NOT been disappointed in love."

"Ah…" Gerald replied in understanding. "Shitsurei—"

"Shi-tsu-re-n-shi-ma-se-n-yo." Phoebe repeated slowly.

"Shi-tsu-re-n-shi-ma-se-n-yo." Gerald repeated back.

"Excellent, Gerald!" Phoebe replied, her smile bright.

"Well, who could help learning from someone as wonderful as you, babe?" He winked, a nice bit of his usual smoothness returning.

The last sound Arnold and Helga heard was Phoebe giggling once more as the happy new couple rounded the corner entirely.

In fact, Arnold and Helga had both been just watching the entire little exchange between their best friends with mouths agape, totally speechless.

As Gerald and Phoebe left their sights, though, the two blondes finally blinked and then turned to each other with wide stares.

They remained silent for several seconds.

"Did…" finally, Helga managed to find it in her to speak, raising part of her brow, "Did we just get…served…or something?" She scratched her head. "I mean…I'm not even really clear on what that term means but…I think it might have just happened to us, Football Head…"

"I, uh…" Arnold still had a totally confused look on his face as well, "I'm…I'm not sure…" he brushed back some of his hair in perplexity, "Gerald's better at knowing things like that than me…actually my Grandpa is too…I'll ask one of them tomorrow…"

Helga glanced down and blinked a few times, and then couldn't help scoffing and a smile coming to her face. She looked up to her beloved. "Huh… Did you know they talk about…_complain_ about…us, Football Head?"

Arnold raised an eyebrow and shrugged, now looking to her again as well. "No. Did you?"

Helga shrugged in return and then rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "I had a feeling the subject of you and me came up every once in a while, especially at the beginning there…but I didn't realize it was about anything except total admiration of my skills at snagging you or of you actually having the stamina to keep up with me…" She gave him a playful half grin.

Arnold, smiling, just rolled his eyes despite the blush the comment brought to his face.

Helga appeared to be in thought for another second or two but then just sighed once again and smiled. "Well, I don't know about you, Football Head, but I might be censoring things I tell MY best friend a bit more in the future…"

Arnold couldn't help but chuckle at the suggestion and look down a little sheepishly. "Yeah, I think you might be right about doing that, Helga…"

"Mmm hmm…" Then suddenly she smiled a bit more mischievously than before and took a coy step toward him, breaking from his grasp and putting her arms behind her back. "But, uh, as long as we just discovered how annoying we can both be in private…you wanna tell me more about how nice it is when Helga smiles and blushes and how when she kisses it just…" She sighed dramatically just like Gerald had during his impression, and then burst into laughter. "I'd pay big money to hear the end of that sentence, Football Head—believe me!" She shook her head at him in amusement.

"And I would pay big money to hear about how even though we were 'mortal enemies' you somehow found ways to stare at me for…hours, was it, Helga…?" he suddenly took a step closer to her, smiling with that half lidded gaze of his and effectively catching her off guard by the movement of his face to within mere inches of hers now.

Helga blinked, her eyes going wide, and almost reeled back at the unexpected comeback as well as at her beloved's sudden proximity…and how it made her heart flutter wildly (especially considering the last thing that had happened between them when Arnold had suddenly come that close…last night…alone in her room…).

Arnold, however, seeing her moving back like that, suddenly quickly reached out caught her behind the back, effectively keeping her from losing her balance while at the same time managing to pull the two of them very VERY close to each other now….wide blue eyes flowing almost directly into loving green.

There was a second of silence in which Arnold just continued to smile into Helga's face while Helga just stared in minor terror into his, feeling his warm arm around her waist and her heart pumping like mad…She couldn't imagine that he wasn't hearing it, it was so prominent. 'Uh…'

"But…" Arnold then whispered slowly…and then he let her go and moved away from her, putting his hands behind his back and still just smiling at her. "We have dinner plans ourselves, if I'm not mistaken. Something about meeting your parents again?" He raised an eyebrow.

Helga had to blink a few times and take several deep breaths to get herself calm after practically being nose to nose with Arnold, his arm around her body. But then, "Wh-huh? Oh, uh…yeah, yeah…dinner with Bob and Miriam. Heh, heh…" the ten-year-old blonde managed to get out. She continued by trying to play off her flustered reaction, though she more than knew it was pointless. Once again, getting used to Arnold's more romantically aggressive side (however much of a dream come true it was for her) was something she handled much better in small, pre-planned doses. Yet, he seemed bent on spontaneity. '_Still, not the WORST Arnold situation I've ever had to deal with_…' she couldn't help but think to herself, feeling a small smile come to her face.

Arnold, meanwhile, just chuckled to himself at how much he had obviously just gotten to her and then turned back toward the door. '_That was really fun, actually… And she always really does look so pretty when her eyes get wide like that and she blushes around me_…' He felt a sigh escape him. _'If she'd done that even once in front of me during those six years before her confession, I… Well, it at least wouldn't have taken until nearly the end of the fourth grade to feel my heart skip a beat for the first time around her_…'

Helga, meanwhile, finally took one last breath and, feeling as back to normal as she was probably going to get for now, rolled her eyes and went in the direction of the door herself. "And by the way," she began playfully, feeling much more in control of herself now, "That was a pretty cheap shot grabbing me like that just so I'd let you off the hook for now about the kissing thing again." She smirked at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "You better plan on explaining to me in detail just how incredibly earth shattering my kissing is sometime _real_ _soon_, Football Head."

Arnold was about to reach for the door handle to allow her to enter as he prepared to reply to her (a slight blush upon his features), but she beat him too it and held it open, gesturing for _him_ to enter first instead. "And, hey, didn't we already establish that I don't want a bunch of special treatment because I'm a girl?" She put her free hand on her hip. "You can 'go first' sometimes too, Football Head. Especially when you're the guest!" She smiled.

Arnold just smiled back and entered the foyer with a nod. "Thank you, Helga…"

Helga entered as well and closed the door behind them. "No problem, my Arnold…" she replied with a small, happy sigh.

Arnold let out a bit more of a nervous sigh and crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to blush at the possessive before his name. A small smile came to his face as he then spoke to her in a low voice to be sure that only the two of them would hear. "Is that your way of telling me to call you 'my Helga' when we sit down to eat with your parents?" He shrugged and glanced back over his shoulder in her direction. "I mean, I _was_ just planning to stare at you dreamily and hold your hand and kiss up your arm all evening but if you'd like the 'my Helga' too I guess I could—"

The color instantly drained from Helga's face and she lost her smirk immediately. "Arnold, I swear," she suddenly began desperately, cutting him off, and now running up in front of him and gripping his shoulders, "I know you're addicted to all this lovey dovey stuff and I know I like to have my fun with you when we're alone but please don't do anything even remotely like that to me! Even as a joke! Bob will KILL you. And Miriam…" Helga glanced to the side and swallowed hard, "Well…I'll explain more later but Miriam kind of found out…everything… But trust me somehow that would make it even worse."

Arnold blinked, his smile suddenly growing. "You told your Mom?" he couldn't help but almost exclaim in surprise. '_But…she's always complaining about how her parents never listen to anything she says…how they don't care_…' Arnold couldn't help the small bit of pain that went through him as he recalled some of the things he'd managed to get out of Helga in regards to her more 'familial-based' motivations for always acting so defensive over the years…especially those extra details she'd filled him in on about the day they'd met and how she'd ended up wet and alone at that preschool of theirs in the first place. He came out of these memories and couldn't help but also wonder to himself with curiosity and confusion. '_And also, I __know__ Helga…she'd never give up how she feels about me to anyone unless she really trusted them…unless she really thought they cared about her_…' "I mean…" he suddenly continued, coming out of his thoughts and looking into her eyes again, "she was actually there for you to have a real conversation with her, and you told her about—"

Helga put a hand over his mouth (just in case Bob was within earshot (his voice had unintentionally gotten a bit louder in his surprise) ) and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, more or less, Football Head. I told you she and my Dad have been acting…well, I don't know…_better_ lately, and I thought it would tank the second Olga left but apparently they're in this new 'parent of the year' streak for the long haul. So, when they came home last night Miriam and I were talking a little and…" he noticed Helga blush just a little, "She already had some suspicions thanks to my sister and a few other things from the past but…I…kind of accidentally completely confirmed it for her."

Arnold gently removed her hand and couldn't help but smirk at her nervous looking face just slightly. "You told someone else your secret, Helga? _Again_?" He tried very hard not to chuckle as he did his best to lighten the mood a little, seeing how much this new development had probably been putting her through over the last twenty four hours (and also he was just happy that it sounded like Helga had indeed made some headway with letting Mr. and Mrs. Pataki see just how wonderful and interesting of a person she really was). "At least tell me this time didn't involve making the person you told pass out in a kitchen like with Gerald." He raised an eyebrow at her playfully.

Helga, to his amusement, just rolled her eyes with as much exaggeration as she could muster at this question (and she was also unable to hide the smile starting to pick up at one side of her face). "Ha-ha, Football Head. _Hilarious_." She let out sigh and crossed her arms over her chest, looking to the side just a little sheepishly. "Actually, _I _was who blacked out and ended up unconscious on the floor…after she found my locket."

Helga couldn't help the touch of worry she was feeling about having shared this information with her beloved… She didn't want him going into the dinner feeling self-conscious or uncomfortable, but she had at least wanted to share the truth with him and to also show him to just what extent Miriam was in the loop now.

She blinked and looked up at seeing his shadow move closer to her. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a bit as her eyes rose to meet Arnold's half lidded ones…which were quite close to her again this evening, along with the rest of his perfect self, all of a sudden. "Well…" he began, looking up into her still slightly downcast eyes, "I'm just happy you have someone else from your family to talk to about things, especially since Olga's not around all the time. And I'm also happy you're parents are still being nice to you…" he added, referring to the fears Helga had shared with him at one point over the last week that when Olga left the whole 'we're a happy family' thing would leave Bob and Miriam's systems right along with her.

Helga took a second to absorb what he'd just said…and then felt a truly happy smile come to her face. She just sighed and gave him a look. "You know that you're the greatest boyfriend on the planet, right, Arnold?"

He just chuckled a little and pulled back slightly to give her some space. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

Helga, despite the fact that she knew that they indeed had a dinner to go to, gave herself a few seconds to just gaze happily at her beloved, and to once again take in the fact that him caring for her now was a reality…until she saw a slightly uncomfortable look come over his face, which he was obviously trying to conceal.

"So, um…" he suddenly began, trying to sound casual. Helga was intrigued, to say the least. "Does…your _Dad_ kind of suspect anything…?" Arnold did his best to smile at Helga but it was hard to do so considering the touch of fear currently running through him. Arnold had gotten over any kind of reservations about seeing Big Bob Pataki this evening _hours_ ago… In fact, he actually had a sort of a 'plan' for how to behave at this dinner to maybe help things along with allowing Helga's parents to feel more comfortable around him and for allowing Helga to feel more comfortable having him around them. But, if Bob knew that Helga was in love with him…and that he was in love with her…that might…_complicate_ things, to say the least.

He was very relieved when Helga blinked and smiled and instantly put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Oh for Pete's sake, NO, Arnold! I asked Miriam to not go into details about things with us to him, and I already gave Olga a good talking to for _hinting_ even to our _Mom_ in the first place, and as for Bob's own 'keen sense of observation'…" She laughed. "Well, he's the only person on the planet who I think could top you for denseness, Football Head." She smiled and removed her hand from his shoulder, jerking her thumb in the direction of the dining room where her father currently was. "The Beeper King still just thinks we're friends who've gotten a little too close for his tastes. Nothing more." She winked.

Arnold let out a very happy sigh. "Oh, um…good. I…I mean," he looked at her a little more seriously, "If you ever want to tell him, then of course I want you to, Helga." He glanced sheepishly to the side. "But I guess I just…feel a little more comfortable, since we're all going to have dinner together now, knowing that he doesn't know about…everything…" He blushed…but then blinked and looked up and added. "But, him knowing aside…he really is treating you better and giving you more attention too, right? Just like your mom?" He finished with a touch of concern evident in his voice.

Helga couldn't help but let out a small, happy laugh at his caring question. She waved him off. "Don't worry, Football Head, he's behaving too. Actually…" He watched with interest as she suddenly rummaged in one of her jumper pockets for a second, and then pulled out a cell phone. "…That's where that cell phone I mentioned last night came from—belated birthday present from Bob himself. Can you believe it?" She glanced at the phone for a second with a smile and then shook her head and put it back in her pocket. She then looked to Arnold again, crossing her arms over her chest. "Actually, this dinner with you and WITHOUT Bob going postal is part two of my three part present…"

Arnold smiled at her confirmation that things were indeed going well with both of her parents) but then couldn't help raising an eyebrow at that last bit of information she'd revealed. "What's part three?"

He noticed, with more interest, the question suddenly brought a serious blush to Helga's face. She glanced away, half smiling to herself. "Oh…don't worry about that, Football Head…" She waved him off coyly. "You'll, uh…you'll know when I decide to fill you in…or if you decide to pull anymore random break-ins sometime in the slightly distant future."

Arnold just continued to raise an eyebrow at her in total perplexity. '_What could she have asked for for her—_' And then suddenly he blinked like a random realization had come over him...which, indeed, it had. _'I never…how could I be that stupid?_' "Helga!" he instantly exclaimed, looking at her with wide eyes. "I…I never got you a present for your birthday. I mean a _real_ present!" he added, referring to his prank present for her back during April Fools Day. _'That's a basic thing—you're supposed to get the person you care about a present on their birthday. And even though I didn't love her back then I knew she loved me and I've always at least cared about her. How could I forget something that important?_'

Meanwhile, Helga had to just blink at this sudden fearful observation from her beloved, and at the amount of guilt and sadness present Arnold's tone as it came out of his mouth.

"I mean…" Arnold continued, still looking quite distressed and glancing down, "I know that I wasn't…that we weren't together then but…it was only a couple of months ago…" He looked right into her eyes. "Helga is there anything that you—"

Realizing now where he was going with all this, Helga had to roll her eyes and she then placed a hand over his mouth once again that evening before he could continue. "Football Head," she began, shaking her head at him and his little do-gooder ways in amusement, "Less than one week after my birthday you were my personal slave and then danced a tango with me that I still have dreams about. Why don't we leave it at that for now and you can catch me next time around? The big one-one." She winked and removed her hand so he could speak again.

Arnold had to smile at her wit but he still looked a bit unsure. "But…are you sure, Helga? I mean, I just—"

She just sighed, still smiling, and crossed her arms over her chest. '_Always with that conscience of his…Lucky for him it's one of his cutest character traits_…' "Football Head," she began lightheartedly, "If you really want to get me something then just do something small and…I don't know, pay for the movies tonight or something." She had to almost chuckle as she added truthfully, "Actually that would be really helpful since I'm a little strapped for cash considering all those pink books I've been having to invest in. Once again, Arnold—human being, not a printing press. Pace yourself, _my love_." She winked once more.

At this new affectionate little nickname Arnold felt his heart pound and he had to glance away, knowing full well how red his face must be. 'My love'…. That was a little more intense and unexpected than just 'My Arnold…'. '_My…my love… I'm her…her love_…' He felt a happy twist in his stomach. _'I'm…okay with being that too_…' That strange, funny feeling in his stomach that he'd been coming to like more and more lingered. '_Okay, wow, I'm actually really, __really__ okay with being that too_…'

Helga, meanwhile, just sighed and rolled her eyes at Arnold's seemingly catatonic state, and then grabbed one of his hands in one of hers again. '_Nice…I have to remember that calling him new stuff makes him look all shy and cute and embarrassed like that_.' "Okay, okay, come on, now, enough flirting!" she then announced, giving him a look over her shoulder. "Miriam and Bob are probably finished setting out the food and junk, and last I checked the table was set so let's get in there and the sooner this is over the sooner I get you all alone in the back of a dark movie theatre for two hours …" She lowered her eyelids just slightly and leaned back a little closer to him as she added in a lower voice, "And this isn't Lulu or Hilda we're talking about it's _me,_ so I don't want to hear about how I'm 'Arnie's girlfriend and we're nine,' because I'm _your_ girlfriend and we're _ten_…" She then took a moment to turn completely back around to him and take a step very VERY close to his already blushing face. "Besides…you seem to have developed this new habit of putting an arm around me to pull me closer every time there's suddenly a kiss in the air between us, Football Head…and I want to make sure it sticks. Practice makes perfect, after all!"

She giggled quietly and Arnold felt his heart pound in his chest. He took several shallow breaths, his wide eyes caught in her laughing ones as he tried to process once again that this charming, funny, smart, creative, pretty, interesting girl was excited…all about kissing _him_…and about feeling his arm around her…And then he couldn't help but recall how in that dream of his Lulu had suddenly tried to pull him secretly off to the side in the movies and kiss him…and wondered if Helga would do the same thing… kind of like he'd been imagining doing with her at school…

His love-paralyzed thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Helga announcing with a laugh as she took a step back from him and shrugged, "Sorry, Football Head—just getting you back a little for what you put me through out there on the stoop."

She released his hand and now secured her fists on her hips. "Now, let's eat, Arnoldo, because I am STARVING!" And with that she turned around and began earnestly heading in the direction of the dining room. "Hey, Mir—Mom, Dad—Arnold's here for dinner!" she called out, cupping one of her hands over the side of her mouth.

"Okay, sweetie! I'm just finishing setting up things in here and your father's already sitting down!" came Miriam's voice from the dining room. "Just come in and have a seat anywhere! I hope you kids like…er, Bob, what did Olga call this?"

An audible grumble from Bob in the dining room could be heard. "Eh, I don't know, Miriam—one of those fancy Olga dishes. Stroganoff or something"

"Oh right, right…." came Miriam's airy voice in reply.

"Hey, O—Helga, get in here already so we can chow down! Yeesh, how long does it take to let the boy inside and just say hello to him?"

Helga half smiled and blushed at the comment from her father. "Hey, Bob, wasn't there some kind of condition tonight about no interrogating questions?" she called out playfully.

Another grumble from Bob could be heard. "Oh alright…" he finally said in defeat. "Just get in here before everything gets too cold, okay?"

"You got it, Bob!" Helga called with a smile.

She then turned back to Arnold, took a deep, centering breath and finally just shrugged. "Well, now or never, Football Head."

Arnold laughed warmly to himself at her slight nervousness about the situation they were about to walk into, and that she was obviously trying very hard to hide for his sake... Though to be honest he really _had_ been thinking about this dinner for several hours now…and about the best way to handle it considering what he knew from Helga and from his own observations about Big Bob Pataki (and, of course, maybe from a small talk not too many hours ago with his grandfather about how he had handled really meeting Gertie's parents for the first time). "After you…" he suddenly announced to her, bowing low and extending his arm in the direction of the dining room.

Helga had to raise a skeptical eyebrow at the overly formal gesture.

Arnold just looked to her with that same happy smile though. "What?" he asked, almost with a chuckle. "You let me come inside first, and now I'm letting you go into the dining room first. Just trying to keep things equal, Helga."

The explanation couldn't help but get a small, amused chuckle out of her, and Arnold was happy that he'd managed to make her laugh a little and thus possibly help ease her secret worries about this dinner even just a tiny bit.

"Whatever you say, Arnoldo, whatever you say…" She shook her head and began to walk forward. '_Oh well, if he's got to have some outlet for his chivalry, better it's letting me walk into a room first sometimes than fighting it tooth and nail to resist nine out of ten urges he has to kiss me_…' she couldn't help but think to herself with an amused half grin.

Suddenly, though, Helga was ripped from her thoughts and she had to blink and pause in her next step forward as she felt Arnold's extended arm suddenly grab one of her hands from behind firmly. She turned to face him…and her breath hitched in her throat as he quickly moved his face as close as possible to her ear and whispered, "And as for that question you asked me before about how exactly it makes me feel when you kiss me…well, I'm planning another crazy scheme to let you know that but you'll have to give me a little while longer…I've got some good ideas though, and believe me I think you'll like how it all turns out…"

He then pulled back, winked and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, not giving a stunned looking Helga the chance to say a response as he suddenly pulled her into the dining room where the Pataki parents were currently sitting. He let her hand go just as they entered.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Pataki, it's nice to see you again." Arnold accompanied this polite greeting to Helga's Mom and Dad with one of his usual innocent smiles…which he was trying very hard to maintain since much of his focus was also currently on avoiding the bright blush threatening to come to his face at what he'd just said and done to Helga. In his defense, though, he really hadn't been able to resist…especially with all of the very descriptive writing he'd been doing about a certain person whenever he'd gotten the chance this morning and afternoon.

Miriam Pataki smiled and her voice took Arnold away from his thoughts on Helga for the moment, and put them back on the dinner at hand. "Oh hello…uh, Arnold. It's very nice to see you too." She smiled a bit more brightly. "Isn't it B?" She turned to her husband.

"Huh? Oh, uh…" Bob blinked and hesitated for a second, but recalled his promise to his youngest daughter about his behavior tonight and then cleared his throat and continued speaking, trying not to seem nearly as frustrated as he really was about this whole situation of another one of his daughters suddenly starting to cling to a boy so much. "Yeah, it's…uh, it's nice to see you again…Arnold. Is, uh…is Helga still tutoring you or whatever you two were working on for school?"

Arnold pulled out a chair for Helga (who was still standing there dumbstruck, almost causing him to give into a chuckle) and then he pulled one out for himself and sat, still smiling as he turned in Bob's direction. "Actually we finished the project we were working on last week, but…Helga's always been a special friend of mine and she helped me a lot so we've been spending a bit more time together ever since then. Right, Helga?"

He looked to the wide eyed girl still just standing frozen stiff near the chair he'd pulled out for her.

"Helga?" Arnold asked with an eyebrow raised, trying very hard not to laugh once again and hoping no one else would notice the significant blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Huh?" At the second calling of her name from her beloved Helga blinked and came back to planet earth. She quickly did her best to regain herself, recalling that the eyes of both of her parents were currently upon her just as much as Arnold's were. "Oh uh…yeah…the tutoring." She cleared her throat and glanced in Bob's direction, arms behind her back. "Yeah, I mean…I started talking to the little shrimp so much while we were working on all that stuff for Simmons that I guess I figured it wouldn't kill us to spend a little more time together." She hopped up into her chair and had her mouth open to speak again, when she had to pause at the feeling of Arnold suddenly lightly grabbing her hand just before she pushed her seat in. She swallowed hard and did her best to finish as causally as possible, hoping no one had noticed his move or her obvious reaction to it, "Uh…that's about the long and short of it between us…just a couple of crazy kids having a good time together, heh, heh…" _'Oh great—I just __had__ to come into this mess rambling like an idiot_!' Helga mentally chided herself. '_Next thing you know I'll start Freudian-slipping worse than that first time at Bliss' office. I can just see dessert now: 'Oh Helga, would you like a slice of apple pie?' 'Oh yes, Miriam, I'd just love a slice of Arnold! With extra whipped cream!_' ' She mentally sighed to herself. '_Stupid Football Head and his stupid cryptic flirtatious statements and his stupid hand holding to help me feel better about things!_' Then she smiled to herself. '_If I didn't love the little loser and if he didn't love me back I'd pound him or something._'

Managing to come just a little out of her thoughts, Helga reached forward for a ladle and put a heap of mashed potatoes on her plate, and began to play with them with her fork, not looking up at either of her parents...especially as she now had a very slight lovesick grin on her face that she couldn't really control at the moment.

"Well, Helga," she heard her mother begin supportively, obviously trying to move the conversation along and to cut Helga a small break as she took a spoonful of potatoes as well and then passed them along, "It's nice that you've got such a special friend in Arnold here, isn't it B?" She turned back to Bob with a smile.

Bob piled some meat onto his plate and started to play with it with his fork. "Yeah…uh, special friends…great…" He glanced at his youngest daughter, a slight scowl on his face. "You still have that cell phone I gave you, right, Helga?"

Helga blinked and managed to look up, feeling a blush starting to come on again. "Oh, uh…yeah, of course Bob."

The Beeper King turned back to his food at the reply, still looking a little protestful as he responded as casually as he could, "Oh, good…good…just uh, just keep it on in the movies tonight like I asked, okay?"

Helga sighed and scowled and was about to lose her temper a little at how difficult it looked like her father was gearing up to be tonight about her and Arnold despite the conditions she'd set down in advance for this meal…when she suddenly felt a very warm feeling move along her arm and realized that Arnold had just squeezed her hand a bit more firmly underneath the table. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but he was just sitting there smiling and sipping some water and eating a bite of food here and there.

And then, randomly enough, he cleared his throat and she heard him address Bob in her place (her eyes going wide at this bold move.) "You gave Helga a cell phone, Mr. Pataki? Wow…that's really smart…" Arnold observed in a genuinely impressed sounding voice. "I mean, even if she's just out with a friend you should have a way of getting in touch with her and…I think it's important that she always has a way of getting in touch with you and Mrs. Pataki. Don't worry, I'll make sure she doesn't forget to turn it on tonight." He then put down his fork and reached for his napkin, wiping at the corner of his mouth before putting it down again and suddenly adding 'seemingly' as an afterthought, "Oh, and her curfew's ten, right? I just wanted to double check so that we don't pick a movie that's too long so that I can walk her home on time. After all, we're only ten—it probably isn't safe for us to be out later than that and I want to make sure Helga's safe and at home where she belongs before I head back to the boarding house." Finishing this small speech he then casually reached forward for his glass and took another sip of water, a content smile still on his face as it had been the entire time he had been talking. He then turned to the girl beside him and asked casually, "Can you pass the vegetables, Helga?"

Miriam's fork actually dropped to her plate and a serious grin started forming on her face.

Helga just blinked and her mouth went agape…. She at least did manage to slide the bowl of food closer to him, though.

Bob, meanwhile, just blinked several times, trying to process everything Arnold had just said to him. "Oh…well, I…" And then suddenly, to Helga's continued great surprise, a smile actually came to her father's face. "Hey, you're pretty sharp, kid." He glanced at his daughter. "Ol—Helga, you didn't tell me this boy had a head on his shoulders!"

"Uh…" She was completely at a loss for words. "I…" '_Uh…what just happened?'_

Bob turned to Arnold again, this time full on smiling. "Hey, uh, Arnold, right? You watch much football?"

Arnold smiled back politely, picking up his fork again to resume eating. "Well, not really…but me and the other kids in our class _play_ a lot in Gerald field or the park whenever it starts getting too cold or rainy for baseball. Actually," he glanced at Helga again, "Helga's one of our best quarterbacks along with me… We kind of alternate depending on whose playing style works best for each game."

Bob blinked and looked to his daughter, an eyebrow raised. "Helga, where the heck did you learn how to play football? And you're the quarterback?"

At these typical 'clueless about her' questions from Bob, Helga couldn't help but sigh and roll her eyes, dragging her hand not currently in Arnold's grasp down her face. In addition to this reaction, her annoyance at her father's ignorance also helped to let Helga's thoughts finally start to become coherent again. '_I cannot believe this…Arnold is actually trying to relate to and level with my Dad…!' _She recalled how on their date Friday she might have mentioned to her beloved Bob's fixation on sports to the point of neglect of everyone else around him, and how he'd even liked that creepy fiancé of Olga's just because he'd known something about sports. '_And, backing things up a bit…_' Her thoughts went back to Arnold, _'When did ARNOLD get enough foresight to come into a potentially disastrous situation like this with a strategy and a game plan! I mean, one other than 'I'll just be totally, bluntly, painfully honest, completely disregarding all foresight, and everything will work out!' ?' _She almost put her free hand to her forehead in mild disbelief._ 'Sheesh, I really DID rip Football Head out of all of his cluelessness with all the stuff I've been putting him through over the last two months, didn't I? I mean, crimeny—he's buttering Bob up and actually doing really well at it, but still managing to more or less be his honest little self! I don't think pre-confession Arnold could have pulled that off in a million years_!'

Recalling at the back of her mind that, despite her very real capacity to get lost in her more-than-surprised thoughts about what her beloved was currently doing, her father was still waiting for a response from her, Helga just did her best to break from her shock bordering on impressed amusement, and then replied to Bob in a level voice and with a shrug in regards to his inquiry about her football skills, "Well, all those years of watching you watch games, I guess I just kind of picked up on it or something."

She felt Arnold squeeze her hand again, and it sent another jolt of warmth through her body. "Oh, come on, Helga, don't be modest—we never would have won that big game against the fifth graders that one time without how you motivated everyone…"

Helga rolled her eyes, feeling a slight chuckle coming on (and a slight blush—'_Easy on the physical contact, there, Arnold…at least until we're alone again'_). "Actually, if I remember correctly, your loopy plays were what brought us to victory in the end, Football Head…" She looked to him with a half smile, taking a bite of food.

Arnold returned the facial gesture and then leaned his head upon his free hand, his elbow resting upon the table. "Yeah, but, without you leading everyone and keeping them going even during those few bad downs, we never would have been able to get that last touchdown with Gerald."

Helga finally let out a small chuckle, doing her best to just smile at Arnold and not go all 'half lidded, batting the eyelashes, trying to pout her lips just slightly so he would notice them more' on him. "Well, I can't argue with you about my ability to whip those bunch of chuckleheads we hang out with into shape on a regular basis, Arnoldo!" She rolled her eyes and half grinned at him, only to be met with him sighing at her, still with a grin as well.

Helga realized, after about two or three seconds, that somehow or other, despite her best efforts, her and Arnold were basically staring dreamily into each other's eyes. She quickly cleared her throat and looked back to her father, hoping he hadn't noticed (The attempt of Miriam, currently stationed at the end of the table to Helga's right, to keep the giggle that escaped her as quiet as possible had already alerted Helga to the fact that her mother, at least, had indeed more than seen the quick little exchange.)

Bob, however, was just smiling in amazement at the two kids, obviously not suspecting a thing. ('_Are all guys completely dense when it comes to love_?' Helga couldn't help but wonder to herself.) "Hey, so you won?" Bob continued in an impressed tone. "That's great! Was it really that close of a game?"

"Oh yeah!" Arnold nodded his head and met Big Bob's eyes again, his blushing thankfully not getting the better of him just yet though his heart continued to beat a little quickly at how close he'd just come to absentmindedly raising up his and Helga's hands from under the table and giving hers a small, soft kiss (it also probably wasn't helping to temper his heartbeat either that he was still holding Helga's warm hand, but in his defense…some things were more important than feeling a little embarrassed…). "You see," he continued, taking a small breath to calm himself before going on, "We had this bet with this fifth grader Wolfgang that we could beat his whole class with our whole class but then our secret weapon, Torvald (he's a fourth grader but he got left back a few times so he's thirteen) twisted his ankle on the first down so it was just us against them, and between Helga and me we managed to tie it up but then it started raining so we pulled one more desperate play in the mud and it actually worked!" His embarrassment having all but ebbed now, Arnold's smile picked up a little on one side and then a new thought suddenly occurred to him. "I can't even think of a baseball game we've played that was as fun as that one football game, to be honest…Hmm…" He smiled to himself and glanced down, taking a bite of food from his plate.

Bob took another hearty bite himself as Arnold finished, still with that kind of impressed look on his face. "You kids play a lot of baseball too?" He glanced at his daughter. "I thought that was just some kind of 'every once in a while' thing, Helga… You mean you do it all the time?"

Helga couldn't help rolling her eyes once again and replying in a slightly tenser voice (hey, he might have remembered about the strawberries on a fluke but come on—NOT knowing that baseball was one of the biggest things in her life besides school…and Arnold of course…? Really?). "Yes, Bob, welcome to the wonderful world of Helga," she responded dully, grabbing a spoonful of green beans from another bowl. "I've been catcher and practically the coach of those yahoos I go to school with for the past four years!"

Bob blinked a few times at this information. "Hey, catcher's a pretty tough position, Helga—are you sure you—"

Arnold quickly swallowed a mouthful of water and put down his glass, and spoke up again with a smile. "Oh, but Helga's really good at it, Mr. Pataki. I couldn't imagine anyone else who could take her place. This year alone she's been averaging at least three outs per game alone just from catching pop flys at the plate or diving at runner's trying to slide into home. Right, Helga?" he turned to her and asked supportively.

Helga just blinked and looked a little surprised at another sudden compliment. "Oh, um…th-thanks, Arnold…" Her voice was threatening to go just a bit dreamy so she cleared her throat and finished with, "I mean, yeah, I _do_ do pretty fantastically if I do say so myself."

Bob took a swig of his water, his eyes brightening at this information from the two kids. "Hey, Helga, you gotta let me and Miriam come to one of those games!"

"Yes, Helga," Miriam suddenly agreed with a smile, swallowing a bite of food and bringing her napkin to her chin. "When's the next one?"

Helga blinked, looking from her mother to her father in just a touch of surprise at their quite genuine enthusiasm about the idea. No one…had ever really cared enough to ever come see her do something extracurricular (except for Olga a couple of times when she'd still been living them while she had been going to high school). "Uh…this Wednesday at four… We're going up against the fifth graders again…" '_Huh…neat_…'

"Perfect!" Bob smiled. "I can take the afternoon off from the emporium and we'll come by. Hey, uh, Arnold," he turned to Arnold again, "What position do you play?"

Arnold had his mouth open and was about to respond when Helga suddenly smirked and with a chuckle answered for him, unable to resist, "Launcher of Heat seeking baseball missiles."

Arnold blinked and then turned to her and gave her a bit of a look, a sheepish smile now upon his face. "Helga…I've gotten better about that, you know…"

Bob blinked and looked from boy to girl. "What are you two talking about?"

Helga laughed to herself once more and then looked at her father, taking and swallowing another forkful of food. "Oh, well, Football Head here…" she jerked the thumb of her hand still holding her fork in Arnold's direction, "…likes to randomly bean people almost every time he gets a hit… And I mean, he gets lots of hits, I'll give him that…but about a month ago every single one of them was sending another person to the nurse's office, including me!"

Arnold sighed and rolled his eyes. "Helga, I told you and everyone else, I talked to Mickey Kaline and got it under control. Mostly…" He glanced down sheepishly again.

"Hey, you just keep up that batting average and the RBI's, and steer clear of MY head and I don't care _what_ happens to the ball after you whack it!" she replied with her usual sarcastic yet warm tone, smirking at him a little.

Arnold finally had to laugh at that statement. "I'll do my best, Helga."

Helga was about to open her mouth to reply when…

"Oh, so you had dangerous lumber?" asked Bob suddenly of the young boy.

Helga blinked and turned to her father, totally unsure of where _that_ had come from or what to make of it.

Arnold blinked and looked to Bob Pataki as well, equally puzzled and surprised…and then suddenly a genuinely impressed look came to his face and he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…Dangerous Lumber. How did you…I mean, that's not a term that everyone seems to know, Mr. Pataki. Did you know someone who had it once?"

Bob actually laughed to himself as he took another helping of food from a platter. "Oh, well…you know I played a little ball in college myself and you'd be surprised how many people end up with that problem. It's great for your stats but murder on anyone in the field—including your own teammates. If you want to make it even better, try closing one of your eyes when you bat—I don't know how but it helped a lot of the guys. Some kind of optical illusion—messes with depth perception or something and at least makes it less likely that you'll hit the pitcher."

Arnold smiled. Genuinely and sincerely smiled. "Wow, thanks Mr. Pataki—I'll try it!" he responded brightly.

Bob nodded, still smiling with approval at the young boy he'd been so hesitant about having a meal with not too long ago. "You're welcome, kid. And hey, so, what position do you actually play?"

"Shortstop," Arnold replied, taking a helping of Stroganoff.

Bob blinked in total surprise, and then his grin picked up on one side. "Hey, I used to do shortstop back in high school until my knee gave out and they switched me to left field." He looked to his daughter again. "He any good, Helga?"

Helga couldn't help but smile and glance down again at her food at the question…and at how well Arnold really was doing with making this meal NOT be a nightmare for her. "Oh, probably better than I give him credit for…" she began with that familiar lilt of sarcasm, "But I gotta be harsh on him or he'll never be the best!" She glanced at Arnold out of the corner of her eye. "I swear, Football Head, you _have_ gotten good over the years thanks to me but you practically needed me to 'hold your hand' through everything sometimes."

Arnold did his best not to blush at the joke.

"Well, it certainly seems like you and Helga and all of your friends have a lot of fun together," Miriam suddenly added with a smile, dabbing her face with a napkin. "Are there any other sports you two play together?"

Arnold considered for a second, then looked to her. "Well, we bowled against each other once with Coach Wittenberg and his wife…"

Miriam raised an eyebrow but then blinked. "Oh yes, I remember now…" She turned to her daughter. "Helga, weren't you the maid of honor at their vow renewal?"

Helga cleared her throat and glanced away, trying not to smile too much as she took another sip of water before replying. "Uh, yeah…and, uh…" she glanced to her beloved with an all-knowing half grin, "You were the best man if I'm not mistaken, right, Football Head?"

Arnold swallowed some food and couldn't help feel a very warm and fluttery feeling come over him at the memory…and how interesting it was, now that he thought about it, to have had him and Helga walk down the aisle together that day as part of the ceremony. And how she'd fainted after catching the bouquet and he'd caught her in his arms and wondered why she'd been smiling and saying 'I do, I do…' He tried as hard as he could not to laugh, settling instead for clearing his throat and replying with a small sigh. "Uh…yeah…for Coach Wittenberg…"

He was just sitting there smiling and looking incredibly goofy and Helga knew that, impressed with him or not, even Bob was bound to notice him staring off into space for a good minute or two and maybe mumbling her name while he gave into a few romantic daydreams until he came back to his senses of his own accord. '_Come on, Arnold, we can't blow this now—it's actually working out! Who knew?'_

So Helga cleared her throat and did her best to help her dearest Arnold along. "Uh…so, you do any other sports with Wittenberg besides the bowling, Football Head?" She gave him a very light punch in the shoulder with her free hand. "I mean, how did you meet that guy in the first place?"

Arnold blinked and looked up, and suddenly remembered that he had been in the middle of answering a question from Helga's mom about Coach Wittenberg before he'd let himself get (quite pleasantly, actually) sidetracked by the idea of himself in his tux holding Helga in her dress in his arms when she'd fallen with that smile on her face…right near the altar…with the flowers in her hand…

He cleared his throat, finally tearing himself completely from these quite consuming reminisces and imaginings, and finally turned back to Miriam (avoiding eye contact with Helga, of course, as he knew the cute smirk that must be on her face right now at his actions wouldn't exactly help him stay focused here). "Oh, uh, yeah—I, uh, I actually met him when I was doing basketball at the Y for a little while…" Suddenly Arnold couldn't help grinning to himself as another memory of Coach Wittenberg surfaced in his mind. "And as for other sports we did with him, one time he might have convinced me and the other guys from our class to help him out with a synchronized swimming competition…"

Helga actually almost choked on the bite of food in her mouth, the compulsion to laugh at the image Arnold had just reminded her of was so hysterical to her.

"Synchornized Swimming? What the heck is that?" asked Bob, scratching his head across the table.

"It's swimming in choreographed sequence to music, B," Miriam suddenly informed him, and then she turned to Arnold. "I used to do a lot of swimming back in college—mostly races but I tried some synchronized swimming myself once or twice. Not as easy as it looks, is it?"

Arnold had to laugh and shake his head. "Definitely not. But…it was a good experience and I was glad we could help out the coach."

"Football Head," Helga began with an impressed smirk, moving closer so she was right in his face, "I can't believe I almost forgot about that..." And indeed on that particular day Helga had made sure to completely free her schedule… Arnold in a bathing suit performing in public? Yeah, that had more than called for doing an emergency free up of an afternoon. "You have got to give me all of the details about how the heck you got yourself roped into that!"

Arnold just smiled as he continued eating, now just staring straight down into his plate as it was the only way he could avoid making eye contact with Helga since she'd just made it so that those very...very nice blue eyes of hers were so close... "Whatever you say, Helga…"

She just giggled at his continued shyness with not looking at her, and then moved away from him and resumed eating as well, cutting her bashful little beloved a small break for now…

For a minute or two the four occupants of the Pataki table just sat and ate in peaceful silence. Eventually, Miriam found her gaze turning away from the happy face of her daughter (who was just eating and occasionally glancing at Arnold out of the corner of her eye), and for a few seconds she couldn't help but just smile gratefully at the equally content face of the nice boy (who was just eating as well, and also maybe giving a quick glance or two to the girl beside him) who had taken such an interest in her…

Then seeing out of the corner of her own eye her husband pick up a bowl, load something more onto his plate and put the bowl down, Miriam then picked it up herself and held it out to the children. "Would either of you kids like some more potatoes before they're all gone?"

Arnold looked up and smiled at her. "Sure, Mrs. Pataki. Thank you." He reached forward and grabbed the bowl, scooped out some of the last of what it contained and put it on his plate. He then looked to Helga, still holding the large serving spoon. "Would you like some, Helga?"

Helga turned and just half smiled at him, but shook her head and then rested it against one of her fists, her elbow on the table. "No thanks, Football Head, I'll pass." As her beloved placed the bowl back down on the table, seeing her mother starting a conversation with her father now and her father's attention turn away from the kids and in Miriam's direction, Helga lowered her voice a little so that only the two of them could hear…that small half smile still upon her face. "I wanna save room for popcorn and candy later…and of course for my dessert." She went back to her plate, just moving around a bit of this and a bit of that with her fork.

Arnold picked up his own fork and grabbed a bite of food with it, putting it in his mouth and swallowing. "Oh." Come to think of it, though, he hadn't really considered what the menu would be before coming over here (as long as he got to be with Helga, who really cared what they ate, right?) "What's for dessert, Helga?" he asked to her with genuine innocence, looking down at his plate again as he went to take another bite of food.

"Your lips." She shrugged, just barely glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

She watched with amusement as Arnold's eyes instantly went wide and his forked dropped from his hand to his plate. A distinct rosiness that she knew he had been trying at all costs to avoid this evening finally fully flowered in his face.

Recalling that it would probably not be best to bring her parent's attentions to them considering the sight of her beloved, Helga gave it her all to not let her current smirk turn into full blown laughter.

* * *

_Twenty minutes later…_

"Helga, sweetie, would you come and help me get the plates and everything from the kitchen for dessert?"

"Huh? Oh, sure Miriam!" Helga replied with a smile, pushing back her chair and standing up. She turned back to table for a moment and announced brightly, "Be right back!" It sounded like a general statement to her father and Arnold…though she was clearly looking a bit more at the latter as she said it (at least, from Miriam's visual angle on the situation). Helga finally released Arnold's hand for the first time since they'd sat down as she stood and prepared to join her mother for a moment in the other room.

"I'll be counting the minutes…" Arnold managed to reply to her under his breath and Helga had to try seriously hard not to burst into giggles as she recalled that telephone conversation they'd had that Saturday a million years ago when she was still just his poetry tutor and not his girlfriend.

* * *

In the kitchen, Helga approached her mother and began grabbing some napkins from the counter.

Not much to her surprise, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a small, all-knowing smile came to Miriam's face as she spoke while grabbing the ice cream from the fridge and the pie from near the oven. "Well, I'll say this for you, Helga…you certainly picked a very smart and very interesting boy for your first crush." The older woman did her best not to laugh to herself, bumping the fridge door shut with her hip.

Helga just rolled her eyes, now grabbing the silverware from a drawer and the plates from the cupboard, though she was obviously grinning just a little. '_Yeah, I was expecting a comment or two when she asked me to come in here and help her_…' "Thank you, Miriam…" Helga began with a sigh, "But as I already explained to you I'm not Olga and he's not just my 'first cru—' "

Miriam instantly corrected herself, speaking sincerely. "Right, of course—he's your Arnold and you're 'practically in love' with him. I'm sorry Helga, I'll try not to forget."

Helga felt her smiling face blush as she headed for the door back to the dining room with the plates, cutlery and napkins, but she tried to manage to hold her head high and to maintain a note of pride and dignity in her voice as she replied, "Good. Thank you, Miri—Mom."

"Oh…and Helga…" Miriam suddenly called out to her daughter (still in that all-knowing voice), turning toward her.

Helga paused in the middle of being about to push the door open with her elbow and glanced back over her shoulder at her mother, part of her brow raised. "Yeah, Miriam?"

Miriam just smiled…and actually did her best not to laugh as she asked with an eyebrow raised, pie and ice cream in hand. "Was he really holding your hand the whole time we've been eating? I mean, I saw him grab it when you both sat down and I saw you let his go just now when you sat up but I wasn't sure if you two kept it up for the entire forty five minutes…"

Helga instantly felt herself blush very warmly. Her eyes went wide and she glanced away nervously, not having expected AT ALL that her and Arnold had _actually_ been made ('_Oh well—better by Miriam than by Bob_!'). She swallowed and did her best to play it off, pushing the door open slightly. "Oh, well, that's just…uh…what can I say?" She shrugged and grinned. "Whenever old Football Head thinks I'm getting nervous about something he grabs my hand or my shoulder or whatever—some screwy idea of his that his touch calms me down. Heh, heh..." she finished with a nervous chuckle.

Miriam just giggled to herself at this admission, walking forward toward Helga and the door with the dessert. "Well, it's very sweet, Helga. He really is a wonderful person and he really does care about you."

Helga just smiled to herself happily as she exited to the hallway with her mother behind her. "Yeah…I know."

Miriam smiled warmly to herself once more and then suddenly mumbled under her breath, "Even_ I_ can't work B that well…" as she walked past her daughter and across the hall toward the dining room entrance.

Helga remained frozen and wide eyed for a second at this comment of her mother's… but then blinked and shook her head a few times to clear it with an amused smile. She raced after Miriam, catching up with her before she entered the dining room. "Okay, okay, I get it…" she whispered with a slight blush at her mother's acknowledgment of her beloved's skills at proving himself to her father. "We're just precious and he's just perfect." She couldn't help but smile a bit more though she tried to sound sarcastic as she finished with, "Now, can we just get to dessert so that Arnold and I can finally get to our movie? I think after all of this tonight (despite how UNBELIEVABLY well it's gone) I deserve at least a little alone time with the little shrimp."

Miriam just chuckled warmly in affirmation as she and Helga finally entered the dining room. She then turned to her husband and her daughter's boyfriend, holding up the two items in her hands. "Dessert is served, boys!" she announced brightly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Pataki!" Arnold replied with an appreciative smile as she placed the pie and gallon of ice cream upon the table…and he did his best not to blush at the word 'dessert' considering what 'someone' had said to him involving that word not too long ago…

"Yeah," Bob took a big inhale through his nose and smiled, "It smells great Miriam. Better than Olga's even!" He quickly turned from the pie back to Arnold, though...as though continuing a conversation with him…? "So, wait, you actually met Mickey Kaline—and you've got his rookie card."

Arnold nodded, looking back at him now as well. "Yup. He's…kind of a friend of mine. And he's got a great hot dog restaurant only a few blocks away now that he's retired."

Huh…well apparently Arnold and Bob had chosen to fill the time alone with…even more mutual conversation…and mutual conversation that had nothing to do with Arnold trying to make Bob feel more comfortable about him and Helga spending so much time together.

'_This is getting creepier and creepier_…' Helga couldn't help but think to herself, setting plates before her father and mother and then herself and Arnold. '_I mean there's trying to impress my Dad but he doesn't have to go overboard. Maybe I should say something to him…'_

Bob, meanwhile, actually laughed warmly at hearing about Arnold's close relationship with Mickey Kaline. "Well, I'll be—you know I saw him play in his first game back in the 70s…" He looked off nostalgically.

"Wow, Mr. Pataki," Arnold replied, sounding even more genuinely interested now, and Helga just had to raise part of her brow at this fact. Indeed, her beloved's eyes actually seemed to light up at hearing about someone else who was familiar with one of his personal sports heroes. "I'd like to hear about that!" Arnold then announced as he went for a scoop of ice cream…making Helga's jaw actually drop slightly.

Bob smiled and took a piece of pie and then some ice cream for himself. "Well, let's see…I was about twenty back then and dating your mother, Helga…" He glanced at his daughter for a second but then went back to his food…and Arnold… "…And we had no money and nosebleed seats like you wouldn't believe…" He chuckled to himself. "Anyway…" Bob continued on with the recounting of his memory.

Helga rolled her eyes to herself and gave a very rapt Arnold a slight nudge before whispering very quietly into his ear (now that her father was distracted with one of his 'sports stories'), "Now you've done it, Football Head—he'll be off on 'tales of his great days as an athlete' all night. I know you're trying to get on his good side, Arnold, but there's a lim—"

"Helga, shh, I really want to hear this!" Arnold said quietly back to her, still listening to Bob, and still looking more at him than at Helga. "I'm a really big fan of Mickey Kaline…" He smiled a bit more and mumbled to himself. "Wow, I never met anyone who had been there the first time he played…I have to ask Mickey about that game the next time I go to the Dog Pound…"

Helga just blinked and looked from Arnold to her Dad, to Arnold to her Dad and then blinked again. And then realized something she'd never thought she'd realize in her entire life. '_This…this isn't part of some loopy plan anymore, is it? Arnold…Arnold actually likes talking to my Dad!_' And then finally she just sat back with an amused smile and took a bite of her pie. '_Well what do you know…my dad…and ARNOLD…actually have something in…COMMON. And he's got stuff in common with Miriam too of all things_…' She couldn't help but laugh to herself slightly, recalling the synchronized swimming thing. '_Heh…Only Arnold could manage to fit in both at the Boarding House and here, and still be the most wonderful and unique person I've ever met. Only my Arnold…_'

…And it was then that Helga got a very fun idea indeed. '_I mean, as long as things are going so well…guess I could through a little caution to the wind… Besides, come on…I never could pass up a prime chance to mess with Arnold!'_

"Hey, Football Head…" she suddenly glanced to Arnold and spoke in a low voice as he took a small break from being fixated on her Dad to snag a piece of pie for himself, "Just remember not to fill up too much on pie and ice cream considering we're still going to be getting plenty of snacks at the movies after this…remember?" She asked the question with a smirk and suddenly grabbed his hand under the table again, lacing their fingers. "Yes sir…plenty of 'sugar' to be had at the movies…" she finished almost in a whisper.

'_Sugar…?_' Arnold paused for a second at the strange way she'd emphasized the word, an eyebrow raised…and then he felt his eyes go wide as realization set in coupled with the jolt of heat that suddenly surged through him at the feeling of her so intimately intertwining their hands once more. He swallowed and turned back in her direction for just a moment, trying to play off her sudden advances as best he could…especially since Bob was looking right in their direction as he continued reminiscing. He swallowed and smiled sheepishly. "Oh, uh…right. Th-thanks for reminding me, Helga…" he whispered to her, trying to sound casual.

She just let out a slight giggle, her eyes just a little half lidded as she glanced at him out of the corner of them. "No problem, Football Head…" she whispered back. "That's what I'm here for—to keep you on your toes and make sure you don't forget about what's really important." She winked in his direction.

Arnold did his best to glance away from her without blushing and to resume fully listening to Bob talk.

'_Oh yeah—__this__ is fun_…' Helga felt her smile grow just a bit more…and then continued with her entertainment.

"You're cute when you're torn between being a boy and being a boyfriend, you know that, Arnold?" she managed to whisper under her breath then as she leaned near him with the pretext of grabbing one of the napkins currently in front of him. She squeezed his hand just a little harder, caressing his fingers mixed with her own just slightly, and smiled to herself as she sat back in her seat and finally saw that familiar slight blush she had been going for creep fully into his cheeks (not as prominently as when she'd made the 'dessert' comment, but it was still there if you looked for it, nonetheless).

Still trying his best to keep his attention on Bob, an only slightly smiling Arnold managed to whisper to Helga under his breath in response under the pretext of taking a sip of his water, "I'm going to find a way to get you back for this, Helga… Making me blush like this right now really isn't funny…It was bad enough before with that dessert thing you said but now your Dad's specifically looking over here…"

"Yeah, well…" she began with a shrug under her breath, knowing full well that now that Bob liked Arnold there was almost nothing he could do to get on his bad side, "You just don't think it's funny because you're not watching you right now…it's actually hysterical by the way… And as for getting me back…bring it on…!" '_What's he going to do—make me get all giddy at the movies? Please—I HOPE he makes me get all giddy at the movies! Just for STARTERS!'_

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Pataki but…" Arnold suddenly interrupted Big Bob to turn to Miriam for just a second with a smile and say politely. "I just wanted to say again that this really is great apple pie, Mrs. Pataki. Some of the best I've had in a while."

"Why thank you, Arnold!" She smiled back at him (which meant that her gaze was now on the two children…which meant that there was now an audience to see Helga blush if Arnold chose to make her do so). '_Oh well_…' he half smiled to himself in nostalgia, considering the interesting and amusing idea that had suddenly popped into his head, '_Technically it's not something I haven't done before_…' His thoughts drifted back a couple of weeks for just a moment.

And then Helga found out exactly what Arnold meant by 'getting her back' when she suddenly felt his hand release hers and suddenly proceed to latch onto one of her knees underneath the table, giving it a very firm squeeze. She blushed furiously at the unexpected sensation, though she tried to hide it from her parents by drinking more water. (The small giggle she heard Miriam give, though, told her that the older woman was more than aware of the sudden burst of scarlet upon her daughter's features. '_Oh well…I might be hearing some good-natured ribbing from her for a few days but at least since Football did that little trick under the table she won't know exactly what's making me blush like crazy right now... Still, I'm going to have fun trying to come up with a believable excuse about this one for her…_')

At the same time that these thoughts about how to deal with this situation later were going through her head, it was also taking everything Helga had not to just plain sigh girlishly and melt under the touch of her beloved's hand upon her like that…giving in to her natural compulsion to cuddle in so closely to him like she'd spent the better part of last night dreaming about doing…

The feeling of Arnold then (with a small half smirk as he continued looking to her parents more than her, trying to act like nothing out of the ordinary was happening with him and Helga) wrapping one of his feet around one of her ankles didn't help much.

'_Wow__, he's good…_' she had to admit with a small, lovesick (and quite impressed) smile at this sudden secondary bold move of her beloved's for 'getting her back'…her heart fluttering madly and ceaselessly.

* * *

A few minutes later Miriam stood up and began clearing the table. Bob offered to help.

Left alone with Arnold for a little while now in the dining room, Helga smirked and said in a low voice, trying to keep her face looking casual in case either of the two adults walked back in. "Oh yeah…you really are hooked on me, Football Head…literally AND figuratively!" She giggled, securing her foot a little more around his. Yes, at first this action on his part had been a little surprising and quite a bit much for her to take in…but eventually she'd 'gotten used to it' to say the least. She let out a sigh, her gaze growing even more lovesick if that was possible, and rested her head in her hand. "So, what daydreams are those dazed eyes of yours hiding inside of that wide and wonderfully shaped head of yours, Arnoldo? Moving that hand on my knee around my waist, using your other hand to play with my hair …and to top it all off just plain kissing me again especially since you're finally not terrified of our lips touching anymore…and since you finally know that your kisses really are just 'terrific'…?"

She watched a touch of redness build in Arnold's face as he responded, trying to look casual as well for cover. "_Helga_…!"

"… 'Innocently' exclaimed the guy who still has his hand on my knee and his leg wrapped around mine…" She did her best not to giggle again. "Come on, you know this is going somewhere later, Arnold…" She let out the happiest sigh imaginable. "Or _sooner_…" She winked.

Arnold glanced down with a small smile, still blushing (he didn't make a move to stop any of their contact though). "Well, after everything you put me through at the end there, you had to know it'd get to me a little… And also, it was fun watching _you_ trying to cover up blushing from your parents for a change." He almost chuckled and then looked into her eyes. "Remember Helga, the Arnold who lets you do whatever you want to him and doesn't do anything back checked out a long time ago…" He rested his head upon his unoccupied hand, his elbow on the table, mimicking what she was doing. "On a rooftop, if I remember right…"

She just let out a sigh, allowing herself to get fully lost in his eyes for a moment before finally saying in a playfully sarcastic tone, "Oh just shut up and help me help Bob and Miriam get the last of these plates to the kitchen so that we can get out of here and finally quit acting like we're just really REALLY good friends…" Reluctantly Helga unwound her leg from Arnold's and stood, causing his hand to drop from her knee. She grabbed a plate or two.

Arnold just continued gazing at her with a smile for a moment longer, but then let out a sigh, realizing she was right. His natural sense of responsibility slowly returning to him, he reached forward and pulled a plate or two in front of him at the table. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Oh I don't plan to have my mouth available to 'say' much of anything pretty soon, Arnold. Looks like you'll have to think for yourself for once… You're a creative kid though—you'll come up with something, I'm sure…" Helga felt her heart skip wildly as she then, without turning to face him and still with that small smile on her face, approached the dining room exit with her small stack of dirty dishes, just hoping that the scarlet searing her cheeks would clear up a little by the time she got to the kitchen so that Bob and Miriam wouldn't notice too much.

Arnold's head picked up and his eyes went a little wide at yet another highly suggestive comment from her this evening… But then his shock quickly ebbed and a grin returned to his face. For a moment, though, he had to just rest his head with his half lidded eyes upon one of his hands again and let out a sigh as he watched her go, entering the hallway and then the kitchen. "Gerald and Grandpa are right…" he said quietly to himself, "I'm a goner for her, aren't I?" He remained lost in his lovesickness for a few more seconds…

"Hey, Football Head, you getting in here or what? Come on—_you're_ the one who's all anxious to go to the movies! Besides, we don't want to have to get seats in the back in the dark or anything!" Helga suddenly called from the kitchen in a scolding yet playful (and secretly suggestive) tone.

At the sound of her voice his eyes lit up just a bit and he stood, snatching up the few plates in front of him… He paused once more, though, looking off into the direction he'd just watched Helga go and from where her voice had just come…and thinking once more about that last little private joke of hers she'd just thrown in about the movies…

Then his eyes went just a bit narrow and his grin picked up just a bit on one side as he added to himself with interest before finally leaving the dining room behind, "…But what a woman to be gone about!"

* * *

Not too much time later, Arnold and Helga were finally out on Helga's front stoop in the cool spring evening air, ready to be on their way to the movies…and finally some time alone together.

Arnold leaned down a little and gestured forward to the sidewalk with his arm, smiling at the girl alongside him. "After you, Helga…"

Helga smirked and sighed. She grabbed the hand of his extended arm. "Why don't we just go at the same time Mr. Chivalry, okay?" And then she pulled a happy Arnold down the few steps to the sidewalk with her.

Now finally not in sight of her door (and her parents, if either one of them chose to look out and check on things) Helga looked at Arnold with a bit of a coy smile and said with a giggle underlying her voice, "Well, well, well…looks like it's finally Arnold and Helga time again. Crimeny, after all of that I almost can't _remember_ the last time we had some privacy…in person, at least…" she added jokingly, referring to their phone calls over the last twenty-four hours (and also kind of circling in to talk about certain things from said phone calls…).

Arnold's smile picked up on one side and to her pleasant surprise rather than just agreeing with her he sighed and responded simply in a quiet voice, "…I…can remember, Helga…" A tinge of a blush crept into his features.

She had to laugh at the sight, but then just let out a sigh and grabbed his hand again, and finally started strolling up the street. With a look of confusion at first Arnold followed just behind her.

"Come on, Arnold…" Helga quickly explained, still smiling but not looking at him as she continued keeping him in tow, "If we start something here and now one of us will just end up pressed against the side of my house all night while the other one presses themselves against them. And I think the last thing either of us want is my parents coming out to take out the trash and seeing us playing 'FTi confession' together."

Arnold's look of confusion left his face instantly and then he, with a small smile, swallowed and had to agree with a nod. "You're probably right, Helga…" He considered for a second, and then glanced up at her (now having matched her stride so that he was alongside her, and holding her hand just as much as she was holding his). "Besides, I think it really is important for us to keep doing things together besides kissing. I mean…the kissing….it's…"

"Amazing?" she supplied, raising part of her brow in amusement at him.

"I'm…starting to go more with magical, to be honest…especially after last night…" Arnold had to admit with a blush, glancing forward (part of his poetry writing today had been trying out a few other adjectives besides amazing to describe what Helga's kisses felt like…and magical was the closest to the truth by far, so far). He continued, shifting his gaze back to her face once more. "But I think it's only so good because we work so good together even without it, if that makes any sense." He smiled sincerely at her. "We get along and enjoy things that complement each other really well, and we help each other…and so when we kiss…all that stuff makes it that much better…" He let out an involuntary sigh. "Of course it does help that when we do it together it's…it really is kind of magical…" His smile picked up just a bit more…and he added shyly, glancing down once again, "You know… I don't think I could ever find anyone else in the whole world quite like you, even if I tried, Helga G. Pataki… I think you're the only person I could ever have such a good time with…and also the only one who can really give one of those kisses you give…"

He heard Helga chuckle warmly to herself, and then watched out of the corner of his eye as she just stared lovingly at him as they walked on for a few more seconds. Finally she let out a breath…and spoke in a surprisingly impressed tone. "You know, you are one smooth talker, Arnold… Really, it's almost a gift… You could charm practically any girl into a lip lock with you if you tried hard enough, couldn't you?" Her smile picked up just a bit more. "Even one who doesn't need all that much charming to go for it…"

Arnold blinked, his eyes going instantly wide, and the full force blush returning completely to his face once again that evening. "Helga, I…I'm not trying to…" he started desperately. After all, this was what he had been afraid of…what he'd been trying to express to her last night when he'd confessed his fears about the kissing…that somehow he'd like it so much that he might start doing or saying things to get her to do it, without even realizing it. '_What if I really have started doing that and didn't even realize it?' _"I-I mean," he stuttered, trying his best to reassure the girl before him that at least he hadn't been intentionally trying to 'charm a kiss out of her' by just…saying nice things! "I really meant everything I said—everything I _say_! I wouldn't just say things to get you to—…to get you to kis—"

Helga, however, instantly held up her free hand, suddenly cutting him off. "Hey, hey, relax, Arnold, I didn't mean that I think you're just trying to butter me up or something just so you can score some 'magical kisses.'" She smirked at him a bit. "By the way, 'magical'? Crimeny, either I'm really _really_ good, or that little football headed heart of yours is just overcompensating for having been starved the attention of a superior girlfriend like me for so many years." She chuckled to herself, then let out a sigh and continued, dropping her hand. "But anyway, my point is that I didn't mean that you're flirting with me with some ulterior motive in mind." Her smile was sincere. "I believe everything that comes out of your mouth, Arnold, because I love you and because I know you and it's all always been the truth unless you've had a really good reason for it not to be. I just meant that…well…" she glanced down and felt her stomach do a flip, "You really know how to make a girl feel special with all those wonderful things you say and don't even realize…And if just how wonderful and understanding and caring and kind you are ever wasn't enough for someone to want to kiss you...at the very least that lovely way you have of talking would do the trick…"

Arnold's confused and worried look remained for a second longer…but then eventually melted into an understanding smile. "Oh…well…thanks, Helga… Um…" He swallowed in a touch of shyness. "Just…trying to be 'romantic' …" He shrugged.

She giggled just a little at the ironic phrase...the one that had started this whole interesting and unexpected weekend. "Yeah, I gathered…" Her smile picked up on one side. "Actually," she continued sincerely, "as long as we've got this little walk to the movies to go with just talking, along with how impressive all that stuff you said was tonight in terms of winning over my parents, I kind of did want the chance to point out that natural little gift you seem to have for making a girl's heart pound, my angel…and to let you know how much I like it…"

She watched that embarrassed little wide-eyed look come to his face for just a moment at yet another pet name, and did her best not to giggle again.

Arnold, meanwhile, was doing his best to deal with how much his own heart was pounding considering the fact that not only had Helga G. Pataki just called him her 'angel' (which she hadn't done since she'd thrown him on the floor in that monologuing state last night) but…she had just said that he was so good at flirting with her that he could make _her_ heart pound. That he had a gift for it. And that she liked it…

"You who, earth to Arnold?" Arnold blinked several times at the sight of Helga's free hand suddenly being waved in front of his face. "Come on, where's that suave little king of charisma who's suddenly blossomed over the last twenty four hours?" She smirked at him, more than just a little this time.

Now _that_ question (and the nickname that had accompanied it) made Arnold's breathing pick up a little and the blush fully form in his face again. "Helga…_please_…" he managed a little desperately…though the traces of a smile were still more than present. "I…I told you, I understand everything you said last night about being comfortable with…with how being around you makes me feel, but it might just take a little while for it to completely sink in and…and besides…." Even more of a shy smile blossomed upon his face. "I don't even know where all those things last night on the phone came from, to be honest… They just felt right so I said them… And they made you happy so I said more of them…."

She moved herself closer beside him as they walked. "Well, I've gotta say enough cute little things managed to come out of your mouth over the last hour too that I don't think that was just a fluke, Football Head. And outside of romance, like I said, you managed to win my dad over pretty quickly with the way you handled those conversations with him." She raised part of her brow at him, half smiling. "And I must say it's a little surprising Football head—I don't remember you being nearly so verbally adept before…especially when it came to any of the other girls…" She did her best not to laugh. "Actually mostly I just remember you barely having it in you to talk to them, and if you did it was usually you stuttering like crazy and fumbling all over yourself." She raised part of her brow. "What button did I press exactly to make you suddenly have such a way with spontaneous words?" And to be honest she wasn't just teasing him right now—she was a little curious. Indeed, Helga could still recall Arnold never having talked to Ruth except for that Valentine's day, and then there was that one time he had crashed into Helga in the cafeteria because he'd been so nervous about just asking Lila to the cheese festival…

Arnold took a second to absorb her question and then had to smile as certain memories and feelings came to mind. "Well…I guess it's because no one else ever made me feel even half the things you make me feel, Helga. I tried to explain it to my Grandpa once… It's like…" he considered his words, "It's like…" Then suddenly he let out a sigh and looked to her with just a touch of hesitation. "Helga, are you sure you're, um…comfortable with me talking about, um…liking other people…?" He couldn't help but recall the fact that, except for that brief comparison of appearances last night, Helga seemed to have omitted the topic of former crushes from their conversations.

Helga, meanwhile blinked at his random question, raising part of her brow even higher…but a second later she just glanced forward and down slightly as though in thought for a moment, and then she glanced back at him with a half smile. "Hey, the end of the story is that you're mine now, right?"

He smiled and almost laughed at the question. "Of course…But…" He glanced down again. "I just wanted to make sure…I mean, I feel like…like it must have been really hard for you seeing me caring about other people when you cared about me so much."

He continued walking, just looking forward and down, until he felt the warm hand in his own give a firm squeeze.

He glanced up to see Helga smiling warmly at him, her blue eyes looking lovely as always. "Arnold…it's really sweet of you to care so much about my feelings but…crimeny, the past is the past. If it has to get brought up in the context of something then just bring it up!" She chuckled. "Especially if it's to compare how those other girls couldn't hold a candle to the apparent amazing/magical/wonderfulness that is me!" She winked at him…and then gave him a bit of a smirk. "Are you sure you aren't projecting a bit, Football Head… Maybe _you're_ the one not comfortable mentioning it…?"

Arnold swallowed his eyes going a little wide. "Well…I…" And, yes, quite possibly he _was_ the one with the problem…the idea of bringing up his past romantic escapades feeling a little awkward to say the least. "_Maybe_…" he finally admitted with a swallow, "But I…I guess it's just because… Well, I don't want to ever make it seem like I consider you on the same level as them…because you're really, really special to me, Helga…" He had to smile at her. "And I guess that actually takes us back to your question of why I act differently around you than I did around them…" He glanced forward with that small smile as he talked. "With Ruth or Lila or that Summer girl…they made me feel kind of nervous and goofy around them all the time, and I'd kind of build up only the good parts of them until I barely felt like it was okay for me to say anything around them because somehow it wouldn't be good enough for them… But…but with you…" He let out a happy sigh, and his smile picked up on one side and he glanced to her again. "With you… I feel happy and excited and I guess a little nervous too, and then it alternates with me being curious and having fun with you and finding it interesting that you get nervous around me. And just like how you know I'm a real person with real flaws like you said last night, I know and accept that about you too…"

He stopped walking and she stopped too, a very intrigued look upon her face. They still held each other's hands. Arnold considered for just a second, and then continued… "And so, I guess what I'm saying is I see you as a whole person, Helga…and I like you for everything about you and for who you really are, not just as some ideal girl." He paused and then added, his ideas continuing. "And so… I think that's why I can talk around you different from how I talked around other people, Helga...heck, why I can even write poetry about you." His smile grew again and he gazed into her eyes. "Because I love you for you…and also…like I said, I love how saying nice things to you makes you sigh and smile and say nice things back, and especially how you laugh…how you…well, it actually…" He then swallowed and had to break away from her wide blue eyes again as he admitted with a slight blush, "It actually makes you giggle, of all things, Helga…when I say all of that stuff… And it's the…cutest sound I've every heard." He laughed to himself once again and had to try and not chuckle more as he added, really savoring the feeling of her hand still in his, "You know, after Gerald and Phoebe left before and we were finally alone outside your house, I was thinking a little after one of the times when I looked at you and you were blushing and kind of looking at my shyly…and I decided that if you had looked at me even once just like that over the last seven years that it wouldn't have taken until after your confession to make my heart skip a beat around you for the first time… and I think the same thing goes for if you'd ever giggled around me…"

He just glanced up at her shyly now, hoping he'd explained his feelings well…and also smiling quite dreamily into her blushing, blinking, mouth half agape face.

'_He…he said…the way I lau—giggle…he said it's the cutest sound he's ever…and that it would have made him…__and__ that how I blush would have made him…even before I…._' And then in her total elation she had to just grin and let out one of those giggles he liked so much.

Arnold shut his eyes for a moment at the response, the pleasant smile still on his face. He let out a satisfied sigh. "Yeah, that was it…_that_ sound." He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "That alone's enough to let me always find something new and interesting and nice to say about you, Helga…"

And then he blinked and smiled at the feeling of her suddenly separating their hands, moving forward and hugging him tightly and happily. "…Kind of like you just did, my articulate little angel?"

He was about to open his mouth and say something when she suddenly pulled away only to gaze into his eyes with hers half lidded…and the look couldn't help but make him recall how she'd acted last night after he'd confessed his problem with the kissing and she'd suddenly lost it a little. "_Now_…" she took his hand once more and began…in a lower voice, of course (which of course, in turn, couldn't help but make Arnold swallow hard)… "Why don't you move onto saying a few more daring things just like last night, my Arnold…about a dinner for two with a little French food…me sneaking over to your house well after we're both supposed to be asleep…how I should eat pork rinds more often…"

Arnold instantly felt his heart rate pick up at these specific reminders of some of the more…intense things she'd liked so much from last night. Blood rushed into his face. "He-Helga…" He tried to lean a bit away from her but she was all but leaning over him…fluttering her eyes…smiling as nicely as she could…obviously waiting for something from him…

…Which he was still just a little too new at this whole thing to give just yet… "Helga…" he had to repeat in just a bit of a distressed voice, looking at her nervously. "Please…" '_It's just…a little too much…for just now… I… I think I kind of need to absorb that side of her in small doses… It'd actually help if it was more preplanned too…_' And yet he couldn't deny at the back of his mind, '_Although…there is something to be said for having her surprise me like she does…every __once__ in a while…'_

Coming out of his thoughts, Arnold watched a small look of disappointment come to Helga's eyes for just a moment as she finally absorbed his small plea (and then that way she had of pouting he'd been noticing came…that lower lip of hers pushing out just slightly…that lower lip that he actually couldn't help but find progressively distracting every time he noticed it…)

…But then before he could think more about these things she took a deep breath and let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment…and then finally pulled back a bit. She got her eyes open and looked to Arnold with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Okay, you're right, you're right, Football Head…We already agreed we shouldn't start anything in the middle of a street and besides, I know, you still need time to get used to things…" She gave him a half smile. "But you know, that way with words of yours I mentioned…and what it does to me…it's nothing to be embarrassed about…" She almost laughed. "I mean, I have my poetry that makes _you_ happy and smile…and now it looks like you have that silver tongue of yours to make _me_ happy and smile…" She then rolled her eyes and added with a blush, "Besides if _I_ can handle you reading about my musings about you as the most intoxicating, attractive, incredible, undeniable person on the planet, then I think we can eventually get _you_ able to handle me bringing up you more or less encouraging me to sleepwalk right into your warm, sleeping arms…"

Arnold blushed even more at her sudden recalling again of possibly the most daring thing he'd suggested last night on the phone in his daze after their anniversary, and instantly avoided all eye contact with Helga... though his small smile was there. "Helga, please…not…not just yet, okay? I…" He let out a sigh. "I…Can we just take this slowly…and maybe have a change of topic for now? Especially since I already explained to you more than I thought I could have done tonight…about how you make me feel and stuff." He managed to glance back up at her, hoping for her sympathy…though doubting he'd get it. _'She's probably loving every minute of this conversation too much to just let me—'_

"Okay, Football Head. Topic change it is." And with this more than agreeable reply, Helga began walking forward once more.

Arnold was rather surprised to say the least at the sight of her shrugging and saying those words, and at the feeling of her pulling him slightly along again. "Really?" he had to raise an eyebrow, finally matching stride with her once more that evening.

Helga just nodded at him, an average sort of smile on her face. "Yup."

Arnold felt a touch of relief wash over him and the pounding of his heart start to ebb. "Okay, Helga…thanks." He looked to her with a grateful smile. "So… what do you want to talk about?"

She just looked forward, the smile on her face unchanging, and replied simply, "You doing something as hysterical and yet unbelievably cute as synchronized swimming that one time…and, speaking of which, where I can get a videotape of that little escapade."

She glanced out of the corner of her eye only to see a very wide-eyed Arnold now staring straight forward, all former color gone from his cheeks and then some.

A second of silence passed.

"So…you like when I find nice ways to tell you how cute you are and flirt with you about romantic stuff we could be doing together, huh? Well, at least that means I've got some natural talent at this boyfriend thing, right, heh, heh…?"

Helga stopped walking again, let go of Arnold's hand to cross her arms over her chest, and just looked at him and his decision to go on with talking about that bold way his dark side had of romancing her over the fact that she now had the image of him synchronized swimming on her mind. "Football Head…" she finally managed, and then had to give into warm laughter, shaking her head, "You crack me up!"

Arnold, paused in his walking now as well, just took a deep breath and let out a sigh and then glanced up at her with a small smile and a blush. _'I can't believe I even reminded her of that synchronized swimming thing in the first place…and of course she knew it'd be the one thing I wouldn't want to talk about more than anything else, even all of this flirting stuff… She knows me better than anyone…doesn't she?_' His thoughts finishing, Arnold then shrugged, deciding to just make the best of it…especially if he really did have the ability to make Helga feel as good as she'd said he could if he tried. "Just…trying to the best angel I can be…" Arnold made his eyes a little half lidded, swallowed…and then added, taking her hand shyly in his once more, "…for the most heavenly girl in the world…"

Helga had to blink several times at this response, her heart fluttering and her eyes half lidded. She gave a small giggle. _'Alright, I __know__ him—once I get him started__, look out_! _But first, a little motivation… Don't want to seem like too much of a pushover for that silver tongue_…' "Eh, that might have been a little cheesy, Football Head…" Helga tried to say more casually than girlishly, though it was pretty hard considering how adorable that little 'heavenly' comment really had been. "Come on, score another one for the smooth talker, Arnold—I know you've got it in you…"

Arnold raised his arm and gave her a small kiss on the back of the hand, not breaking contact with her eyes. "Well, while you keep score let's keep walking to the movies because we're almost late and I know how much you said you _don't_ want to end up in the back in the dark…" He allowed their clasped hands to lower, and then he turned forward shyly and started to walk again.

Helga followed slightly behind him, a slightly impressed grin upon her lovesick face. "Much better, Football Head…" Any degree of casualness was fading fast, and she knew it…and didn't care one bit. "You got me blushing and everything…"

"…And we haven't even gotten into the theatre yet…" he replied without missing a bit, looking to her happily, "I guess I really am good at being a boyfriend…" '_Wow, she's right_…' he couldn't help but observe to himself in amusement, '_I didn't really notice it before but this stuff's kind of just coming to me… I'm just happy it makes her so happy…_' He considered for another second. '_Hmm…maybe instead of my writing down stuff for my next poem I should try just saying it out loud first…'_

Helga, meanwhile, now grinning ear to ear, finally had to let out the girlish sigh of total elation that had been building up within her. She did manage a scoff though as she added before another giggle, "And now you're just showing off, Arnoldo…"

Both kids shared some warm and well-deserved laughter as they then just continued to make their way through the last few streets to the awaiting theater…

* * *

**A/N:  
**

I know, I know, they didn't kiss and there was all that build up and flirting! But the next chapter's the part of their date that's alone…and something unexpected happens but it leads to fun just the same ;) Also, we get to see how Gerald and Phoebe's date ends! ;)

Okay, now as for when the next update can be… so, as I've mentioned I'm working full time and doing a bunch of things…and I'm taking my graduate school entrance exam in four weeks so even though I really REALLY don't want to (like really REALLY don't want to), I think I'm going to have to wait until after it's over to give you guys what comes next. I'm just really nervous about this test and it's really important to do well on it so I can get into an awesome grad school and finally go after my dream of getting a doctorate in English literature :) I really will try and get it to you guys asap though, but a month's probably going to be the minimum. I've been doing work here and there on **the sequel to "A Perfect Ten" (called "April 2****nd**") and trying to review some stuff with **"Dinner AND a Show**" so there's a chance something with one of those might get up in the meantime. And of course, **me and NintendoGal are still doing "The Elevator"** so you can check that out in the meantime as well if you want :)

Anyway, thanks for understanding guys, and please oh please oh please review! ;)

Happy Reading! (and a Happy belated 4th of July to all my readers in the States…although Delaware didn't ratify anything until like August or something so I still don't get why we celebrate the independence of the US in July but…as long as I get fireworks and ice cream I'm basically good ;) ).

~Azure129 aka Jenna :)

AXH FOREVER!


	11. A Double Dose of Date Dénouement!

**A/N:  
**  
Oh hello lovely HA! fandom! Okay, okay, it's two weeks til my test so that means I'm spending the next 14 days in total study submersion, so we're looking at another four weeks in total until the next chapter, but for now please enjoy nearly 25 thousand words of HA! antics leading to the culmination of Sunday night for our favorite cartoon couple! Lol, half the reason I'm getting this up right now is because by including the word 'dénouement' (one of my vocab words—yay!) I could kind of sort of write it off as 'studying' lol ;) Anyway, I hope you guys like it and please review because they make me smile so much! (Just like someone else lately…you, uh, know who you are, lol ;P)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 11:**

**A Double Dose of Date Dénouement!**

* * *

"So…it's about 9:30 or so…Arnold and Helga are probably just getting out of their movie…" Gerald shrugged at the young, dark-haired girl walking beside him and finally casually asked with a wry grin, "Who do you think jumped who first?"

"Gerald!" Phoebe blushed and glanced away from him, trying her best not to laugh.

"_What_? It's a legitimate question!" He announced with a smile, looking down at her…and feeling really, really happy that she was letting him hold her hand on the way back to her house. "Personally," he continued, gesturing to himself with his free hand, "_my_ money's on Helga. I'm pretty sure she knows that Arnold's _more_ than comfortable with the idea of getting kissed by her, at this point…and I think we all know _she's_ just ECSTATIC about finally having the chance to kiss _him_." He almost laughed to himself as he added in finish, "Heck, Arnold even told me this morning that last night she actually threw herself down on top of him once!"

As the couple rounded a corner, Phoebe blinked at this bit of information and looked to Gerald once more, and intrigued smile on her face, to say the least. "Really? _Again_?" the petite young girl asked, referring to certain events from Arnold and Helga's first date (which Helga had filled her in on and which Phoebe had then mentioned to Gerald in conversation).

Gerald nodded. "Mmm hmm…" he confirmed, and then let out a sigh and shook his head to himself. "I've said it before and I'll say it again—that boy's a goner for her. And now that she knows it, she's gonna give him a run for his money!" He chuckled, recalling some of the insane things from the last week or two that had resulted from Helga's obsession with Arnold…and the obsession Arnold was slowly but surely getting about Helga.

Meanwhile, Phoebe just smirked a little at the closing of her date's argument about his opinion on the matter of Arnold and Helga, and then she cleared her throat and glanced forward again. "Yes, well…personally I believe _Arnold_ was the first one to let anything happen this evening, Gerald…"

Gerald's glance turned back to Phoebe. He raised one of his eyebrows, an amused smile on his face at her small challenge to his theory. "Any logic to back that up, babe?"

Phoebe let out a chuckle, and glanced down just a little, still lightly clasping Gerald's hand as they walked. "Well, Helga's had seven years to learn how to control herself around Arnold, whereas Arnold's only had a week. But even regardless of the amount of practice they've each had, Helga's just naturally much more skilled at keeping things hidden and secret than Arnold who has always been very open and honest about his feelings. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that if Helga wanted to kiss Arnold she could easily pretend like she didn't…" she looked to Gerald again and shrugged, still with that small, amused smile, "But if Arnold wants to kiss Helga…it seems to me the only logical course of action is that he'll kiss her." Her grin picked up just a little more on one side.

Gerald had to let out a small laugh at the humorous and clever point courtesy of the girl beside him. "Point taken." He closed his eyes and shook his head in amusement as he added truthfully, "Besides, Arnold's will power with women in general is _zip_, anyway."

Phoebe chuckled to herself once more, then let out a sigh, certain other thoughts about her and Gerald's best friends entering her mind yet again that evening. She cleared her throat lightly. "Speaking of Arnold and Helga, though…maybe we shouldn't have talked about them like that before we left Helga's house this evening…"

A touch of guilt came to Phoebe's features, and Gerald more than noticed. _"Puh-lease_!" He scoffed and rolled his eyes as they rounded another corner, an amused and reassuring grin on his face. "If anyone needs to get brought down a peg it's _those two_! I mean, it's like they're the 'ultimate couple' or something and are bent on dominating every other relationship with just how insane theirs is, you know?"

Phoebe's grin picked up on one side again (much to Gerald's happiness) at this reply. "That I will give you, Gerald," she responded playfully. She then glanced forward again and added, still smiling, "Besides, what's been going on with them HAS been sort of consuming our lives a bit lately, hasn't it?"

Gerald let out a sigh and rolled his eyes up dramatically again. "_TELL_ me about it! Man, I've only known Helga's in love with Arnold for a week and I'm already so tired I can barely see straight sometimes." He glanced to Phoebe once more. "I give you credit for doing it for seven years, babe…"

Phoebe giggled at the compliment…and at the fact that Gerald had squeezed her hand just slightly when delivering it…just like he had a few times tonight, actually, when they had been walking and talking… "Thank you, Gerald," Phoebe did her best not to get too lost in her own personal romantic happiness, and continued, recalling once more the charming love story of their best friends. "At least Arnold and Helga are together now, though, and seem to have gotten past any problems…" She looked to the boy beside her hopefully and happily. "Maybe now we can all just enjoy each other's company instead of having to diffuse any more misadventures."

Gerald felt his grin pick up a little on one side at her smile…and it didn't help that her warm, small hand continued to rest so perfectly in his… He held it just a little closer once again that night…and did he mention that he was really REALLY happy she was even letting him hold it for so long in the first place! "Yeah, maybe…" he finally managed to get out with a sigh (and without his voice cracking or any nervous stuttering, thankfully!) He swallowed and then went on, feeling just a bit of that paralyzing nervousness pass as he glanced forward again during their walk. In fact, he almost laughed as he added, "Still, I don't feel like our work will be entirely done until this whole Arnold and Helga thing isn't a secret anymore." He shrugged and managed to bring his eyes over to her once again, "Here's to hoping that for now they can keep up the act in school all on their own, right?"

He watched as Phoebe just smiled and giggled at the humorous question. "I'll second that, Gerald."

It was then that they reached Phoebe's stoop.

Gerald took in and let out a deep breath, and then released Phoebe's hand (though such a large part of him wished the walk home could have gone on forever… Sure, he'd always liked Phoebe but tonight he'd actually gotten to take her out on a date! And they'd had a great time! It seemed a shame that it ever had to stop!)

Still, he knew it did…

Gerald rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and glanced at Phoebe with a sheepish smile. "Well, goodnight, Phoebe." He swallowed and cleared his throat and managed to go on with, "It was really nice getting to go to dinner with you and then going to that bookstore together and then the arcade…" He raised an eyebrow at her and had to add in surprise, "I never knew _anyone_ who could beat me at Crazy Bus."

Phoebe blushed slightly and glanced down at the compliment, putting her hands behind her back. "Oh, well…in my spare time I sometimes work out algorithms for certain video games I like, in order to increase my odds at winning…. I could show you sometime." She looked up at him just a little hopefully.

Gerald cleared his throat and straightened his tie nervously, glancing away unsurely. "Uh, sure. Algorithms…" 'I need to write down some those words she uses so I can look them up later!'

While this quick mental note processed with Gerald, Phoebe took a step toward him, looking up into his thoughtful face with a smile. "And…" she began quietly, "maybe sometime you'd let me see you perform at that club downtown that those friends of yours we met in the bookstore mentioned." She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were interested in spoken word poetry, Gerald."

Gerald blushed furiously, completely wanting to shut his eyes and smack his forehead with an open palm just as he had when THAT little incident had occurred an hour ago in the bookstore they'd been in so that Phoebe could see if the fifth grade science textbook she'd ordered to get a head start this summer had come in yet. "Oh uh…" he glanced away with a nervous smile and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling heat continuing to flood his face. "I…didn't realize we'd run into people I knew from the clubs, heh, heh…." He looked up at her cautiously. "Really, I know they invited you but…you don't have to come see me next weekend if you don't want to… I mean, you probably have a lot of other stuff you—" He stopped talking at the feeling of her suddenly taking his hand in hers again and giving it a small, warm squeeze.

His embarrassed eyes fell back to her, only to see Phoebe smiling supportively at him. "No, I'd… If you're okay with it I really would like to come, Gerald…" she finished shyly but sincerely.

It took a second for this reply to process…but when it did a goofy smile instantly came to Gerald's face and all of his embarrassment was suddenly forgotten at how sincere she seemed and how she actually (by some miracle) didn't think his poetry thing was lame or uncool…and of course at how she'd taken his hand again…and still wasn't letting it go... "Uh…okay!" he finally managed to get out brightly.

Phoebe giggled at his obviously flustered response…and then after a moment or two of silence in the late spring evening she let out a sigh and slowly (reluctantly) slipped her hand from his once more, taking one step up her stoop (simply to begin her journey inside of course… Well…and also maybe because being one step up made them eye level…which also made them nose level and ear level and…mouth level...) She swallowed and tried not to blush too much, just doing her best to stay focused and to try and NOT overthink these last few (potentially very important) minutes together on their first official date. "Well…" she started in a shy voice, feeling the need to say something (especially considering the slightly disappointed look that had come to Gerald's face when she'd separated their hands just now), "I guess I should get inside…my parents are probably waiting," she tacked on in explanation.

A her words Gerald suddenly blinked, coming out of his daze (and doing his best not to blush at the fact that he had gone into the strange daze to begin with… '_Weird…it was like all I could see was her face and all I could hear was her voice…_') Recalling that the girl before him was probably expecting a response of some sorts, though, Gerald did his best to shake these thoughts off as quickly as possible. "Oh, uh…" he cleared his throat, "Yeah…inside…"

The two kids just stood in awkward silence for another moment.

Then Phoebe cleared her throat and spoke up once more, putting her arms behind her back and doing the best not to let the scarlet overwhelm her cheeks entirely (though she was fairly sure, as she then proceeded to say what she had to say, that her face must have matched her red sweater perfectly when all was said and done). "Um…Gerald…" she swallowed and then finally spoke quickly, "I just…well…last night I feel like I might have been a bit, um…forward, I suppose, with you… You know, with that kiss on your cheek when we were with Arnold and then that one before we left each other on your…" She blushed at the word 'lips' even almost leaving her mouth, and just did her best to move along and get this small worry of hers off of her chest. "Anyway, I just…wanted to apologize if it made you…uncomfortable at all… Sometimes with all of the talking I do with Helga I sort of forget that not everyone is necessarily alright with things like that…especially considering our ages… So…I'm sorry if it was a little…much…" Finishing, she did her best not to cringe (though she still looked down) as she awaited whatever reply he might give…

She looked up with interest quickly though as the first words out of Gerald's mouth in response, in a very confused tone, were, "Phoebe, are you…apologizing for kissing me last night?" A blush was indeed upon his curious features as he finished the question (as expected), but said question seemed more important to him than his embarrassment at the moment. He also had a half smile on his face and Phoebe just plain wasn't sure what to make of that…

She swallowed, recalling that he had indeed just asked her a question, and did her best to sum up her courage to find her voice…and then responded shyly, "Well…I suppose you could call what I'm doing that. I just want to be certain that you're comfortable, Gerald." She looked up at him unsurely again.

And then to her continued confusion…Gerald's smile not only continued but…he chuckled… Indeed, he even had to go so far as to put a hand to his mouth to hide his amusement, though doing so didn't help much, his laughter was growing so much.

After a second of two of processing first the fact that Gerald didn't seem angry at her for putting him in such an awkward position last evening…and then the fact that Gerald was laughing right in front of her apparently in response to her voicing her concerns about having kissed him last evening…well, Phoebe couldn't help feeling just a bit of indignation. Indeed, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave the boy before her a slight scowl, even huffing a little.

Hearing her sound of annoyance, it suddenly processed with Gerald that he was obviously kind of annoying Phoebe a little…and so he finally got himself under control and did his best to begin to explain his laughter. "I'm—I'm sorry, Babe. Didn't mean to laugh like that. It's just…" He gave her a smile with a raised eyebrow and then put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly to add it his point (and also…maybe to have the chance to be near her just once more before tonight ended). "You do not ever have to…to apologize for something like that!" he finally finished, smiling just a bit more…and then blushing as he found himself admitting shyly, "I like when you do things you want to even if you're a little scared or worried. I like seeing you stand up for yourself and take charge of things… And also, well…" he glanced to the side a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck again…and finally admitting, "Come on, I think we both know I needed a little nudge… I mean I always try and act smooth in front of the other guys around the ladies but…." He let out a sigh and shrugged, looking at her once more. "I'm just a regular ten year old guy, and I like you…you know, _like_ you like you…and it makes me act like a complete spazz and freeze up around you. I can't help it. So please don't apologize for unfreezing me—if anything I should be _thanking_ you for it." He squeezed her shoulder just a little for effect and then pulled back his hand so that both of his arms were behind his back. He remained standing there like that on the sidewalk just in front of Phoebe's stoop, feeling very embarrassed about how blunt he'd just been…and just hoping she wouldn't think his reasoning for laughing sounded TOO ridiculous.

"Oh…I…" Gerald heard Phoebe begin after a moment…

And then he glanced up slightly to check the progress of Phoebe's reaction…only to blink at the warm happy smile that he now saw upon her formerly frowning face.

At seeing Gerald's eyes meet hers, Phoebe glanced down shyly and fluttered her eyelashes a few times, feeling this strange kind of…it wasn't just warm (which was how she usually felt around him). It was…there was something…sparkier about it…almost maybe just the smallest bit…electric?

Realizing that whatever that feeling was, she'd probably need some time tonight and then a good conversation or two with Helga to sort it out, she just swallowed and finished with a smile, "Um…Thank you, Gerald."

She blushed even more as Gerald's response to her gratefulness was to absorb it for a second…then let out a breath, lose the shyness, and finally smile in that way she'd come to really like over the years before finishing by saying with a small chuckle and a wink, "No problem, babe."

She blushed just a little.

A warm silence passed between the two kids.

"Well…" Phoebe started once more, the pleasant smile upon her face only having grown…and recalling once more certain potential significant things about this moment at the end of their first official date that could still possibly happen...especially if Gerald really was okay with her… 'unfreezing' him, as he'd put it. "I guess our…our date is over and we should um…say goodnight…" She knew there was an obvious bit of hesitant expectation in her voice and face, though she tried to hide it and seem as casual as possible.

"Uh…yeah…" Gerald replied…and suddenly realized that he was feeling nervous for some reason…though he wasn't quite sure why, exactly. "Date's over and now it's time for the goodnight…" he likewise supplied with a humorous smile…

'_The goodnight_.'

Something about that phrase stuck in his head…and seemed incomplete…

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

'_The goodnight…kiss… __Oh boy__…'_

Gerald instantly felt panic mode descend upon him and he swallowed and tried NOT to have his head go into complete white-out at the idea of having a real, genuine, sincere, after-a-date goodnight kiss with Phoebe…or more specifically maybe finally being the one to kiss _her_ since she didn't seem to be making a move to go forward and yet was obviously not heading up her stoop and into her house just yet. '_O-okay…how…how hard could it be, right? Not just a peck on the lips but…really thinking about it and then officially kissing a girl_…' He instantly began to try and reassure himself. _'Yeah, it can't be that…complicated. Heck, Arnold's been doing it like every eight seconds with Helga lately so…just put your arm around her…or…on her shoulder or…maybe the arms should stay out of this…and do I lean in or wait for her to lean in first or…And where do the noses go? How do I breathe? What if I have to sneeze? What if our braces get…okay, neither one of us has braces but STILL!_' And then suddenly Gerald's thoughts were redirected as he realized that his heart, which usually did a little pleasant skip or something around the girl before him every once in a while…had somehow started pounding away… And the feeling was DEFINITELY a little more extreme than anything he'd ever felt before around her. '_Weird… I…I wonder if this is how Arnold feels when—'_

"Uh…Gerald?"

"HUH—WHAT—I…I mean…" He took a breath or two, coming out of his thoughts and feelings and blinking several times very spasmodically. '_Whoa, I've gotta watch that! First just zoning in on Phoebe and now my mind going all blank like that and my heart's racing and—what is with me?_'

Phoebe, meanwhile, was just biting her lower lip and trying very hard not to laugh at the sight of the boy before her seeming so flustered all of a sudden. Recalling why she'd said his name in the first place, though, she let out a breath and took a step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder and an understanding smile on her face. "Gerald…why don't…why don't we just say goodnight for now…and maybe see where things progress to next time….alright?" She looked at him very understandingly (and with an obvious tinge of a blush on her face at the topic she was indirectly bringing up).

'_Really? That's…okay?_' Instantly, Gerald couldn't help but feel a wave of relief come over him and he half smiled at her gratefully. "Really…babe?"

Phoebe just giggled once more both at the affectionate nickname and at how grateful he seemed to be let off the hook a little. '_Perhaps it was a little too much pressure to expect a real kiss from him on top of the date tonight… Maybe things moving slowly but steadily is just better for us.' _"Really, Gerald," she assured him, still with that smile…still with her hand on his shoulder. "Tonight was…nice. I enjoyed spending time with you…because I…like you like you as well." She did her best not to blush too much as she went on. "And I think I'd like just spending more time with you and having things move along at their own pace…" She smiled a bit more and almost laughed to herself as she added humorously, "To be honest, I believe the only reason _Arnold and Helga's_ relationship has intensified so rapidly in such a short time is because they both spent quite a few years avoiding the truth…Whereas you and I have acknowledged our feelings in small ways over the years…" She did her best not to blush more at the cute little memories of their small flirtings throughout their young lives, and went on. "So, as a result of all of that, us attempting a more serious relationship now comes quite naturally and shouldn't require any explosion of passion or excessive emotional displays like it has with our friends."

Gerald blinked, taking a second or two to wrap his head around her logic…and then he half smiled at her a bit more, understanding what she meant as well as feeling really appreciative of her doing her best to make him feel just a little better about being nervous about this whole thing. "Yeah…that makes sense." And though he was trying to fight zoning out again, he couldn't help his eyes going just a bit dreamy as he then added, just gazing at the girl before him, "You really are the smartest girl I've ever met, Phoebe. You always know just what's going on and just how to put things…"

Phoebe felt her own small blush deepen and she glanced away as she replied shyly with a smile, "A-arigatoo, Gerald…" '_He…he likes how smart I am…_' The thought made her want to giggle.

She was then pleasantly surprised to feel Gerald reach forward and take her hand in his for one final time...

And was then even more surprised to feel him take it, raise it and last but not least kiss the back of it and finally say smoothly to top it all off, "And you are, as always, quite welcome." He smiled a bit more, his eyes becoming more half lidded and dazed. "And thanks for being so cool about all of this like-liking stuff and us going out on a date… I think it was the best night of my life, to be honest."

After letting a small giggle actually escape herself Phoebe just let out a content sigh at these words and looked to Gerald happily once more, taking a small step back and gently releasing his hand as she felt the right moment to end their evening coming around. "I agree, Gerald…It was truly a special evening. Perhaps…" she tried to keep as much of the hesitation and fear as possible out of her voice as she did her best to suggest casually, "Perhaps we can try again next weekend…maybe go to dinner again before that poetry reading you're doing…" She looked to him just a little hopefully.

His eyes lit up more than a little at her basically asking him out on a second date after telling him she'd had just as fantastic a time as he had on their date tonight. "You got it, Phoebe!" He winked and took a step back as well, also sensing that the end of their night had come along naturally…just like she'd predicted things would in general in their 'relationship'.

She smiled at him...and then, randomly enough, laughed to herself about something.

Gerald couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Hey, what's to funny, babe?"

Phoebe managed to finish chuckling though a half grin remained on her face, her mind seeming caught on some idea or other still. "Oh it's…it's nothing, Gerald. Just a thought that occurred to me…" '_Silly really…but amusing nonetheless_…'

Gerald smiled at her again. "Care to share?" he asked playfully, leaning in just a little, quite curious actually at this point.

Phoebe blushed just slightly, trying not to laugh more. "Well…I guess it occurred to me that…in a certain way we've actually outpaced Arnold and Helga as a couple."

At that statement Gerald crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side, now officially _very_ intrigued. "You know, Phoebe, if anyone else came at me with a claim like that I'd say they were nuts and walk away, but I know you and you're the smartest person around…So…" he tried not to laugh, "how in the world did we manage to do something quicker than 'the kissing bandits of PS 118'?"

Phoebe did her best not to burst into total laughter at the joke and then explained simply and with a shrug, "Well…Helga truly kissed Arnold for the first time during the FTi incident, but they didn't have their first official date until almost a month and a half later…whereas I kissed you and then we had our first date within twenty four hours." She couldn't help but feel just a bit of a blush moving up into her face…after all she was technically bringing up the concept of kissing again, even though it WAS about their friends instead of them this time.

To her relief, instead of getting shy and nervous again, Gerald's smile just picked up a bit…

In fact, Gerald was currently in the process of feeling a serious touch of pride come over himself, to be honest. "Huh…well what do you know…we beat out the super couple!" he announced brightly!

Okay, now Phoebe _had_ to give in to full laughter. "Precisely, Gerald!" she managed to get out after having a few seconds to get herself under control. "And as for the 'kissing'…" she added with another small laugh, referring to his comment about Arnold and Helga as 'kissing bandits', "Well, as I said, Arnold and Helga may be making up for lost time _now_ but it took Arnold nearly a _month_ to finally kiss Helga back after she'd kissed him on that building, so no matter how quick they may seem to be going now I think it's good to remember that they've been starting out slow and steady too, in a way." She smiled at him.

And Gerald smiled back once again that night… However, he also seemed to blink after a second, and to raise part of his brow…and then to glance down…almost like he was considering something…maybe something she'd said…

For a second Phoebe considered asking the boy before her about what was on his mind, just as _he'd_ asked _her_ a few seconds ago, but then hearing a clock tower chime in the distance she realized that it was getting quite close to ten and recalled that her parents were indeed expecting her. She cleared her throat and finished sweetly and happily, "Well, I suppose I really should get inside before my mother and father start to worry. I'll see you tomorrow in school, Gerald, and thank you for the wonderful evening." She gave him a nod and then turned back to her steps and went to proceed to start climbing the rest of them…

…Until she felt a familiar warm hand latch onto one of hers yet again that evening, and her breath very quickly catch in her throat as a result (a reaction which surprised her as it had never happened before… It felt…it kind of felt nice though actually…and a little exciting!). She, with a slight blush, turned her head back to look at Gerald. "Yes, Gerald?"

She noticed a thoughtful look upon his features, like he was weighing something seriously…and a slight blush in his cheeks also couldn't help but catch her eye. "Uh…." And then finally he let out a breath and really looked up at her, smiling in that dazed way yet again that evening. "Aw what the heck. It's a date and you look fantastic and you're the nicest and smartest girl in the world, and I've wanted to since the third grade anyway!" And with that he closed his eyes, took a quick step up, leaned forward and suddenly kissed her right upon the lips!

He was only able to bear the experience of the intense action he'd just decided to do for a few seconds before letting the kiss break off and suddenly taking a step from her and glancing down, clearing his throat nervously and shyly…as he awaited on pins and needles how she would react to what he'd just done.

Phoebe just stood there…mouth agape, heart beating rather…rather (UNBELIEVABLY) quickly, and feeling heat rush to her face as total disbelief managed to paralyze her. But then, as time passed… '_He…he kissed me… Gerald Martin Johanssen kissed me! On a date_…' And now she was pretty sure she knew how it was that Helga had tended to end up in alleyways and other places over the years musing dreamily about her romantic feelings that were all of a sudden too much for her to handle keeping inside any longer…

Not being much of a monologuer though, Phoebe instead suddenly went forward and wrapped her arms around Gerald in a tight hug, smiling brightly. "Oh…Oh thank you, Gerald!" She felt him stiffen completely in panic and innocent uncertainty at her touch, but the fact that she'd had this effect on him only made her giggle more and linger for just another second before pulling away to look at him with laughing eyes.

Feeling her VERY unexpected grip around him loosen as she pulled back, Gerald just remained wide eyed and looking quite a bit terrified and blushing quite brightly for several more seconds as he tried to process what he had just let himself do…and the reaction it had gotten. _'I…I went and kissed a girl. I went and kissed Phoebe Heyerdahl…on the lips…on a date…and she __hugged__ me! Uh…'_

"Um…Gerald? Gerald?"

A few fingersnaps in front of his face brought Gerald out of his stupor. "_Huh!_?" came his voice, high-pitched and slightly cracked. "Oh, what, I….OH…" He took another small step back, looking up at a smiling Phoebe with a sheepish smile and feeling heat pounding into his features. "Well, uh…" he tried to be as casual as he could, "Heh, heh…hey, just…scoring another one over Arnold and Helga for Gerald and Phoebe… You know, kissing you back weeks before Arnold found it in him to do it to Helga…" He swallowed then and added, having to turn away from her eyes. "And also…like I said…this was a date and you look really…really pretty…and you're the greatest girl I've ever met and also… I've…kind of thought about what it would be like to kiss you for…awhile…"

Phoebe just gave a half smile, glancing down herself, likewise feeling her heart pump warmth into her happy face. "I…concur, Gerald… This is indeed a date and you look quite…handsome, yourself…and you're very caring and considerate…and funny and interesting… And I've…considered the possibility of a kiss for several years as well…" she finished as shyly as could be in agreement with the boy before her.

Finally, Gerald managed to breathe for the first time in close to thirty seconds as he felt a wave of relief come over him at the fact that Phoebe had always wanted to kiss him too and that he hadn't just made a complete dork of himself or something by doing what he'd done and saying what he'd said. "Well…" he smiled up at her, "Until our next date, then, I guess…Goodnight, babe." He winked and then did his best to smoothly turn around on the sidewalk (though, of course, considering his nerves, he tripped just a little on a crack and barely managed to save himself by clinging to the side of the stoop. The incident did manage to get a giggle out of Phoebe, though, so…he figured it was probably worth the small bit of embarrassment it had caused him.)

Phoebe gave him a small wave, getting her giggles subdued. "Goodnight, Gerald."

And as she saw him give a small wave back, Phoebe was about to turn around and really head inside this time…

Until…

"Hey…Phoebe?"

…she stopped at the sound of his voice once more.

"Yes, Gerald?" Phoebe asked with her usual kind smile, turning around before placing her hand upon her door handle.

She watched Gerald, standing there with his hands behind his back, trying to look completely recovered from having tripped just now... He chuckled once to himself and then looked to her with a grin and a warm gaze. "I…think I'm gonna change sides and go with you on Arnold having been the one to jump Helga tonight…"

Phoebe blinked at the sudden topic change, and then had to raise an eyebrow as she grinned back at him and asked with genuine curiosity, "Really? Why the change of mind, Gerald?"

She continued to watch as he just shrugged and then replied sincerely and as smoothly as he possibly could, "Because I'm…starting to understand how it really can be impossible for a guy with half a clue to resist wanting to be near a pretty girl he likes…"

Phoebe blinked…and then blushed absolutely furiously at the comment.

Gerald just winked once more. "See ya, babe!" And then he walked off quickly down the block… '_Looks like you're not the only bold kid around here anymore, Arnold, my man_…' he couldn't help but think to himself as he practically skipped down the street. '_Man this feels great! No wonder he'd practically handcuff himself to Helga if he got the chance!_'

"Uh…" Phoebe, meanwhile, managed to get out, just before he went out of sight, her eyes wide and euphoria still pumping through her…. "See you…Gerald." _'Wow…no wonder Helga's thoughts were so consumed with Arnold at one point that she kept sleepwalking specifically to his house…. This is…exhilarating!'_

And with these thoughts the two children went their separate ways, each with very similar happy feelings about the small kisses they'd shared over the past two days…and the idea of maybe…more to come.

* * *

"Most. Anticlimactic. Date. Ever…." An (understandably) exasperated sigh.

"Well….romantically speaking, I guess so…" A (predictably) much more patient sigh. "But at least we got to spend time together…and the movie was pretty good, right Helga?"

Helga G. Pataki had to smile at that point, turning to her beloved currently walking her home. She shrugged and her grin picked up just a little on one side. "Yeah I 'guess' a date at the movies with the most important person in the world to me could never be 'too' horrible, no matter the circumstances…"

(Needless to say, what was occurring right now considering the time and situation was Arnold and Helga's walk home after their outing at the movies…their 'anticlimactic' outing at the movies?)

Helga then rolled her eyes with a smirk, but then had to indeed had to also admit, "And I guess you're right about the movie itself, too…Aw, man, how great was it when the monster came up out of nowhere and grabbed those two cousins from behind and dragged them into the woods!" Helga laughed to herself at the memory, jumping forward up the street and holding her arms in the air in an impression of the theatrical beast.

Arnold chuckled, at the image and Helga's enthusiasm, taking a few more steps forward to catch up with her, his arms behind his back. "Yeah, but I thought the best was at the end when you thought the Evil Twin was finally dead and then his head just smiles and winks at you!" He winked in Helga's direction.

Helga's grin grew and she did her best not to blush at the gesture as she chuckled and then resumed walking regularly beside him. "Yeah, sheesh, when that happened you practically jumped into my arms, Football Head!" She gave him a playful nudge.

Arnold just smiled and rolled his eyes at her, replying swiftly and with a look of amusement, "Actually, I was about to say the same thing about you…and did you actually yelp when that happened?" He raised an eyebrow… After all it was rare to see Helga acting even the littlest bit scared…. At the same time though it was also kind of, well…cute, he couldn't help but think…

This thought about Helga's cuteness progressed as he watched her suddenly blush slightly, her eyes going a bit wide for a second or two at his successful comeback.

'_Great…he's never gonna let me live that down, is he_?' was all Helga could think, meanwhile. Finally, though, she managed to let out a sigh and smiled sheepishly, glancing to the side and crossing her arms over her chest "Yeah, well…" she began weakly, then scoffed and tried to make her tone sound a bit firmer, "Hey, like we said, it was scary, and besides the theatre was totally silent for like a minute before it happened, and I can't be a rock _all_ the time, Arnoldo!" She glanced back at him, raising part of her brow. "Besides, considering how many people got the ax in the goriest ways imaginable in that movie you're lucky I kept a screaming down to that _one_ time!" She faked a shudder as she then added, "I'm just happy that that one I did let out didn't totally bust us…"

This strange observation from Helga was referring to the fact that, unfortunately, though the movie that had already been out for several weeks that she and Arnold had selected to watch had indeed been pretty vacant (except for the front row)…that row had contained right next to each other Harold Berman, Sid, and Stinky, and Curly bringing up the rear, as the happy couple had noticed the second they'd entered the semi-dark room, hand in hand.

Arnold sighed to himself with a smile at her accurate comment. "Yeah… Of course it's just our luck that people from school were there and we had to hide out in the last row and be on our guards the whole time. Irony's best friends though, I guess, right, Helga?" He turned to her and winked once more, recalling that little phrase she'd used not too many weekends ago back in his room to describe her own cyclic fortune/misfortune of the past in regards to romance.

Helga just rolled her eyes at this little bit of flirting and irony from her beloved, though the smile was still on her face (and for good reason considering the comeback that had just popped into her head…the idea of which she had actually been mulling around in her mind for the better part of the day). "_Tell_ me about it!" She shook her head in amusement, arms over her chest…and dropped the bomb. "I mean, crimeny, I'm all geared up to practically dive on top of you the second the lights go down and see if I can win a bet with myself to get us through all of the previews without coming up for air once, and those four Yahoos of all people show up!" '_And now we wait for the blushing…_' was all she could think with a chuckle to herself as she turned her gaze fully to Arnold.

And, indeed, Arnold was currently more than in the process of feeling heat rush to his face and his heart pound at Helga's description of her actual intentions for their date. Certainly, he'd teased her quite ever since yesterday about what would happen the next time they were alone and even about the whole 'who's the better kisser' thing…and then of course there had been that stuff at the dinner table at the end there when he'd gotten a little carried away…and maybe a few very VERY nice things he'd said to her on the way to the theatre…caught up in (if not consumed by) that cute way she had of giggling and looking at him with her blue eyes all dazed simply because of all the compliments he could find to make about the most perfect girl in the world…

But, regardless, at the back of his mind Arnold hadn't planned on anything more than some hand holding and maybe a quick, tender kiss or two in the darkness if it came to that while they had been actually together watching the movie. Yes, Arnold had admitted to himself as of last night that he loved the kissing…A LOT—even Helga's style of it! Even in her room! But, still…he was Arnold and he couldn't help his natural tendency to want to cling to a bit of modesty some of the time, especially when they were going to be in a public place like the movies. Perhaps afterwards alone on her front steps something more…more intimate would have happened (_inevitably_ would have happened, actually—hey, he DID _love_ the kissing thing after all!), but…he was still just a little shy sometimes about everything when you got right down to it. '_It's just…a lot to take in still… I have a girlfriend… who wants to kiss me at the movies…who wants to kiss me ANYWHERE, actually…_' Still, despite how 'daunting' this little situation seemed to his fourth grade mind, Arnold also couldn't deny that it was possibly the most exciting concept he'd ever come across. Kissing on a real date…with the real Helga G. Pataki after all of these years of her trying to keep herself and her feelings from him…

And so, in light of all of these thoughts, Arnold cleared his throat and did his best to swallow and reply to Helga's little comment in a voice that at least didn't sound INCREDIBLY shaky. "Oh, uh…uh, yeah, Harold and the guys…uh, right…right…" He failed, by the way.

Glancing shyly at Helga out of the corner of his eye, Arnold could see her casting a smug glance at him now, and did his best to prepare for the inevitable teasing blow that was sure to come from her. Which, indeed, it did…

"Aw, did I embarrass you a little with that little revelation, Football Head?" Helga shook her head and looked forward again, doing her best not to laugh to herself TOO much about her beloved's slight (and ALWAYS adorable) embarrassment. "What can I say though, Arnold—don't write a check you can't cash! I mean, crimeny!" She threw her arms in the air dramatically, "You've been dangling us being alone together in the back of that theatre right in front of my nose for practically the past 24 hours—you have to expect that the build up was going to make me far more likely to lose it a little once we actually got there!" She sighed in mock frustration to herself, thoroughly enjoying this little 'explanation' of her plans for the evening...and deciding to take things a little farther ('_Eh, what have I got to lose? And who knows—maybe all this talk of kissing will put some ideas into my darling's head for what we could be doing right now considering how little time we have left for our date and how alone we finally are_…') "If only those four could have just stayed home for the night…Then we would have had that whole entire movie theatre to ourselves, Football Head…for two full, semi-dark, hours…" Her smile grew as she added, seemingly as an afterthought, "Hey, imagine all the different places we could have dove on top of each other in there for that long?" And then the icing on the cake. "Whew, I think we could have given new meaning to the phrase 'chapped lips', right Arnoldo?"

Finally finished with her teasing, Helga went to turn and smirk at her beloved by her side, but hesitated as she noticed him suddenly stop walking for a moment and sigh deeply, his hand in front of his face as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "Helga…" he finally managed to get out in a quiet and bit of a stiff voice (though as he removed his hand from his still closed eyes she could see, to her relief, considering how serious he had sounded for a second there, a slight smile trying not to form upon his mouth…as well as a very deep blush already upon his cheeks.)

Helga watched as Arnold then swallowed and let out a breath, seemingly ready to say more, though he was completely NOT looking at her still.

"You know, Helga…" he started slowly, and now Helga's interest was really piqued (especially since that small, shy smile of his had finally broken through the embarrassment), "If you're saying all this stuff right now about us being together because you're trying to get me to suddenly take you in my arms and kiss you in a fit of passion or something…it's not working very well…" He swallowed again and then finally admitted sheepishly, arms going behind his back and with an even stronger color building in his already rosy features, "Actually, I mostly just feel like I could barely look you in the eye again without passing out from embarrassment."

Helga took a second to let his response sink in…and then, happy that he indeed wasn't angry at her for teasing him like that, she just let out a breath and rolled her eyes. She then quickly approached him and reached behind his back, and then clasped his hand in hers, causing Arnold's eyes to open a bit wider and to shift directly to hers instantly… After all, she'd just been talking about kissing and now she was suddenly right in front of him again and holding his hand and…"Okay, okay, I'll cool it a little, Football Head…" He felt a touch of relief (but also, quite undeniably, a touch of disappointment) come over him as Helga just said these words and then laughed warmly a little before continuing (actually looking a bit sheepish herself now), "And…okay, yeah, you're actually kind of right…" She rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand and glanced up and to the side as innocently as possible. "I…might have just been trying to provoke you a little with all of that stuff…seeing if could put a strong enough image in your head that you'd act on it or something, you know…?" Then she raised part of her brow and added in an impressed tone, moving her free hand to her hip, "And, meanwhile, _sheesh_, Football Head, get out of my head, already! I mean, I know it's a full time hobby for you figuring out everything about me left, right and sideways from the fact that I like poetry to the best angle for you to tilt that wide head of yours at for us to get the most action out of a kiss, but I'm just plain not going to be able to pull anything on you in the future ever again, am I?"

As she finished with this question, an amused Arnold just smiled to himself and shrugged, feeling his blushing about that 'chapped lips' thing finally subsiding enough to let him try for a joke (though something of a blush still remained considering that 'head angle' comment she'd just tossed in). "I don't know, Helga…" he swallowed, and then looked up into her eyes, "…but you're more than welcome to keep trying." He winked. '_After all…what would I do without her always picking on me in particular?'_

At this rather unexpected (and rather playful) response, Helga felt herself blush slightly and her eyes go wide for a second. Trying not to let it be too obvious how much he had just gotten to her, though, she quickly cleared her throat and then turned facing forward and slowly resumed walking, an amused Arnold being slightly pulled alongside her. "Heh, heh…" she began, just a bit obviously nervously, "Uh…well, be careful what you wish for, Arnoldo, or maybe I really will just go for it and try tricking you into marrying me one of these days or something, just like in that dream of yours…" She couldn't help, in her slight rambling, the reference to that dream he'd shared with her on Friday during their date that had resulted from Rhonda's origami marriage predictor. "And you won't be able to wake up from _that_ ceremony, Football Head…" she couldn't help but tack on, feeling her nervousness subsiding enough to at least shoot him a smile.

Arnold, meanwhile, was facing forward now as well as he listening to her ramble just a bit, still smiling in that half lidded way to himself. As she finished, though, suddenly feeling just a bit more confident again at the sight, out of the corner of his eye, of the blush coming into her face now and at the smile upon her lips, and also feeling, once again, that urge come over him to say something that had just come from his heart to see how it would touch hers…he swallowed and replied lightly, not turning his eyes to her at all, "And who says I'd want to wake up from something like that…or that you'd have to trick me?"

Helga instantly froze on the spot, her eyes going wide and her heart pounding so loudly in her chest that it was making her ears almost throb with its pulsing. _'Who…who says that he'd…or that he'd…HUH_?'

She and Arnold probably didn't have too much time to spare with getting her back to her house and him back to his house by their curfews considering what time it was already, and they'd already used up a little time with that first brief pause in their walk for Arnold to deal with his embarrassment issues, but… in all seriousness, a rhetorical question like the one Arnold had just asked more than allowed for another 'five minute break' in her opinion.

Arnold, feeling Helga's hand slip from his own and now noticing that she wasn't following alongside him anymore, stopped and looked back at her, half smiling. He let out a breath and then crossed his arms over his chest, turning to face her completely now…and doing his best to seem like he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. "Helga? Are you okay?"

The obviously flustered and shocked blonde girl before him blinked a few times and then appeared to finally manage to take a breath or two, regaining just a bit of her voice (though what there was of it was just a bit high-pitched and shaky sounding to say the least). "Uh…uh, yeah, Arnold…I'm…fine…." He then watched as she closed her eyes, swallowed, took a deep breath…and then released said breath and opened her eyes once more. And now she smirked at him in that familiar way of hers and crossed her arms over her chest, her normal tone finally managing to return. "But…but sheesh don't DO that to me, Football Head…!" She had to shake her head at him in amusement. "I mean, I know you can't get enough of flirting with me and that you're also probably just trying to get back at me a little for the 'chapped lips' thing, but, crimeny, do you know how jarring it is to go from casually having fun with my favorite Football Head to suddenly hearing you go all 'marriage' on me again?" She couldn't help but recall some of his little charming comments from their phone calls over the last twenty-four hours, and she put a hand to her chest in feigned need of clutching her heart. "For Pete's sake, I don't know if you think throwing out little comments like that is going to make me 'dive on top of you again to your amusement; or something but seriously, Football Head, you're just plain gonna give me a heart attack if you keep saying that stuff!" And Helga's personal thoughts weren't far from agreeing with this statement. '_Sheesh, I've got to learn to expect little jokes like this from him more often…I mean, he gets to me like that and I'm not expecting it, and who knows what I might do?_' Indeed, Helga could just see herself slipping into a monologue or passing out or diving on top of him for a kiss again if the right thing was said…just like last night…when he'd told her that he wasn't kissing her only because he loved it so much it almost scared him, and she'd suddenly just given in to her passions and let herself snap and go and…

Realizing that if she let her thoughts get too distracted by all of the things she had already done with Arnold and all of the potential things she _could_ do with him (and that he would probably more than likely do back to her, considering the current status of their relationship and how much more comfortable with it he was seeming since last night), Helga just cleared her throat and closed her eyes and did her best to continue walking forward without blushing furiously anymore as she awaited whatever reply her beloved would give to her statement. She wasn't doing so well at it, as Arnold's slight chuckle attested to.

And indeed, Arnold, who was now walking right beside her again, was just smiling quite a bit and really doing his best not to laugh _too_ much to himself about how worked up Helga had just gotten all because he'd admitted that the idea of knowing her for a really long time and liking her for a really long time was more than fine by him. After all, it wasn't like he had just seriously asked her to be his bride or anything… He just wanted her to know that the idea of being with her for as long as 'marriage' implied wasn't at all a bad thing to him anymore like it had been with that origami marriage predictor dream he'd had so long ago about the two of them walking down the aisle.

"Sorry, Helga…" he started, hoping he hadn't made her feel too uncomfortable or embarrassed…and then he had to admit to her since he wanted to explain a little more behind some of his motivation for that comment, "I don't think I was trying to get you to kiss me again…much…" He swallowed, and felt the blush pick up in his cheeks as his sincere, sweet voice continued with (going for it and gently taking her hand in his again as casually as possible as they walked on) "But also it's…I don't know…It's like sometimes you'll say something to me and then it just hits me that saying something back that's ironic about marrying you or kissing you or loving you will make you stop and blush and blink and I guess I can't help myself because, well…like with how nice it is when something makes you make that wonderful giggling sound…I think that when you get that look, it's when you look prettiest, to be honest." He blushed a bit more, continuing to face forward and down with the smile on his face. He did at least manage to glance at her out of the corner of his eye though and couldn't help chuckling just slightly as he saw the look he had just described more than back upon her features.

"R-really, A-Arnold…?" Helga managed to stutter (once again in that high-pitched, shaky voice) feeling her face growing positively hot at both his touch and words! '_Why does he say such wonderful things like that…? Oh, my perfect love god, I…_' She blinked a few times and tried as hard as she could to pull herself out of what she knew was threatening to consume her. _'Okay, okay, focus, Helga—you go all 'Arnold monologue' now and you really will end up mauling him in an alley instead of getting home on time like you need to do! Besides, just…_' she tried to take a breath in and out, _'just take it in stride… He's been telling you that you look pretty ever since last night… We're not really in new territory here when you get right down to it… No need to lose it…_' Much to her relief she could already feel the pounding of her heart subsiding at least slightly.

She was brought out of her self-soothing thoughts and back to the situation at hand by the sound of Arnold chuckling warmly to himself. "_Really_, Helga…" he replied to her disbelieving response. She felt their hands rise just a little for a moment as he shrugged slightly. And, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye now, she couldn't help a touch of her blushing remain in her cheeks at the daydreamy look currently upon his face as he spoke almost without thinking…like what he said (as was so often the case with her beloved) was the truth and directly from his perfect little heart. "I guess it's just…" Arnold continued, "…the contrast between how for all those years you'd only scowl at me and glare at me…and then to suddenly see your eyes go all wide like that…" a very small sigh, "And they're a…a really pretty blue by the way Helga…And to see your face get just a bit pink…" A very small chuckle, "The shade's like a brighter version of the color of your bow, actually… And then how you suddenly just get that look like something's just…I don't know…" he smiled even more and his eyes went even more half lidded if that was possible, "Like something's' just kind of pierced through all the blusteryness and bossiness and toughness right to your heart." He laughed a bit more and then finally blinked a few times in his daze and looked to her, still with that charming grin, and asked half sincerely and half humorously, "Hey, if I do get a Helga locket, can I have a picture of you looking like that for it? I mean, one of you smiling would be nice but that other look…now that I could look at for hours."

Moving away from Arnold and Helga's current conversation for just a moment, the happy couple had just rounded the corner to Helga's block and now her stoop was in sight. In fact they were actually currently in the process of passing right by the fence to her backyard and the dumpster that Gerald and Arnold had used to break into Helga's house that one Saturday two weeks ago…and that Arnold had used to break into Helga's room just last night.

Anyway, needless to say (and now getting back to the two lovestruck preteens in question) Arnold was just a little surprised, after finishing this fun little question that had popped into his head, to suddenly find himself pulled back and pinned against said fence by his shoulders (with the dumpster conveniently providing cover from the stoop and from whoever might be looking out at it waiting for their daughter to come home in exactly fifteen minutes like she was supposed to.)

Indeed, feeling his body suddenly pushed so firmly against the wooden pickets by his companion for the evening, Arnold had to blink and look at Helga with wide confused eyes…almost feeling a touch of old fear well up inside of him, like she was about to potentially act on one of her many threats over the years to pound him. "Helga, what—"

"Oh just shut UP already, Arnold!" Her eyes locking onto his, Arnold now saw with even more confusion that they were wide and desperate rather than scowling and angry, like that old habit of his of seeing her as a bully had almost made him imagine they would be. He was also a little surprised to see her take one or two heavy breaths before continuing in anxiety and…passion? "You WIN—I couldn't egg you into kissing me first on this stupid walk home and that little comment you made just now about the locket and my face, not to mention the fact that I couldn't touch you once in that movie because of our stupid friends AND the fact that you were practically latched onto me at my dinner table before AND the fact that I haven't kissed your perfect lips in almost twenty four hours TEARS IT, you big stupid lug!" And then without a second of hesitation, Arnold suddenly all but felt the wind knocked out of him as the girl before him suddenly threw herself almost violently against him in one of her classic Helga G. Pataki kisses!

Arnold blinked several times in shock at the sudden feeling of her body pressing up against his once again in their lives, her hands gripping his collar fervently and her mouth practically consuming his own. He could actually feel her heart pounding, she was so pressed against him. _'Oh, she…wanted to kiss me… Well_…' his former concerns turned into amusement, '_Well, why didn't she just say so?_'

And then, indeed, it only took another second or two for his shocked surprise to ebb completely, finally leading Arnold to feel his heart flutter wildly and to reach around Helga's back with one of his arms like he remembered she'd mentioned earlier that she liked, pulling her in just a bit more (his other arm was occupied at the moment with just trying to brace himself against the fence considering how weak he felt his knees getting, she was kissing him with such force). He also began to reciprocate the kiss as well, trying to match the intense movements of Helga's soft wonderful mouth as best he could…though he couldn't help but notice with quite a bit of surprise that she certainly seemed even more enthusiastic than usual with the action, which was saying A LOT for Helga G. Pataki. '_I guess all that stuff about the movies and kissing really was building up in her ever since we talked on the phone last night…' _

'_Oh he's kissing me back! Oh Arnold I will never get over that feeling of you kissing me back…how your soft, delicious little mouth moves and the feeling of you pulling me close and those sighs that always escape you…Oh my darling…_' Helga, meanwhile, had all but gone under in love after having the abovementioned few thoughts at the feeling of Arnold's lips kissing back, and now she was basically operating on pure instinct and passion…

Which would explain why Arnold then felt one of Helga's hands shift from his collar to cradling his head and neck…and the action couldn't help but remind him of the first time they'd ever kissed like this. '_This is…_' his thoughts pushed on a little, though the capacity for coherent thinking in general was ebbing inside of him pretty quickly, '_I mean…maybe it's because I realize I like her too and we have some time now and how warm the spring air is around us but…this is almost better than the FTi kiss!"_ Then Helga moaned very softly and Arnold just had to sigh through his nose with how good it felt to feel that small sound pass through her to him courtesy of their kiss. _'I just wish_…' he couldn't help but begin to think with interest, though he was really starting to finally feel himself being fully swept under with all of the love she was suddenly sharing with him right now…and that he was doing his best to share with her as well… '_I just wish I could do something with the kissing to spontaneously surprise HER like she's always doing to me with things like this_…' Certainly, last night, with coming back for and building up that last kiss before they'd parted ways for the evening, Arnold had managed to throw Helga for quite a loop… But still, when you got right down to it, it had been planned and there had been build up and circling, and somehow…somehow it just wasn't the same as out of nowhere kissing him on the FTi building or suddenly pulling him practically out of her tree and up to her window to crush their lips together like last night or doing what she had just done to him here and now… _'Yeah…I wish I could do something…I don't know…something __she__ wouldn't expect…something_…' His chances of actually coming up with something, though, were growing more and more minimal as he felt himself a hair's breadth away from just completely being consumed by her passion…and his own…

However, Arnold's awareness suddenly managed to come just a bit back to reality and his eyes even fluttered open as he felt Helga pull back just slightly from their kiss to catch her breath for a few seconds, panting heavily and happily.

"_Oh__ yeah_…" she began during this brief break in the lip lock between herself and her precious Arnold, unable to help suddenly recalling part of the conversation the two of them had had earlier that evening before seeing off Gerald and Phoebe on their date, "You're _definitely_ more fun ever since I came into the picture, Football Head." She giggled, her eyes lost in his. '_Who in the world invented that green color in those perfect eyes of his…? I could just take it in forever and ever…'_

"You...really think so, Helga?" her beloved managed to whisper back in a giddy and obviously dazed voice after taking in a deep breath of his own, blushing like crazy much to her delight. _'Well…she does have that effect on a guy…'_

Helga had to giggle again and pull their faces just a bit closer once more, so that their noses were now touching. "Mmm hmm…" she assured him with a nod, "From that first tango after I confessed straight on through to this. Hands down."

"But Helga…" Arnold suddenly found himself joking lightly in his happiness, unable to resist (and much to Helga's amusement), "Are you sure this is the 'right thing to do'? I mean, didn't we say we shouldn't start something in a street?" His smile picked up just a bit more on one side and firmed up his grip a little around her back. "I…think this might qualify…" he finished humorously.

Helga just rolled her eyes at his little joke, smirking like crazy. "Oh shut up before I shut you up, Football Head!" She then let out a lovesick giggle and shrugged innocently. "Oops—too late!" And then she rewrapped her arms around his head and shoulders and went right back to kissing him, a perfect mixture of tenderness and passion!

And Arnold, feeling another lovesick sigh escape him through his nose as he felt the return that perfect physical connection between the two of them, happily resumed kissing Helga back as well… '_Helga's right…this __is__ fun…!_'

'_You're a lot more fun ever since I came into the picture…from that tango at the April Fool's dance straight on through to this. Hands down.' _

This thought of Helga's echoed in Arnold's head for a moment or two…

And then…

He got an idea…

Indeed, the idea was so sudden and so strong and so potentially perfect that even though they were still kissing his eyes had to open wide, fully lit up with the anticipation of acting! Because a way had finally just occurred to him for showing Helga Pataki that, once again, she wasn't the only one who could suddenly throw someone for a make out loop! And that, more importantly, he could do it just as perfectly spontaneously as she could!

His gaze turned to Helga's close face and, though the girl in question couldn't see it since her own eyelids were still delicately shut (and though Arnold barely realized it, only processing that he suddenly had a very VERY strong urge to do what he was about to do regardless of how embarrassed or shy it might make him feel later)… Arnold's eyes narrowed slightly…in a good way…

Suddenly, Arnold pushed his free arm (and consequently himself and Helga) from the fence behind him, wrapped it tightly around her body to go along with the location of his other arm and then finally dipped the impassioned girl in question back as far as she could go (all the while continuing their kiss, of course)!

At the shocking (and quite frankly UNBELIEVEABLE) feeling of suddenly going from _vertically_ kissing Arnold to _horizontally_ kissing Arnold, Helga's eyes instantly shot open as wide as could be, her arms fell limp in shock to her sides, and last but certainly not least she couldn't help but practically squeal in confusion and surprise and love at whatever the heck it was that had just happened! It was then though that the events that had led her to her current position began to dawn on her as her practically dilated blue eyes met Arnold's mischievous, passionate green ones…

And she then felt herself turn a bright scarlet as, to top it all off, he winked at her.

'_I…I….Ah…I_…' It was no use though—she couldn't even begin to try and form words about this wonderful, new, intoxicating experience that had somehow luckily enough befallen her. She allowed her eyes to close…her body still clutched in her beloved's cradling arms…

Seeing those eyelids of hers flutter shut, meanwhile, Arnold did his best not to chuckle…and then closed his eyes as well…. Not that staring right into those unavoidable blue eyes of hers wasn't a thrill, but maybe she had the right idea… Somehow a kiss was easier to savor with your eyes shut and all of your attention focused on the physical contact with the person before you.

And so Arnold continued kissing Helga in this horizontal manner for as long as they both didn't need air again, and then finally, when that time came, he slowly and delicately pulled his lips away from hers (though he still had her dipped completely back). Just taking a moment to gaze into her blushing, flustered, practically unbelieving face as her eyelids fluttered open again, he had to laugh slightly to himself…before then whispering to her lightly, "And speaking of the April Fools Dance… see, I told you you were in good hands, my poor blind friend…or I guess, in this case, all things considered…my talented blue eyed _love_."

Helga's jaw actually dropped.

No single other part of her moved.

Not a sound came out of her.

Arnold just smiled a bit more at this strange response. "Helga?" And then, well…the question was too good to pass up. "Can I…take this as you admitting that _I'm_ the better kisser? I mean," the amused tone in his voice grew as he just continued to gaze into her pretty, flustered face, "You put up quite a fight but you never made my jaw drop..." He recalled suddenly, though, his mouth indeed having at least gone agape once at the sight of her with her hair down swinging that rope on her bed last night. "Well at least not right after a kiss…" he qualified, "not _yet,_ anyway…There's still our date next Friday though I suppose, right?" he then finally finished encouragingly, topping it all off with a wink to the lovely, warm young lady still wrapped up in his arms.

And that did it.

Helga's eyes snapped shut and a sigh escaped her and she instantly dropped like a stone in Arnold's arms, not only ending up flat on the pavement but dragging Arnold, who had still been holding her, right down with her!

"Helga? Helga, are you okay?" Arnold began to ask with genuine worry (at the same time struggling a little to get his arms out from under her because, well…of course he was concerned for her right now but at the same time, after what had just happened between them, it wasn't exactly easy to fight the desire to collapse into kissing her again considering the fact that he was now trapped on top of her, holding her… And why did she have to feel so warm and still have that blush upon her features and that sweet smile and…)

Arnold closed his eyes very tightly, doing his best to focus, and finally managed to roll to the side and free his arms from around the girl in question. Having accomplished this task (and blushing quite a bit as realization sunk in that he kind of sort of almost hadn't been able to bring himself to do it… and that he had just basically kissed a girl into fainting in the first place), he sat back on the sidewalk for a moment to catch his breath and focus, and then finally sat up upon his knees on the pavement and did his do-gooder best to prop up Helga's still limp form a little in his arms and to make sure that she indeed hadn't hurt herself falling like that. "Helga…?" Now, looking with concern into her face for several seconds, Arnold finally realized that the girl before him appeared to be out cold… though to his relief (and not so slight amusement and even…pride) she had a very VERY content smile upon her face. At the sound of him saying her name she let out a small airy sigh.

Our Football Headed hero, now assured that his girlfriend indeed wasn't hurt, couldn't help but laugh to himself just a little at the sight of her like that all of a sudden and indeed all because of him…and he also couldn't help but be reminded of the time when his dangerous lumber had indeed sought out Helga (just like she'd mentioned at the dinner table not too many hours ago) and he'd brought her home with amnesia…and tucked her in to bed. She'd had the same smile on her face then as she did now…and even though he hadn't realized why back then, that smile had made him smile that day before leaving to rest in her room this person he'd never been able to help caring about his whole life long despite how much she always 'acted like' she could never care about him…

A clock tower suddenly went off in the distance and Arnold blinked at the sound, coming out of his warm memories. He nervously counted the number of hour bells and then the number of chimes counting the quarter hours. His eyes went wide and he instantly stood up in worry and panic. "It's 9:45—If I can't wake Helga up and she doesn't get home on time…" Arnold swallowed, knowing full well that however good of terms he was now on with Big Bob Pataki after that dinner, if he didn't get Helga back by 10 liked he'd promised… Arnold swallowed hard again, trying not to think about it. "Well…okay…then…" he considered his other options, "…Then maybe instead I could just knock on their door and explain to Mr. and Mrs. Pataki that we're here but that Helga can't come in right now because she fainted because we…" Arnold instantly shut down the entire notion right there. However bad the situation would be if he got Helga home late…it would be ten times worse if he went and told the truth right now. (An image of walking up to the door, smiling at the Pataki parents as they opened it, and then explaining that he'd kissed their younger daughter into a coma, followed by getting knocked off of his feet courtesy of a very firm and instantaneous punch from Big Bob Pataki quickly flashed through Arnold's mind.)

With a quick, worried breath he instantly shifted his eyes back to and knelt down beside Helga again. "Helga…Helga! Wake up!" he whispered loudly to her (very VERY terrified at this point of getting caught in this situation). He put a hand to one of her shoulders and nudged her gently several times, hoping to speed up the process of her opening her eyes and getting them out of this mess. 'C_ome on, Helga…can't you at least sleepwalk to the door or something…? __Anything__?' _He was getting desperate, to say the least.

To Arnold's dismay, however, the girl on the ground just let out another sigh and giggled slightly from whatever dream she was having.

…And then she said, obviously as part of said dream… "No, Arnold—_you_ pick out her name. I'll pick out the one for our _next_ child."

That statement made Arnold start in utter surprise and quickly lurch away from her, breathing heavily. A blush marred his face once more and his stomach twisted in flutters and knots, and his heart pounded in disbelief! He just continued to look to Helga's smiling face with wide eyes for a few seconds, trying to process what she had just said. "When…when she said not to joke about the marriage thing…she was serious, wasn't she?" He continued breathing heavily, just trying to get his beating heart under control and doing his best to absorb the fact that Helga was currently dreaming about the two of them having kids together…and that it was _a lot_ better than the time he had dreamed about them having kids together, from the look on her voice and the tone of her voice.

Helga giggled in pure contentment yet again in her sleep. "No, no, we'll kiss later…the kid needs a _name_ first for crying out loud, Football Head!" She sighed… "Well, fine…maybe just one or two while you think up the name…" And then she let out something small between a moan and a sigh…. Whatever it was, it sounded undeniably happy, to say the least.

Anyway, meanwhile this sudden reconfirmation right from her lips of what was currently passing through Helga's mind processed with a shocked-bordering-on-petrified Arnold for a second or two more…

But then suddenly the Football Headed young man couldn't help a serious grin coming to his face as an idea for just a little bit of fun superseded (for just a moment) his awe and disbelief at the situation in which he currently found himself… And so he leaned back near Helga's sleeping form, and got his mouth close to her ear for a whisper…. "How about Ruth…or Lila? Summer's nice too, of course, Helga…" he finished, feigning as much sincerity as possible…

The content smile on Helga's sleeping face remained that way for a half a second more.

And then…

"Ow!" Arnold yelled, suddenly scooching away from her and sitting up, and now rubbing his slightly sore nose with one of his hands and looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

This reaction on his part was due to the fact that, after having delivered this little humorous suggestion into the sleeping ear of his date for the evening, Helga had almost instantly turned toward the sound of his voice and given a quick swing forward in her sleep. She was now lying on her side and scowling in his direction, her eyelids closed tight. "You're a jerk…" she announced, that usual lilt of sarcasm returning to her tone. "And just for that if the next one's a son we're naming him Brainy…" She snored once. "Now get me some pickles and ice cream before I pound that Football Head of yours flat." Her smile slightly returned and she then pulled her knees close to her chest and gave a small chuckle before resuming her peaceful slumber.

Arnold just watched her with is mouth slightly agape for another second as the soreness in his nose subsided…And then suddenly he felt himself chuckle…and then that chuckle turned into warm laughter…and before he knew it he was standing up and holding his sides and trying as hard as he could to not cry he was laughing so hard. '_You know what?_' His thoughts finally broke through the hilarity of it all. '_So she actually does want to marry me…so she actually does want to have a family together…so she actually does want to spend the rest of our lives together in the same house, married forever and ever… Well…so what? Yes, it's a little intense but then again this __is__ Helga we're talking about… And besides what am I going to do about it? Break up with her?_' In between laughs his eyes couldn't help but fall to the precious form of Helga upon the ground below him. _'I could barely handle being away from her between our phone call last night and our phone call this morning…I think about her all the time…I hope everyday for another kiss from her… I think I'm bordering on an unhealthy obsession with her poetry…_' As his laughs began to ebb, he crossed his arms over his chest, almost feeling sheepish for having let his initial realization of what was currently on Helga's mind get to him so much. _'I don't think us 'breaking up' would last very long_.' His smile picked up just a bit more on one side and his gaze went a bit half lidded. 'A_nd I think I'd be the stupidest person in the world to even consider it!'_

And now having managed to get his laughter (and his shock) under control, Arnold's attention finally fell entirely to Helga again…and a warm smile picked up on his face as he whispered to himself with interest and curiosity…and maybe just a little anticipation whether he was ready to consciously admit it or not. "And who knows…maybe she and my Grandpa and Grandma really do know something I don't about her and I being meant to be together after all. And I don't want to fight something like that if it's the truth just because I'm a little scared of it…" He recalled certain things from the past in that vein… "That's what I was doing this whole time between when Helga confessed and when _I _confessed—fighting how I was feeling because it was all a little overwhelming… And now that I'm not doing that anymore, I get to be with the most interesting person I've ever met." His smile took on that goofy, lovesick look Helga had been making him get more and more lately. "So…" he went on lightly, "If she wants to dream about our children, well…" he almost laughed to himself once more, "Then all I can say is…well, at least she's letting me pick the name of the first one, right?"

And besides, also…once again, regardless of whether he was really ready to think out it too much consciously or not…hadn't he already admitted to himself more than once in thought and action that he really wouldn't mind spending every day with Helga if she'd let him…or even ending up as happy as his grandparents were…? And then, of course, well… (he swallowed as he admitted this final fact to himself) there were those strange, funny, goofy feelings that had gone through him before at Helga's dinner table when he'd gotten just a little caught up in the memory of him and her at that vow renewal for Coach Wittenberg… There was just something so very fascinating about even the idea of recalling her pretty though (of course) scowling face from that day and knowing now that if he'd even suggested 'not letting the church and the preacher go to waste' she'd have almost certainly dove into his arms with a sudden smile and never have let him go… Never ever… Always getting to hear that giggle and to see that blush and to read her poems and to hold her and kiss her and to hear that wonderful way she could sigh his name when she was happy…or even the way she could say with just right mixture of sarcasm and cuteness any of the random 'insulting' nicknames she'd come up with for him over the years that had turned out to be just part of the long list of affectionate pet names she had for him when you got right down to it…

Arnold sighed, just barely managing to drift up out of his thoughts enough to remind himself in a dreamy voice, "I…need to get back to helping Helga instead of thinking about her, don't I?"

And so, closing his eyes for just a second and taking one more breath to focus, Arnold then proceeded to turn all of his energies back to Helga once more. His warm, caring smile continuing, he approached her once more, knelt down again, and this time gently put a hand behind her head and one under her knees and did his best to lift her up, turn the two of them and then shift her and rest her back down again so that she was now sitting up with her back against the fence she'd pushed him against only a few minutes ago with so much of that passion that he was the only one lucky enough to know she was so famous for.

Now sure that she was comfortably resting there, Arnold then couldn't help kneeling before Helga once more, looking at her with his half lidded gaze, and then just shaking his head back and forth slightly, grinning all the while, and letting out with a sigh, "What am I going to do with you, my Helga…" He swallowed…and then tried it out for real this time "…My…love…" It was strange just saying it casually like that (when he'd called her his 'talented blue eyed love' before it had been just a dramatic part of one of their little competitions with each other… But just doing it as a regular everyday part of talking to her… 'strange' really was the only way to describe it)… Yet it was a good kind of strange, and something about it made him want to laugh warmly. Not that he was ready yet to start saying it to her face every time they were just walking down the street or anything but…at least it was a start, right?

Coming back to the situation at hand though, Arnold just sighed, trying to weigh his options again for getting them out of this small situation (and without Helga's scheming, brilliant mind to help them, no less)… And then randomly enough an interesting thought occurred to him…

"Hmm…" he shrugged, "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt…" He sighed to himself once more, still smiling, and then whispered to the still out cold girl before him, "Helga, if this is a trick to get me to do this or something, you know, all you had to do was ask…" She just continued sitting there peacefully though, and so then finally (and with a shy grin at doing something as arguably silly as this) Arnold leaned in and gave her a small kiss on the mouth. He felt her lips remain slack, unfortunately, but he still tried to maintain inside a touch of hope as he pulled away to see if his little 'true love's kiss' had indeed actually woken her up.

Helga, however, just snored once more in response to his gesture, shifting her head to the side, and remaining (predictably) out like a light…Though she did at least whisper his name once delicately under her breath. "_Arnold_…"

Arnold couldn't help but frown slightly to himself (though a small part of him wanted to grin at the idea that she could 'recognize' him just by his kiss). "Hmm…well, it works in movies sometimes." He then sat back on the pavement before her and put a chin to his hand, really trying to think about how he could possibly get Helga up in the next ten minutes…

And then, at first to his great surprise…followed quickly by his great _terror_…the cell phone in Helga's pocket started to glow and buzz.

Arnold's eyes opened wide and he practically jumped he was so nervous. He remained frozen for several seconds as the phone went off, unsure of what to do (actually petrified about what to do might have been a better word). '_What if it's Mr. or Mrs. Pataki?_' His thoughts raced. '_They'll want to talk to Helga and they'll…they'll want to know why I'm the one answering her phone this time…_' To Helga's great annoyance her father had found reasons to call her twice during their outing this evening...and with how much irony seemed to love Helga and now him…wouldn't it just be perfect if the third time really was the charm? '_But_…' Arnold considered the other way he could handle this, '_But if no one answers_…' He swallowed hard: he knew that, without question, that option was the worse of the two. At least if _he_ answered her phone he could make some excuse for Helga but if he didn't her parents would probably get really worried and then really angry…at both of them.

And so Arnold quickly summed up his courage, reached forward and then pulled the glowing phone out of Helga's jumper pocket. He then took a very deep breath and finally, mustering all of his courage, pressed the answer button and put the object to his ear. "Hello…?" he asked, trying to sound as casual as possible though he could practically feel the guilt at what he'd done to Helga with that kiss dripping in his voice.

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

And then a voice that at first Arnold didn't recognize (but that then made his eyes light up with potential salvation and a smile a mile wide come to his face) asked in confusion, "Arnold? Is that you? Are you still with Helga?"

Arnold let out the greatest sigh of relief he ever had in his entire life, and stood up. "Olga! Oh, I'm really REALLY happy it was you calling!" He was almost laughing to himself he was so relieved!

He heard Olga laugh slightly on the other end of the line at his enthusiasm. "It's nice to hear from you again too, Arnold. But…is Helga okay?" A touch of confusion and concern came to the older Pataki girl's voice. "Why didn't she answer? I thought your date would be over by now and that she'd be walking home… It's almost ten there right? Or did I get the time difference wrong?" she asked sincerely.

Arnold shook his head at her question. "No, you're right, it's almost ten here. Actually…that's the problem…you see…" he swallowed hard, feeling himself blush slightly, but did his best to go on as casually as possible. "Well, I was walking Helga home and we got near your front door and we were talking and...and just, uh, having fun together…"

"_Mmm_ _hmm_…" he heard Olga's disbelieving reply to his flimsy 'innocent' description of what they had been doing. He sighed once more, feeling even more warmth flood his cheeks, and dragged a hand down his face. He heard Olga giggle in response. "Well, go on Arnold—you and my baby sister were having a little goodnight kiss or something and then what?"

Arnold tugged at his collar nervously. _'Is this reading between the lines thing genetic or something?_' He swallowed and continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, well…anyway…" He dug his foot into the ground shyly. "I might have said something about her…her eyes or something…and I guess she liked it because she, uh…well, she kind of fainted in my arms right near your backyard, and now she's just sitting here against the fence with a smile on her face and I think she might be asleep, and I tried everything to wake her up…" Arnold conveniently left out going into specifics and did his best to plow on with the intimate and embarrassing story, "…but she's kind of out cold." And then his voice couldn't help but take on a serious touch of worry as he continued. "But if she's not home in a few minutes I know you're parents are going to be really upset, but I think Helga would be upset if I went and got them and told them the truth…so I'm really not sure what to do anymore." Sincere hopefulness finally entered his young voice as he finished with, "Olga…is there any way you could help us? Please! I don't care if your parents get angry at me but I don't want anything to happen to Helga—I had dinner at your house tonight and it seems like she's really getting along better with them and I don't want anything to ruin that. Please, Olga!" Arnold knew he was sounding desperate at this point but in point of fact he was indeed desperate to not have this night that had started out so perfectly turn into a fiasco.

He heard only silence for a few seconds from the other end of the line.

"Olga?" he finally asked cautiously, desperately again, all but holding his breath. '_What if she's disappointed in me too just like Mr. and Mrs. Pataki would be… Oh I KNEW I shouldn't have let myself like the kissing so much! I should have just stuck to holding her hand and talking to her and getting ice cream together… I'm ARNOLD—I don't know how to handle making a girl pass out on a date at night in front of her house just because she liked how I kissed her so much!_' He felt himself blushing furiously. '_Heck, I didn't even know you COULD make a girl pass out like that just from a kiss! Let alone DREAM ABOUT MARRYING YOU! Oh I—_'

"Hmm…?"

Arnold's thoughts instantly froze as he heard the older girl say on the other end of the line eventually speak up again, almost like he had just brought her out of some thoughts she was considering or something with his hesitant address from a few seconds prior. He cringed just a little…waiting for whatever she'd say next and seriously crossing his fingers.

"Huh? Oh, um, sorry, Arnold…" Olga's attentive and supportive tone was back as she continued speaking. "Of course I'll help you and my baby sister—can't have Daddy blowing his top only two weeks into your relationship." She laughed slightly to herself. "Believe me I know how difficult that can be—he can be awfully silly about things sometimes…" She sighed to herself once more and then Arnold heard her clear her throat as she came out of whatever memory she was having. "Anyway, like I said, how could I help but help you and Helga, Arnold, silly? But I just need a minute to think—I haven't had to come up with a plan to fix an awkward dating situation involving Mummy and Daddy in a while and I'm a little rusty…"

Arnold just stood there, wide eyed, and torn between total amazement and total gratitude. _'Helga…has a lot more in common with Olga than she realizes…doesn't she?_' He smiled. _'Perfect!'_

"Ah, I've got it!" He heard Olga suddenly announce triumphantly (and much to his continuing happiness and hopefulness). "Okay, Arnold, sweetie," she went on, "Do you think you could carry Helga to the front door?"

Arnold had to blink at the strange request, but then just glanced at Helga and instantly recalled carrying her to move her to the fence just now as well as the number of times over the years when she had 'randomly' jumped into his arms, 'conveniently' making it so that he'd had to hold her for a while… He tried not to give in to a chuckle at the memories and sudden understanding of just how preplanned those moments had been, and instead went back to the phone call with Olga and replied simply, "Um…sure."

"Oh, perfect!" Olga giggled to herself in delight at his affirmative response. "Okay, you just wait two minutes, Arnold, and then bring her to the door. Mummy should answer and believe me she'd understand a lot better than Daddy. He means well but he can be just a little difficult sometimes!" Arnold heard Olga scoff to herself lightly. "Anyway," she went on, sounding chipper as ever again, "she can take Helga from you from there and get her upstairs. And then Daddy will just think that she was tired after the long day she's had and that she feel asleep." She finished with a definite tone of pride and satisfaction in her voice.

Arnold, finally being fully presented with a genuine light at the end of the tunnel, was of course very grateful for the plan Olga had just been nice enough to come up with…but at the same time he couldn't help a small (though, understandably enough, serious) feeling of doubt eclipse his hope for just a moment. "But, Olga…" he began with that touch of concern of his, his eyes falling to Helga's sleeping form once more, "Won't your Dad see your Mom carrying her upstairs…passed out like this?" Explaining away Helga being tired enough after a date to fall asleep instantly upon getting home and getting to her room was one thing but…explaining why she'd gone out like a light somewhere in the middle of the date and had to be brought by hand upstairs to her bed was quite another, to say the least.

Olga, however, just laughed once more on the other end of the line and replied reassuringly to this doubt she obviously already had a plan for addressing, "Oh Arnold, you just leave Daddy and all of that to me. But remember—wait at least two minutes before you go to the door! Okay?"

Arnold nodded, putting all of his faith in Olga, and thankful that she seemed to have everything planned out for him. "Okay, Olga. Whatever you say," he replied with complete trust in his voice.

He just heard Olga laugh once more to herself in response. "Helga's right—you're a very good listener, Arnold. That's a very good quality in a boyfriend for my baby sister." She giggled once more. "Anyway, it was nice talking to you Arnold, and I'm glad you and Helga obviously had such a nice time out together…I'll be home in a few weeks for summer vacation and maybe I can take you and Helga for a little drive in the country or for a little trip to the beach! Oh, but, it really is almost 10 isn't it? Okay, I'll talk to you later Arnold, and remember—two minutes! Bye!" And with that perky reminder and small farewell she hung up the phone.

Arnold just let out a deep breath after she had hung up and then pressed the end call button on Helga's phone as well. Still, despite the more than a bit of stress he was currently under with still having to pull off Olga's plan, he had to at least half smile to himself at the conversation he'd just had…. '_And Helga thinks__ I__ have a zany yet lovable family…'_

Arnold took another breath and watched the digital clock on Helga's phone until two minutes had passed (which left them at 9:57—very close to 10 indeed!). Then he placed the phone back into Helga's pocket, placed one arm behind her head and one under her knees again, and lifted her up. He carefully walked her past the fence and the dumpster to her stoop. '_I really REALLY hope that this works_…' he couldn't help but think to himself with just a touch of worry coming to his eyes… At the very least, he hoped that if something went wrong Helga's parents really would blame him over her. The last thing she needed right now was to have things go bad with them, and though she had been trying to act casual about when they'd briefly discussed before how Bob and Miriam Pataki had been changing around her lately, he knew that deep down it was important to Helga…

Arnold finally reached the stoop and climbed to the top, putting his thoughts and worries aside and doing his best to just hope. Once at this location, though, he hesitated…unsure if Olga had meant for him to ring the bell or…

His uncertainty was cleared up by the sudden sound of the door handle turning, revealing Miriam Pataki who quickly slipped out into the spring night…a very VERY amused smile on her face at the sight that met her (and at the sight her older daughter had prepared her to see when she'd spoken to her on the phone for a few quick seconds before then asking to talk to her father for a little while as a distraction not two minutes ago…)

The older woman put her hands on her hips and glanced down at the sleeping form of her daughter who was not only being cradled in Arnold's arms at the moment (as Olga had described would be the case) but had actually suddenly started snuggling against his neck with a smile now.

Arnold just cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly up at Helga's mother, doing his best not to pay any mind to the feeling of Helga's soft hair brushing against his collar. "Um…hi, Mrs. Pataki…" he managed to get out in a small voice. "H-how are you?"

Miriam (realizing from how the poor boy in front of her sounded and looked that this situation was probably embarrassing enough for him as it was right now) did her best not to laugh at the sight before her and to instead just reply with a warm, understanding smile. "Hello, Arnold. I'm fine, thanks. And thank you for bringing Helga home… It was very smart of you to ask Olga for help." She crossed her arms over her chest….unable to resist at least asking with an eyebrow raised, "So…Helga just, uh... fainted when you went to say goodnight to her, huh?"

The ten-year-old boy instantly blushed. "Um…" He glanced away and replied in a nervous voice. "Well…something like that…I also might have said something about her eyes and a few other things and then she just kind of collapsed." He looked up at Miriam sheepishly and hesitantly. '_This is really, really awkward, isn't it?_' he thought to himself with a swallow. The feeling of Helga's soft hair still moving against his neck (thus letting him know that she wasn't done cuddling into him in her sleep by a long shot) …and then her suddenly randomly whispering his name very softly once or twice under her breath amidst whatever dream she was still having answered the question for him…

Miriam, meanwhile, now had to finally actually let a chuckle escape her considering both Arnold's shy explanation of Helga's current condition as well as the small, intimate moment her sleeping daughter was currently managing to share with her little boyfriend. She quickly did her best to get her bit of laughter under control though, realizing once again the need to deal with the situation at hand as well as the need to not make Arnold feel any more embarrassed than he already was. So she just sighed, and went on to explaining things (though she couldn't resist at least letting a half smile remain upon her face). "Well, anyway, Arnold, Olga's got Bob on the phone in the living room right now telling him all about how she's 'thinking about coming home after she graduates this year to learn how to take over the beeper empire'…" Miriam made air quotes at this last part of the sentence, rolling her eyes. "And that should keep him busy and away from the door for a while between being proud of her for wanting to continue the Pataki family business and secretly wishing that it was _Helga_ saying she'd take over instead of Olga…" Miriam's smile grew just a little. "In case you haven't noticed Arnold, Helga's a bit more passionate and forceful about things than her sister…"

Arnold just did his best not to collapse considering how much the choice of those particular adjectives from Miriam Pataki caused his heart to pound and his knees to practically shake. Still having Helga's warm, sleeping form right against his chest wasn't helping much either… Holding the body of the girl who had just thrown him against a fence to make out with him for minutes on end…

Miriam, taking pity once more on Arnold, just smiled to herself and took a breath, moving the conversation along. "Anyway, Olga before she started speaking to him told me to come out here to help you, so I'll just take Helga and put her to bed…No harm done…" Miriam then leaned down and reached forward, and gently shifted her daughter into her own arms from Arnold's. Standing upright, holding her youngest girl, she couldn't help but smile with interest at the slight look of distress that came to Helga's face at the shift…though after a couple of seconds she seemed to calm down a bit near her mother—her face, though not resuming its former look of contentment, at least became placid.

Miriam just sighed at her, still with a small smile, and then turned to Arnold once more, whispering so as not to wake Helga, just in case. "Thank you again for taking such good care of her Arnold, and for worrying about her enough to help her like this. You're very sweet for being so nice to her…I know she can be a little rough around the edges…" Miriam glanced at her daughter briefly once more, "But she's always been a good girl…and a very good daughter."

Arnold, now finally feeling his embarrassment ebbing (leaving only that warm love Helga had awakened in him in its place), just smiled at the sight of the girl in question currently being held by her mother before him as well as at Miriam's very astute observation. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. Pataki…" he began sincerely (also in a low voice so as not to disturb Helga, just in case), "I like spending time with Helga and I like helping her when I can…It's just nice to see her happy…and…" he hesitated, unsure if he should be prying, but then finally decided to add, looking up at Miriam, "And…I'm happy things are working out better for her with you and Mr. Pataki… She seemed a lot happier these past couple of weeks when you were all doing stuff together with Olga and now that you're trying to do stuff just with her…" He smiled a little more. "Well, I think she really likes it. And she deserves it… Like you said, she's always been a good person." His eyes fell back to Helga. "She deserves everything…" he finally finished softly…and for a moment he couldn't help but shift his gaze back down again get lost in just admiring her lovely, content face for one final time this evening…

Miriam, meanwhile, hadn't been able to help but tilt her head to the side slightly, observing Arnold with interest as he had delivered this small speech, and she was continuing to do so now as he was just standing there and looking with so much affection at her daughter…

"Arnold…do you love Helga?"

It took Arnold a second to process the question. And when he did he felt himself blush and his heart pound and his eyes go wide. He looked up at Helga's Mom with surprise in his eyes. "I…well, I…" Regardless of the truth, he genuinely wasn't sure how to respond to this question. '_Helga said she knew everything but…but how much of everything exactly_?'

Miriam just smiled at the flustered boy and instantly backpedaled a bit, the gravity of the question she'd just let slip out finally processing with her. "I'm sorry, Arnold…" she began sincerely. "That was a bit of a personal question, wasn't it?" She sighed once more and glanced back at Helga, and continued speaking. "It's just….something Helga mentioned to me last night and then the way you were looking at her just now made me think about it…" She laughed to herself. "I already know she's convinced she practically loves you… I… guess it just seemed for a second like you felt the same way, and it's just…it's just very…" She couldn't find the right word to put to it, though the smile still on her face told Arnold it wasn't a negative word.

"Uncanny?" he finally couldn't help but suggest with a half smile.

Miriam blinked at the word choice, considered, and then looked at him. "Yes, actually, I think that would be a good way to describe it, Arnold…." She gave him a bit of a curious look, her half smile picking up just a bit more as she tried to elaborate a little. "It's just so very unusual for your ages… And, also, I think Helga said your first date was only a week ago… but, well, now here she is thinking about you all the time and asking for dinner with you as one of her birthday presents, and here you are carrying the poor thing home after she passed out in your arms all because you complimented her, and I—"

"Mrs. Pataki?" Arnold finally interjected as politely and modestly as possible, looking up at her, still with a half smile, and knowing where she was going with this…and having an idea of how maybe to explain it at this point in his and Helga's relationship.

The older woman blinked at his voice and looked down at him with an eyebrow raised. "Yes, Arnold?"

Arnold took a breath, glanced down, considered for a moment, and then looked back up at her. _'That's probably the best way to put it, to be honest_…' "Um…" he began, "Whatever way Helga's told you she feels about me…is the way I feel about her…" He felt his smile become just a bit goofier… "Minus the few 'nicknames' I'm sure she called me when she was telling you whatever she told you: shrimp, geek, paste for brains, and her favorite, Football Head…" He laughed just a little to himself. "Anyway…" he swallowed and glanced down just a little nervously again, "I know it's a little unusual but…we're really happy like this even if we're a little different." He smiled just a bit more to himself as he finished on that very true note, and his eyes couldn't help but of course fall back to Helga.

Miriam took several seconds to absorb this response from the boy before her. Upon doing so, though, she blinked…and then she smiled back at him... "Hmm…" she paused just a second…just admiring for a moment the clever young man in front of her who obviously cared for her daughter so sincerely. "You know, Arnold…" she began… "Helga's really lucky to have you. And I really do think there's something different about the two of you…something…special."

Arnold, who really had kind of accidentally gotten seriously lost in looking at Helga just now (visions of tuxedos and bridesmaid dresses maybe flitting through the back of his mind), slowly blinked a few times at the sound of Miriam's words, and then let out a sigh and managed to pull his eyes up to her again. "I…" his slightly sheepish smile grew…though at this point he was more or less over any embarrassment, "I think so too, Mrs. Pataki…and I'm really lucky to have Helga also." He then seemed to consider once more…and finally swallowed and tacked on, trying to seem as casual as possible about it, of course, "I guess you could even say that I, uh, LOVE having the chance to get to know her…"

At the word 'love' coming from Arnold's mouth, a still sleeping Helga proceeded to let out a small sigh again and a small laugh… "_Arnold_…" …as well as another little exclamation of her beloved's name, apparently.

Miriam and Arnold's eyes both blinked and went back to Helga for just a second…and then they smiled at her…and finally looked back to and smiled at each other (Arnold doing his best not to blush too much more).

The moment was broken by the sound of the clock tower chiming ten.

Miriam's eyes went wide and she did her best to shift most of Helga's weight to one of her arms, thus freeing up a hand to quickly push open the Pataki front door once more to let them in. "Goodnight, Arnold!" Miriam whispered quickly to the boy upon her stoop with a smile, "I'll let Olga know things worked out. And thank you again!"

Arnold just smiled and nodded. "Goodnight, Mrs. Pataki…and Helga…" he added to his beloved's sleeping form.

Miriam smiled once more and then entered the Pataki household, and gently closed the door behind her.

Arnold just stood out on the front stoop for another moment or two in the air of the warm spring evening, a content smile on his face.

Then, however, he recalled that, even though the boarding house was only a few minutes away by foot, his own curfew had just struck as well.

And so with a sigh our Football Headed hero began to head down the first few steps back to the sidewalk to commence his journey home…

…When suddenly through an open window near the door…he heard Mr. Pataki speaking. "Hey, Miriam, it's ten already—is the girl home yet?"

Arnold had to pause, feeling his formerly content heart suddenly pound slightly in fear. They may have gotten away with the handoff at the front door but there was NO way Helga's mom had had enough time to put her upstairs in her room yet…which meant Big Bob would see her passed out like that…

'_Uh oh…'_

Arnold, frozen on the last step of Helga's stoop, listened eagerly…hanging with bated breath on every word that might reach him through the window.

"Oh…well, of course she's home, B—right on time actually!" he heard Miriam to her husband reply in a casual, happy voice.

"Oh, well, that's—_hey,_ what the heck happened to her?" Bob's tone sounded both surprised and just a bit miffed and suspicious to say the least.

"Oh B, don't be so dramatic!" Arnold heard Miriam reassure without missing a beat. "She just came inside and was so tired that before I could even ask her how her night went she practically fell asleep closing the door behind her. I guess she's still getting used to her new later curfew." He heard the older woman then let out a breath before going on (still sounding quite casual, just like before). "Anyway, I just thought I'd bring her upstairs and put her in her bed—no sense in waking her up now, especially with school tomorrow."

There was a moment of silence.

And Arnold didn't breathe at all during it.

"Oh, uh…yeah. Good. Well as long as she's home safe and sound…" Bob's tone was back to normal…

And Arnold released the breath inside of himself…

"And hey that Arnold kid walked her here, didn't he?" Bob's slightly suspicious/defensive tone was back a little bit with this question. "I mean, she wasn't going through these streets at night alone or anything, was she?"

Arnold heard Miriam just laugh in response to the question. "Oh of course not, B! He walked her right up to the stoop—poor boy practically had to prop her up she was so tired." She let out a happy sigh. "Anyway, he thanked us for letting her go with him to the movies and then for dinner, but then he had to get home to make his own curfew."

"Oh…" and once again, Bob sounded appeased and satisfied. "Good, good… Well, at least he's a decent kid." A small chuckle from the back of his throat. "Actually kind of interesting too."

Miriam chuckled as well. "See B, I knew you'd like him if you gave him a chance…"

Arnold was starting to feel a lot better, overall…

"…Our little Helga's boyfriend…"

And now Arnold was feeling panicked beyond all reason again, thanks to this last little addition Miriam had chosen to make to her originally average enough comment.

"Hey, hey, _hey_!" He heard Bob instantly start. "Don't you think they're a little young for you to be throwing out labels like that, Miriam?"

Miriam Pataki just sighed good-naturedly. "Oh, Bob, I'm just kidding…" She let things linger for just a second, "Still…you have to admit he'd be a good choice for her, wouldn't he? So nice and responsible and caring, and she seems to like him a lot…"

Arnold heard Bob hesitate…but then finally let out a sigh. "Yeah, well…" he began to admit, grumbling a bit, "I guess if they ended up dating or something it couldn't be any worse than some of the disasters we went through with Olga. Yeesh, I'm glad all that's over!"

Miriam's laughter sounded out through the window. "Oh and speaking of Olga, Bob, what did she want to talk to you about, anyway?" The question was asked with a perfectly feigned amount of genuine curiosity, and succeeded at its obviously intended task of moving the conversation along a little now that Miriam had at least introduced the idea of Arnold and Helga as a romantic couple rather than just friends (or at least, Arnold couldn't help but think how much sense the use of this strategy would make…and how probable it was considering the fact that it was coming from the mother of the greatest schemer he'd ever met).

"Huh?" Bob replied at first to the question, but then he recalled his recent phone conversation with this oldest daughter he continued with, "Oh…something about taking over the beeper empire, but then ten minutes into the conversation she decided that it might be better to see how her student teaching this year and then graduating turned out first…" Bob let out a sigh. "Not that I don't love her Miriam, and she _is_ a Pataki, but I think the girl would do much better with the Emporium than Olga."

Miriam Pataki just chuckled to herself once more. "You're probably right, Bob. But like you said Helga's still pretty young—she's got plenty of time to decide what she wants to do with her life."

Arnold heard Bob yawn. "Yeah, I guess so…"

And then Arnold heard Miriam yawn as well. "Well, I'll just get Helga to bed then, and then finish up putting away those dishes."

"Yeah, I think I'll hit the hay pretty soon myself now that she's home. Oh, and uh, Miriam…remind me to set things up for that afternoon off Wednesday so we can watch her game, okay?"

"Sure B. I'll meet you upstairs as soon as I'm done in the kitchen."

"Okay, Miriam."

There were the sounds of someone walking away and then rustling newspaper, and then of Bob mumbling to himself (though it seemed to fade away as the seconds progressed, as though he were walking deeper into the house and away from the open window). "First let me see how much I lost on the spread, though…" was all Arnold could make out before his voice was gone entirely…

Hearing this conversation come to a close (and in his favor, THANKFULLY), Arnold, who had already been smiling more and more at Miriam's quick thinking, finally let out a contented sigh of complete relief now that he knew for sure that he had indeed succeeded in helping keep the end of this night just as perfect as the beginning had been for both himself and Helga.

Indeed, almost floating inside, he hopped down the last step of the stoop and glanced up for just a second at the brownstone behind him until he saw a light come on in one of the house windows (Helga's), stay on for a few moments, and then turn off…

"Goodnight Helga…" he said quietly into the night again.

And then with a smile he turned and began walking back to the boarding house, reflecting, as he did so, on some of the last events of this most recent evening with Helga. "Well, that settles it…" he suddenly found himself saying aloud as an ironic thought to sum up the evening and how grateful he was that it had all worked out popped into his mind, "Helga's knack for crazy schemes and elaborate stories is _definitely_ something she inherited!"

He chuckled to himself at the idea as he finished making his way to Vine Street.

* * *

Not too many minutes later, a still smiling Arnold approached his own house and walked up the stoop, opening the door and entering.

"Grandpa, I'm home!" he called out, still with a grin, closing the door behind him.

"Oh, there you are, Shortman!" Phil was just coming down the boarding house stairs, in full nightgown and nightcap (much as Arnold had seen him in upon arriving home last night). He smiled at his grandson. "Enjoy your dinner and date with Helga?"

"Uh huh..." Arnold sighed with an affirmative nod or two…but then blinked and looked up at the old man sincerely, recalling that he was a few minutes behind schedule getting back from said date. "Sorry I'm a couple of minutes late, though, Grandpa…I had to walk Helga home after the movie first and it…um…took a little longer than I expected…" He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced away sheepishly…doing his best not to both laugh and blush at the memory.

Phil just crossed his arms over his chest and gave him an all-knowing smile. "Oh, don't worry about it, Shortman. 10, 10:10…not that big of a difference especially when you've got a lady friend to consider." He winked.

Arnold sighed and did his best to ignore the teasing. "Thanks, Grandpa…" He put his arms behind his back. "And I promise I'll be home at 8 all next week like we agreed. It'll be worth it to have every other night after that be at 10 anyway…" He couldn't help the slightly dreamy smile returning to his face yet again that night as he got lost in some thoughts for a moment…

Phil just watched his grandson in amusement for a second longer and then finally had to chuckle warmly and fully, holding his sides. "Boy has she got you hooked, Shortman! Heh, heh…just like me and Gertie… Boy, I'll tell you, the stories I could…" He sighed and shook his head, feeling some reminisces wash over him.

Arnold blinked a few times, coming back to reality again, and then looked to his grandfather as he found himself suddenly recalling something (considering the mention of the Gertie thing). "Oh, and thanks for the advice about how to handle dinner tonight Grandpa, especially with Helga's Dad… You were right—I just did my best to let him know I cared about Helga and that I'd keep her safe and we actually ended up…kind of sort of getting along." He smiled in interest at the idea.

"Heh, heh…" Phil began in amusement. "No problem, Shortman. Believe me, I've been in your shoes and I know how stressful something like that can be…" He rolled his eyes. "Woo! You think Big Bob Pataki's a handful, you should have met your Grandma's father!" He just shook his head, smiling. "Thought he was going to kill me if I even looked at her the wrong way…" He put a hand on one of his hips. "You know he even asked me my 'intentions' the first time Gertie brought me over at the end of fourth grade…" He shuddered dramatically at the embarrassing memory. "Remind me to fill you in on the details of THAT little escapade sometime, Shortman…" A half smile came to his face and he chuckled once or twice…

Arnold at this point was laughing to himself right along with his grandfather…but then suddenly the mention of hearing another specific story about the Gertie thing for the first time since last night (and since a certain late night conversation with his grandmother), made him smile a bit more and his eyes light up. "Actually…" he began, looking to the old man and trying not to smirk a little, "Speaking of stories like that, Grandpa…I was talking to Grandma about the Gertie thing and she actually said that after I finish hearing all the stories from you I should come to her for the 'truth.'" He tried to keep a straight face, very interested to see what his Grandpa's reaction would be to this comment from his Grandma.

Phil's laughter instantly ceased and then suddenly his jaw dropped in total disbelief (all of this was incredibly amusing to Arnold, by the way). Then the old man blinked and put his hands on his hips, scowling slightly and looking off into the distance. "Oh the 'truth' huh? Yeah, because I wouldn't know the truth—I was just the one getting pushed in the dirt and tattled on to the teacher and insulted and mocked and berated and tricked into kissing her and—"

Arnold blinked, his own eyes now going a bit wide. "Wait!" he had to interject, "_Yours_ tricked _you_ into kissing her _too_?"

Phil blinked again at the exclamation from his grandson, but then rolled his eyes and resumed his scowling once more. "Oh you bet, Shortman! That and everything else she could come up with! Oh but SHE knows the truth, not me! Well that does it!" And then all of a sudden he glanced up and over his shoulder toward the boarding house stairs. "Pookie, are you still awake?" he suddenly cried out. "We're going to have this out right here and now about all that stuff when we were kids! And I don't care what time it is—I mean it! I'm calling you out, _Gertie_!"

Arnold, whose smile had been growing considerably and regularly at this reaction of his grandfather's to this comment of his Grandma, had to let his eyes go quite wide at the sudden and TOTALLY unprecedented use of the woman in question's actual name. "_Grandpa_…" his tone was completely disbelieving, and understandably so… "you just…called Grandma '_Gertie'_! I mean…you didn't call her 'Pookie'!" And in truth Arnold could not recall a single time in his life when his grandfather had ever not referred to his grandmother by that nickname.

Phil just looked back down at his grandson, still scowling, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh well if we're going to get back into everything that happened during the first half of elementary school then we're going whole hog, Arnold! That means no cute nicknames from me—"

"And no just plain 'Phil' from me, I suppose…isn't that right, Popsicle Chin?"

At the sound of his wife's voice somewhere nearby…and at what she'd just called him…Phil just closed his eyes and smacked a hand to his forehead. "Oh for the love of…" He let out a very VERY exasperated sigh.

Arnold then watched as a laughing Gertie suddenly came the rest of the way down the boarding house stairs. She smiled at Phil as she entered the foyer, moving herself so that she was beside him, a very smug smirk upon her face. "What—were you banking on a few decades of senility meaning I'd forgotten?" She crossed her arms over her chest, yawning. "Now…what's the problem here?"

Phil let out a sigh and turned to Gertie, giving her a look, his hands on his hips. "Well, young Arnold," he gestured back to the ten-year-old boy in question with one of his hands, "seems to have been put under the impression that _you_ know the story about how we met better than _I _do…"

"Well…" Gertie just shrugged and glanced away innocently enough, putting her arms behind her back, "I _was_ the one who knew what was going on between us quite a few years before you did, so…"

"Now that is not the point and you know it!" Phil cut her off, only getting more and more annoyed by how innocent and casual she was trying to sound. He threw his arms up in the air in a gesticulation, eyes widening. "Do you know how big of an ordeal it is to get tortured by a girl for over half your life and then to have her suddenly smooch you one day and tell you it's all because she wants to marry you?" The hands went back on his hips. "Now if there's any experience that needs to be told from our childhoods it's that one!"

Gertie, however, continued not to take the bait, and instead just sighed patiently at him, almost shaking her head in amusement. "Oh Phil…now I don't remember _everything_ about when we were little, but I _do_ know that I did _not_ say I wanted to 'marry you'…I was never THAT dramatic." She rolled her eyes, still smiling innocently, and letting out a small (obviously just _slightly_ mocking) chuckle…

Phil instantly blinked and his jaw almost fell again. "What the—yes you DID!" He pointed right at her. "And you _were_ _so_ that dramatic! Heck on our first date you practically jumped me right in the boarding house living room just for another kiss. Cheese and crackers, woman, I still don't know how I survived that transition from mortal enemies to dating!"

A still amused Gertie just laughed to herself and waved him off. "Oh you're losing your memory a bit, Phil…I might have tried to hold your hand or something but I'm pretty sure _you're_ the one who tried to kiss _me_ on that first date." And then a small smirk was back on her face. "Besides, if I remember correctly, I might have told you I liked you first but you were the one who'd been liking me for years without admitting it to yourself. You told me that on the second date."

Phil rolled his eyes again but at the same time couldn't help swallowing and a touch of that conviction leaving his eyes at the excellent and slightly embarrassing point she had just made. Still, he did his best to stand his ground. "Okay, that is being taken _totally_ out of context, and besides you…you _know_ you had it bad for me from the first day you met me just like you said in your confession!" He smiled, liking suddenly turning the tables in his favor once again. "Now _that_ I remember every word of—and don't try and deny it because that night's been permanently engrained into my head for the last seventy three years! Grabbing hold of me in the basement of this place like that all because I caught you down there trying to find that foundation stone to prove this building was a landmark and couldn't get torn down just so I wouldn't have to move!"

Gertie, however, despite this point, was still maintaining her slightly patronizing strategy. "Oh Phil, Phil, Phil…" she shrugged, "Who can remember who said what anymore?" She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled happily at him. "Point is, somehow we ended up together and here we are now. Besides, I didn't mean anything by telling Arnold to come to me for the truth—just that if he had both sides of the story maybe he could get a clearer picture. Wouldn't you like that, Arnold?" Gertie finally looked to her Grandson with a smile.

Arnold, meanwhile, had just been watching this entire little exchange going on between his grandparents with his mouth agape in shock and disbelief…and his smile seriously growing. At suddenly being addressed, though, he couldn't help but look once more to his grandmother and then to his grandfather…and then suddenly burst into warm laughter, holding his sides, his eyes shut happily.

"See!" Phil suddenly announced, gesturing with an arm to the ten-year-old boy currently in hysterics before him, "The boy sees how ridiculous you are and now he's losing his marbles!"

Gertie just put her hands behind her back coyly once again and gave him a half smile. "Whatever you say, Popsicle Chin…"

Arnold, meanwhile, managed to get his laughter under control (though these last two comments from his grandfather and his grandmother didn't help much). "Actually, Grandpa…" he looked to the old man with a smile, "I was thinking about asking Helga to come over next Friday after school to hear some stories from Grandma if she has time to tell them…but…is there any way _both_ of you could tell them to us?" He looked from his Grandpa to his Grandma hopefully. "I mean, I think Grandma's right…I think it definitely would give us a, um…a better picture of things…hearing what both of you have to say…" _'Yeah_,' he tried very hard not to break into laughter again, _'Not only of how history is repeating itself with me and Helga but of how we could look in seventy years…_' Not to mention, Arnold just knew that Helga would just love coming over for something like that! After all, she _was_ the one who already had them all planned out with being married and having kids…throwing in the idea of grandkids for her to think about probably wouldn't be _too_ much of a stretch for her… Arnold had to let out a small chuckle at the back of his throat and did his best not to ignore the quick blush he felt tinge his features.

Upon Arnold finishing his suggestion, meanwhile, Phil just blinked, a blank look on his face at first at the unexpected idea… But then after a second or two to absorb the plan as well as the reasoning behind it…he couldn't help but lose the scowl…and allow a small smile to replace it. He then turned back to his still half grinning wife, grinning now himself quite a bit. "Well…" and suddenly his tone was much kinder and happier, like usual when he spoke to her, "What do you say, Ger—uh, Pookie?" He then rubbed the back of his neck, looking at her just a bit sheepishly as he suddenly realized just how much he had allowed her to rile him about the past and just how silly it all really was when you got down to it. He continued, gesturing back toward Arnold with his head. "The boy and the girl could use a history lesson and, like you said, maybe coming from both of us it would make a lot more sense…"

Gertie just responded by laughing warmly and giving him a wink. "Sounds good to me, partner!" And then she suddenly took a few steps back, opened the hall closet, reached inside and pulled out a cowboy hat and popped it on her head. "Now, come on—we've got a cattle drive at 7 AM tomorrow and we wanna be up plenty early to have breakfast ready for the ranchers! Yee haw!" And with that and a quick wink to Arnold just when Phil had his eyes shut and was rubbing his temples, she galloped upstairs.

"Arnold…" Phil began in a level voice the second she was gone, finally opening his eyes.

"Yes, Grandpa?" Arnold asked curiously, raising an eyebrow, and trying not to laugh at his grandmother's antics.

"So…is it true that you know she's just acting now too?"

A silence passed during which Arnold's eyes went completely wide and his jaw absolutely fell. "Grandpa…WHAT?"

Phil just let out a sigh and rolled his eyes, and then turned back to look to his grandson. "The fact that all the random themes and play acting and holiday shenanigans are all an act just to get under my skin: you know now, right?" He grinned just slightly, crossing his arms over his chest.

'_But how…I…huh?_' Arnold but a hand to his head, blinking several times. "Uh…yes…but…Grandpa, _how_ do you—"

Phil scoffed and raised an eyebrow, and explained. "Arnold, now, you're talking to a trained professional here. After seventy years you become sort of an expert on the person whose life goal it is to torture you with love…" He smiled to himself. "And also, when Suzie first moved in here and found out she felt bad for me one day and filled me in officially…"

Arnold still looked just utterly confused, to say the least. And indeed, he was… "But then why…why do you go along with it like you don't know?" Arnold recalled all those years of his Grandpa faking like he believed the holidays were mixed up and acting annoyed when his Grandma would take things to an extreme or just now getting in that fight with her. And he especially recalled this morning's little Hawaii escapade… "I mean, this morning you—she…she did all of that stuff and you just acted like you…I mean, you really seemed like you believed her this time, like you weren't just humoring her, and…." He was still having trouble processing how all of this could logically work out.

Phil just gave his grandson an all-knowing smile, and shook his head in amusement in amusement as he proceeded to elaborate further. "Well, Arnold…" he let out a sigh and then reached forward, putting a hand on the still confused young boy's shoulder, "You know, the whole thing in general and how it got started is a long story of us playing little games with each other from the time we were kids until it just…escalated, I guess. Oh but as for this morning, well…" he had to chuckle to himself and roll his eyes. "I'll admit she really had me going for a while there—coming out of nowhere with that intense of a ruse...And then all of a sudden acting like it never happened! I really was thinking for a second there that she'd finally actually lost it a little bit, but…" he let out a sheepish sigh, "I guess, after all of these years of experience I probably should have been tipped off by how specifically she was following only me around (just like when we were kids, heh heh!), and how stubborn she was about finding any random Hawaii-based excuse for not waking you up…and of course by how she chose just the moment when everyone else came on the scene to go back to acting 'normal'…"

He was just absentmindedly shaking his head in serious amusement at this point. Suddenly recalling that he had been in the middle of answering a question for young Arnold though, he blinked a couple of times and turned his attentions back to his grandson. "But, anyway, the bottom line is…well, your grandma's always liked getting one up on me, Shortman…It's fun for her and it keeps things interesting around here—you have to admit that!" He winked. "And besides, it…let's her be creative…" he smiled just a bit more to himself, and for a moment his eyes seemed lost in some memories, "And that's…one of the reasons I fell in love with her in the first place, Shortman."

Arnold absorbed his grandfather's response…

And then of course he smiled as well…more than completely understanding.

It took Phil a second but eventually he came out of his private thoughts and winked at his intrigued and history-repeating grandson. "Now you just don't mention this to her or any of the other boarders, though, okay Shortman? Don't want to spoil the game now, do we?"

Arnold nodded and did his best not to chuckle. "Okay, Grandpa."

"Saddle up, cowpokes! Time to hit the hay!"

Phil laughed warmly to himself just as Gertie gave this final cattle call from the second floor landing. He then turned to look back over his shoulder in that direction with a sigh. "Oh and Arnold?" he added before pursuing his wife's jesting voice.

Arnold's grin picked up on one side and he raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Grandpa?"

Phil couldn't help his smile growing as a he closed his eyes and brought a hand to one of his temples. "Make sure you develop a really good sense of humor from being with Helga…especially if you and her really do turn out to be like me and your Grandma… You'll need it—trust me." And with these words he shook his head and approached the stairs, holding up one of his hands around the outside of his mouth so his voice would carry better. "Okay, Pookie—we're heading off to sleep soon, and I'll be sure to have the horses trotted and the cow hands ready as soon after sunup as possible!" He turned back to his grandson and winked. "Goodnight Arnold…" he whispered, "At least we might have western omelets to look forward to tomorrow…" He then winced slightly…"Or horse meat…depending on how far she wants to go with the joke."

Suddenly the sound of Phil's stomach rumbling caused him to grab his abdomen and a distressed look to come to his face. "Ooo, I knew I shouldn't have had that third leftover raspberry turnover for dessert… Oh well, at least there's no way there can be fruit during tomorrow's breakfast…" he stomach grumbled low and sick again, "Ugh, unless she makes some trailmix with dried raspberries thrown in for flavor and doesn't tell me… That's another game with us by the way, Arnold—torturing me with the fruit I love that hates me!" He did his best to wink and smile once more at the ten-year-old boy as his stomach gave another audible lurch. "Anyway, gotta go, Shortman, and remember—NEVER eat raspberries!" And with that bit of familiar (and apparently sound) advice, Phil dashed off to the bathroom. "Unless it's to get a smile out of someone you love of course!" he then randomly added before shutting the door to the basement behind him.

Watching his grandfather go off and taking in his words, Arnold just chuckled, then smiled and then finally just shook his head and walked forward and began ascending the stairs to the second floor landing which would then eventually lead him to his room. As he made his way through the hall, he couldn't help but recall with anticipation the story telling session his grandparents had promised to hold for him and Helga…and his already quite wide smile only grew. "Helga's just really going to love that, isn't she…?"

A few more seconds passed while he walked past the boarders various doors, and then Arnold laughed once more as another thought came to him while he finally pulled down the ladder leading to his room. "Hmm…I wonder how much she'll remember from tonight and how much she'll think was a dream?" He sighed and began to climb…and felt himself blush just a bit. "Well, as long as she at least remembers we had a good time at dinner and the movies, that's alright with me…" He felt the heat of his blush increase just a little as he couldn't help but add to himself, finally making it to the floor of his room, "But…I really do hope she remembers the stuff after that, though…" He recalled that kiss she'd surprised him with…and then his undeniable urge to dip her back like he'd done…and really did hope she would recall it. After all… "I don't know when I'll get the courage to do something like that again…" And yet somehow he knew that that little piece of himself that had come up with doing that to her in the first place probably had quite a few more little daring acts in store for his and Helga's relationship… Only time would tell though, he guessed…

Quietly closing his door behind him, Arnold's eyes instantly and almost unavoidably fell to Helga's pink books in their familiar place near on the shelf his bedside. He let out a content, romantic sigh. "And also, if she remembers the last part of tonight…well, then I bet I'll have plenty more pink books to look at on Friday…"

He laughed to himself just a little as he took a few minutes to quickly change into his pajamas and then crawled into his warm bed, shutting out his lights with his remote and gently taking and holding one of Helga's pink books near him (just as he'd done last night) as drifted off to sleep…saying her name quietly to himself with a smile every now and again, of course, as sleep started to set in…and maybe something else as his dreams took over his thoughts…

"Helga!" A goofy chuckle. "No more kisses for now—come on, we can't really just let him be named Brainy…" The ten-year-old boy laughed in his slumber in the darkness… "What about Arnie?" He chuckled again and gave a small snore once. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry…you choose, but for _real_ this time, alright? And I'll choose for the girl…" He sighed…and then laughed warmly just a little… "Hey, what about Eleanor?"

All in all, it was a very pleasant end to a very pleasant weekend.

And it would be interesting to see what Monday would bring….

(After all, Arnold was now officially more than okay with concept of marrying Helga…even finally fully understanding just how permanent, significant and serious that concept was for her… That HAD to be able to bring some fun come the next time they would meet…!)

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright so next up is two chapters dealing with Arnold and Helga's Monday :) Oh yes, we get to see them in school together and then maybe a little something in the morning they have to settle… ;) The drafts for both of these chapters are a little shorter than usual so hopefully they won't take forever to edit, lol. Anyway, thanks for reading and I really do hope you guys liked it and please oh please oh PLEASE review :)

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!


	12. We Have To Go Back To School Part 1

**A/N:**

HEY EVERYONE :D:D:D

Lol, okay, so, I'm sorry updates have gotten so sluggish with this fic, guys, but my life is crazy busy full and grad school stuff is going to be consuming it for the next three months among other things. But, finally, YAY, a new chapter :) Thank you all for your reviews by the way—I'm really happy that everyone's loving this fic so much and that it's existence actually seems to have gotten a few people to become aware of/read TA, which is always fun for me :) You're all the best!

Okay, so, anyway, brief explanation about this update…

After an OBSCENE amount of personal debate during which I could not decide whether to make the Monday stuff one huge chapter or two medium length chapters, I decided that instead the best thing to do would be to split it up into two chapters, but make it one update (if that makes any sense, lol). So, basically, chapter 12 is getting up right now and you'll all see chapter 13 sometime tonight or tomorrow ;) So anyway I really hope you guys like this (especially someone who I know has been waiting for this very particularly ;)))))) ).

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 12:**

**We Have To Go Back to School… (Part 1)**

* * *

"Alright, alright—MOVE IT, you bunch of chuckleheads! Helga G. Pataki walking here!"

The sound of this familiar announcement of arrival caught the ears of a certain Football Headed fourth grader and caused him to look up from where he was standing near the stoop outside of P.S. 118. He smiled as his eyes quickly (and expectedly) fell upon a scowling and angry looking Helga G. Pataki heading up the sidewalk and putting on her usual show of blusteryness for the other kids.

And she was coming his way…

As she finally got within a few feet, Arnold did his best to turn his dreamy smile into a casual one and then just gave a small wave to the pink wearing bully just starting to pass him by. "Good morning, Helga. Did you have a good weekend?" he asked as he usually might to her or any of his other classmates.

Helga stopped at his address and just glared at him with her usual look of annoyance and contempt. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Not the _worst_ couple of days, Football Head, I'll give you that. I'm just happy I finally got to have a weekend where my world _didn't_ revolve around you and a bunch of poetry! Hmph!" She rolled her scowling eyes to the side.

Arnold, as he had been for the past week, was once again genuinely impressed with how his secret girlfriend could say ironic things like that and keep a totally straight face. As for himself, he was currently doing his best not to let his small smile erupt into warm laughter at her sense of humor. He cleared his throat and did his best to reply as casually as possible to her comment. "Oh, well, I'm glad you had a good time, Helga."

"Yeah, yeah…" She wasn't even looking at him as she continued to speak, acting as though whatever he was saying was just one more bother in her day.

Arnold couldn't help but sigh as he did his best to keep his grin under control. '_I know it would probably be nice if we could just be open about everything, but…I meant what I said to Helga after that first date about keeping our secret for now. This way's a little harder but it's a lot more fun._'

"Anyway…" Helga suddenly began, bringing him out of his thoughts. She put her hands on her hips, turning her angry sights back to him.

Arnold waited for her to continue with whatever else she felt it necessary to say…but she just kept standing there…like she was waiting for something or something. And then suddenly (and to his continued curiosity) she glanced around quickly, her scowl deepening. She cleared her throat loudly before she spoke again. "ANYWAY…!" she announced once more.

Still nothing. Arnold raised an eyebrow.

Helga (who was indeed expecting something very specific to follow her announcement of 'anyway') rolled her eyes in total exasperation at this point. '_Oh for the love of—I am surrounded by incompetence!_' "ANYWAY!" she tried once more, as loudly as possible, her fists clenched at her sides!

Suddenly, from somewhere down the sidewalk, Lila came running up to Arnold and Helga. Upon reaching them, she leaned over and took several deep inhales to catch her breath, and then finally straightened up and smiled at the two blondes before her in her usual cheery way. "Oh, Arnold and Helga—just-the-pair-I-was-looking-for!" Her grin became a bit more perfectly sugary (going along with how obviously rehearsed her voice sounded just now) and it really took all Helga had, despite their newfound truce, not to grab her by the collar and fill her in on the fact that she could quit laying it on so thick anytime she wanted. "Do you think that both of you could help me…um…find my…hair clip?" That last part of the sentence was said with so much unsureness that Helga had to just let out a sigh and rub her temples with one of her hands, just plain hoping no one else was paying too much attention to Lila's pathetic attempt at delivering the lie Helga had fed her not fifteen minutes ago.

As for Arnold, he just took a second to absorb Lila's strange (and strangely asked) question…and finally just raised an eyebrow at her. "Your…hair clip?"

Lila nodded enthusiastically at his question, at the same time obviously trying to give Arnold a look that meant something though he remained a bit clueless (as per usual.) "Oh yes, Arnold. I'm ever so certain I dropped it over on the other side of the school—probably near that little alleyway with the dumpster in it." She pointed in said alleyway's direction over her shoulder. "Is there any way you two could help me find it before class starts? I'm certain I'd just be oh too grateful for the assistance."

Arnold blinked, still a bit unclear about what was going on (though at least he was in the game enough to be aware that _something_ was indeed going on). "Well…yeah, sure I'll help you, Lila," he replied sincerely. But then his face took on a look of confusion once more as he really observed Lila's hair for a second (the conversation being so centered around it). "But—" he suddenly began, raising a finger (obviously, and without even really thinking, about to point out something he maybe probably _shouldn't_).

Helga, still trying to look totally disaffected and her eyes locked on Lila and not shifting back to her beloved in the least, cut him off at that single questioning word before he could even start. "Yeah, I GUESS I could give you a hand too, Lila." She was speaking a bit loudly, as though she wanted the other kids to hear. "I mean, I do owe you for helping smooth things over with my parents and my sister a couple of weeks back, and no one's ever gonna be able to say that Helga G. Pataki doesn't pay back people she owes." She finally threw her glance back to Arnold. "Come on, Football Head—let's get this over with! Crimeny, like I don't have enough to take care of… But, owing somebody is owing somebody and Helga G. Pataki does _not_ like to ever owe _anything_ to _anybody_!" And with this final announcement, Helga turned fully in the direction Lila had indicated and was about to proceed forward like she really didn't want to but had no choice in the matter when suddenly the sound of Arnold's (still clueless sounding) voice caused her to pause.

"But Lila, aren't both of your clips already in yo—"

He was completely shut down by the feeling of Helga taking a wide step back, grabbing one of his wrists and suddenly dragging him forward, scowling darkly. "Sheesh Football Head—we only have a few minutes before the bell rings! Quit overanalyzing the situation and just help her look with me so that I'm not in anyone's debt anymore! _Crimeny_!"

Lila quickly trotted after the pair, giving a quick glance and a smile to the few kids who had shown interest in the exchange between herself, Arnold and Helga. She let out a small sigh of relief when, after maybe a second of continuing to look in her and her friends' direction, any such onlookers just walked off or shrugged and went back to their own conversations and affairs.

Arnold and Helga, meanwhile, thanks to the firmness of Helga's grip and her desire to get her and her beloved out of the spotlight asap, had quickly rounded the corner of the school and managed to get down the street and to the alley in question in record time. Now safely at their destination, Helga dropped Arnold's arm and then turned around to be met with a slightly jogging Lila finally reaching the alley as well. Instantly, Helga's scowl left her and she smiled first at the red haired girl. "Thanks, Lila. I really do owe you one." She winked.

Lila, at the grateful statement, just smiled back at Helga kindly. "Oh don't mention it, Helga. I'm ever so certain you would have done the same for me. I'm just ever so sorry I was a few seconds late but I didn't heart your signal the first time. But I'm happy your plan worked!"

Helga chuckled slightly at Lila's genuine enthusiasm for the little scheme they'd just pulled off. She put her hands on her hips and tried to still maintain some degree of attitude as she prepared to speak again, though she really was grateful to the girl before her…and had really come to like her quite a bit lately. "Yeah well…just remember that when you go back out there if anyone asks you why you're suddenly by yourself again…"

Lila nodded just a little solemnly, providing the answer Helga was seeking. "I should say that I found my clip but that you and Arnold got into a fight while you were helping me look and that you went off to find Phoebe to 'blow off some steam' and that Arnold's probably already in class because he's 'such a little do-gooder shrimp.' Incidentally, the phrases in quotations that Lila had just announced were ones that she had been reading from something she'd obviously hastily jotted down in pen on the inside of one of her hands, as the fact that she was squinting and looking closely at the palm of said hand attested to.

Helga rolled her eyes a little at the poor acting but did her best to still be encouraging. "Good—I mean, try and put it in your own words so it doesn't look like I'm feeding you lines, Cyrano, but otherwise, good job, Lila. Hmm…" her slight amused grin turned into a fully impressed one, "You know, you make a pretty decent assistant when Phoebe's too off on cloud nine getting walked to school by tall hair boy to lend a hand."

Lila smiled happily in reply, raising her hands and clasping them together. "Oh thank you, Helga! I'm ever so happy that you think I did a good job as your assistant."

Helga sighed, though once again the smile was still on her face. "Yeah, yeah, you successfully executed a plan and know how to take orders and aren't half bad to be around—just don't let it go to your head though, okay Lila?" And then she couldn't help but blush a little as she finally added, glancing away but still with a grin, her arms now behind her back, "Now if you don't mind…I, uh, need some private time with your ex-boyfriend."

Lila couldn't help but put her hand to her mouth and giggle slightly at Helga's identification of Arnold. "Of course, Helga. Well, I'll see you both in class then!" And with that farewell and a wave to both a still smiling Helga and to a still just looking more and more confused Arnold (who was blushing a little now too at the boyfriend comment), she pranced off back in the direction of P.S. 118's front stoop.

Helga just crossed her arms over her chest and watched her go off, shaking her head to herself. "Mmm, mmm, mmm…she is actually kind of my friend now and it is creeping me out on so many levels." She let a dramatic shudder pass through herself and then finally turned back to Arnold…actually giving him a slight scowl. "And for Pete's sake, Football Head—I'm _obviously_ trying to put together a flimsy last minute excuse to get you alone for a minute before the 'Helga hates Arnold' show starts up for its usual 9 to 3 Monday through Friday run, and you're just announcing gaping holes in my plan!" She sighed and shook her head, unable to help finally smiling at him. "You're not going to make keeping our secret easy, are you Arnoldo?"

Arnold sighed and glanced down sheepishly, finally getting it. "Oh, sorry Helga," he began sincerely, "Um…what do you need?" He looked back up to her…

And then as his own question…and their current situation of solitude…really finally processed with him…he found a bit of his shyness and sincerity giving way to an intrigued grin, and he even took a step closer to her. He didn't want to be presumptuous of course, but still…the girl before him had just pulled him into a private little side street on a Monday morning coming off of a weekend of some of the most intense kissing they'd ever done…. So it seemed like it stood to reason that maybe…well…

He was surprised (and just a little embarrassed, to say the least) to see Helga blink at his question and obviously 'eager' look, and then take a step back from him to compensate for his step forward, her eyes wide.

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses Prince Charming…" she held up her hands, palms out, in front of herself, "Apparently it's not what 'you' need, I'll tell you that!" Helga couldn't help but grin at the slightly disappointed look that came to Arnold's face (as well as the not so slight blush) at her announcement, though she could tell he was trying to hide both.

Realizing that, however much she wanted to tease him a little about this, she had to move along with things as they were on a tight schedule for getting to class on time, Helga cleared her throat and then glanced away, putting her arms behind her back. A blush gradually crept up into her cheeks as she announced slowly, "Actually, Football Head, I…just wanted to thank you for getting me home last night without a severe grounding as a result. Olga and Miriam explained everything to me this morning and, well…" she took a breath and made eye contact with him again, "You certainly do have a bit of chivalry streak in you, don't you Football Head? Carrying me all the way to my door like that, I mean…. I know I keep saying this but I think you just topped yourself once again in the 'nicest thing anyone's ever done for me' department." She laughed slightly and it was hard for her not to give just a small girlish sigh too at Arnold's half lidded gaze, which had returned to his face at her explanation…just melting back into her own.

She cleared her throat once more, trying to keep her thoughts focused. "A-anyway…I just wanted to thank you for that but also to, um…well…" she swallowed, hesitated and rubbed the back of her neck nervously, glancing down a little, "I know this is going to sound really stupid but…" '_I have to know. I just plain have to know and I can't wait any longer…_'

Arnold blinked at the strange reaction and her strange hesitation. "What, Helga…?" He looked very sincerely toward her eyes. "What do you want to know? You can ask me anything, you know…"

Helga felt her blushing grow a bit and she finally managed to fully turn her skittish eyes up to Arnold's caring ones again. "I know Arnold, but it's just…well…" Starting to get a little frustrated with herself she just took a breath and sucked it up and went for it. "Well, I think when I passed out last night I might have started having some dreams about you and me and dating and, um…other stuff, and I was just wondering, well…which parts of last night were real and which parts were the dream… I mean," she began to ramble just a tiny bit in her nervousness, blood pounding into her cheeks, "I know that the dinner and the movie and the walk home were all real…but then we started…well, I started kissing you I think, and everything after that and the beginning of my dream flow together pretty well so…I was just wondering if you could fill me in on how…far we actually got exactly, Arnoldo?" She glanced up at him nervously… (obviously having her suspicions about what had indeed actually transpired yesterday evening, and obviously convinced in some small way that what seemed like it had happened just simply couldn't be true.)

Hearing her finally finish expressing her question clearly, Arnold, who had been listening with great concern and care, just let out a breath and smiled at Helga…having a small plan now in his mind to reassure her about the realities of last night… "Well…" he started innocently enough, that guileless half lidded gaze upon his features, "Why don't you tell me what you think happened that might have been the dream or reality, Helga, and I'll tell you which one it was…okay?"

"Um…Arnold?" Helga looked at him now with her eyes wide, total uncertainty in her voice…especially at that coy little look on his face. "Doing that could, um…doing that could lead to some awkward moments for us…just so you know…" she finished shyly… And it was obvious to him from that look in her eyes as she glanced to the side that thoughts about horizontal kisses and 'talented blue eyed loves'…and maybe even about kissing while waiting to name a child among other escapades were all flashing through her head in an instant.

Finally having his fill of observing her fluster, Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes…taking another step toward her…(and forward deeper into the privacy of the alleyway.) "Helga," he started, almost shaking his head in amusement, "We've got nearly twenty minutes until class starts and basically everything we've done over the last two weeks has been awkward. Now just slowly tell me what's bothering you piece by piece and we'll try and sort things out. Okay?" He finished with a supportive smile.

Helga just swallowed hard at his offer, glanced from Arnold to the ground (which she was finding rather interesting all of a sudden) and then finally let out a deep sigh, ready to resign herself to full romantic humiliation if she was wrong about this…but darn it, who could say no to a football headed face like that! '_Perfect…_' she mentally scolded herself for her weakness, '_If you really did just dream it all then he'll know fully how much of a complete lunatic you can be about him, and if you're right…well, there's a slim chance that you're right. This is Arnold we're talking about after all. Most daring thing he's ever 'tossed back' is a Yahoo soda with a cherry twist!'_ "Okay then…" she let out a breath, "Here we go, I guess…"

There was a moment of silence during which Arnold waited patiently for Helga to begin and Helga just pulled her courage together to commence this awkward topic of conversation. "Well, uh…" she finally began, "Let's see… Now, you said something ridiculously sweet about my face and a Helga locket, right?" She glanced to him.

Arnold looked up for a second like he was thinking about it, and then turned his eyes back to hers and replied with a smile and a nod, "Mmm hmm—I remember something like that. Keep going, Helga."

Helga let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at how much he was obviously enjoying himself right now. "Okay, well, uh…then I might have grabbed you and thrown you up against my fence…"

Arnold just nodded again, still just smiling in that way of his. "Oh yeah—I _definitely_ remember that!" He let out a small chuckle. "Keep going…"

Helga let out another sigh, blushing slightly. "Okay, well...now this is where the dream and reality start kind of blurring, by the way, Football Head…I kissed you, right?"

Arnold looked like he was really thinking about it again, the grin still on his face. "Let's see…hmm…" Suddenly he snapped his fingers and smiled at Helga. "Oh yeah, I remember that!" He laughed to himself, and then turned his smiling eyes back to her wide, shy ones. "And in case you're wondering, how hard you kissed me wasn't part of the dream either—I think you might have almost outdone yourself from FTi, to be honest. Oh and sorry, by the way, Helga—I didn't realize just how much all those marriage comments and us not getting to kiss at the theatre last night would get to you."

Helga just blinked several times and put her arms behind her back, trying to brush off the compliment and comment about both her kissing and need to kiss him before it all got to her too much… "Oh, uh, well…yeah…thanks and um…don't worry about it." She swallowed hard and plowed forward. "So, anyway…okay—that kiss against my fence was real… Good to know…heh, heh…" She glanced down in her blushing and was silent for another moment…thinking about the next set of things she could recall from their time together last night. _'Oh boy…'_

Arnold, meanwhile, (and to her surprise) took yet another step toward her as she finished speaking. "So…what do you think happened next, Helga?" he asked her in a quiet, smooth voice…his perfect gaze so very half lidded…

Both his look and tone caused Helga to blink and to feel her heart pound. She looked up at him just standing there, obviously anxious to hear whatever she had to say next…very _very_ anxious… '_Oh come on, he didn't actually_…' her thoughts began in disbelief, '_that was just the dream last night, right? I mean…I mean_…'

She swallowed hard and then finally managed to speak, eyes still locked onto Arnold's. "Well, um…the next thing I remember is that I was kissing you and you were kissing me back, and then I might have made some kind of comment about you being a lot more fun lately…"

Arnold nodded in assurance. "I remember that too, Helga…Something about how I've been that way ever since you came into the picture, from the April Fools dance straight through to last night…right?" He leaned his face just a bit closer to hers. '_If kissing her is fun…then I never want to do anything boring ever again for as long as I live_!'

Helga felt herself blush even more and she moved back slightly once again… and was a bit surprised to find her back suddenly pushing up against the wall of the building behind her. Trapped now and too far gone in her slight panic to think of a way out (and not really wanting a way out very sincerely…Arnold's body being so close to hers at the moment, after all), she just pressed herself against the wall as much as possible, feeling her heart pound like crazy at the sight of Arnold's quite close smile…as well as at the memory she had next about last night…

"Well, um…" Helga swallowed again, looking shy and sheepish once more… "Then, uh…and there's every chance in the world that this was just part of the dream, heh, heh…but…Then I remember you suddenly kind of pulling me away from the fence and leaning me back to finish the kiss…" Her heart was racing and her eyes were cringed as she awaited a reply… And why the heck was he getting so close like that?

Suddenly to her surprise Arnold frowned slightly (or rather, did his best to frown slightly). "Huh?" He moved his head just a bit back from hers. "Oh…well I'm sorry Helga, but I remember something a little different than that…"

Helga raised an eyebrow, feeling, along with the immense relief of him and his secret aggressive side backing off just a little, just a touch of disappointment overtake her as well. "Huh? Oh…really…?" '_I knew that was too good to be real_…' She mentally sighed to herself. '_Football Head actually taking me in his arms and doing something that daring… I mean, yeah, I know he's been making my dreams come true six ways to Sunday but there's a big difference between fulfilling my 'dreams' and fulfilling my 'fantasi_—'

Helga's thoughts were cut off (actually they were sent into complete and undeniable meltdown) by the feeling of Arnold suddenly moving forward, wrapping one of his arms behind her back to pull her away from the wall and pull her firmly against him, turning the both of them around, wrapping his other arm around her torso and then quickly finishing by dipping her back all the way, all before she could even process what was happening!

Helga's eyes went wide as she saw his half lidded face looking down into her terrified one with a smile just as it had done when he'd dipped her at the April Fools dance and just like she'd thought he'd done last night… She couldn't help taking a few heavy breaths at his sudden action and proximity. "Arnold, what the—" came her cracked, panicked words.

He pulled them just a bit closer, and cut her off in a low, lovely voice, savoring all of that blueness there was in her eyes when they got wide like they were right now in love and worry. "You see, Helga…you said that last night I just 'leaned' you back and finished the kiss… Actually, I kind of _dipped_ you back like I'm doing right now and finished the kiss…and then you kind of squealed in surprise…which was interesting for me, by the way—almost as much fun as when you make that little moaning sound of yours, like you did during the first part of the kiss…" He chuckled to himself a little, still letting himself get lost in blue as he spoke. "Anyway, we finished and then I told you that you were in good hands my poor blind friend…or, actually, my talented blue eyed love… Oh and then your jaw dropped and I asked if I could take that as you admitting I'm the better kisser because you've never made _my_ jaw drop before…at least not right after a kiss Ms. 'Come and get it—the rope I mean, Arnold'…not yet anyway…" He winked, and felt warmth and love and sparks go all through him as his memories of Saturday night…and last night…and being against her right now all washed over him. He decided to wrap things up before he lost any will power to let her go without going all the way and kissing her like he had last night when he'd had her in this position. "…A-And then I might have thrown in something about how there was always our next date, though, to see if you could."

He chuckled warmly to himself a little, and then, still gently cradling her body, lifted Helga up and released her warm, surprised form. He took a step back from her and just smiled to himself, his arms over his chest. "Anyway, that's when you fainted in my arms…which I'm taking as more evidence that I'm getting better than you, Helga, because even after FTi I didn't faint… And everything after that was probably your dream." He could feel himself really about to burst into warm laughter but did his best to just smirk as he took a step or two past Helga toward the alley exit, unable to help adding in a casual though amused voice, "And as for that dream of yours…well, I only know parts of it from what you were mumbling in your sleep, but all I can say is thank you, Helga…at least you let me name the first child." His grin picked up a bit more. "Oh and If I ever catch you dreaming something like that again I won't whisper in your ear to name our daughter Lila or Ruth… You actually hit me in the nose in your sleep when I did that and then threatened to name the first boy Brainy…" And with that and another laugh to himself he turned to head back out to the street. "You know, I never knew that you could make a girl pass out by kissing her right, Helga…let alone dream about having you as her husband. Thanks for helping me figure out both." He laughed a little more to himself as he continued forward, blushing a little at that last comment he'd thrown in.

Arnold had to stop and turn around with a blink before reaching the alley exit, though, at the sound of a slight moan coming from behind him accompanied by a loud thump of something hitting pavement... "Helga?"

His eyes instantly went wide at sight of the girl in question sunken to her knees upon the ground, a hand on her head and looking a little woozy to say the least.

Arnold instantly raced back over to her and leaned over his girlfriend with a concerned look, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Helga, are you feeling okay?"

Helga just closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, then swallowed and opened them again. "Ye-yeah…I-I'm…" she took another breath and looked to him, "I'm fine… Sorry, Football Head, I just…finding out about all of that happening last night was a lot to take in at once, I guess…" She swallowed hard and glanced away from him once more…a whole new wave of nausea suddenly coming over her as she recalled her situation. "And I actually, uh…" she went on in a quieter, slightly higher pitched voice, "I mean, you heard me talking about, uh…" '_Marriage, our children…oh just shoot me now… Why am I so insane? I mean, what ten-year-old in her right mind plans things out that far in advance? Arnold'll never be okay with…_'

Arnold, however, had more that noticed that she couldn't seem to find the right words to finish the sentence (or possibly was just too shy to go on, though he really couldn't understand such severe embarrassment about the situation on her part), and so he just half smiled and did his best to help her words along, having a pretty good idea of what she was talking about. "…Heard you talking about…dreaming that we were married and had kids?"

Her eyes snapped open. She gave a small nod. "Yeah, uh…that…" She managed to glance up at him timidly, and then slowly began to lift herself from the sidewalk, allowing his hand to slip from her shoulder. "Sorry, I, uh…keep freaking you out with my slight obsession with you, Football Head… It was really nice of you to still take me home after that though…" Now fully standing, she just blushed and looked away from him again with her hands behind her back.

Arnold just looked at her curiously for a second and then smiled, taking a step toward her once again this morning, his arms crossed over his chest. "Helga, you know I would never leave you passed out in a street…and definitely not because of something you did or said. And as for the dream, well," he shrugged and did his best to casually point out, considering 'certain' memories about 'certain' matrimonial things that had passed through his own sleeping head several weeks ago (and also some new things that had passed through his head in his sleep just last night), "Well, if I remember right didn't I tell you on Friday afternoon about a very similar dream that I had once…you know, about us married?"

Helga blinked and responded shyly, arms still behind her back. "Yeah, but…come on, Arnold, we both know there's a big difference between you coming up with something like that after getting my name in an origami marriage predictor 110 times and me just doing it on a regular basis…" _'I am so weird, aren't I?'_

"And…who says I haven't had more than one dream like that myself?"

Helga was pretty sure her heart had just stopped.

It took several seconds for her to regain the power of speech.

When she finally felt herself able to talk again, she looked up at Arnold slightly though she absolutely REFUSED to make direct eye contact with him. "I'm sorry…what?"

Arnold felt himself blushing at what he'd just managed to get himself to admit, but, well…if sharing the memory of what he'd dreamt last night would make Helga feel a little more comfortable, then it was well worth any personal embarrassment in his book. Besides, it _was_ the truth…and if there was one thing Arnold had always stuck by in his life it was the truth. He cleared his throat, putting his own arms behind his back…and elaborated a little. "I…might have had another dream like that since I told you about that first one."

Helga just continued standing there with a shocked look in her eyes and a blank stare. "I…I'm sorry can you repeat that one more time?"

Arnold sighed and almost chuckled, getting a very familiar vibe from this line of questioning. He decided to cut to the chase. "I, Arnold, have dreamt more than once that I've been married to you, Helga G. Pataki…with children. And the second dream was, um…a g-good dream…" he willed himself to get out that last part before he lost his nerve. "A…really good dream…"

She just continued standing there with that totally stunned look on her face, her eyes occasionally darting back and forth almost in panic at this new situation she'd been introduced to. Finally, though, Helga managed to speak again. "Ah…I see." She was trying to make it sound casual but her usual forceful, strong voice was all but a squeak. "Um, then, Arnold…?" she continued seriously, "In the interest of making sure I don't lose my marbles and dive on top of you again…which would be pretty bad considering how close we are to the school…I'm pretty sure I'm about to pass out now… But, before you go off to class, could you just make sure to… I don't know, tie my ribbon around my mouth or something so I can't speak in my sleep, you know, just in case anyone comes along. Really, just let Phoebe know and she'll come check on me at recess or something, because I'm pretty sure I'm going…going to…uh…" Helga felt her knees go weak again and she began to go forward.

Arnold, though, being so close to her and having time to prepare considering her speech, managed to go forward and catch her before she sunk down to the pavement again. He righted her to standing position once more and held onto her shoulders to prop her up. "Helga?" The genuine look of concern on his face was apparent. "Are you sure you're not sick?" He put a hand to her forehead for a moment. "Maybe I should take you home or something…"

Helga blinked a couple of times, feeling strength return to her legs at his touch. She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts and forget about this shaky, shimmery, sublime sensation creeping through her…because, really, what was happening right now…Arnold caring about her that much…sincerely liking the idea of marrying her…of having a family with her…it just couldn't…and what had she done to deserve…and how could his opinion of the idea have changed so much so quickly in such a short…and… She swallowed hard and finally managed to speak again, though her voice still had a touch of weakness to it. "No, no…I'm okay, Arnold," she assured him. "Sorry, I just…" she clasped her hands in front of herself shyly, "Well, like I said last night, you really can't spring intense stuff like that on me without some kind of warning. I mean, the last two weeks feel like enough of a whirlwind as it is, but…you just keep tossing fulfilled personal fantasy on top of fulfilled personal fantasy and I'm bound to need a good passing out every once in a while to cope with it all, heh, heh…" She looked to him a little sheepishly at this admission.

Arnold just smiled encouragingly back at her…and also with a touch of relief that she really was okay. "That's okay, Helga…I know—things between us have been happening a little fast…" A felt a bit of warmth prick at his face (the idea of him going fast with a girl…), but went on smiling just the same as he continued on… "In a way, though, I guess, for me at least, it's not that hard to get used to it all though because…" he took a second to let his thoughts work themselves out a little in his head, and then went on, "In a way…it feels like all of this started way before the tutoring two weeks ago…like with your confession or even the first day we met or something, you know?" A small chuckle escaped him and he reached up and gave a small, gentle adjustment to her bow (which had gone just the tiniest bit lopsided from her two drops to the ground). "Like you were telling me with how I liked your outfit that first day of preschool…" he finished in explanation.

Helga swallowed and felt her jaw quiver just a little at the feeling of him moving her bow like that and then pulling back…and also at what he'd just said about seriously starting to wonder if maybe…if maybe he had fallen in love with her in some small way the day they'd first met…(or maybe, especially considering the fact that _he_ had been the one to initiate their small first conversation…maybe he had even fallen in love with her _first_ a little…). She blushed at the very thought and quickly spoke to keep herself here in reality instead of going off into her feelings and fantasies. "Oh, um…I-I…that…makes sense, I-I guess…" Seeing him smile just a little more at her fluster, she took a small step back and tried to move things along with a nervous laugh. "Heh, heh, but, uh…still, even if that football head of yours explained it so well, uh, the whole you liking me back thing is going to take me a while to fully absorb, I guess." She then, still trying to move away a little bit from all of the intimacy, managed a weak scowl and asked in the most sarcastic voice she could come up with, "A-and, meanwhile, Football Head, what guy in their right mind goes from zero to 'I'm okay with being your husband' in a matter of weeks?" She gave him a small smirk and couldn't help but chuckle as she added, "You are seriously weird, you know that, Arnoldo?"

At this final question and the return of her familiar attitude that it brought, Arnold had to just smile warmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I guess the two of us _are_ a little different…" He glanced down for just a moment in thought. "But…" he went on, "Like I was telling your mom last night…even though we're not like most people…we're happy." He looked up again. "And I'm okay with that if you are, Helga…" He reached forward and took one of her hands in both of his, holding it warmly.

Helga's eyes went wide at his sudden sentiment and sudden touch, and she felt her heartbeat quicken, pumping heat and sparks throughout her system…and it was utterly delightful. '_Oh why bother getting nervous about being nervous anymore…After all, flirting should be expected and welcome from my…my boyfriend…_' She allowed the word to wash over her… 'Boyfriend'…and then let out a sigh and half smiled at her beloved, just shaking her head. "Arnold…you are so corny…" She giggled. "Cute…" she placed the index finger of her free hand on his nose, "but corny…" She removed her finger and then delicately slipped her other hand from his, placing both arms behind her back, still grinning at him.

Arnold just smiled a little more at her gesture and then let out a sigh, rubbing his right arm with his left hand shyly. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Helga gave him a wink at his familiar response of acquiescence, and then shook her head with a smile once again and began to exit the alleyway. '_Eh, I wanted to ask him a thing or two more but this is such a great note to end things on, and we really should probably get to class soon…I'll just use Lila or Phoebe to pull him aside after school to talk a little more…_'

Arnold, meanwhile, just watched her go with a half grin and a half lidded gaze for a second or two (similar to how he'd watched her saunter off from her dining room to her kitchen after dinner last night), and then eagerly followed after her.

"Just so we're clear Football Head," Helga began, glancing over her shoulder as she heard Arnold catch up with her, "Next Friday's date is going to feature you explaining this other 'married' dream of your to me…in _excruciating_ detail!" She let out a small laugh. "And meanwhile what the heck brought on something like that exactly?" She raised part of her brow at him, stopping just before they'd reached the street and putting her hands on her hips, curious enough all of a sudden about his response to delay their arrival to class by another few mere seconds. "I mean, I know I'm on your mind morning, noon and night, Arnoldo," she smirked a little, "but something that specific feels like it at least needs something small to give it a shove forward."

Arnold chuckled at her small joke, stopping now too and rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hands. "Well, actually, I think it was hearing _your_ dream last night…which I also expect to hear a lot of details about if _I'm_ sharing with _you_ next weekend…" He gave her a small smirk causing her to raise part of her brow in a bit of interest and smile back at him in response to this proposition of his of a trade. He then blushed a little as he added, glancing down from her shyly once again. "And then well…along with _my _dream happening partly because of _your_ dream…it also probably happened a little bit because of that…that kiss…" He felt himself getting lost in a daydream…and was more than willing to finally give into i—

"Hello, earth to Arnold, you who!" He blinked at the sight and sound of Helga waving a hand in front of his face, snapping her fingers once or twice to bring him back to reality.

Arnold's eyes instantly went wide and he froze a bit. Finally with a swallow he managed to look to Helga's amused and intrigued face, and then quickly cleared his throat and glanced down in a bit of embarrassment. '_Okay, so…maybe I should really save the daydreams for when we're apart…The ones about her holding my hand in the halls all day in school…sitting next to me at lunch and in class…sneaking me a small kiss during recess_…' Heat began to burn in his cheeks…especially as his thoughts progressed… '_Oh, one of these days I really am going to be brave and pull her into a janitors closet and just…just—_'

The sound of Helga's laughter and the feeling of her smacking a hand upon his shoulder woke Arnold up from his fantasies again, and he was instantly just thankful that she couldn't know _exactly_ what he was thinking about…even if it was at least obvious that he was thinking about _her_. "You've gotta watch that whole 'daydreaming about me' thing, Football Head…" His eyes focused on the finger she was pointing at him, "It's fine for now but if we're in the middle of one of Simmons' lectures and you go all lovesick someone's bound to notice."

Arnold smiled sheepishly and sighed, clearing his throat. "Right, right…sorry Helga." He half grinned. "I'll try and think about you and all of our fun memories together only on my own time or during our dates…" Before she could respond to that little joke, his eyes then suddenly lit up for a second as he recalled something, considering the mention of 'fun memories' and 'their dates'. He turned fully to Helga. "Oh, and speaking of our date on Friday, I thought that instead of going to Slausen's we could maybe eat in…I was talking to my grandparents and, if you'd like to, they said they'd be happy to tell us some stories about when they were little and how they got together…"

Helga's smile went very wide at the proposition. "Seriously? Oh man, Arnold, it is a date! Like, even more so than usual!" She crossed her arms over her chest and her eyes went a bit half lidded. "I really cannot think of a better way to start a weekend than hearing more evidence about how we're meant to be together…"

Arnold looked at her sincerely. "Happy to hear it, my…my Helga…" And with this small term of affection he blushed a little and then resumed walking to the street.

He stopped though as he felt Helga suddenly latch one of her hands onto one of his own from behind before he could finally make it to the main sidewalk. He turned back to her, an eyebrow raised, and noticed she was blushing slightly and glancing away from him. "Something else on your mind, Helga?" he asked sincerely.

'_Maybe_…' Helga thought to herself, remembering one of two of those other things she wanted to address with Arnold at some point during this day, '_Maybe I…maybe I could ask him __now__…all things considered… We do still have a few minutes left alone like this…And he really is being such a sweetheart_…_And besides, might as well get all of the awkwardness and mushiness over in one shot, right?'_

She cleared her throat and Arnold waited with a smile for her to say whatever was on her mind before they had to pretend like they were enemies like usual for the rest of the day.

Helga swallowed and glanced up at him as much as she dared before finally speaking. "Um…Football Head?" A blush was building in her features that he couldn't help but notice…especially since he'd come to be looking for any kind of a blush in her all the time…it being such a pretty look on her. "Did, um…did you really tell my Mom that…" the red in her face went a bit darker, "…that the way you feel about me is the same way I feel about you…?"

Arnold just watched her curiously for a second or two…but then couldn't help a small chuckle escaping him…especially at how nervous she seemed about asking such a simple question. He nodded his head in reply. "Of course, Helga…" He squeezed her hand a little harder to reassure her. "She just seemed kind of curious about us and you said she already found out everything on your end, and I just wanted her to know that…well…whatever was happening between us wasn't one sided… that we're both on the same page." He blinked, a touch of worry coming to his eyes just for a second as a new thought suddenly entered his mind about why Helga might be asking him this question and looking so concerned about his answer. "Do you think I shouldn't have said anything, Helga? I mean, I really wasn't sure what it would be okay to say…I know you said she knows about us but I wasn't sure exactly how much, so I thought just letting her know that we feel the same way about each other would have been better than saying I loved you."

Helga continued blushing and just barely managing to look at him completely, her eyes wide. She still held his hand...feeling his warm grasp firmly around her own. And then a small smile came to her face as his words finally sunk in. "Oh yeah, Arnold—I'm angry at you for caring about me." She rolled her eyes and laughed a little (as did Arnold), but then cleared her throat and got quiet again, much to the young blonde boy's confusion once more. "It's just…" she went on shyly, "you specifically told her that _you_ feel the same way about _me_ as _I_ do about _you_?"

Arnold raised an eyebrow again, pretty sure he had already confirmed this fact. "Uh, yeah, Helga...just like I said."

"O-oh." She instantly looked away again, feeling her heart pump all free blood into her face.

Arnold half smiled at her curiously. "Is there something on your mind again, Helga?"

She sighed and swallowed and finally managed to speak more fully again. "Arnold, I just…well, what you said…and you meant it, right?" Her eyes glanced up at his.

Arnold smiled a bit more…and did his best not to chuckle at how cute and shy the usually blustery girl before him looked like that. "Yes, I meant it, Helga…" he reassured her, nodding.

Helga felt her heart flutter…almost effervesce really…and did her best not to get too giddy of a smile on her face. She cleared her throat once more to help in this endeavor, and then finally separated her hand from Arnold's and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to seem more serious than shy again. "And you're, uh…I mean, you are aware of just how much of an emotional commitment that is…right?" She was trying to seem a bit casual but the question was actually very important to her. After all…(and this had been on her mind ever since her mother had related her conversation with Arnold from last night to her this morning)…it was one thing for Arnold to just like her, one thing for him to like her like her, and even just one thing for him to be falling in love with her or even flat out love her… But to specifically _love her like she loved him_…and to admit to that degree of an emotional state all the while knowing about her locket and the shrines and the poetry and the stalking and the dreams and the years and years of pining and even the fact that deep down she wanted to be his bride and wife more than just about anything in the world (well, becoming president was the only thing that might tie with it)…it was too good to be…just too good to really be true.

Arnold just watched her in genuine amazement for a moment, letting what must be going on with her sink in. '_She still doesn't fully get it, does she? She still thinks…_' he almost really couldn't believe it, _'She still thinks that I'm just going to turn around one day and realize I've made some kind of 'horrible mistake' or something_…' He almost shook his head in amusement at how absurd the whole thing sounded, _'…that…that we couldn't love each other just the same…that it's impossible or something for her to be loved just as strongly as she loves…_'

Helga was still letting herself be in awe at the very idea of Arnold's love equaling her own when she suddenly came out of these thoughts and felt her stomach do a flip as, in response to her question, she felt Arnold once more lace together one set of their fingers each, raise their hands, and then just look into her eyes, smiling in that way she loved so much. "I…think I have a pretty good idea of what it meant for me to say that, Helga…considering the last few weeks…" He leaned down and gently kissed the back of her hand…and then moved his lips away and whispered to her in a low voice. "I love you just like you love me, Helga G. Pataki."

Helga. Felt. Herself. Melt. A dreamy smile and a girlish sigh finally got the better of her.

She heard Arnold laugh at this response to his kiss, and that made her giggle on top of the sigh she'd just given. She lowered their hands and then swung them in unison for just a second coyly before delicately slipping hers from his to put her arms behind her back shyly once more...though she was feeling a lot less nervous and a lot more elated while doing it this time around. Warmth flooded her entire body as she then joked with a smile, "Hey, uh, Football Head, you know it's not going to help us keep this secret under wraps if I have to walk into Simmons' room with my face bright pink and a smile like this on my lips…my incredibly romantic little love god…"

Arnold glanced down sheepishly and sighed at her point. "Sorry, Helga. Didn't mean to get to you so much with that little kiss…and another 'I love you.' I guess I just wanted to give you some kind of small goodbye to remember me by until our next date…." He looked back up at her with a smile.

Helga just shrugged, still grinning. "Hey, what are you gonna do, right?" she asked rhetorically. "Besides, you and your romaticness should be the _last_ thing I'm complaining about, Arnoldo."

The two of them shared a laugh.

A few seconds later Arnold, with a grin, turned and stretched one of his arms forward, gesturing the way ahead. "Well, we've been here a little while now…I guess we should probably head back so we're not late to class or anything. But I think there's still ten minutes until the bell rings so that gives us a little time at least: do you want to go to the front steps from this side and then I'll wait a few minutes and go around the school from the other side so we can make sure no one sees us together?"

Helga smirked at his suggestion and crossed her arms over her chest, raising part of her brow. "You really are getting good at this whole keeping a secret thing, aren't you, my beloved?"

Arnold felt himself blush very darkly and his eyes went wide. My beloved. That was certainly a new one. Not that it didn't have its appeal but getting to new layers of Helga's affection for him couldn't help but make his heart skip a beat every single time, and just a touch of shock and wonder come over him. "Well I…" he stammered nervously, though he tried to seem unphased (yet, sadly, Arnold was just plain not good at hiding his emotions, especially on the spot like this), "I just wanted to make sure that…that things stay between us as long as you want them to, Helga." He grinned at her and rubbed the back of his neck with the arm he'd had extended just now, feeling his blushing grow stronger. "So, um…anyway, I guess we should go then…"

He turned to leave once more when he suddenly felt Helga grab his hand from behind for the second time this morning. He turned… However, rather than his eyes meeting with the sight of her blushing and looking away timidly like the first time he'd been in this situation…they met with the sight of a girl half grinning...and with a twinkle in her eye.

"Hey…_Arnold_?" she asked with just a touch of coyness.

"Um…yes, Helga?" Arnold asked back with an obvious amount of curiosity in his voice, wondering what else they could possibly have to cover after everything they'd just shared and considering how little time they had left before they had to go back to school.

He couldn't help but feel a touch of unease (after all, the look on her face right now was…somehow it went beyond content or happy if that was possible…and he wasn't exactly sure what to make of it just yet) as he heard Helga giggle before replying cryptically, "You uh…you said there's ten minutes until class starts, right?"

Arnold still looked at her blankly, even more puzzled by this question. "Uh…yeah."

Helga took a step closer to him, still keeping her firm grip upon his hand. "Well, you know…it only takes five minutes to get to Simmons' room from here if we run…"

'_Only five minutes to get to Simmons' room from_…' Helga's words echoed in his head for a moment. '_So that would leave us with…five minutes free?_'

Arnold wasn't sure quite why yet but he felt his heart do a flip as the thought finished processing…

His heart began fully pounding though as he suddenly felt Helga quickly yank him back into the alley and then to the other side of the dumpster in the shadows (where, conveniently, no one would be able to see them from the street if anyone happened to pass by.)

"_H-Helga_!" came a slightly panicked and muffled voice…like something was half pushed against the speaker's mouth. "What about not wanting to go into the classroom blushing?" then came the playful question off screen after a second or two.

"Hey, the damage was already done! Besides, if I'm going down then I'm taking you with me, head boy!" A girlish giggle from the shadows. "And anyway quit complaining—at least we finally have some more uninterrupted alone time…"

And indeed from the street Arnold and Helga had been about to walk onto, nothing out of the ordinary could be seen… (except of course for a blue hat suddenly dropping down to the ground right near the edge of the dumpster.)

However, standing right in the entrance of the alley and listening closely (which luckily no one was doing right now as everyone…well, almost everyone…was getting ready to head to class), the sounds of the two happy voices concealed in a corner against a wall could distinctly be heard…as well as a few other things.

"_H-lga_!" It sounded like something was mashing up even more against the surprised yet happy speaker's mouth.

Another giggle. "Oh, what—I thought you liked FTi kisses, Arnold. Besides, if I don't practice 'em, how am I gonna get better at 'em, huh? Hmm…Now come on Mr. 'I love Helga just as much as she loves me'…if we've got a whole day of putting on a show of hatred to get through then you at least have to give sweet Helga five minutes to play with dark Arnold! Oh yes—dark, daring, girlfriend-dipping-back _Arnold_!" she cooed in delight.

"Hel—" started the other voice in a tone trying to sound serious but obviously coming off as more amused than anything else. He was cut off though (_of course_), and then a few seconds of silence ensued followed by another giggle and then a light, girlish moan.

And then finally there was the sound of a slightly deeper chuckle…and a pink ribbon quickly landed on the ground to join the blue hat.

"Arnold!" came a very amused, almost laughing female voice all of a sudden. "Wow, you really do like my hair, don't you?"

"Oh…!" came a slightly nervous and yet also slightly dazed voice in response. "Sorry Helga, I…I don't even remember starting to…I mean…" A second of surprised silence. "Did I really…make your ribbon…pull your ribbon out of your…and make your hair…I mean…"

A very romantic giggle. "Hey don't worry about it, Football Head. It feels good when you cradle my head and your fingers pull through my hair like that… So strong and yet so tender and loving. Hmm…hey, does it feel the same way for _you_ every time I grab that wide but wonderful head of yours and grip your flaxen hair, my beloved?"

Once again in Arnold and Helga's relationship, a silence so thick with tension that it actually SOUNDED like someone was blushing. Then there was a very distinct swallowing sound. "Well…I…" began a goofy male voice, "Sort of…"

Another bit of girlish laughter. "Okay then, I'm game for changing things up a bit—we'll go back to the status quo a little later but for now you keep caressing my head and hair like I usually do to you, and I'll get an arm around you just like you usually do to me, my once again surprisingly enthusiastic little Football Head…" Another small laugh. "It's good to try new experiences, anyway."

A warm chuckle. "Helga you're not really going to—"

Total sudden silence.

"Wow, this actually feels really good, Arnoldo…just pulling you as close as I want…my arms wrapped snugly around that warm little body of yours. How's it working out for you…? Feel nice to be held against little old Helga G. Pataki?"

Another very long silence…

"Arnold?" came a hesitant yet amused voice.

Suddenly there was the sound of another girlish moan followed by, just for a moment it seemed…it almost seemed like a (just for a second, mind you, and only if you listened really, really closely) like something of a…slightly deeper moan as well? There was quiet for several more seconds as the owners of the two voices were, uh, 'occupied' at the moment…

Finally there was the sound of lips smacking apart and a certain young man taking in and releasing a deep breath. "It's…working out okay for me, Helga."

"Yeah…I gathered…" responded his very lovesick lady friend. Then a light and musical female laugh (at least, in Arnold's ears that what it sounded like…that's what it would always sound like) sounded. "I really am just destroying all of your innocence, aren't I, Football Head? Just like I said in that note I left you with the first pink book—first you're eavesdropping then I've got you lying to ninety percent of the people we know about us, and then I give you the bright idea to break into my house, and now finally you've gone from the poster boy of modesty to actively making out in alleys just before class…taking out my pigtails and everything…" She laughed playfully again. "If I come to the boarding house on Friday and find a bunch of bags filled with unmarked bills and you making shady phone calls to Big Gino, I'm getting your grandparents and we're having an intervention you kno—"

She was cut off, a slight squeal of surprise and satisfaction escaping her just before 'something' made her unable to speak again.

A few more seconds of peaceful, romantic silence.

Finally the sounds of two people breathing heavily. "Didn't you tell me once that_ I_ was the one who talked too much, Helga?" It was obvious he was doing his best not to laugh.

She, meanwhile, had to at least let out a slight snort, the statement was so funny to her. "Oh just shut up and get one hand in my hair and one arm around me where it belongs and I'll try and do the same for you! Best of both worlds. Okay?"

An agreeing chuckle. "Fair enough…"

More lovely quiet interspersed with the occasional bit of light laughter and the occasional girlish moan…

"You know something, Helga…" Arnold let out a sigh several seconds later, recalling a bit of their conversation from last night…and the last time they had been kissing…"_you're_ a lot more fun ever since _I_ came into the picture…"

"Hmm…" Helga chuckled. "Oh, _tell_ me about it…I mean, really, COULD I have been more uptight before?"

Several shared laughs interspersed with occasional segments of (quite productive) silence.

* * *

"Phoebe, slow down—I'm sure they're okay!" Gerald Johansson assured the girl just ahead of him. "They probably just got caught up in another random 'Arnold and Helga drama adventure.' He probably wrote her another poem and she got all gushy about it, or she probably flirted with him and convinced him to play hooky or something…Besides, we're going to be late to class ourselves if we don't get going. We can't have more than five minutes until the bell rings—I mean, everyone else is already inside." Gerald jerked a thumb back in the direction of P.S. 118's entirely vacant stoop, which he was currently being pulled away from by a certain short, dark haired girl who had a surprisingly firm grip on one of his wrists (and a surprising amount of strength behind that small frame of hers).

Phoebe gave a worried sigh in response to his observations, glancing back at him and pausing for just a second on the corner they had just reached (though she continued to hold his wrist firmly, obviously not about to give up on her current mission). "I know, Gerald, and those are all valid points…. And I'm certain that one of those two situations is very likely what's detaining them. But still…" the worry in her eyes increased, "Lila said it sounded very much like Helga had every intention of coming back and of having Arnold come back as well, but they've been gone nearly twenty minutes. I just want to make sure that everything's…okay…" She turned away from the boy before her again and brought them around the corner and a little ways down a street alongside the school…more specifically, the street with the alleyway (which was currently in sight) where Lila had informed Phoebe that she had left Arnold and Helga earlier.

Gerald sighed at her concern but tried to smile supportively, though he stopped moving forward in tow as compliantly as before for just a second, causing Phoebe to have to pause once again in their journey as well. As she turned around again, Gerald put his free hand reassuringly on top of her hand that he was currently already holding. "Phoebe, listen…" he began understandingly, "I know you worry about Helga but it's broad daylight and not even 9 am and we're in possibly the safest part of the neighborhood imaginable. And on top of all that they've only been alone for fifteen minutes and both of them know how to take care of themselves… Remember—Old Betsey and The Five Avengers, and a blackbelt someone got from their Grandma?" He half smiled and raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What are you worried about, exactly?" He knew Phoebe had a habit of being very concerned about Helga when it came to Arnold…but he really just couldn't see how there could be a major problem right now, all things considered.

Phoebe felt a small smile pull at the corners of her mouth at how caring Gerald was being (and at the small joke he'd just made about Helga and Arnold's fighting skills), but her concern over her best friend quickly came back to her in full force and she sighed and glanced away once more. "I…I don't know Gerald…" she began hesitantly. "I mean, I don't believe they are in serious danger or anything like that but… Well, Gerald…" she looked up into his eyes, "Gerald, being with Arnold is literally a dream come true for Helga. It…it means more to her than I think you or I or even Arnold realizes and, well…they had dinner with her parents last night and then Helga didn't call me before bed to let me know how things went and I only briefly caught a glance of her this morning and she seemed just as defensive and angry as ever, and then according to Lila it sounded like Helga needed to have some kind of serious talk with Arnold…I'm just worried that perhaps something went…well, wrong between them…" Phoebe paused and took a deep breath and a step closer to the boy before her, taking comfort in the fact that he was still cradling her hand in both of his and still listening so attentively to her concerns, though the thought she was expressing now was so sad to her that she just had to look down as she explained it. "Gerald…if it all turned out to be too much for Arnold right now…if he couldn't handle the relationship right now after she's finally had her dream for a week…I'm not sure what that would do to her, and I suppose I'm just worried that maybe something like that happened, and that maybe she's…she's—"

Phoebe stopped as she felt a warm hand suddenly shift from gently resting upon the top of her own hand to gently holding one of her shoulders. She looked up at Gerald once more, the distress evident in her eyes…along with a decent degree of curiosity.

He just smiled compassionately down at her, finally getting it. "Okay, okay…" he started warmly, "We'll try to find them, babe. But, hey…" he squeezed her hand a little firmly for a moment, "Don't worry about it so much, okay? I'm sure they just had to make plans for next weekend or something. I mean, it's not like they could just do that at recess like normal people with Helga having to pretend to torture Arnold and Arnold having to pretend to just ignore her like always, right?" That got another small smile from Phoebe which made Gerald smile a bit more as well. "And anyway, I get it…" he went on, "Helga's your best friend and you have to look out for her." He laughed slightly to himself, a strange thought he'd been having to admit to himself lately actually coming to mind. "Actually, I guess she's kind of become a friend of mine now too…I'm still going to be having some fun with her with that shrine stuff today whenever I get the chance, of course…" he winked and that actually got a full on chuckle out of Phoebe (much to his continued happiness), "…But yeah, like I said, she's kind of my friend now…and so is my man Arnold, of course, so…let's you and me check where Lila said she left them and if they're not there we can…I don't know…see if Mr. Simmons will let us go home sick so we can keep looking for them, or I'll put in a few calls during recess and see if my man Fuzzy Slippers can't figure out where they are, okay?" He smiled, hoping coming up with this plan would make her happy, and help take the edge off of her worries even a little bit.

Phoebe continued to smile warmly at him for a second longer…and then went forward and wrapped him in a tight (and prolonged) hug (which caused a very dreamy smile to come to Gerald's face). Slowly, realizing her actions and blushing a little, she pulled away. "Arigato, Gerald…" She was looking down with a small smile and her hands clasped together in front of her. '_It's…it's so nice having someone care about how you feel like this_…_having someone to really talk to_…'

Gerald, his slight shock at her sudden hug wearing off, just laughed and shrugged, happy he really did seem to be making her feel better. '_Besides, every girl looks prettier when they smile than when they frown…especially her_…' "Hey…shitsurenshimasenyo, right?" he replied jokingly.

Phoebe just giggled warmly. "Yes, Gerald..." She took his hand this time instead of his wrist and the two now headed slowly in the direction of the alleyway. "I don't think any of us have been disappointed in love lately, actually…" she found the courage in herself to tack on.

Gerald laughed and blushed slightly at the very correct statement, as did Phoebe…

The tender moment between them was only interrupted as they reached the entrance of the alley only to hear some very… 'interesting' sounds.

Indeed, several bits of laughter suddenly met their ears...followed by a couple of very familiar and very VERY happy sounding voices.

"Arnold…_Arnold_!" The tone was surprised, flustered, elated, impressed…

A chuckle met it in reply...along with a very content sounding young man's voice. "Helga, you shouldn't have started this… We're never going to get to class on time you know…"

A moan sounded for a second or two and was then followed by a deep breath…and an INCREDIBLY eager young lady's voice. "Oh…Oh who _cares_ about class? Come on, let's take the day off and get back to that Cineplex and find an empty theatre and have the date we were _supposed_ to have last night!" A second or two more of quiet...a deep sigh through someone's nose…and then a girl's voice that sounded like it was getting more and more gone by the second. "And then we can go lay under the trees at the park and then sit together on the pier looking at the city lake…" Several more seconds with occasional female moans…and then a distinctly girlish sigh and a much more dazed sounding voice this time, "And then we can catch a plane to Paris and have dinner under the stars…"

A warm, low chuckle. "Is that another dream you've had about us, my Helga…Paris?"

Another bout of quiet with soft moans and a sigh and maybe even a small laugh or giggle or two during which Gerald and Phoebe's mouths continued to remain totally agape, just as they had fallen into being upon entering the alley and hearing the voices of their best friends and piecing together pretty quickly what it was exactly that had been 'detaining' them…

A giggle and then the female of the two voices started speaking again. "Come on, Football Head—like you said, it's getting late so everyone we know's bound to be in class by now. Even if we're not going to make it to the movies or Paris just yet, let's get away from this stupid wall and dumpster and try for something a little more free standing!" She chuckled. "Besides, it's dark over here and I keep almost missing you every time I lean in…"

A mischievous chuckle. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

"Arnold…_Arnold_! What the heck are you—"

Suddenly (and finally) Arnold and Helga emerged from their hiding place on the other side of the dumpster in the corner of the alley…and Arnold was fully cradling Helga in his arms and looking dreamily into her face just like last night when he'd carried her to her door!

Gerald and Phoebe (who were remaining unnoticed by the two lovers due to both their shocked silence as well as the fact that Arnold and Helga were about as lost in each other's eyes as it was possible to be) couldn't help but notice Arnold's completely disheveled hair and his sweater pulled quite a ways up his body…as well as Helga's incredibly tousled, down hair and the fact that both of her jumper straps seemed about ready to slide off either one of her shoulders. Both of them were breathing heavily.

And then Helga, with an almost shuddery giggle, finally spoke again, her eyes about as half lidded as could be and her face flushed and happy. "Once again you are so corny, Football Head. So cute but so corny…" '_He's HOLDING ME! Oh don't ever let him let me go EVER!_'

Almost as if in response to her thought, Arnold just let out a low laugh and firmed up his grip on her a little more. "_You're_ _cuter…" 'Helga…is much more fun to hold when she's awake…Definitely…_'

The girl in his arms just sighed at his response and rolled her eyes playfully. "Arnold, I already told you, I am _not_ playing these little 'you are, no YOU are' games with you. Not my style at all, Football Head, so cork it!"

He leaned his face just a bit closer to hers…and his eyes narrowed just a bit. "Why don't _you_ cork it _for_ me?"

Helga blinked and went wide eyed and bright scarlet, her senses all spiraling out of control as she just stared into that strange look her beloved kept getting every time she got him worked up with kissing.

Still, having had a week or so to get used to it (just as she'd also had a week or so to get used to him flirting with her and loving her), she finally just smiled and leaned closer toward him as well. Her voice went low and playful. "Yes _sir_…"

There was so little space between them…she could already feel the warmth coming off of his lips (those soft lips that were so talented at participating in the gentle pulls and pushes of all of their kisses, from the sweetest and shyest to the most passionate and crazed)… He could feel the warmth coming off of hers too…and he couldn't wait to hold her and kiss her at the same time like this…

The two of them were suddenly interrupted in this position of being mid-leaning in to kiss by the sound of Gerald clearing his throat. LOUDLY.

A second passed…

And then Arnold and Helga's eyes flew open wide as they both FINALLY realized that they weren't alone…and quite possibly…quite probably, actually…hadn't been for a while.

Shocked silence proceeded to reign between the four ten-year-olds for many seconds during which Gerald just did his best not to stare too much at the completely out of left field sight of Arnold and Helga (and what they were doing) before him…while Phoebe just stood there blushing and trying to keep her jaw (which had snapped shut at the sound of Gerald clearing his throat like that to draw attention to their presences) from dropping again, though it wasn't easy… Helga, meanwhile, just stared wide eyed at her and her beloved's best friends, feeling all color drain from her face… and finally Arnold, blushing furiously, continued to hold Helga and just stare wide-eyed only at her…too terrified of the imminent humiliation to even begin looking to their friends.

Gerald was the one to finally speak first, and he chose, with a half grin, to address Phoebe. "So much for your theory about them being late because they were calling it quits, huh?"

Phoebe continued to not say anything for another second, but then finally just closed her eyes and sighed in familiar exasperation, rubbing her eyes under her glasses though it was obvious she was trying to fight a serious smile at her companion's joke.

Finally, Arnold and Helga managed to start being able to breathe again…which meant they actually might be able to start making words again too anytime soon.

"How…uh…" Helga's voice squeaked a little as she tried it out all of a sudden, though she got it under control quickly enough, "How long have you two been there…exactly…?"

Phoebe was still just rubbing her eyes in total disbelief at this whole crazy situation, so Gerald stepped forward and spoke up. "Uh…" he shrugged and tried to smile without breaking into full blown laughter, "Well, I've gotta tell you, a pretty loud ringing started in my ears a few seconds after we got here but I remember something about Paris getting mentioned before that happened…"

Arnold smiled as innocently as possible and finally looked from Helga still in his arms to his friends. "Uh…heh, heh…well then…" his voice shook like crazy, "Uh…boy, what this must look like then, right, Helga?" He looked to her again just a little desperately and laughed nervously.

At the sound of Arnold addressing her Helga felt her face instantly flood with color. She swallowed and did her best to speak again, managing a nervous laugh as well and going along, in her initial embarrassment, with his efforts to smooth things over and save some face. "Heh, heh…uh, yeah…this must look like… I-I mean…"

She took a few nervous breaths as she considered how to continue…but then finally she just swallowed and instantly a familiar determination came to her face and voice. She looked Gerald and Phoebe right in the eyes. "Aw, you know what—the heck with it! What it looks like is exactly what it is!" And with a smile she suddenly grabbed her beloved's head firmly and planted upon his very surprised lips the kiss they had been interrupted from having, causing him to fall backward onto the sidewalk with her falling on top of him!

After a couple of seconds she pulled her mouth off of his with a distinct lip-smacking sound and a satisfied sigh, and then stood up from the pavement she'd had him pinned against. She then leaned back near the dumpster and picked up Arnold's hat and popped it on his very surprised and dazed head as he slowly managed to sit himself up in happiness, and then took her ribbon and started using it to put up her hair as best she could for now. "Sorry, guys," she looked to Gerald and Phoebe, "but I was NOT getting interrupted in the middle of a kiss like that again! Not even by you two! Your timings lousy by the way!" Finished with her hair, she rolled her eyes and then jerked a thumb in a still lovesick looking (and now finally standing) Arnold's direction. "Seriously, I think I could have gotten him to _propose_ if you'd given me a few more minutes…or at least to carry me as far as the school doors…" Helga laughed a little and then sighed, turning her sights back to Arnold with her eyes a bit half lidded. She leaned a little towards him, her arms behind her back. "But I guess this is for the best, right, Football Head?" she went on sweetly, "Like you said, we'd never have gotten to class on time if things had kept up like that…"

Arnold blinked several times at her unexpected (and very close) address, finally coming out of the trance of her sudden surprise kiss that had quite literally knocked him off of his feet. He then felt himself blush at her repetition of his words from before and also because, now that he was fully returning to his normal self, it was finally sinking in what exactly he'd just spent the better part of the last ten minutes doing with Helga G. Pataki. He quickly looked down sheepishly and hoped she wouldn't notice the dark heat pounding in his cheeks. "Uh…whatever you say, Helga," came his quick, modest reply.

Helga just rolled her eyes with a smirk again at that typically Arnold phrase and then looked back to Gerald and Phoebe, jerking her thumb in her beloved's direction. "Great, now he's back to being all polite and modest instead of fun and daring. You two redefine killjoy, you know that? Sheesh!" She shook her head, still with a smile, and walked forward, putting a hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "Come on, Pheebs—let's you and me head to class first and then tall hair boy and Football Head can hang back a minute and then head in after us just as the bell rings so no one'll be the wiser about anything. It'll just look like two pairs of friends barely making it to class on time. Sound good?"

Phoebe just sighed and looked to her best friend with a smile. "Sounding good, Helga!"

Helga's smiled picked up. "Well, guess I'll see ya when I see ya, then, Football Head!" she called over her shoulder with a wink to her beloved, and then she headed forward and rounded the corner of the alley out onto the side street, Phoebe following right behind her.

Gerald and Arnold just stood back in the alley watching Helga and Phoebe depart in this manner…finally leaving the boys alone for the time being...

* * *

**A/N:**

Okay, the next half of this update will be within the next 24 hours, so stay tuned and please review this piece for now! I love you guys!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	13. We Have To Go Back To School Part 2

**A/N:**

Alright, guys! Woot! Part 2 of the update :) Hope those of you who've read it already enjoyed Part 1, and once again thanks for being so patient for updates guys! You're the best ;) Please read my closing A/N to see when the next one will be, and as always please, please, please R&R and make it worthwhile that it's now past 3 am and I'm still awake, lol!

(Also, on a side note, we've just exceeded the length of "Tutoring Arnold" and then some, and this story is only just barely half way over ;) I am officially obsessed with HA! Free virtual Bartlett drinks all around, on me!)

Here we go!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 13:**

**We Have to Go Back to School… (Part 2)**

* * *

Gerald just turned to Arnold, crossed his arms over her chest, smiled…and began to shake his head. "Mmm mmm, mmm mmm, mmm mmm, **mmm**…"

Arnold felt heat flood his face and did his best to take a breath to try and ease some of his current humiliation. He then swallowed and cleared his throat, and began in an obviously nervous voice, arms behind his back, "So, uh…Gerald. Uh…how…how did your dinner go with Phoebe last night…heh, heh…?" It was the best avoidance tactic he could come up with at the moment.

After a second of surprised silence the question actually got not only a scoff but a full-blown laugh out of Gerald. Getting himself under control quickly, though, he just smiled and put a hand on Arnold's shoulder, shaking his head. "Oh no, man… Nice try but there is **no** way we're _not_ talking about the fact that me and Phoebe just caught you making out with Helga G. Pataki in the corner of an alley followed by trying to carry her off to who knows where!" He removed his hand and put it to his stomach, starting to chuckle a little again. "Man—'why don't you cork it for me?'" he managed to mock between guffaws. "What the heck was _that_?" His laughing finally hit full swing again.

Arnold felt a slightly sick twist in his stomach as he realized just how intimate a situation himself and Helga had been caught in. '_I was acting that weird way I keep feeling when I kiss her, wasn't I?_' he couldn't help but think to himself now that his emotions had been calmed a little. '_Like that really strange side of myself that Helga's okay with even though I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to it. But it's just…it's ju_st…' A dreamy smile came to Arnold's face as he thought about how he almost couldn't help losing himself a little…or a lot…whenever he was alone with Helga like that because that other side of her…the side of her that loved him…was just so warm and happy and fun and interesting and attractive and so surprisingly and wonderfully different than anything he'd expected from her… And how all of it made him have feelings that were just so intense and crazy and amazing and unavoidable and—and—

"Arnold—you who! Hey, earth to Arnold!"

Arnold was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Gerald calling his name while snapping his fingers in front of his face. He blinked several times and then recalled that he was still with his best friend and that (though doing it now was probably slightly better than before when he'd been right next to the object of his affections) it still might not be quite the best time or place just yet to go off into romantic daydreams about Helga.

"Oh, uh…sorry, Gerald. I was just, um…" he quickly backpedaled, looking up and to the side as innocently as he could muster, "I was just thinking about something and…I guess I'm just a little tired this morning…heh, heh…" His gaze turned down somewhat and he rubbed his right arm with his left.

Gerald just rolled his eyes and smirked at his best friend obviously trying to save some face with this paper-thin excuse of his. "_Right_—you're 'tired.'" He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you were, I don't know…maybe thinking about what could have happened here if me and Phoebe hadn't shown up when we did, right?"

Arnold blinked and blushed and took a nervous step away, feeling his insides twist in utter mortification. "_Gerald_! I…Nothing would have HAPPENED… N-not that much was even, uh, happening to begin with, heh, heh…. We—we weren't really going to play hooky just so we could keep, um…" He swallowed, unable to articulate things further, the pounding of the blood rushing to his face was so distracting. "Just so we could keep…um…."

"Keep…trying to see how long it would take for Helga to get your sweater off of you _completely_?" Gerald supplied, putting a hand to his mouth and seriously trying to hold back some epic amounts of laughter at how right he knew he was…the evidence being right before him.

Arnold's eyes went wide at the observation and he instantly looked down in total surprise to see just how far indeed Helga had managed to expose his plaid shirt this time around; she'd gotten to within two buttons of his collar! He blushed and looked back at his best friend in worry and anxiety. "_Gerald_!"

Gerald finally gave into his laughter again, holding his sides with his hands. "Hey, man…" he got out after a few seconds, wiping a tear from his eye, "just pointing it out now so that you don't accidently walk into class looking like that considering how much your lovesick stupor is obviously affecting your normally high levels of common sense!"

While Gerald finished getting in another chuckle or two for the road, Arnold just let out a sigh of humiliated defeat at his explanation and proceeded to do his best to straighten his sweater (though, thanks to some residual nerves about this whole situation, he fumbled a bit to say the least before finally succeeding at his task.)

"Yeah, the hair's a bit obviously out of the ordinary too, Arnold," Gerald then pointed out as Arnold finished with his clothes. "I mean I guess we could say that you got caught in a twister on the way to class but I'm not sure how many people would buy it." He let out a final snort or two at the back of his throat but did his best to keep it all under control considering how embarrassed he knew Arnold must already really be by this whole thing. After all, if him and Phoebe had gotten caught like that…not that he'd ever considered the idea of kissing with her the way that Arnold and Helga kissed, of course… Well, technically speaking, seeing and hearing about Arnold and Helga doing it so much might have implied the idea to him a little but… He shook his head, trying to put aside that particular maze of thoughts and feelings for now.

Arnold, meanwhile, at this newest observation about his appearance, blinked and blushed once more and then reached up to feel his hair which indeed felt just as unusually out of place as his sweater had been. He quickly flipped his head forward and did his best to straighten his hair with his hands, and then finally stood up straight, glanced himself over and then looked to Gerald a bit desperately. "Do you think that looks okay, Gerald?"

Gerald, his mind now fully back on the Arnold situation, just rolled his eyes and shook his head at his friend, his arms crossed over his chest. "You look as mild-mannered as ever, man," he reassured. "I mean…" he then began with a slight smirk, "I don't know how long that's going to last considering the fact that you and Helga can't seem to keep your hands off of each other and that you're going to be in the same building most of the day…I'd recommend ducking into the bathroom and checking yourself in a mirror if any other spontaneous trips to Paris start getting planned, of course…But otherwise I think you're good for now and that you'll probably definitely at least be fine until lunch and recess when you'll of course sneak off and get that 'Arnold+Helga=True Love Forever' tattoo I'm sure you've been thinking about imprinting across your forehead to complete the circle of insanity that is you two not just not hating each other, not just liking each other, not even just like liking each other, but LOVING each other!" And with that Gerald once again could no longer keep himself curbed and practically fell upon the ground in a fit of his laughter.

Arnold, his embarrassment starting to give way to a bit of annoyance at this point, finally just sighed and rolled his eyes at his best friend, giving him a bit of a look and speaking in a level voice. "Very funny, Gerald. Now can we go back to class before we're late?" He held out a hand to help up his best friend from the ground.

Gerald took the hand and stood up, brushing himself off a bit, still smiling ear to ear. "Sure man… And hey look," he spoke sincerely, though the grin couldn't help but still be upon his face, "I'm sorry, but you have to admit, of all the things that Phoebe and I could have walked in on, that was _by far_ the most amusing and awkward." The two boys started walking forward to the street, now that the girls had had a minute or two to get ahead of them. "I mean, even better than the shrines thing!" he added, giving Arnold a quick good-natured elbow.

Arnold let out another deeply frustrated sigh...though it was obvious a tiny bit of a smile was pulling at his mouth at the moment. "Gerald…" he said with much more understanding this time around. Still, though, he wasn't about to actively encourage his best friend to pry into this whole 'being intimate with Helga' thing that had suddenly come into his life… It _was_ a sensitive subject for Arnold, after all, and one he really didn't want to be teased about too much right now, all things considered.

Gerald just cleared his throat, understanding Arnold's tone of voice, and did his best to get under control any present or immediate future desire to break into laughter yet again. "Sorry again, man…" The two rounded the corner out of the alley and proceeded up the street toward the front of the school. "Seriously, I'll cool it for a little while. I know you're probably embarrassed enough as it is about getting caught like that…"

Arnold let out another sigh at this statement and crossed his arms over his chest as he walked, a slightly more frustrated look unconsciously coming to his face…and he seemed to speak without thinking too much about it too. "Actually, being embarrassed's not all that bad… If anything I just wish I'd had a little more time to hold her in my arms while we were all caught up in each other like that and I'd already been brave enough to pick her up in the first place…" He smirked a little bit to himself at that last idea…he could still feel her warmth all along his arms…

Meanwhile, Gerald's eyes went wide at the statement and he actually stopped walking.

Arnold, realizing, after a few steps, that Gerald wasn't following him anymore, stopped as well and turned back to him with an eyebrow raised. "Gerald?"

Gerald just blinked once or twice in Arnold's direction and then responded in a slow voice. "Man…this isn't just Helga wanting to hold you and never let go, and you just going along with it, is it? You…" he almost had to shake his head in amusement at the full realization, "You actually like it all just as much as she does, don't you?"

Arnold blinked at the question at first…but then couldn't help a slight smile coming to his face as he recalled some of the conversation between himself and Helga on Saturday night during their anniversary. He took a deep breath and shrugged shyly, his eyes cast downward somewhat in thought. "Oh, uh, yeah—Helga and I were talking about that a bit and I was a little worried about it at first but she actually kind of helped me feel better about the whole thing. Besides…" he blushed just a little more but at least managed to raise his eyes back to Gerald's again, "I think she really likes it when I'm the one to kiss her for a change every once in a while…" With a slight warm laugh to himself Arnold then turned back in the direction of the school and continued forward.

Gerald remained in shock for another second or two but then ran forward to catch up with his best friend. "You are one bold kid, Arnold…" he had to smile to himself even though he was still a bit shocked by this side of the ten year old guy alongside him. Gerald put a hand on one of his hips as they rounded another corner to bring them out in front of the school. "Helga G. Pataki's boyfriend…you know that should be an Olympic event, right?" he teased good-naturedly.

Arnold laughed a little, starting to feel a little less prone to being flustered and annoyed now that some time had passed and that initial uncomfortable surprise at being 'caught' had ebbed. "Well…" he began in slightly humorous reply, "It does require a lot of energy and patience and dedication and time and love—I'll give you that, Gerald."

Gerald joined his best friend in a laugh and the two boys finally came in sight of the P.S. 118 front steps.

As they reached the stoop and began to climb to the doors of the school Arnold couldn't help but keep smiling and turn to Gerald once more. "Well, now that we're done talking about me trying to carry Helga off into the sunset, I'd ask you about your date with Phoebe but…" he frowned a bit and a notable touch of sarcasm came to his voice, "Like you said last night I pretty much only do what Helga says, and she hasn't given me permission to talk to you about that yet… Hmm, come to think of it, she actually never even gave me permission to leave that alley—maybe I should go back in case she was planning to stop by again." He sighed a bit dramatically, ignoring the total look Gerald was giving him as he opened the front doors of the school for them and the two of them stepped inside, continuing on up the hall. "It's too bad too, because I really did want to find out what you guys did after dinner…" Arnold just shrugged. "Oh well—I guess I could just ask Helga for permission to ask you at lunch since I'm basically 'a sucker for anything sh—' "

"You're hilarious, you know that, man." Gerald cut him off finally, rolling his eyes with a smirk.

Arnold finally broke from his brief bit of sarcasm and gave in to a laugh or two he had been suppressing. "Sorry, Gerald…."

Gerald just sighed as they went on farther up the hall, coming within sight of their destination, and couldn't help a good-natured smile coming to his face. "Ah, don't worry about it…" He tried not to chuckle. "And, hey, if Helga DOES give you permission to ask me about my date, I'll do my best to fill you in at lunch or recess…" He walked forward to Mr. Simmons' door, resting his hand on the handle.

Arnold just crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Gerald…"

Gerald laughed and turned back to his best friend. "Hey, just getting in one more for the road, man…After I really do tell you about my date at lunch though, just know right now that talk of shrines will indeed be the next item on the agenda…along with how exactly your date with Helga went, though from what I just saw I think it's safe to say it went pretty darn decently…" He gave his friend an impressed look.

Arnold just sighed and did his best not to give too much away with his face…though he couldn't help at least a small goofy smile coming to his features at the entire concept of last night and how well it really had gone despite that small snafu with the movies. "Sure thing, Gerald…" He then smirked a little once more and looked to his friend again. "I'll just ask Helga if it's okay for me to listen to jokes from you about the shrine first though, and then—"

"Man, just get in the classroom!" Gerald announced with a roll of his eyes, finally opening the door just as the last bell sounded in the halls and giving a chuckling Arnold a push inside.

Once inside the room Arnold did his best to keep his smiling under control, though he couldn't help wanting to laugh at least a bit more at his last little exchange with his best friend. Gerald, meanwhile, still obviously dying to give in to some more chuckles as well, just shut the door behind them and did his best not to shake his head and say his classic, 'Mmm, mmm, mmm…' to sum up the craziness of his best friend's behavior.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the two boys enter the room, Mr. Simmons had turned from the chalkboard he had been about to write upon and was now smiling in their direction. "Oh, Arnold and Gerald. Right on time!" He picked up a pen and wrote something down on a sheet of paper (the attendance sheet) on his desk, and then went back to the chalk and chalkboard. "Now, take your seats, boys, so we can get to the special world of MATH! Isn't that special class?" He turned back to the other kids with a smile.

The few lackluster moans of semi-approval that he received, as per usual, did little to dampen the educator's enthusiasm.

Arnold, meanwhile, just smiled and took his usual seat up front…and did his best not to look to Helga at her usual place in the back because he knew if he did his face would return to its former red tinge, along with his laughter certainly starting up again and his daydreams coming back worse than ever. (Although he was hoping that throughout this particular run of the 'Helga hates Arnold' show he could maybe sneak in one or two little fantasies about the time they had just spent together, and the time they would get to spend together later on…as long as he kept himself from getting too lost in things, of course…) But for now at least, Arnold knew he had to at least start out by keeping himself focused, and so he took out his math notebook from his desk along with a pencil, looked to the board where his teacher was writing and did his best to take a deep breath and focus on the lesson at hand.

It took less than five seconds for the first spitball to hit him. And it took everything he had not to let all the romantic stuff he was supposed to be avoiding thinking about happily overtake him once more.

The seconds passed and slowly but surely a few more spitballs arrived to make his morning interesting until it hit the point that he knew it was his cue to contribute to his part of their 'public relationship.' He took a breath, told himself not to smile or blush (at least, not too much) and then turned back to Helga and did his best to 'glare' at her.

"What?" Helga just whispered with a scowl, shrugging as she feigned her usual innocence.

Arnold managed a sigh in minor frustration, as he usually had in this daily situation between them for almost the past seven years of Helga picking on him in particular…and then he shook his head (trying to seem annoyed with her) and then finally (reluctantly) turned away from her 'grumpy' looking face and back to watching Mr. Simmons…A daydream or two already pulling at his mind… Helga walking to class _with_ him instead of i_n front of_ him…Helga reciting her poems right to him in English class…Helga hitting him in the back of the head with love notes instead of spitballs…

It took him a good ten minutes (and quite a few more spitballs and successive thoughts of his beloved) to come up with raising his hand and asking the teacher if he could use the pencil sharpener at the back of the classroom (which would allow him to conveniently pass by her desk…and maybe incite the start of at least one of his daydreams coming true…)

* * *

"Come on, Pheebs—let's you and me head to class first and then tall hair boy and Football Head can hang back a minute and then head in after us just as the bell rings so no one'll be the wiser about anything. It'll just look like two pairs of friends barely making it to class on time. Sound good?"

Phoebe just sighed and looked to her best friend with a smile. "Sounding good, Helga!"

Helga's smiled picked up. "Well, guess I'll see ya when I see ya, then, Football Head!" she called over her shoulder with a wink to her beloved, and then she headed forward and rounded the corner of the alley out onto the side street, Phoebe following right behind her.

Helga was moving at a decently brisk pace, which was understandable considering the time and the fact that they had to keep ahead of the boys (and the fact that she was maybe trying to quite literally move along from a certain awkward incident as surely as possible). However, before she and Phoebe got more than half way up the street, Helga suddenly felt her best friend reach forward and give a quick tug back on one of her sleeves. "Um…Helga?" the young dark-haired girl asked just a little hesitantly, pausing in her walking.

Helga stopped as well and then just sighed, having a decent enough idea of what might be coming now. After all, she knew that Phoebe (heck, any normal human being) wouldn't let what she'd just walked in on go without at least some kind of acknowledgment… Granted it wouldn't be nearly as bad as the razzing Helga was sure Arnold would have to endure from Gerald but, still, she knew Phoebe would at least want to talk about the incident in question, or at least apologize for interrupting them.

And so Helga just shrugged to herself and then turned to her best friend, smiling slightly. "Okay, okay," she began in a patient and even slightly humorous voice, "Before you even say anything I'm just going to lay the condensed version on the line for you, Pheebs. I got Lila to get Arnold to come with me back there on a pretext just so I could clear up a few things about our date last night, the conversation ended on the best possible terms, and then I realized we had a few minutes so I pulled him behind the dumpster and then we just got carried away. And don't worry too much about interrupting it…" she rolled her eyes, still smiling, "someone's always walking in or calling or suddenly popping out of somewhere every time we start to kiss. I'm just thankful that so far it hasn't been anybody who would use it against us." Helga shook her head at the ridiculousness of it all and then just looked to her best friend, "So, now that that's cleared up, come on…" she put a hand on Phoebe's shoulder, her smile growing slightly, "Why don't we just head back to class and I'll fill you in on me and Football Head's date at lunch, and then during recess you can tell me all about you and Gerald at Chez Paris and beyond? Sound good?" Helga waited for the typical affirmative response from her best friend.

She was a little surprised, to say the least, when Phoebe glanced away with a slight blush on her face, cleared her throat and replied quietly to her offer, "Oh, well…actually, Helga, not that all of that information isn't very good to know because I was a bit curious about how you two ended up there…and not that I'm not interested to hear about your and Arnold's date and to tell you about mine and Gerald's, but…I…the reason I stopped you, actually, was because we're about to come in sight of the school and you're looking a bit, well…" Phoebe cleared her throat and blushed just a little as she tried to find the right words to describe the situation… "A bit… 'worn out' …"

Helga just blinked at the comment, not getting what was meant by it at all (and almost seeming a little reminiscent of Arnold at his denser moments, to be honest). "Huh?"

Phoebe sighed and glanced around, trying to find any kind of reflective surface to show her best friend exactly what she meant. She smiled as her eyes lit upon a large, glass shop window and she quickly grabbed Helga's wrist and pulled her over in front of it, and then gestured to their pale reflections. "You see, Helga, it appears…a bit obvious…that you were doing something a bit…unusual…before class…" she pointed out with a small smile.

Helga, her eyes turning to the window in question, instantly watched herself blush at the sight of her disheveled outfit and hair (she HAD put it up in a bit of a hurry back there) before her. "Oh…!" she began in an obviously nervous voice, instantly running her hands through her hair to fix up her pigtails. "Uh, thanks Phoebe." Helga tied her ribbon neatly on the top of her head to finish the job. She then commenced to pulling a bit at her outfit to completely straighten the fabric, and then readjusted her jumper straps to their correct positions, and now finally did one last check of her now normal looking reflection before turning sheepishly back to her best friend.

"No problem Helga…" Phoebe nodded and smiled. "Well, I suppose we should get back to going to class then before Arnold and Gerald catch up to us." And with that she resumed walking up the street, followed by a still slightly blushing Helga.

As they proceeded along, a few seconds of awkward silence passed for the young blond girl in question. After all, it was one thing to have someone catch her and Arnold kissing (she'd 'been there and done that' more than a few times in her life)…but it was another thing to have someone really have to point out the fact that her normally modest and polite and sweet little Arnold had obviously gotten a little enthusiastically physical with her during said kissing…and that she'd obviously been okay with it…that, heck, she'd welcomed him going so far with it that she needed to seriously get herself cleaned up before she could go out in public again!

Finally, NEEDING at least SOME kind of small talk to keep her mind off of blushing (especially since she really was going to be in the public eye soon, and if there was one thing the Helga G. Pataki everyone knew DIDN'T do it was BLUSH!), she cleared her throat and glanced to the side at her best friend, her arms behind her back. "So, uh…how did you find out Football Head and I were over here, anyway?" And indeed it had seemed to Helga a strange coincidence that Phoebe and Gerald had just randomly stumbled across herself and Arnold like that in that particular secluded alley.

"Hmm?" Phoebe blinked and then looked up at Helga, processing the question. "Oh…well, I hadn't really seen you or Arnold all morning and I was getting worried about where you might be, and then a few minutes ago Lila approached me and informed me of the favor you had asked of her in terms of the alley and that she was starting to worry as well because you hadn't given any indication that you weren't coming back…So I just got Gerald to assist me just to make sure that you and Arnold were both…I mean that nothing had…" Phoebe's face took on that slightly worried look once again that morning. Always having been as honest as possible with her best friend, she wanted to tell Helga the truth about her worst fears, but at the same time, well…she was sure that Helga (though she hadn't directly said anything on the subject) must already have been feeling quite nervous over the last week or so about the durability of her and Arnold's newfound romance, and the last thing the young Japanese-American girl wanted to do was add to any doubts on her part.

Helga, meanwhile, who had been listening to Phoebe's explanation with a pretty blank face, now just looked at her curiously, genuinely unsure at first of where she was going with this last thing she seemed to be trying to say… Suddenly, though, a phrase Gerald had said to Phoebe upon catching Helga and Arnold before…something about 'and you were afraid they were calling it quits'…flashed through Helga's mind (as did realization). She blinked. "Phoebe…" she began simply, "did you think we were going to break up, or something?"

Phoebe blinked and stopped walking (as did Helga), a nervous look fully coming to her features. "Oh…well, I…that is, I…I wasn't sure what the situation might be since you never called me last night after your date…and then, I mean…with how new all of this must be to Arnold and him having taken in so much over the past few weeks, I just…" She looked back at Helga with slight desperation and almost a little guilt in her eyes for having tried to keep the truth from her... "Oh Helga, I'm sorry. I really do think that you and Arnold are working out wonderfully and that you can keep working out wonderfully for a very long time: I really believe his feelings are sincere and of course yours are too. I suppose I was just nervous that maybe something had happened with your parents or on your date and that a problem had arisen, and I know how much you care about him Helga and what it would do to you if anything…I mean…"

Phoebe stopped her mini confession at the feeling of Helga suddenly putting a hand gently on her shoulder. She blinked a couple of times and then fully looked her friend in the face for the first time in several seconds of speaking…only to see a very warm smile coming from Helga G. Pataki.

Helga let out a breath and then spoke in a kind and understanding tone to the worried girl before her. "Phoebe, it's okay…I get it…" She nodded to add to the assurance of her words. "I mean, you're right—it's all a little…a little…" she considered for a moment, and then just sighed in happiness, "Aw, heck, I'll just say it—a little completely impossibly incredibly wonderful!" A huge dreamy smile appeared on her face and she lost it a little for a second, pulling back and clasping both of her hands together over her heart (or, actually, over the heart shaped locket tucked safely away inside of her shirt) in delight. "Phoebe, he picked me up and carried me! CARRIED ME! Like we were married and he was taking me over the threshold or something!" She sighed and spun in a circle, still almost able to feel the warmth and pressure of his arms under her legs and back. "Oh, Arnold, my perfect—"

Helga stopped her fresh monologue at the feeling of Phoebe instantly clamping a hand firmly over her mouth. Before Helga could really protest or question the action, the dark haired girl then cleared her throat and spoke a bit loudly, like she was trying to be heard by someone. "Oh yes, Helga, I saw that movie on television last night as well. The romance, right?"

Helga just blinked a few times in confusion, Phoebe's hand still on her mouth…until Phoebe gestured with her eyes to the nearby corner of the school property where some sixth graders were hanging out and glancing over at the two fourth grade girls as they heard them approach.

Helga blinked once more and then slowly reached up and removed Phoebe's hand from her mouth. "Oh, uh…yeah Pheebs…" she started, trying to sound and seem casual, "The movie. Uh, pretty decent flick…" '_Oh great—guess my luck's finally starting to run out with the only person ever to overhear one of my monologues being Brainy. Crimeny, I hate change sometimes!'_

Yet Helga was still at least a little in luck since, at that final generic statement from herself, the sixth graders (who had actually barely been noticing Helga and Phoebe really, though it was better to be safe than sorry Phoebe had assumed), just turned away again and went back to their own conversations and then back to heading into the school as the warning bell rang.

Helga let out a relieved breath watching them go, and then turned to her best friend, the two girls starting to walk forward again as well as the warning bell didn't give them too much time. "Thanks, Phoebe. Yeesh, ever since Arnold I've just been letting my guard down at all the wrong times, you know?" She actually laughed to herself a little. "Heck, one of these days he's probably going to make it come down _entirely_ and then I'll have no choice but to be…" she gulped dramatically, "HONEST with people." She feigned a creeped out shiver.

Phoebe just laughed a little at her dramatics. "Yes, Helga, that would indeed be a 'horrible' situation," she assured her, likewise sarcastically. "If you had to share your true feelings…all the time!"

"Yeah," Helga's smirk picked up even more, "and if I had to be nice to people who I actually want to be nice to instead of being mean to everyone to maintain my reputation…"

Phoebe nodded. "Or if you had to open up to others regularly…" She was smiling a bit more now as well.

"Exactly!" Helga let out a chuckle as they rounded the corner, now approaching the school's stoop. "Or like if I had to drag Football Head to Slausen's in the middle of a Friday rush on the place instead of in total secrecy after bribing the Jollie Ollie man to give out half price ice cream so we could be sure to have the joint to ourselves…"

Phoebe blinked and turned an impressed smile to her friend. "Oh, so that's what that whole situation was about last week with him getting suspended by his boss." She let out a small chuckle. "I _thought_ it was strange that he would take the chance of selling ice cream at half price just to be kind to us kids..."

Helga laughed, rolling her eyes up with a sheepish smile as the two girls now headed up the steps of their school. "Yup—just another patented Helga G. Pataki scheme…"

Both girls shared another private laugh, memories of patented Helga G. Pataki schemes of the past flitting through their minds.

Helga turned to her best friend once again with a smile as they reached the top of the school stoop. "Seriously, though, Pheebs…" and her tone did sound a bit more serious all of a sudden, catching Phoebe's attention considerably, "About this whole 'me and Arnold' thing…I appreciate that you're looking out for me and I understand why you're doing it…But," her smile fell just slightly (but _only_ just slightly) as she turned her eyes forward in thought for just a moment… "You know…between you and me…" her voice lowered now too, "I HAVE considered the possibility that it could fall apart…" And indeed, Helga had always felt deep down that it would be a one in a million shot that Arnold would ever like her back…but actually maintaining a full blown, long term, mutual relationship with him—that had without question seemed more like a one in a billion shot. She shook her head, trying to move herself beyond these old doubts of hers. "So, anyway, Pheebs, what I mean is…if it didn't actually work out between us it wouldn't just 'out-of-left-field destroy me' or anything…I-I mean, it would hurt…a lot…" she almost cringed slightly but managed to shake it off and go on. "But...I'm as prepared for it as I could ever be…"

Helga extended her arm and pushed open one of the school doors for her best friend, taking a deep breath and considering her next words carefully as Phoebe entered the school and she followed suite. The door closed behind them, leaving the two girls in the empty elementary school halls. "But, Phoebe…" Helga finally managed quietly before they started on the last leg of their journey to the classroom… She was still glancing down in thought as she spoke. "Phoebe, I think that's part of the reason I've been so okay with him reading all of the poetry and seeing the locket and even finding out about the shrines…Because I think the biggest chance of him wanting to stop all of this stuff between us would come from me still trying to keep some secrets from him and him stumbling across them in shock one day, totally unprepared for just how extreme my feelings really are for him." And now she looked up at her best friend with a truly hopeful smile. "But he knows now, Phoebe. He knows everything. We've talked about every possible awkward thing there is about this whole relationship—heck, he even went through Olga's insanity and then also managed to pull off dinner with Bob and Miriam for crying out loud! And can I mention once again that he freaking saw my shrine! And _liked_ the darn thing!" She shook her head in disbelief, her arms crossed over her chest and her grin growing. "Seriously, I'm running out of stuff I could bring up to him that might make him run away in panic! He…he really, really, REALLY likes me Phoebe!" She was so happy, she almost laughed…and then she added quietly once again (recalling quickly that, even though the halls were empty, they were still technically inside of P.S. 118), "He loves me, Phoebe…and none of the other stuff seems to matter to him. Little goodie two shoes just likes that I keep telling him the truth…"

And with this pleasant and amusing thought expressed, Helga slowly began to head up the hall…and a very relieved Phoebe followed.

Just as Mr. Simmons' door came into sight, Phoebe reached forward and laid a gentle hand upon Helga's shoulder, causing the blonde to come out of the mini lovesick stupor she was still currently in and to blink and glance back to Phoebe once again. "Helga," Phoebe started quietly, sincerely, moving forward alongside her as they walked on, " I think it's very wise for you to be so honest with Arnold… It seems to be making you both very happy. And…I truly think it is the best thing both of you could be doing for yourselves right now." If their current happiness was any indication, at least, Phoebe couldn't help but silently add to herself, the image of Arnold smiling and carrying Helga in his arms playing in her mind once more.

Helga smiled appreciatively at the reassurance. "Thanks, Phoebe…and thanks for being there for me with this whole thing." She laughed slightly and specifically lowered her voice to a loud whisper. "And don't tell her I said this but even though Lila's 'pretty good' at taking orders, you're the best assistant by far…and, you know…a pretty decent best friend…" She winked and gave Phoebe a slight elbow nudge, and Phoebe removed her hand from her shoulder and chuckled in response.

The two girls had just reached their classroom door and Helga reached out for the handle, letting out a deep breath. "Well, let's get this show on the road, shall we? Time to become a bully again, I guess…" A grin came to her face, though, as she then added firmly before opening the door, "At lunch, though, I really do want to hear all about you and tall hair boy's first little date…and all the spasmodic things Geraldo did because he was so nervous about going out with a knock out like you." She winked sincerely…but then let out a slight chuckle and rolled her eyes (a thought she'd been meaning to address suddenly coming to mind), "Or, I mean, I'll _try_ and hear all about it, but _Arnold __is_going to be within eyesight in the cafeteria, and you know me—give me half a chance and I'll just 'stare at him or a picture of him for hours and hours and—' "

Phoebe couldn't help but break into some small laughter at Helga's reference to one of her joking comments to Gerald last night. "Helga…"

Helga just laughed warmly again and shrugged. "Hey just trying to lighten the mushy mood..." She sighed and smiled and turned back to the door. "Alright, now that I've got that out of my system, like I said, another day of 'Helga the bully' set to begin in three, two, one, and…"

She pushed open the door and met the students and teacher within the room with her usual stern scowl. The other kids, however, currently involved in their usual pre-class conversations, didn't notice her entrance too much. Mr. Simmons, however, did look up from his desk where he was jotting something down on a piece of paper (the class attendance, most likely) and smiled at the sight of the two girls entering. "Good morning Helga, Phoebe… Please take your seats. The bell's going to ring soon and then we can begin our special day."

"You got it, teach!" replied Helga with her usual sarcasm and then went and plopped herself in her desk, conveniently placed, as she had always managed to make it over the years, just far enough from Arnold's seat to be able to throw things at him but not so far that she would have to make too obvious of an effort at it, thus potentially bringing the teacher's attention to one of her favorite past times.

Phoebe, meanwhile, just sighed and smiled at the sight of her best friend resuming her normal routine, and then took her usual desk near Gerald's still vacant one in the front.

About a minute or two later the classroom door opened again, and Arnold entered followed by Gerald just as the final bell rang.

Mr. Simmons, who had stood up at this point and had started writing something on the board, paused in his endeavors at the sound of the door opening and closing, and smiled at the two boys in question. "Oh, Arnold and Gerald. Right on time!" He moved back toward his desk for a moment and used a pen to make two marks on the attendance sheet, and then went back to the chalkboard. "Now, please take your seats boys so we can get to the special world of MATH! Isn't that special class?" He glanced over his shoulder at his students.

Helga just rolled her eyes at the question while a few of the students around her managed some semi-decent moans of concordance (since, even though Mr. Simmons _was_ a _teacher_, he was, after all, a pretty cool one, and no one ever wanted him to feel _too_ bad about his 'misconception' that schoolwork was so 'special'). And indeed Mr. Simmons' smile brightened at the few 'Yeah, I guess so…' 's he'd managed to get from a couple of students , and he went back to facing the board, eagerly beginning to write down some example equations.

Now that the eyes of her teacher and fellow students were distracted with math, Helga turned her (seemingly blank) gaze forward and to the side just slightly to watch Arnold sit down at his desk in the front row with a smile. For a moment, though, her focus couldn't help but be split at the peripheral sight of Gerald then sitting down at his own desk and quickly directing a smile in the direction of Phoebe and saying a small hello of some sorts to her which he probably hoped sounded smooth and clever, and to which Phoebe replied with a small word or two and a giggle, thus affirming for him that he had succeeded in his endeavor of charm.

Just for a second, Helga let her thoughts on Arnold slide and couldn't help half smiling at the sight of her best friend so happy… though, after a few seconds, her gaze, of course, had to return fully to the back of Arnold's wide and perfect and flaxen head…her old familiar target.

With a nod to herself, she quickly reached inside of her desk and removed her handy dandy straw shooter, and then crumpled a thin strip of paper she'd torn from her notebook into a ball, swirled it around in her mouth for a second, brought the straw to her lips, loaded it with her tongue and then finally fired at her beloved, hitting him square in the back of the head! '_Bull's-eye!_'

Arnold had flinched at the direct hit, so Helga knew he had obviously felt it…but she also knew that the standard amount for getting him to turn around on an average day was five to ten such direct hits, and so she happily prepared some more ammo and continued her barrage.

And, indeed, a few spitballs later, Arnold did turn around, though (and she hoped anyone else who might be watching any of this didn't notice) his face seemed far more amused than annoyed.

She rolled her eyes, doing her best not to smile. _'Oh well—just because __he's__ horrible at lying doesn't mean__ I__ have to be_.' She let out a breath and then just shrugged as usual and looked at him with a scowl. "_What_?" she whispered both innocently and harshly.

She watched him just let out a breath, shake his head just slightly (once again obviously in a touch more amusement than frustration), and then turn back around. It took all she had not to burst into laughter. The same went for him, by the way.

Mr. Simmons' lecture droned on in the background as Helga continued her spitball barrage intermittently for about the next ten minutes…until she paused as she noticed Arnold raise his hand and ask Mr. Simmons if he could use the pencil sharpener… And then, on an even more surprising note, he got up and made sure to specifically walk by her desk on his way there!

Passing right by her, on the pretext of 'dropping his pencil', Helga watched with curiosity out of the corner of her eye as Arnold, mere inches away from her, stopped and bent down to retrieve the small item on the floor…and, in doing so, allowed a small note of paper to fall into her lap from one of his hands. He didn't make eye contact with her as this drop off took place, but, with a smile, merely continued on to the sharpener, used it very briefly, and then returned to his seat with a smile.

Helga glanced around nervously for several seconds after this incident had finished to make sure no one had noticed Arnold's little covert action. Upon seeing, with relief, that everyone's attentions appeared to be still directed toward either the instructor in front of them or toward just staring off into space in boredom, Helga (making sure that Simmons was still facing the board as he continued to write upon it) managed to slowly pick up the note and quietly unfold it atop her notebook, trying to be as discrete as possible about its existence.

She began to read.

_Dear Anonymous:_

_Thank you for the…I think, __14__ spitballs so far. At least, that's the number that have hit me. But your aim's probably pretty good after all of these years so I'm pretty sure that if I felt 14, 14 is the number you shot. I miss you too, by the way. Actually, I was thinking that, if you wanted to, maybe you could come to dinner at the boarding house again sometime soon…maybe even tonight? I really wouldn't mind spending every day after school with you, to be honest, and I know Grandpa and Grandma and everyone would love to see you again, and also…as for it just being dinner tonight instead of another 'movie date'…well, even though we both really like doing the, um…the 'other thing' that we talked about Saturday night during our anniversary (you know, that 'thing' we did in the alley before), I think it'd also be nice to just spend an evening together talking and getting to know each other better just for a little while...like we did a little between our confessions. And also, you know what they say about too much of a good thing…even if it really is a…a really REALLY good thing… Possibly the best thing I've ever felt or done with another person in my entire life, actually…_

_Anyway, about back in the alley before…I know this might sound silly but I'm sorry I picked you up like that…I mean, I'm not sorry that I did it, because I really liked doing it of course, but I __am__ sorry if it made you uncomfortable at all. I don't even know what came over me. And I know you'll probably just roll your eyes at me later and say something like 'Yeah, Football Head, I hated being swept up in your arms for a few precious seconds—that's why I went and kissed you while you were still holding me even though our best friends showed up' but still I feel a little strange that I just went and did something like that without saying anything to you first so…next time I'll ask first, okay? _

_Oh, and before I forget, I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch together today? I know, I know, if we sit together in the cafeteria it won't take too long for someone to say something, but I was thinking maybe we could sneak down to the Cocoa Hut or something and eat there. And even though I know you'll be disappointed I was thinking about using the door instead of the air vents to get there … But if you'd like to try the second choice and you think we'd have time I'd be willing to give it a shot._

_Love,_

_Your secret admirer._

_P.S._

_I tried really hard to make sure no one would be able to know who this letter was about or who had sent it in case someone ever found it or you lost it, but I'm still getting used to this whole 'secret' thing. Did I do okay? Please let me know at lunch. I'll meet you outside of the Cocoa Hut, my love._

_(Oh and also, just so you officially know…when you call me things like 'my love' and 'my angel' and 'my beloved'…I think it makes me love you just a little bit more… And since I already love you just the same as you love me, you can guess what that must be like… I mean, 'amazing' and 'magical' really don't do it justice… I guess I'll have to think of some new words soon. See you later!)_

Helga felt herself practically melt into a puddle upon concluding her reading of the cute letter. In fact, she couldn't control a slight giggle coming out of her…okay, a slightly LOUD giggle…which actually caused several of the people around her as well as Mr. Simmons (and as well as a very amused looking Arnold) to turn to look in her direction.

Mr. Simmons raised an eyebrow in concern, pausing in the middle of erasing something from the board. "Helga, did you have something to add?"

Helga glanced from him to the curious faces around her and just tried not to blush as she did her best to think on her feet. "Oh, uh…no, Mr. Simmons. Just, uh…" she faked a cough and pounded on her chest with her fist for show, "Just a frog in my throat, heh, heh…" She folded her hands on her desk and smiled up at him innocently. "I'm okay now. We can, uh, get back to our, uh, 'special' day of learning!" She swung her fist in the air in a show of enthusiasm.

Mr. Simmons just nodded and smiled at her reply. "Okay, Helga, but if you need to get a drink of water feel free to do so."

Helga just gave him a nod in return and finished nervously with, "Uh…you got it, teach!"

The enthusiastic teacher turned to the greater class, still smiling as usual. "Alright, now that our math lesson is done let's move on to…yes, that's right—history! Isn't that special, class?"

Once again, several stereotypically sarcastic moans of agreement that didn't dampen the educator's spirits in the least, and if anything encouraged him even more!

Helga couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief as the sounds of everyone opening their desks to switch textbooks filled the room…meaning everyone's attention was off of her again…except (inevitably from now on, it would seem) for _one_ person's, that was… And she noticed this fact as she glanced in his direction…and it made her eyes go wide in a bit of panic.

Indeed, Arnold was still looking back at her and still obviously trying to stifle a laugh at her cute little sigh. Helga just let out another breath and rolled her eyes at him, then took her history textbook out of her desk and gestured to it with her head with a scowl, saying without words, '_Enough lovey dovey looks, head boy—get your book out already before someone notices you ogling me, for crying out loud!'_

Arnold laughed slightly at the gesture and look from her (luckily, the sound of everyone still shifting their belongings to change over classes muffled it) and then reluctantly turned back to his own desk to retrieve his own history items, as per her silent suggestion (which, he realized, with a small sigh, was indeed the right thing to do for now).

Helga smiled at being yet again out of danger of his attentions toward her being noticed, and opened her own history book and notebook as she tried to focus as their second lesson of the day began…though, every few seconds, she couldn't help but find her eyes falling to Arnold's little letter (she had it plastered against the inside of her textbook so no one would notice its presence) over and over again. A few minutes passed and finally, realizing that if she just kept staring at it she would probably drift off into a daydream (and who knew what would come out of her blissful mouth for all to hear if that happened, especially considering her track record with slip ups lately), she settled for the next best thing…returning to annoying Arnold.

Mr. Simmons was still addressing the class directly at the moment but a few more seconds passed and then he turned back to face the board to write something…and once again Helga knew that was her cue.

She prepared several fresh spitballs. '_Ah, this never gets old_…'

* * *

'_Three, two, one_…' Though he was expecting them so regularly he could practically time them at this point (always starting three seconds after Mr. Simmons turned to write something on the board, and then there would be two or three seconds between each fresh shot), Arnold couldn't help but flinch as he felt Helga's latest spitball hit him in the back of the head.

He sighed to himself, still smiling, and counted to almost three again before he felt the second one hit him. Then the third after a few seconds…and a few seconds later, the fourth…

He was about to turn to give her a look as soon as he felt the fifth one… (a little early for him, he figured, but he was curious to see if she was still sneaking glances at the note he'd slipped her before)…when a slight idea came to mind. '_Three two…_' he turned around one second early, quickly popped his blue hat off of his head and caught the spitball directly inside of it! He did his best to give Helga the annoyed look he knew was required of him, though he couldn't help the half smile trying to shine through as he awaited her reaction to the trick he'd just performed.

He watched in amusement as her eyes went wide at his small stunt for a second. And then (after glancing around of course to make sure no one was paying much attention) Helga gave him a slight, impressed smile… She then glanced down at something on her desk and then back in his direction…and her smile grew just a bit more. He continued to watch with interest (after giving a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Mr. Simmons was still writing on the board, of course) as Helga then seemed to scribble something down on a piece of paper for several minutes (Arnold shooting her occasional curious glances throughout this strange, sudden writing frenzy). Eventually, she appeared to be done and so she folded up whatever she had been working on and then finally and as casually as possible let it drop to the floor beside her. She placed one of her shoes upon it and dragged it to the aisle and then gestured down with her eyes to Arnold who only looked at her in confusion until (after a dramatic eye roll) she pulled her foot back and slid the paper across the floor in his direction! Instantly realizing what she meant, he watched the small folded paper slide up right near his desk and then did his best, after thinking for a second, to casually let his hat 'fall' to the floor a pretext for leaning down to pick it (along with the love note Helga Pataki had just actually passed him!) from the floor.

Arnold sat back up, the hat with the note inside of it now in his hands, and discreetly removed the latter and then popped the former back on his head. He smiled at the small tightly folded piece of paper discretely in his hands, covered in familiar tracings and imprints of Helga's signature purple ink…and then carefully did his best to secretly unfold it and lay it tight against his textbook to read.

_Dear 'Secret Admirer':_

_First of all, nice catch with the spitball! Hey, maybe you should try playing catcher one of these days—you might actually have some potential! _

_Second, I'd complain about you apologizing for picking me up like that before and making even more of my dreams and fantasies come true, but you did say in your note that you'd ask me before doing it next time, which implies that you're thinking there's going to __be__ a next time so…how could I be mad when I have the feeling of you holding me in your warm, strong arms to look forward to yet again in my life, my beloved? (By the way, glad to hear you finally admitting how much the little terms of endearment are getting to you…Not that it hasn't been obvious from all of the blushing they've been making you do, but…well…I didn't realize they were making you fall even more in love with me. Leaving you at a loss for words… Okay, I'll stop now before I end up silently monologuing to myself. Besides, there's other stuff I need to write to you right now too!)_

_Okay, well…third of all, however much I don't want to admit it, maybe an evening of dinner with your family tonight WOULD be a good change of pace for us from these little make out sessions. Don't get me wrong, I still expect many of them, both random and planned, to be happening for a good long time, but you're right…the more we do it the less special it'll feel so I'd be willing to cool it for one night…as long as you could resist too, __my love__…_

_Fourth, considering the last point I just addressed, I…think the Cocoa Hut at lunch might not be the best idea. Maybe this is just something only the girls know or maybe you're still dense about some things after all, my dearest, but that's…kind of where the sixth graders go to make out everyday. I mean, if you're into that then let's find a dark corner and do it! Although…I have a feeling you really did just have a nice little lunch together in mind (you may have a dark side, my angel, but you're pretty up front about it when things come to that) so, how about instead you and your best friend sit at your usual table and I'll move me and my best friend to the table right next to it in the cafeteria—I'll make some excuse about the cafeteria food fumes smelling too much near our usual table today if anyone asks—and then we can just make sure our chairs are near each other or something. I'll even pull your ex-girlfriend over to our table too so the set up doesn't seem too obvious. _

_Thank you again, by the way, for putting up with all of this secrecy, my beloved. I know if it was up to you that you'd shout our feelings from the rooftops, and even though I'd like nothing better than to do that myself one day, I appreciate you understanding that, all things considered, I need just a bit more time…_

_Yours forever,_

_Anonymous_

_P.S._

_As for how good your letter was as a 'secret' letter…well, I'll have to give you an A for effort and because I like you so much but, seriously…you mentioned where you live, who you live with, the most distinct nickname I have for you… No offense, but I'm pretty sure that even _'_pre-confession' you__ wouldn't have been dense enough to not have been able to figure out who it was from and who it was to. (Notice how I only used generic nicknames to address you in this letter—my beloved, my dearest, etc.—and no real specifics about either of us or anyone we know). Oh well—more writing skills we have to work on for you in the future, I guess. Not bad for your first dry run, though. Not bad at all._

_P.P.S._

_We're still in the middle of class, in case you forgot, so quit gawking at me every eight seconds and pay at least __some__ attention to Simmons' desert dry lecture, for Pete's sake! Sheesh, if you start failing and get grounded what am I going to do with myself? _

Arnold just smiled and smirked in amusement at the page before him as he finished reading. He waited for Mr. Simmons (who was now facing the class again as he talked) to turn to the board once more before he glanced back to Helga…whom he noticed with a slight blush was currently writing something not in her notebook but in a small pink book of familiar style laid flat on top of it that she must have pulled out of her desk in a moment of inspiration while he had been reading. (She _had_ mentioned something about nearly going into an internal monologue about him after reading part of his own little letter… And writing a poem always seemed to help her with things like that).

Arnold just kept watching as she tapped the end of her purple pen twice against her lower lip, as though she was trying to think of a way to continue a line in whatever lovely piece of verse she was writing. Suddenly, with a smile, she started scribbling away as an idea obviously came to her.

Arnold couldn't help but let out a slight sigh at the sight of her creativity in action like that… A sigh which Helga's ears must have picked up on, he guessed, because she suddenly blinked and glanced up at him, and he saw a slight blush come to her face at being unexpectedly caught mid-Arnold poem in class…and by Arnold himself no less!

Helga cleared her throat and instantly did her best to resume her usual attitude with him, lest, once again, anyone who might glance their way notice a change in their relationship. "What?" she whispered sharply.

Arnold just sighed at the familiar question, did his best to give her a scolding look, and then turned back around, shaking his head once more with a small smile to himself…though somewhere in all of that he had managed to get a quick wink to her before doing so (causing her to blush once again he'd noticed before his eyes had completely left her). He resumed writing his notes…a little disappointed that he really would have to wait hours to resume his true relationship with Helga, though he was more than willing to be patient with letting other people know about them if it was important to her… He was more than willing to do just about anything for her to be honest.

Helga, meanwhile, in the middle of praying the scarlet from Arnold's secret wink would fade from her cheeks as quickly as possible, just took a deep breath as he finally turned away from her again, and then quietly slid her pink book back into her desk, too nervous to do anything as risky as writing right now with how many near misses there had already been this morning in regards to people potentially noticing 'something out of the ordinary' about her and Arnold.

Overall, though, despite Arnold having to wait to talk to the real Helga just a bit longer and despite Helga now realizing that keeping this secret of hers (or rather, of 'theirs') was going to be a lot more complicated now that her horrible liar of a beloved was a partner in it…both of them couldn't help but sigh and smile to themselves and have the same thought at the same time that was entirely a statement and in no way a question.

'_Somehow…it's all worth it…isn't it…'_

Each laughed quietly to themselves and then resumed their studies again.

Gerald and Phoebe, meanwhile, who had actually been observing these antics in bits and pieces over the last hour or so when they could, finally just looked to each other and sighed to themselves, happy that Arnold and Helga seemed to be done flirting for now (and thus done putting themselves at risk for having to desperately hide their secret from the class once again…and inevitably needing Gerald and Phoebe's help.)

Just the start of another typical day at P.S. 118…now, at least.

* * *

_BRRRRRRING!_

The bell signaling the end of classes sounded throughout the halls and classrooms of P.S. 118.

Several minutes later two familiar kids were talking to each other out on the school stoop…waiting for a very specific couple (who had just had to spend six hours pretending that they were enemies).

"So we're walking home and then later to baseball practice with Arnold and Helga to give them cover, right?" Gerald smiled at Phoebe, leaning back against the rail of the stoop a little.

Phoebe nodded in affirmation, adjusting her glasses a little. "Right. We'll be heading out as a group so that they can walk together without being teased as soon as…" And then a small coy smile came to her face as she added, glancing to the side, "…As soon as they, um…finish up inside…"

A small smug smile came to Gerald's face now as well…almost like something Phoebe had just said had brought an amusing thought to his mind. "Yeah, as soon as they're, uh, 'good and ready'…"

Phoebe, being as observant as she was, more than noticed Gerald's slight emphasis on those last words of his and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. '_Did Helga tell him too?'_ "Gerald…" she began with interest, "are you aware of what is, uh…currently going on between them at this moment…for the next _several_ moments, probably?"

Gerald blinked at the question but then just smiled even more…and raised an eyebrow as well. "Wait, you know what's up right now too?" '_Wow, when did Arnold find the time to tell her…?'_

Phoebe giggled in reply, giving a quick nod, and Gerald chuckled, copying the gesture. And then both of them spoke at exactly the same time with plenty of conviction and a nod each:

"Arnold's waiting in a closet to pull Helga inside…"

"Helga's waiting in a closet to pull Arnold inside…"

Both kids remained just smiling for a second or two after these slightly contradictory revelations of theirs overlapped…

And then they blinked…

And then their faces went blank…

And finally each looked to the other…

"Did you just say…" Gerald began slowly.

"…What I think you just said?" Phoebe finished simply.

Another second of quiet passed…and then Gerald just sighed and dragged a hand down his face. He grabbed Phoebe's hand in his own. "Come on, let's go fix _this_ one…" He turned back in the direction of the doors.

And with an amused smile and a nod Phoebe let herself be pulled back inside by him to do just that.

* * *

'_Let's see…Phoebe's got the closets on that side of the building…and I'm almost done over here…Let's just check this one_—'

"Alright, almost ready—Arnold said he was going to the boys room before we go home. I just have to wait for the sound of him coming out and heading down the hall here, and then I'll pull his gorgeous little self inside, and then…We can not only pick up where we left off outside before, but I can make sure that little daydream he's been having about us in a closet finally comes tru—"

Gerald had just stopped cold at hearing these few sentences (in a familiar bully's voice) meet his ears from behind the closet door before him. And now, without hesitation (and before the person inside could elaborate on her fantasies even more), he opened the door of said closet…and his thoughts cut off completely (as did his breathing, almost) at the sight of Helga G. Pataki currently running a small brush through her undone hair and giving herself a quick spritz of some kind of perfume she'd just pulled out of her jumper pocket.

The light from the hall hitting her, Helga froze…then whipped her head around to the door with happy eyes at first (obviously expecting her beloved)…and then all color left her face and she just stood there wide eyed and shocked looking as she processed the fact that Gerald Johansson was before her instead. "Uh…" She couldn't even begin… This was possibly even worse than the shrine. He'd just caught her planning and primping to shanghai his best friend and give him the kiss of his lifetime (hey, in her defense, that dinner of theirs tonight was supposed to be strictly platonic, so…might as well get in a little action now while they were both still coming off of the euphoria from the making out in the alley before, right?)

Anyway, she was currently just waiting for the tall haired boy in front of her to pass out again or burst into hysterics or whatever so that she could decide what to do next…

Gerald, however, having been slowly getting more and more used to catching Helga and Arnold in awkward positions like this one, just shook his head to snap himself out of it, let out a very deep sigh, and then finally rolled his eyes and reached forward and grabbed one of her arms. "Come on, Pataki!" he proceeded to pull her out into the hallway and then down it…

He just shook his head and rolled his eyes some more as he went through the school like this with a still in shock Helga in tow. '_Man, I am gonna start charging these two for this job one of these days_…'

* * *

'_Hmm…this is the last closet in this section of the hallway… Let's see if—_' Phoebe moved forward toward the door before her, reaching out her arm to grab the handle (or rather, to grab the makeshift handle since she realized, upon glancing down at it, that this must be the same janitors closet Arnold and Helga had hidden in a couple of weeks ago during that fiasco with Arnold's poem—the door she'd broken the handle off of). She smiled a bit at the memory and just placed her hand on the cheap and obviously temporary knob to check insi—

"Okay, just…just take a deep breath, Arnold. She said she was going to the bathroom before we walked home with Gerald and Phoebe, and the bathroom's right near here. You'll hear her walk by and she…she did say she wanted you to do this…and you do want to do this…so…" A sigh. "Where's that breath spr—"

He stopped as light flooded his vision…along with the sight of a curious looking Phoebe Heyerdahl. And now Arnold just stood there, eyes wide…and in the middle of being about to spray some minty stuff from a small bottle into his mouth. He blushed furiously at being caught like this, swallowed nervously and then quickly put the spray behind his back. "Uh…." There were not even words. At least if Helga had been in here with him they could have shared the humiliation…or Gerald's presence in front of him as well might have made it not so bad, but…just by himself…just with Phoebe (another girl of all people)… No words. Because, really, how could he even hope to begin to explain how he, Mr. Goodie Two Shoes, Mr. Modesty, Mr. Wet Blanket (as Helga liked to call him), despite having been very serious about a date tonight that was a little less kissing and a little more talking, had suddenly felt the compulsion somewhere in the middle of all the stuff from today to put his daydream in regards to him and Helga and an empty closet into action… And yet the school day had started on a 'high note' after all—no harm in it ending on one too, right?

Anyway, he just continued standing there, unmoving, and waiting for whatever Phoebe would do…and also hoping to an extent Helga would come down that hall from the bathroom very VERY soon to help ease him out of this mortifying situation.

All of a sudden though Phoebe (with a smile, and more than used to dealing with Helga over the years when she used to freeze up like Arnold was doing right now at being caught in little awkward situations) just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Come on, Arnold…" She reached forward and grabbed one of his arms, and quickly pulled him out of the closet and down the hall.

'Hmm…it seems _Helga was wrong_…' she couldn't help but recall a small joke Helga had made to the other night during her makeover before her date with Gerald, '_Apparently Arnold would __not__ have taken another seven years to even __think__ about trying that closet fantasy he mentioned to her_…'

* * *

At the corner of an empty hallway Gerald and Phoebe finally met…and so did Arnold and Helga, (both blonde ten year olds still not quite getting what was going on and still in a bit of blushing shock—and that was putting it mildly).

Gerald released his grip on Helga just as Phoebe released her grip on Arnold, and then the two of them stepped away to give their friends some space… Upon which Gerald couldn't help crossing his arms over his chest and giving Arnold and Helga a serious smirk, all things considered. "Okay, the short version—" he began in quick explanation, turning first to Arnold, "Helga was hiding in the closet by the boys room to pull Arnold in for a make out session," his sights went to Helga now, "and Arnold, apparently, was hiding in the closet—by the girls room, I'm guessing—to pull Helga in for a make out session." He sighed and closed his eyes, just shaking his head with a smile. "You know, you guys gotta coordinate better!" He opened his eyes and gestured with his head to the girl beside him. "I mean, me and Phoebe have got our own relationship stuff to worry about now and we won't always be around to save you guys from waiting a few hours in a closet for someone who's not coming. Okay?" He gave them a grin, and did his best to curb any obvious jokes already coming to his mind (he'd already delivered a few well placed shrine jokes to Helga today and he figured his 'patience quota' with her was probably on empty for the time being, even despite the fact that she'd probably owed him just a little back for all of her side jokes she'd made to him in reciprocation about him having passed out in Phoebe's kitchen when he'd heard about the shrine in the first place.

Phoebe now stepped forward as well and just smiled, sighed and nodded with the boy beside her, her arms crossed over her chest now as well. "I concur with Gerald. Coordination is indeed important for any secret plan or scheme. Very sloppy, you two." She smirked just a little herself, finding this whole situation kind of sort of hysterical though she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings by showing it.

As all of this was being revealed/said Arnold and Helga were just blushing furiously, still wide-eyed and totally unmoving…and they continued to be like that for a few seconds as the information processed…

When the explanation of what was going on finally sunk in for both of them, though, they slowly turned to each other.

Helga took a breath in…and spoke…quite sweetly, actually… "Arnold, you actually…you were actually going to…to do it? Really? Already?" Helga's mouth hung WIDE open in a surprised smile as she finished.

At first Arnold didn't even seem to absorb the question from her….another thought seeming to have caught hold of his mind at the moment from the look of distraction in his eyes. But then he spoke too…and it became clear quite quickly exactly what realization was keeping his mind off of just confirming for Helga what was already pretty obvious about his intended actions. "Helga, you…" his voice was a little shaky, to say the least, "You were planning to…to pull me into a closet…in the dark…alone…to…" And then suddenly he let out a shuddery sigh, his smile going all goofy, "To…to…" His eyes seemed far away again. _That_ was an experience for this afternoon that he hadn't considered at all (he'd assumed Helga had just been trying to motivate him last night, saying she'd do it first if he didn't jump on it)… But oh _boy_ did her version of the closet plan have its appeal! In his version she would have been surprised and flustered, and he would have held her gently and said sweet things to her until she blushed and smiled and giggled, and then he would have gone forward and gently kissed her for however long they both wanted to, in the shadows together… But…but the idea of her (knowing her style) tearing him inside (much as she had done two weeks ago when she'd been furious at him about his poem), pinning him against a wall and just lip-locking him in all of his complete confusion and with all of her perfect passion…all alone in the darkness like that with no interruptions now that they were finally together and could be forever if they wanted to. "To…to…" he just went on in a daze. '_Oh boy… Girls are…they're really great, aren't they?_'

Back on planet earth, Helga found herself just giggling like crazy at her beloved's little stupor. "Hey, are you my boyfriend or a broken record, Arnoldo?" She gave him a small nudge in the shoulder, and this action along with the sound of her voice finally made Arnold come off of the word 'to' with a sheepish and an embarrassed grin (and actually even managed to get a chuckle or two out of him at her funny joke, he slowly but surely starting to learn to let his worry over the more awkward parts of their relationship slide a little.)

And then both blondes, just gazing happily at each other and finally over any humiliation, took deep breaths and somehow said at the same time, "You were waiting to pull me into a closet…" They smiled even more at having said the same thing at the same time. "Aw!" came another exclamation in unison, and then Helga (there being no one else left in the school at this point) quickly caught Arnold in a tight hug which he readily reciprocated after a small moment of surprise at her action…And oh boy did it feel wonderful to hold each other like that, especially after having had to avoid each other so strongly throughout the day!

"Oh brother…" The sound of Gerald's voice broke through the 'tender moment', and, still standing on the sidelines, he just smirked and rolled his eyes at the display before him. "Okay, okay, you two—you wanna go all lovey dovey again, that's fine, but let's get out of the public eye and then we'll drop you off at one of your houses or the movies or somewhere else that's private, alright? Because me and Phoebe are NOT spending our afternoon fixing any more shenanigans you get yourselves into, right babe?" He looked to his crush.

Phoebe giggled and smiled, turning to him as well. "Yes, I believe the two of us do indeed have other potential things to occupy ourselves with, Gerald." She blushed a little, only just glancing at him. "Like preparing for next weekend, for example…" She recalled the plans for another outing that they had made last night…just before Gerald Martin Johansson had leaned up and kissed her on the lips, actually… (An action she was very much hoping to have occur between them again come next Saturday night…Or maybe she would kiss him again this time… Or maybe they could try doing it at the same time… She couldn't be sure which of those scenarios might occur but the point was that one of them was bound to happen and that a week to think it all over wasn't as much time as one might think… _'Hmm…kissing each other at the same time… Maybe I'll ask Helga later what that's like…_' ).

Gerald, meanwhile, at that slightly suggestive statement from the girl beside him, suddenly went a bit wide eyed and blushed a little himself, remembering some things from last night and being reminded so suddenly again of many more events like it probably to come…like during their outing next weekend for example… '_That reminds me—I've gotta get Arnold aside at some point this week and talk to him about all of this 'girl' stuff again before I mess something up or something like that…_' "Um…" pulling himself back to the situation at hand, Gerald just cleared his throat and smiled a little sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, what she said…" He gestured with his head to Phoebe, and then shook it to clear it, trying to move on from the small moment of flirting. "Anyway…uh, like we said, we'll…we'll help you two get somewhere private if you want, but then we are off the clock for the day, alright?" He focused back on Arnold and Helga.

And Helga, still just giddy with love at the idea of Arnold having been about to go through with his closet fantasy (and also finding the little romantic exchange that had just gone on between Gerald and Phoebe simply adorable) just giggled and looked to her perfect little love god, starting to put up her hair for the walk home. "Well, our date last night did get a little messed up, Arnoldo…And we've obviously both been in the mood to correct that little unfortunate mistake all day…So maybe…" she blushed just a little more, "Maybe we ought to postpone the 'strictly getting to know each other dinner' until tomorrow night, and instead use this afternoon to just give the movies a shot again… You know…how it was _supposed_ to be…" She quirked her mouth to the side just a little and awaited his response to the suggestion.

Arnold, likewise still pretty lost in lovesickness, just smiled in a goofy, shy way at her plan, his hands clasped innocently in front of himself…though it was obvious, despite any modesty, that he wasn't about to turn her down. "Yeah, I guess things didn't go exactly as planned for the first part of last night. And, well…we just missed out on the closet thing…and my grandparents said you could come over to dinner _any_ night you wanted, so…doing the movies now…might be good…"

Helga nodded, moving a bit closer to him (and now done reforming her pigtails and re-securing her bow). "Mmm hmm… And all of our friends would be at baseball practice all afternoon…"

Arnold blinked at the sudden implication from her about how alone they really would be this time around in that theatre (and how close she'd suddenly gotten to him again was a contributing factor too, of course)…but then he just resumed his dreamy look and chuckled to himself. "Yup…" he gazed into her inviting eyes, "A whole theatre to ourselves for 'two full semi-dark hours'…" Quoting her from last night, a glint came to his eye and he moved closer now as well and began to whisper in a low voice, forgetting their friends were right there. "Think of all places we could—" started the ironic sentence.

He was getting that look—that 'here comes Arnold's aggressive side' look—and Helga knew he was a goner_. 'Yes!'_ she squealed inside in delight, slowly but surely no longer feeling the need to absorb that side of him in small doses, and in fact kind of hoping for the experience of it whenever and wherever she could get it.

"Okay_, enough flirting_! Save it for the movies guys. Yikes!" Gerald interrupted, giving them a disbelieving smirk and moving forward slightly between them before they could dive on top of each other or whatever the heck it was the two of them always seemed about to do to one other!

Phoebe just chuckled at her three friends and added supportively, "And don't worry about baseball practice, you two—we'll make excuses for why both of you can't come. I suppose it's the least we could do," she finished with a small chuckle.

Arnold cleared his throat and blushed just a smidge at Gerald and Phoebe having had to kind of necessarily pull him back to reality a little. Finally, he took a slight (but only a slight) step back from his lovely girlfriend, doing his best to resume his normal demeanor. Helga, for her part, just smiled at Gerald and Phoebe's little very sound interjections, and now, seeing Arnold move, just fluttered her eyes a little and looked down shyly, her arms behind her back.

"Uh…thanks guys." Arnold finally managed, turning to their friends with a smile, his eyes still a bit half lidded. "We really appreciate your help."

"Yeah, thanks you two…" Helga turned to them now as well. "And, don't worry, we promise to keep the public shenanigans to a minimum for your sakes," she joked with a chuckle…before then turning back to her beloved Arnold, her mouth quirking to the side a little again in a small smile. "Well…let's get going then, _Football Head!_" she offered very _very_ kindly.

"_Whatever you say, _Helga…" a quite-in-love Arnold replied, just as tenderly and with a half smile.

And then with that the two of them proceeded in the direction of the school doors, trying to look as casual as possible as they prepared to exit the building and reenter the public eye.

Watching them go, Gerald just shook his head. "Mmm, mmm, mmm—some pieces of work…"

Phoebe let out a sigh and put a hand on one of her hips. "I concur, Gerald…I concur…"

A small chuckle escaped the tall haired boy. "Hey, you know, according to Arnold I was right the first time… _she_ jumped _him_ first last night."

A laugh caught at the back of Phoebe's throat. "Indeed…" she glanced to the side at him, "But I do believe she's wearing him down to be the one to take the initiative himself, Gerald…"

A chuckle. "You know it, babe."

He then turned to wink, causing her to (of course) blush a little (an effect he'd been noticing lately that he had had the power to elicit from her).

This little moment passing all too quickly, both Gerald and Phoebe finally just smiled to one another and then (taking in and letting out a deep breath each) proceeded to follow after Arnold and Helga (and to hold hands as they did so, actually …until they got to the school doors, of course, since, well…the idea of everyone finding out that they were dating too didn't seem like a 'swirling vortex of social nightmare' to them like it did to Helga about herself and Arnold, but still…what they did in their private lives was their own business and when they wanted to share it, they were certain they'd work it out and that they would.)

The two happy couples met outside at the bottom of the stoop of P.S. 118 less than a minute later, and then pretended to walk away from the school as a perfectly casual group…

* * *

(Oh and just a quick FYI—the 'kissing contest' that inevitably took place during Arnold and Helga's movie date was of course a draw because, really—Arnold and Helga were just too evenly matched…But even though there was no clear cut winner both participants still had quite a bit of fun trying to come up with one! Yes, indeed, Helga almost pulled off a victory at one point when she managed to fake getting scared of something in the movie and then dove into Arnold's arms…which conveniently put her in an easy position to hold onto him…kiss him maybe… push him against his seat with no escape from her advances actually to be honest… Oh but Arnold made up for that and then some when he took the opportunity of having her in his arms at one point to duck with her down to the floor under the cover of the row of seats in front of them (sure no one else was in the theater, but somehow hiding there was just more…more exciting or something!) where they spent the better part of the end of the movie (including the credits) sometimes kissing sometimes just saying cute little things to each other, sometimes flicking popcorn bits back and forth at one another, sometimes just laughing at anything (and, as stated, sometimes…many times, actually, kissing)… And perhaps said contest could have had a winner eventually if only they hadn't been interrupted at the end of their date by the lights coming on in the theatre and a confused teenage usher informing 'the two kids messing around in the back' that it was time to leave already as the film was over and they needed to clean the theatre.)

And more such romantic, amusing and at times downright humiliating dates were indeed in store for our favorite couple as their courtship would continue…

* * *

**A/N:**

Am I insane enough to actually write out the next several weeks of Arnold and Helga's courtship? According to the over one hundred thousand words of drafts about just that, YES! YES, I AM that insane! And it ranges all over the place from fluff to drama to comedy to romance… There's a few in here that I really think you're going to like guys, and I really hope you like what I end up doing with this thing over all :)

Okay, now as for the next update…

*Sigh * So…I'm still working full time at a job I don't particularly care for (but I need the money), I still have ten grad school apps to fill out, I have one more major admissions test in six weeks, a college essay of mine to expand by a good ten pages so I can use it as my admissions paper (on a side note, I have a very strange love/hate relationship with Northrop Frye for any fellow English geeks out there reading this, lol), and I haven't gone to the gym in almost a week and a half because I was doing so many edits on this update, and also the courtship chapters are a little rougher/not one hundred percent fully written out, so… I'm super sorry guys but it's gonna take me at least 6-8 weeks. Once November's over (and thus all my grad school craps' over) things should get more regular but for now sometime in October is the best I can do. Thanks for all of your patience though! I really appreciate it, guys ;)

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!


	14. The Courtship: Part 1 of 6

**A/N:**

Well, here it is: the first chapter about Arnold and Helga's courtship before a major event (or two ;) ) happens to bring this story to its final end :) Sorry it's taken so long guys—crazy busy life stuff going on, lol! Anyway, after much debating and reorganizing, here's how this is going to play out…

So, basically the next five chapters all contain mini stories about Arnold and Helga's courtship. This chapter and the three after it will each have four such stories, and the fifth chapter has one particularly lengthy story and then one very short one to wrap it up. Some fun stuff's going to happen guys and I hope you all like it :) And it's going to range all over a little bit—some AXH fluff, some friendship bonding between other characters, some more stuff with Helga and her parents…some stuff with the other kids. You'll see ;)

In this chapter the four stories we have are: "_**The Confession to Begin All Confessions", "Just Close Your Eyes for Me, Okay?", "Love OR Cheese**_" (has absolutely NOTHING to do with the cheese festival XD), and finally **"**_**Laundry Day**_**".**

The idea for a certain activity that happens between Arnold and Helga towards the end of "Love OR Cheese" was inspired by an rpg I've been writing with _NintendoGal :_) I'll be more specific in my closing A/N so that I don't give anything away ;)

**Also, special thanks to the readers for the first story.** Remember how I kept bringing up that date Arnold and Helga were going to have where Phil and Gertie were going to tell them stories about their childhood? Well, initially I had no intention of writing that out—it was just going to be something that had happen 'off screen.' But I got so many reviews where people were excited about reading it that I decided to try my hand at it and, well…I'm really, really happy with how it came out, and I hope you guys will be too ;)

*In regards to the first story: Mata Hari was a supposed female spy from the early twentieth century. The Great War was what people called World War I before World War II happened.

Enjoy! (All 32,000 words of it XD)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 14:**

**The Courtship: Part 1/6**

* * *

**THE CONFESSION TO BEGIN ALL CONFESSIONS**

_~*CIRCA 1928*~_

"Well…I guess this is it then, isn't it…?"

A distraught ten-year-old boy in brown overalls and a long sleeve white shirt let out a deep sigh following these words of defeat, and walked out of the front door of his home to sit upon his Vine Street stoop to at least take some comfort in enjoying the sunset of this late spring evening (possibly the last one he'd ever get to experience on this stoop and living in this house that had been in his family for three generations so far...).

A slightly bitter look quickly came to the young man's face, resting sullenly in his hands, and he kicked a small rock down the cement steps he was sitting upon and onto the sidewalk. He let out a VERY frustrated sigh. "Oh…oh who the heck was I kidding anyway? Time to face facts—this place might be old as the hills but there's nothing about it special enough to keep my Pop from selling it 'cause we need the dough, or to keep that bad news builder du Von Sheck from paving over it and turning it into another old aluminum processing factory! I've tried talking to the mayor, getting a petition signed…even raising money so that Pop can keep this place afloat! Heck, I even took the trolley down to that new city records office they're building, but…_nothing_! " He crossed his arms over his chest and shut his eyes defiantly. "Well that's it, then, I give u—OW!"

And now the young boy was rubbing his temple and had opened his eyes because an old tin can had just (_once again this week_) conked him on the head… He let out a jaded sigh and glanced down at the object. Before picking up the can though (which, _as usual_, had a note tied to it), he had to just stop and roll his eyes. "Well I _guess_ I should have seen that coming!" He stood up and glanced up and down the street, but whoever it was who had thrown it, they must have run up when his eyes had been closed and then bolted when he'd been rubbing his head… "You know, whoever you are I'll say this for you…" he hollered, "You could probably win a game of hide-and-seek against just about _anyone_!" He looked up and down the street suspiciously again but still there was nothing…

Finally, with an eye roll, the young boy just sat down once more and picked up the tin can. He untied the note, opened it up, and read.

_Dear Phil: _

_You can't give up! Look, the only way out of that contract your Dad signed is proving this place has history—that part of it really WAS built during the Revolutionary War! This city won't let some stupid builder come in and turn it into another factory-not something that historic and patriotic—especially with the ten-year anniversary of the Great War coming up this year. It would just be un-American! Plus the city could make money if people wanted to come and see it. Maybe it could even get involved in that annual Pig War Reenactment or something! And if you can find the evidence and make the city want to preserve the boarding house, you'll also get funding to keep it afloat, so all your money problems will be solved in a blink! _

_Go inside and come back out here in two hours. There'll be another note for you…and instructions. _

_Sincerely, _

_Mata Hillwood._

Phil just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh brother! Here we go again…" He stood up now and put his hands on his hips, really looking around the sidewalk, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny. "Can't you just fill me in on whatever the heck nutty scheme you're trying to pull off, Mister?" he called out once more to whoever might be there. "I mean, you've been tossing stuff with notes at me randomly for _three days_ now! Come on—I can't just go inside and do nothing for two hours while they're already making plans to gut my house at sunup! Please!" And then just a touch of confusion and sadness came to his eyes as he finished in a bit of a quieter voice, "I'm…I'm desperate…"

Still though there was just silence in the streets. Nothing…

The young boy just let out a sigh finally and rested his head on his arms on the rail of his stoop, leaning over one side. "Yeah…like he was gonna come out now just because you're 'desperate'…Face it, Phil, it's just some kind of gag. He's pulling your leg… No way there's a way to fix this…Not one in the whole world…"

For a moment the poor boy just remained there, leaning on the rail in silence, his eyes closed…just savoring the quiet of this near-summer night on the street he'd grown up on…remembering once again that it was possibly the last such night he would ever get to savor…the scent of the heat thermals coming up from the cooling ground…warm wind blowing around the buildings and…

_SQUEAK_

The small, sudden sound made Phil's eyes open…

_SQUEAK_

A second time, and his eyes fell to where it came from…

The little window leading to the basement by the base of the building was open and squeaking in the light wind.

And that was rather strange.

After all, he recalled, hadn't he latched those windows firmly last night, and from the _inside_? Indeed, his father had wanted to make sure all the windows were secured and all of the doors were shut up and locked and even that the attic was locked up tight. Not that it mattered much since the place was gonna get gutted but…it was just a nice formality…a final close up of their home, so to speak.

What also caught Phil's eye was the fact that, along with the window being unusually open…the light in the supposedly already emptied out basement was strangely _on_, and it looked like…he looked closer…was that a…had someone tied a jump rope to the hinge of the window…A jump rope that was leading down into the basement…as though someone had used it to lower themselves inside?

Phil's eyes fell back to the tin can…and his mind processed how no one could have really disappeared down the street that quickly after throwing it…

…But someone certainly _could_ have slipped their arm back away into the basement after giving the little can a quick toss onto the stoop…

Quietly, craftily, Phil hopped over the rail and edged his way to the window. He gave it a gentle push closed (so gentle that it thankfully didn't squeak) and then glanced around and finally settled on grabbing a trashcan on the corner and setting it in front of the area to block this makeshift 'exit' from his home.

Then he went inside and prepared to enter the basement…and to figure out who this 'Mata Hillwood' person was once and for all…

* * *

Phil slowly headed down the basement steps, doing his best not to let any of them creak…And with a nervous swallow he heard something…or rather some_one_…rustling around.

"Oh come on—where in creation is it? Jeepers, EVERY building has one… If it's not around the outside of the building or in the backyard or in _his_ room…" the speaker recalled to herself with a slight blush that Phil's room upstairs _probably_ hadn't had a huge likelihood of containing the revolutionary war-dated foundation stone she'd been searching for for days…but it conveniently HAD been the perfect place to spin in a circle and giggle and imagine redecorating it a little when it was 'their' room instead of 'his' one day when they were married… She shook her head and tried to focus despite the giggly smile threatening to break upon her features. "A-Anyway, sheesh, if it's not in any of those places, then it's gotta be down here somewh… A-HA! I—"

"_Mata Hillwood!"_

_"AHHHH!"  
_

"Ow!" Phil had to yell, putting his hands to his ears. "Yikes…that _hurt_!"

"Uh…Uh…" The figure he'd just surprised from behind instantly dove around and behind the furnace for cover before Phil could see her (he knew it had to be a 'her' after that scream). '_Oh…my…'_

Phil shook his head to clear the ringing from his ears, and then just stomped forward toward the furnace with a determined scowl on his face. "Oh no…I'm done playing hide-and-seek 'Mata Hillwood'!" he announced firmly! "Now, if you wanna help me out, whoever you are, that's fine! I don't know why you've been helping me in the _first place_, of course, and it's not that I don't appreciate it, but…" His voice had softened a little in gratitude but now became firm again. "But…well, darn it, I'm tired of messing around! So now we're gonna work _together_—okay?"

"No, don't, um…" the mysterious girl cleared her throat and tried to make her voice sound deeper as she continued, "D-Don't come any closer, I…I'm just a…a hobo! Yeah that's it—looking for a free meal, came in from the cold! You know…heh, heh…"

"It's practically summer and you're a little girl!" Phil just crossed his arms over his chest. '_What the heck is up with her? Craziest dame I've ever met since…' _He blinked. '_Well, actually, since Gert—'_

"Um…I…" her voice, now sounding shy and light again, made Phil blink and come out of his thought for a moment… He began to walk around the furnace, trying to crane his head to get sight of her, but she just slipped even more behind the large fixture. "Well, I…" she went on again, her tone still trembling a little in obvious distress, "…that is to say…I—WHOA!" And suddenly a pipe had gotten in the way of the girl's backtracking and she'd just fallen backward over it right into a pile of coal!

Phil heard the crash and saw his opportunity—he instantly hopped fully behind the furnace, excited by the knowledge that he finally had her, once and for al—

Silence.

There was no 'mystery girl' laying there, propped up on that pile of coal…There was just…There was just…

"G-Gertie?" His jaw _dropped_. '_What?'_ "_Y-you're_…Mata Hillwood?" came the high-pitched question.

"Heh, uh…" the young, pale-blonde haired girl (in her light pink dress full of coal smudges and her pigtails covered in dust) just blushed a little by the dim overhead light of the basement and gave a half smile, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well…this is sure a plot twist, isn't it, Philly Boy?" She let out a sigh and glanced to the side in frustration, and seemed to speak to herself for a second. "I KNEW I should have waited until he went to bed to look for it! Or at least brought a disguise! I'm such a maroon!"

Meanwhile, Phil, who had been in definite shock for a moment or two, just blinked at this little aside of hers and then looked at her in a mixture of utter confusion and utter frustration. "But…but I don't get it! Gertie what the heck are you doing here?" he suddenly exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted! "I haven't seen you since two days ago when I told everyone that tomorrow's the day I was moving, and you yelled "Smell ya later, Popsicle Chin!" and dumped your ice cream cone on my head!" His thoughts continued to race with reasons for why this could NOT be happening! "Besides, I thought you were happy about that aluminum company coming in—your dad's in the tin business…" something about the fact that it had always been 'tin' cans hitting him in the head for the past week quickly flitted through his mind, though he was a little too distracted at the moment to find irony or humor in that little 'not such a' coincidence, to say the least… "I thought they were gonna partner up and make you and your family a bundle!"

"Hey!" she started in reply, putting a bit more confidence behind her voice now as she spoke, "I've got a dress on my back, a roof over my head, a perfectly fine stickball bat at home, and change for ice cream in my pocket!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away defiantly. "Any more money would just…just get in the way!"

Phil blinked, raising an eyebrow at this (obviously 'perfectly reasonable', in her opinion) explanation of her actions.

She'd specifically tortured him mercilessly for almost seven years now though… on top of which he hadn't exactly been 'born yesterday.'

He wasn't buying it.

Phil just scowled at her and shook his head firmly. "Oh come off it, Gertie! Quit messing around and just tell me—why'd you do it?" He held out his arms and shrugged in genuine curiosity. "What's in it for _you_?" And then his hands returned to his hips and he gave her a rather angry look as another thought occurred to him. "Or is this just some kind of stupid prank to get my hopes up about staying? Well _is_ it?" At the back of his mind, Phil couldn't help but feel bad about yelling at her…At the same time though…well…it was hard for him to understand why but she was lying to him right now and it…also, the fact that she wasn't trusting him with the truth…somehow it was making him feel kind of…hurt…of all things! He'd sort it out later though…Right now he just wanted an ANSWER!

A second or two of silence passed between the two children.

And then…this look came to Gertie's face as that last accusation of his had sunk in for her…And Phil almost felt…well, it was hard to explain…it almost felt like his heart broke a little at that look on her face. Her arms had uncrossed from in front of her body and her hazel eyes had gone wide…and her lower lip had fallen and almost trembled a little in sadness…like he'd really hurt her or something.

He swallowed and then glanced down from the sight. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, putting his arms sheepishly behind his back. _She_ might have been the one always bugging _him _for no good reason…but still he just felt like he needed to say that small apology right now nonetheless. "It's just…well…" he spoke in a calmer, quieter voice now, not wanting to startle or upset her anymore or anything… "It's just that I'm a little…confused here, Gertie." His genuinely curious eyes returned to her still wide ones. "Why are you helping me out?"

At this nicer, gentler method of address the girl before him blinked once and almost automatically started to open her mouth, but then quickly closed it like she'd just caught herself about to say something she shouldn't. She swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest once more (this time a bit more defensively than defiantly though…). "I…well…it's…it's not important, okay…" she looked down nervously.

And now a touch of Phil's anger was back. "Gertie!" he gave her a look and put a hand on his hip.

"Uh…" She brushed off some of the coal dust from herself and seemed to consider, and then her eyes lit up and she just barely brought them up to meet his. "It…it was my good deed for the year… You know, so I can get something besides coal from Santa this Christmas, heh, heh…" She put her arms shyly behind her back and glanced around as though trying to find an exit to this place besides the one Phil was blocking her from…but there was a wall to her left, a furnace to her right, a pile of coal behind her and a building overhead….and of course Phil right in front and center. No way out.

And speaking of Phil, he was getting at the end of his rope again, as his strengthening scowl and the slight raise in the volume of his voice both attested to. "Gertie, for once can you quit acting like some crazy dame and just tell me what's up! Because either I find out RIGHT NOW why you've been helping _me_ of all people, or I'm gonna assume this is a trick and tell my Pops that we might as well just forget spending out last night in this city and just get moving to our new town before sundown!" Phil had absolutely no idea why he used this threat of 'leaving' as a way to hopefully get her to talk…but maybe at the back of his mind the fact that she'd been helping him out so that he could stay, along with her almost devastated reaction just now to the idea he'd suggested that she would try and trick and hurt him about something as big as leaving forever…maybe those two things had started to make him realize something…though he was far to busy at just this particular moment to sort out exactly what it was…at least on any conscious level…

And indeed his conscious, aware, (yet, shall we also say, sometimes rather _dense_) mind was surprised to see a touch of real fear actually come to Gertie's eyes at this threat that, in no logical sense, as far as he knew, should have been a real threat to her at all. '_Sheesh, why…why does she keep looking all sad and scared like that…I just want to know the truth about this Mata Hillwood business! I mean, she hates me…you can't blame me for wanting to know why she'd help me!_'

"Uh…" Gertie's nervous voice interrupted Phil's thoughts again and brought him away from his very good question about her motivations. "Well, I just, uh, you know…" she dug a foot into the dusty basement floor and looked up at him unsurely again, "I...just…felt like playing a spy game this week!" Her eyes lit up in hope again. "Yeah, that's it!" she crossed her arms over her chest casually. "I mean, last week was the safari stuff and the week before that I was playing the old west…You know me and pretending things, Philly Boy, heh, heh…And, well, this is just a…a new game for me! And I figured, if I could help you out in the process and if it would be a fun challenge then…hey, why not, right?" She smiled up at him sheepishly, PRAYING he would buy it! "Uh…gosh, you can even ask Mitzi if you want! She, uh…sh-she'll vouch for me, heh…" _'Oh my…He caught me…!' _It was finally starting to process with the poor girl and she was coming enough out of panic to start having coherent thoughts again … '_And…and he keeps asking for the truth! But I can't…I…Wow does he look cute when he's all angry like that! I-I mean…FOCUS here, Gertrude! Oh boy…okay, well, here's hoping he buys that one about this just being a fun game for me…And Mitzi's helped me out a few jams before—she'll back me up!_' Gertie had to breathe an internal sigh of relief about the fact that she indeed had someone nearby to help her out of this if it came to that thanks to the fact that Gertie and her lover-boy's sister had been practically best friends forever (something about bugging poor Phil bringing them right together right from the start…even though Mitzi had later revealed to her that she'd kind of always suspected that Gertie had some 'other' feelings toward Phil besides total hatred).

Anyway, at this excuse (which was still so OBVIOUSLY a lie—the girl was practically _sweating_ she was so nervous and guilt-ridden looking) Phil just let out a deep sigh, let his arms drop to his sides…and now looked at her with a touch of disappointment. "Gertie, I really can't believe you won't just tell me the truth…" And that fact really was still upsetting him quite a bit…making something feel funny in the pit of his stomach…or maybe even his…heart… He shook his head for a second at that strange idea and took a step towards her, still with sadness in his eyes. "I mean, come on, there's playing one of those games of yours and then there's _breaking into the boarding house_! _AND stalking me for days_! Now please…." He took one more step toward her and then finished very softly (still having this fear in him now of almost hurting her feelings…) "…Please just tell me, Gertie…I've had a…a long week…" He sighed…in truth, he really hadn't been doing too well with the idea of moving…leaving behind Jimmy Kafka, all the boarders…heck, even their old teach Mrs. Crenshaw! Even…even Gertie a…a little! Stupid Gertie with all of her pranks and picking on him in particular...like he'd ever find someone that crazy anywhere else in the world! '_I-I mean, she's not SO bad… She's helping me with this, right?_' But then his slowly softening heart hardened a little again. '_But…but WHY for Pete's sake?_' "Gertie…just—"

"LOOK, MAYBE I JUST FELT BAD FOR YOU AND YOUR SILLY OLD FAMILY, OKAY!"

Her sudden shout of this confession made him blink and look to her in surprise, his eyes wide with confusion and uncertainty about whether or not he had heard her right. '_Huh?'_ "Felt…bad?" he repeated slowly. "_Huh_?" Since when did Gertie feel ANYTHING but like being a first class pain! "But…W-why?" he had to ask, an eyebrow raised.

And then she blushed.

And it made _him_ blush…because Gertie NEVER blushed! (And also maybe because she…looked a little…nicer, blushing like that.) He shook his head at this VERY STRANGE thought while she continued speaking...in kind of a shy voice, actually…which also sounded kind of nice (he blushed even more at the very idea and tried to focus on the situation at hand…What was up with him today and all these strange feelings and thoughts about her?). "Because, well…" she took a breath and looked at him hesitantly (she noticed the redness in his cheeks but figured his face was still just a little flushed with anger), "Because maybe…maybe I don't think you're a _complete_ 'pathetic little crybaby Popsicle Chin' like I always say, okay? Maybe I…maybe I even like you a little…" she looked around nervously…and that blushing was only growing stronger… "Maybe I even think you're kind of…swell…" _'I can't believe I'm actually…Oh but I never could control what I'm saying when he's so close…Gosh, that messy brown hair of his is handsome! The color of warm chocolate…. And those green eyes…They're the color of the ocean! The high seas where we could have an adventure together! Just the two of us on a ship, fighting off pirates, seeing the world…cuddling in the crows nest…_'

Phil was giving her a funny look…and then Gertie realized she must have gotten that 'gaga in love' look she tended to get when she thought about him or was staring at him and he wasn't looking…Except he WAS looking now. She swallowed and her eyes went wide and she felt the heat completely flood her face. She didn't speak, waiting to see what his reaction would be to her small admission…that she thought he was swell…really, REALLY swell…

"Wait…" came Phil's voice slowly, quietly, "Hold your horses…stop the presses…" He paused once more and then went on much more firmly as the realization had now processed. "You…GERTIE…went through all this spying and sneaking around and digging up information…just to help out…_me_?" He just couldn't believe it. Sincerely. Could not. Believe it.

The young blonde girl just blinked a couple of times at the question…and then got a bit of an indignant look on her face. '_What—does he think I'm heartless or something? Crimeny, Phil! I know finding me like this is kind of a surprise but I AM human, ya know!' _She crossed her arms over her chest and replied to him in a matter-of-fact voice, starting to get a little more on the offensive again, "Yeah, that's right, Popsicle Chin! What's it to ya? _You're_ the one of us that's suppose to be all popular and nice and helpful to people…Ain't you ever done something special for someone you love?"

That…that last word was always on the tip of her tongue when she was around him… It was a bit of a surprise to her when this time of all times it actually came out!

It was even more surprising to Phil of course, though, when it got through.

'_Well, I guess that's a point…'_ he couldn't help but initially think to himself in response to what she'd just said, putting a hand to his chin_. 'I mean, she __is__ human. And anyway a person's got a right to do something special for someone they lo_—'

Phil was pretty sure some small piece of his brain had just exploded. "**L**…**Love**…?" He whispered it like it was a foreign word, his hands just dropped to his sides as he stood there, totally dumbstruck.

He watched Gertie blush DARKLY this time, and then glance to the side with a scowl almost like she was trying to play it off as no big deal…No big deal that she LOVED him! "What, you got wax in your ears or something, Philly Boy? Ya heard me—I said I love you! You wanna make something of it?" And then he had to take a step back and put his hands up as she stepped forward defiantly, fists clenched at her sides and her anger and defensiveness starting to build! Although, something in her eyes…something in them wasn't angry…it was almost like something in them was on fire actually! "I mean, for pity's sake, Phil, who else do you think follows you around all the time, has a stuffed bear named after you that she cuddles with every night, sketches and paints your picture in secret every chance she gets!" '_I'll show him who's got no heart! Stupid little…And how the heck has he STILL never figured it out anyway! All those times he almost caught me…Grr…he makes me so mad sometimes I could just…just…_' She felt her lips tremble a little…She knew exactly what it was he could just make her want to do to get all of her feelings out of her. She tried not to think about it…

And so she was coming at him and Phil was backing up, confused, scared…curious… '_She…love…follows me…bear…CUDDLES…paints and sketches…_' "Wh-Huh?" This was all a dream—it HAD to be! Moving away, Mata Hillwood, Gertie…love…all some crazy dream brought on by too many footlongs at the last baseball game he'd gone to or something! That HAD to be it!

"Oh I love you, Phil!" the impassioned girl before him instantly announced, ripping him from his doubts and back to the present moment...those eyes of hers now blazing with warmth and passion and light…and she was smiling now too! "I've loved you ever since I first laid eyes on you and that stupid popsicle chin of yours in that little schoolhouse! I'm smitten, hooked, over the moon!" She spun in a brief circle, hands clenched together near her heart, before continuing her approach. "I wanna be your girl and I want you to be my guy!" She had pointed from herself to him as she had spoken. "Oh, I've…I've always dreamed of the day I could tell you my secret feelings and could hug you and smooch you and…" Phil slammed into the wall behind him… Her burning eyes were half lidded now…the smile remained on her lips… "…And oh gosh would you stop looking at me all scared and wide eyed like that! It just makes you look even cuter, you big lug! And as long as I'm going all out with this I might as well go all the way!" And suddenly, before he could process half this new stuff she was saying (which included that thing between wanting to hug him and the fact that she found his fearful look cute) the girl had him pinned against a wall, her hands on either side of his head, _and she was SMOOCHING him!_

Phil instantly froze, eyes darting around! This crazy dame was…sh-she was….kissing him…

And his heart was pounding like crazy from it! And she had just been blushing and talking all funny…and… _'NO! This isn't right! I've gotta get out of this! I've gotta make her stop so we can talk about this! I…I…W-W-Wowzers, she can kiss! It's just like in the picture shows or something…_' He felt his eyes starting to close…He almost wanted to sigh or something…

And then suddenly with a lip-smacking sound her kiss was gone. His eyes shot open and then blinked a few times…and were met with her face right in front of his own, just breathing heavily and flushed that nice rosy color all over! And he'd never noticed before but…now that they were so close…her eyes, they weren't just hazel…They were like pale green flecked with light gold and maybe a few bits of cool grey…What a pretty effect… '_Wh…what am I THINKING?_' Panic shot through him. '_She just told me she's in LOVE with me! Focus, Phil old boy!_' "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!" he exclaimed in a cracking and near hysterical voice, unsure of anything else to respond to all of that with.

"Ugh! Phil!" Gertie rolled her eyes dramatically! What did she have to do—sing it for him? Using her hands still in his hair she gave a slight jerk to his head. "Don't tell me you actually DO have wax in those adorable ears of yours!"

The moment was suddenly interrupted by a quick knock on the basement door and the sound of it being pushed open. "Hey Philly!" A young girl's voice rang out. "I don't know what you're doing down there but Pop's gonna holler at you but good if you mess anything up or get yourself all dirty! Anyway, get your scrawny butt up here—Jimmy just phoned and he's heading over here to see you and say goodbye!"

"Mitz?" responded Gertie over her shoulder in a playful tone, not even giving Phil a chance, "Please just tell Jim-Jam when he shows up that Philly's currently 'occupied' at the moment!" She shot a coy smile at her beloved lover-boy. "He'll play with him later!" And then she ended with a touch of her index finger lightly to his nose…and a GIGGLE of all things!

Phil's jaw dropped in utter….Oh there weren't even words! "GERTIE!"

"_Oh_!" came Mitzi's voice from the top of the stairs followed by quite a few barely suppressed all-knowing chuckles. "Alright Gert, I'll tell Jimmy he's 'occupied' at the moment! Phil-and-his-_little_-_girlfriend_!" she finished in a singsong voice.

Phil's jaw dropped even more and his eyes shot to the stairs. "_MITZI_!"

The cellar door just shut again though, and only the faint fading away sound of his sister's laughter met Phil's ears in reply.

"Oh Phil, just let me hold you!" Gertie suddenly squealed with a smile, causing his eyes to snap back to her face still right in front of his own. He didn't get to observe it for too long though as she then she tossed herself against him, clinging to him like crazy! '_Oh I hope Mitzi really doesn't say __too__ much to Jimmy if he gets here before this is all over! She's my best friend but sometimes I think I regret that I had to completely let the cat out of the bag to her about everything last year…just so she'd help me get that part in the Christmas pageant just so I could stand near Phil…_' Thinking his name brought her out of her worries back to the moment at hand though, and she squealed inside in delight as she recalled that she was currently pressed against his warm, lovely body! _'Oh well, who cares! I'm HOLDING him! Oh just let me die now!'_

"Uh…uh…I…uh…" It was all Phil could muster…She was HOLDING HIM! And all of a sudden his heart was beating like crazy again and now his insides were warm and kind of twisting and fluttering too! And now he felt himself blushing even worse than she'd been doing, he was sure! "G-G-Gertie, I—you're…I mean—"

He needed to regain control of things. He took a deep breath in, managed to reach up his arms and firmly grab her by the shoulders, and then he unwrenched her from her practically iron grip against his shirt. She was given a tender push forward and to the right, and then Phil (who had been unblinking and refusing to make eye contact with her this whole time) quickly sidestepped away with his mind racing (along, still, with his heart!).

The poor boy now just put a hand to his forehead and began to speak to himself in his shocked daze. "I…need to get the heck out of here and into some fresh air and think…and get a sarsaparilla…A BIG one…"

"Oooo!" And suddenly Gertie was right up alongside him again, "Let's get one with two straws!" she instantly supplied with another giggle.

He jumped and turned at the sound of her voice, and actually fell sitting on the floor and facing her! "I…I…forget the sarsaparilla!" he shouted desperately, using his arms and hands to back away a little bit more from her. "I…I just need to lay down somewhere for a minute! Yeah, that's it!"

At his new plan, Gertie just clasped her hands together under her chin, and gazed…LOVINGLY…at him! It was almost more than he could take, this sudden change in her personality. '_I'd give just about anything for one of pranks right now…Wouldn't care how much it hurt or how much trouble I got in…At least it would make SENSE!'_

"Well," she started sweetly in response to this second plan of his, "Why don't I just kick my old stuffed bear named Phil out of my bed and you can come lie down with me at _my_ house, _hmm_?" She batted her eyelashes at him… ('_BATTED her EYELASHES'! Has the whole world gone screwy or something?_' Phil couldn't help but think!)

He'd been crawling backwards from her more and more as she was speaking, and now he slammed into the far wall just as she made this shocking request. "I-I…" His voice broke and he barely managed enough coherency to press against the wall and scramble himself to a standing position again. "I…" He felt himself blush as an image of laying down cuddled next to Gertie on her bed suddenly entered his mind…the two of them smiling…holding each other…maybe she'd blush and kiss him again like she'd just— "NO!" he quickly yelled out…partly at her and partly at himself! "I-I mean…um…" he looked around in utter embarrassment and panic, trying to think of _anything_ to distract both her and himself from this whole awkward thing! "Uh…j-jeepers, Gertie!" Remembering they were in the basement for a reason, he managed a sheepish half smile at her pleasantly smiling face and did his best to latch onto her reason for coming down here in the first place…. "D-Don't you remember I'm moving tomorrow!" He spoke quickly, shakily, "If…if we don't find…whatever the heck it is you're looking for down here to stop that, and FAST, then…" He closed his eyes and just yelled out as firmly as he could, sick of how nervous all his stuttering was making him sound, "Look! There's just no time for any of this l-l-love stuff now! We have to save the boarding house first! The _boarding house_, Gertie! Now are you gonna help me for real or not?" His eyes flew open and on instinct he grabbed onto Gertie's shoulders in his excitement and panic and desperation…and then instantly realized what he had done and blushed like crazy and brought his arms away from her and stepped back against the wall nervously.

Gertie, who really had just been smiling like crazy and coyly stepping more and more toward her 'Philly-Willy Popsicle Chin' as he was speaking and scrambling away, took a second to absorb his reminder and then blinked a few times, obviously coming a bit out of her stupor…then seemed to consider for a second or two…then blushed furiously (coming back to reality had made her aware, once again, that this was all indeed happening in reality)… But then the young girl blinked once more and just rolled her eyes, a bit of her grin returning. "Oh THAT!" She waved him off. "Oh don't worry about that, Philly dear—I was just trying to find the foundation stone for this old place to prove that it was built during the Revolutionary War, and I'd actually just found the darned thing near the corner behind that furnace over there when you came in _so_…" She slid close to him, that enamored gaze and smile resuming their former places upon her face… "…Looks like there's actually _plenty_ of time for all of this 'l-l-love stuff'…" She giggled while imitating his little stutter from before, and walked a finger or two lightly up his chest with each attempted 'L' sound.

Phil sucked a sharp breath into his lungs at this response from her, and felt points of heat burn on him in the places she'd just touched! '_WHAT is GOING ON with me? I…I…I…'_

For now, though, Phil was interrupted from trying to answer that very good question as (and to his GREAT relief) the cellar door opened once again. "Phil, son!" a man's voice called from the top of the steps, "You need to send your little friend home now and get out of that basement! We have to get the last of the boxes moved into the Packard to drive out tomorrow morning! Let's go!"

It took Phil a second, but then his father's request processed…as did the piece of information Gertie had just given him regarding a certain foundation stone that might very well be he and his family's and this entire boarding house's salvation! He had to get up there and tell his father right now! Before it was too late! "Pops! Wait!" he called out toward the stairs! He was about to move forward, but then his eyes fell on Gertie, who was looking toward the stairs as well at the sound of her love's father's voice interrupting them (a person probably a little more embarrassing for her to be caught by than just his sister, he suddenly realized with a blink).

Phil reacted on pure emotion and instinct. He placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a little and look at him with wide, unsure eyes. He spoke in a low voice with a smile. "Just wait here. I'll say you came over to play with Mitz or something and that we found it while we were playing…hide-and-seek." The young man removed his hand from her shoulder, but before he went to his father he paused for one more moment before her. "And…thanks!" he whispered gratefully and then gave her a quick hug.

A few seconds later Phil quickly shot forward and was soon racing up the stairs with a smile on his face, calling out at the top of his lungs! "No, wait, Pops, listen! There's something down here you need to see!"

Gertie, left standing near the far end of the basement as Phil left her to get his father and his family and whoever else would be necessary to make all of this official and make him stay living near her forever, just remained immobile for two or three seconds…and then instantly swooned in response to his hug and let herself collapse into giggles until she heard the sounds of her lover-boy and others heading down the basement steps… '_Wow…what a fella!'_ she marveled to herself. '_And he HUGGED me! I feel like I could fly straight to the moon!'_

* * *

By the next morning, of course, the mayor and police and that creepy du Von Sheck guy had found out about the foundation stone, a big to-do had been made over the boarding house and its historical and patriotic significance to the country, financing had been provided by the town for its upkeep, Phil and his family could stay forever… Yes, everything was back to normal and perfectly dandy…

Almost.

After having spent the better part of the night calling up officials and unpacking the car and getting things authenticated and all straightened out, it was indeed already morning somehow and Phil was _exhausted_…and so was Gertie (whom, he'd noticed, rather than just skedaddling home after the story explaining her presence had been established, had instead stuck around the boarding house in the background the whole time…almost like she needed to officially see it confirmed for herself that the boarding house was indeed safe and that her plan had indeed worked (Mitzi would explain to him later that Gertie had had her call up her parents to say she was staying the night for a 'sleepover'… Mitzi would also later explain that the next call she'd made had been to Jimmy telling him about the move being off…and that he should maybe come by tomorrow morning instead of that night, considering all the commotion…).

Anyway, though, now it was morning and the two fourth graders of the hour, Gertie and Phil, had been sitting out on the boarding house stoop with plates of breakfast that Phil's Mom had made for them, and they were currently watching the Mayor's car finally pull away down the street, soon turning off the block entirely.

That event being over…the two then just sat in silence for a little while.

Finally, knowing he had to say something (after all that she'd gone through for him, _something_ was certainly in order, after all), Phil took a breath and placed his now empty plate aside. And spoke. Quietly, carefully…only barely glancing at her. "So…that was a…a pretty nutty night we had, I guess, Gertie…You know, with all that stuff down there..." He blushed a little. "I-I mean the mayor and all those officials coming down there to check things out, and, um…stuff…"

He observed as the girl beside him promptly put down her own empty plate as well now that he had broken their silence…and then she delicately folded her hands in her lap before responding to him shyly (both actions which were VERY unusual for Gertie), "Um…yeah…pretty, um…big night…Did a lot of stuff…said some things…" '_Did I go BONKERS last night?'_ Gertie felt like she was practically shaking with fear as the fact that PHIL now KNEW continued to smack her in the face. '_It's just that we were alone and in his basement and he was so close and gosh those eyes and that hair and that chin are all so dreamy and he was so assertive for once with asking me, and…FOCUS, GERTIE! CRIMENY!_' She shook her head and went back to talking to Phil (trying to sound as calm as she could as she did so). "A-Anyway…um…look about…the…you know, the basement stuff…um…It…I…I was just backed into a corner and desperate and I…"

"Uh…y-yeah, okay…" Phil swallowed, glancing away with a blush and quickly cutting her off, feeling pretty nervous _himself_. "I get it…" he went on, doing his best to just get them through this awkward little 'morning after'. "You…in all the craziness you just got caught up in…in trying to help me and just…got a little…a little…"

"A-a little carried away with…all those things?" she finished for him, smiling a tiny bit and shrugging nervously in his direction.

A half grin came to Phil's face and he swallowed hard, looking at her fully now. "Yeah…" He cleared his throat. "Um…G-Gertie…I…well…" He…he wanted to ask her about this… He was scared of course but he wanted to just the same…And so he turned to her…ready to lay things out on the table…

But then he saw that look in her eyes.

It was…he'd never seen her look like that before. She was always so strong and confident and fiery. But now she seemed nervous, jittery, almost petrified! After all, thinking about it now, he had her but good, didn't he? Any insult she could ever throw at him, any prank she might play, any little thing she might do to bug him from now on in their lives…all he'd have to do was smile and throw out the 'L' word and she'd clam up in an instant! Who could ask for any greater power over a bully than that? The ability to make her go away by saying a single word…

And yet, despite now having this power…it didn't make Phil happy. At all.

In fact, he just wished she'd quit looking so scared….It made him feel bad inside a little…and sad too, seeing her like that. He swallowed…and then went with a different plan, despite his curiosities. "Look, uh, Gertie…listen…like I said, I…I get it." He smiled at her, his tone turning distinctly casual. "You were all caught up in things…you were bored and wanted a new spying game to have fun with…and of course you needed some kind of joke to play on me, like usual…And uh well, you sure got me good that time! Heh, heh…" He swung his fist and laughed a little nervously, and now noticed just confusion in her eyes. "W-What I mean is…" he went on, trying to make her see what he was trying to say and do here, "You don't really…love me…right?" He gave her a look, doing his best to communicate something without words. "Like…you still think I'm a shrimp and a loser and everything…just like you've always liked saying I am…just like you've always been happy enough to treat me like…right?"

Young Gertie just remained puzzled-looking for another moment…but then a touch of understanding finally came to her eyes. '_He's…is he really that…or is he actually…Oh, WHO CARES! I'll think about it later! Point is I'm getting off the hook for it right NOW! YES! Nothing bad's going to happen—or at least, not yet!'_ Her gaze became a bit firmer and her voice became a bit less shaky. "Oh! Um…yeah…Of…of course! Sure, Phil…Just…always been easier to treat you like a little nancy boy since…since that's what you are, of course….heh…"

"Yeah…" she was getting it… "You were just caught up in things and messing with me, just like you said, right?" Phil smiled a little more at her, very incredibly happy they were on the same page (and also that she was smiling again, he couldn't deny…though feeling good about little things like that about her…like seeing her happy…was already starting to bug him just a little than it had last night...)

"Right!" Her eyes brightened and now she stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "For once you're starting to figure me out, Popsicle Chin!" She winked.

Phil now stood too, and he couldn't help grinning at her completely. "You hate me…I knew it!" He snapped his fingers.

"And don't you forget it, buster!" She wagged a finger at him, and then gave a small laugh and hopped down from his stoop. "Anyway, I gotta get home…" she put a hand on her hip and rolled her eyes, "_Much_ better things to do with my time than babysitting you in that creepy old boarding house, you know!"

Phil laughed a little himself. "Okay!" he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gertie just let out a sigh and glanced down the street and then back to him. "Well…see ya in the funnies, Philly Boy!" And with that she gave him a quick wave and proceeded to trot off down the block in the direction of her own house.

Phil just leaned against the rail of his stoop, giving a little wave back to her in her direction.

This little exchange with his 'arch nemesis' now over, the young man now quickly found himself smiling to himself a little…and glancing down in thought…And then, slowly, hesitantly, and secretly he did something he'd been feeling the compulsion to do for many hours now… and brought his fingers up to touch his lips… the lips Gertie had given their first real kiss. '_Hmm…Gertie…_' He almost chuckled. The idea was so inconceivable that it was almost—

"Er…um…Phil?"

Phil's eyes instantly snapped up and he practically jumped in the air, turning at that delicate, hesitant voice that had just interrupted his thoughts about its owner…And indeed there by the stoop stood Gertie once again, glancing down and looking shy.

'_She must have come back up the block…_' "OH! Um…sorry, Gertie." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "J-Just…just thinking about, um…something…" He blushed a little and cleared his throat, doing his best to move on. "Um…did ya need something else?"

The blonde girl just swallowed and dug her foot into the sidewalk…summing up her courage. "I just…wanted to say…well…thanks!" And she instantly came forward and caught him in a quick, tight hug that practically lifted him off the ground! His eyes went wide! His heart was beating all fast again! What the heck was going on?

And then, just as quickly as she'd caught him up, she let him go. "You know…" she quickly explained in her shyness, "…just for, um…taking the 'joke' so okay." And then she blushed even more. "Well, bye now Popsic—uh…Phil." And then she dashed away down the street again and (this time) out of sight.

A few seconds passed…one into the other…and the young boy was just staring off in the direction the young girl had gone…and he was pretty sure he was smiling, even though that didn't make any sense, just like half the other stuff with her from today didn't make any sense…

Still…he…and she…

(And were you supposed to be able to feel the warmth of someone's hug this long after they'd stopped hugging you…along with maybe feeling a bunch of other stuff too…)

"PHIL!"

Phil blinked and whipped around and practically tripped over onto the sidewalk as his eyes met whom he knew that voice belonged to. "JIMMY!"

Phil's best friend just stood there, having come up from the other end of the street…his jaw was DROPPED though…and that fact made Phil swallow. Hard. "Did I just see…" Jimmy Kafka barely managed in a shaky voice, "DID…was…DID GERTIE JUST HUG YOU?" he finally blurted out in total shock!

Phil instantly blushed as bright as a tomato. "Uh…Jimmy, I almost forgot about y—uh, I mean, heh, heh…" he put his arms innocently behind his back, "I…Uh…hey, why don't we…why don't get some sarsaparillas and I'll tell you all about how the boarding house got saved, okay, Jimmy?" ( '_Or at least a version of the story…for now..._') He looked at his best friend eagerly, HOPING he would NOT press the Gertie thing too much.

Jimmy just blinked at Phil's request...looking at him more than a little curiously… but then he just closed his eyes for a second and shook his head as though to clear it. "Uh…" he opened his eyes again and put a hand to his head. "Yeah…sarsaparillas…okay…" He blinked again, a thought occurring to him, and he smiled a little. "Oh, and, yeah, Mitzi told me you guys ain't moving…Uh, congrats!" Phil let out a relieved sigh at the topic change…though his slightly fearful look instantly returned as Jimmy added in finish…and just a little smilingly, "But, uh, over those drinks, along with how the heck you managed to keep the boarding house in once piece, mind telling me what the heck's going on with you and Gertie too?" He raised an eyebrow at his best friend and gave Phil a strange half smile, "Your sister also mentioned that Gertie was here for a decent part of whatever happened last night…Something you need to share, Phil?"

'_No, but I need to kill my sister_.' Phil just swallowed and did his best to keep smiling as he shook his head and waved him off. "No, no…it…it was nothing, Jim! She just…I don't know why she was here—probably crossing her fingers that everything would fall through and she really would be rid of me once and for all, you know? Plus she and Mitzi are practically like sisters—you know that!"

"And…" Jimmy's smile grew just a tiny bit, "…the hug?"

Phil swallowed, and something in his stomach twisted. His eyes went wide. "W-Well, she's…she's _crazy_, Jimmy—what do you want? Heh, heh…" '_She…would probably KILL me if I spilled the beans…especially to JIMMY. And besides I don't want to push her on things… She'll tell people and talk to me about it more soon…when she's ready._' A small smile couldn't help coming to his face.

Jimmy, meanwhile, just continue to eye him…And now on top of everything else Phil was…smiling? What the heck? "Sure buddy, whatever you say!" He just rolled his eyes and gave Phil an 'I don't even want to know' look. "Come on—let's just get those sarsaparillas…Hey, we can even get them with floats of ice cream on top! That new ice cream parlour down the street just opened up. You know—Slausens!"

"Uh, sounds good, Jimmy!" Phil gave him a thumbs-up. "Let's go!" And with that he started to head up the street, and, with a shrug and then a smile and a dismissive shake of his head, Jimmy followed.

* * *

"Oh, I got out of it! I got out of it! I GOT OUT OF IT! And he LET me get out of it! He _must_ have!" Gertie had gone over the incident in her head a couple of times more as she'd been walking, and now was sure that he was…oh, he was OKAY with her loving him!

Gertie just twirled in a happy circle on the sidewalk (now a block or two away from the Sunset Arms on her way home), clutching at her dress over her heart! "And I k-k-kissed him…and he HUGGED me!" She practically squealed in utter delight! "Oh Philly my dear!" She instantly ducked into an alley before her euphoria could catch the eye of any early morning walkers… and removed a popsicle wrapper from one of her pockets (being that her favorite 'insult' for him was 'Popsicle Chin', Gertie had always enjoyed seeing Phil actually eat popsicles…and enjoyed _even more_ snagging the wrappers he always threw away.) This one was from two days ago. Raspberry. Her heart fluttered at the very sight "Oh Phil…" she cooed once more, "So understanding, so forgiving, so kind, so clever figuring out it was me helping you…and of course what a looker?" She practically swooned, and then pressed her lips together, and sighed. "Oh Phillip—I'll never wash these lips aga—"

The sound of someone having a small coughing fit behind her.

Gertie stopped swooning on a dime and just rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh _brother_!" And with this announcement she quickly turned and gave a firm push to a very familiar young man, sending him toppling right into a trashcan. "_Beau_! For the last time, one: get some cough drops, and two: quit stalking me all the time! In case it isn't obvious, you're a sweet kid but I'm not exactly THROWING myself at you! Hmph!" And with that she shoved her precious Raspberry popsicle wrapper into her dress pocket, stepped out of the alley, and walked briskly and proudly up the street (still thrilling inside from her confession to Phil, and how well he'd taken the whole thing!)

* * *

_~*PRESENT DAY*~_

"Well…" an eighty-one-year-old Phil, sitting in his rocker, his wife in a recliner chair by his side (and holding hands with him), smiled down at his ten-year-old grandson and his ten-year-old grandson's girlfriend on the floor (the boy was just smiling back up at him but also blushing like crazy, and the girl had a dazed grin on her face and her head resting on her hands propped up on her elbows, looking forward with dreamy eyes, like she'd just heard a fairytale or something.) "Well, I think, between the two of us, Pookie, we did a decent job getting the truth across…" he squeezed her hand a little and glanced at her…and had to raise an eyebrow and give her a slight smirk as he added, "Though I still don't recall 'cowering in terror' that much during that confession …"

Gertie just smiled back at him, a small laugh escaping her. "Well I don't remember being that 'insanely assertive' but…I guess we gave them a pretty clear picture."

Phil let out a sigh and smiled warmly at her for a moment longer before then turning back to the kids on the floor. "So, how'd it compare to what you two went through?"

Arnold chuckled at the question and Helga giggled, and then they looked to each other. "Mmm…the same…but also different…Right, Helga?" Arnold just gazed at her lovingly.

She nodded, her gaze equally adoring. "Yeah, the same but different, Football Head." She shifted just a little closer to him. "Thanks for letting me off the hook that day, by the way, Arnoldo." She gave him a light nudge in the shoulder. "I appreciate that you did that, you know…A lot."

He let out a sigh, reaching up with his other hand to rub the place she'd just lightly tapped. "You're welcome, Helga…" He then reached over and rested one of his hands atop one of hers on the carpet. "I just…figured you might want some time with everything…And, well…I needed a little time too, but…It all worked out…eventually."

She just nodded in reply. "Mmm hmm…definitely, my love."

Arnold blushed a lot considering that they were in front of his grandparents. She'd never said one of those little names for him in front of other people before…but especially not his family. Just Football Head among other 'insults' (so far…) "Y-Yeah…" he just agreed a little shakily with his own small nod, "…definitely."

They were just lost in each other's eyes…

"Heh, heh, heh…!" Phil's laughter broke them from their small trance and caused both kids to blink and blush brightly and glance to either side with small, shy smiles, and wide, innocence-feigning eyes. "Boy you two have got it bad, dontchya?" the old man asked teasingly.

"Oh Phil, leave them alone…" Gertie piped up, squeezing his hand and smirking at him a little. "They're young and in love… And besides, I think Kimba deserves a break…or at least a little credit. After all…" she rolled her eyes a bit dramatically, "_He's_ sitting here with the girl less than two months later…If I remember correctly it took _you_ almost that entire summer after I confessed to come around completely…" She did her best no to laugh at the memory of his lagging in admitting his own feelings. "I was about ready to explode and confess a _second_ time by the time you finally sat me down and told me how you were feeling!"

A slight blush actually came to Phil's features but he managed to still give his wife a bit of a look. "Ah yes but let's not forget—_young Arnold_ needed to get tossed together with Helga thanks to that poetry tutoring thing… _I _actually came to you outright, initiated the whole thing myself! Invited you over here and—"

"…Asked me to stop by with some kind of story about hearing that I was pretty good at 'art and stuff' and needing me to help you make a present for Mitzi for her birthday… Then opened the door wearing a bowtie and with your hair combed, and acted like a nervous wreck for the first twenty minutes…and _then_ I asked you if you were okay and you just turned the color of a tomato and yelled, "I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU! WILL YOU GO ON A DATE TO SLAUSEN'S WITH ME? AND CAN I PLEASE KISS YOU ONE MORE TIME?" HAHAHAHA!" She burst into that maniacal laughter of hers, and Arnold and Helga likewise couldn't help a few snorts and giggles escaping themselves at the tale.

Phil blushed just a little bit more…but was smirking a ton himself too at the memory. He opened his mouth as though to deliver some kind of witty comeback…but then paused…and just narrowed his eyes a little and grinned just a bit more at his wife of over sixty years. "You know…" he began innocently yet smugly, "…that's an 'awful lot' of details for a crazy old bird like you to remember, Pookie…and from so long ago…It's almost like that mind of yours is really just as sharp as ever…" He let the observation hang.

The observation processed with Gertie…Her laughter ended and now her own smile picked up a little…and her own eyes narrowed. She leaned a bit closer to him and replied simply…carefully…and deliberately, "Well…it was such a ridiculous and hysterical thing for a guy to do that I guess…even in midst of senility I can't forget it." She winked.

There was more silence. Arnold and Helga just watched with interest…especially Arnold…and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, on some deeper level, they were both more than well aware of the truth about their—

The silence (and Arnold's thoughts) were broken by the sound of Phil suddenly just bursting into laughter. "Heh, heh, heh! Well, you've got me there I suppose, Pookie! Heh, heh…" He let out a breath and just shook his head at her with a smile. He seemed to reminisce for a few seconds…and then his eyes fell back to the kids. "Anywho, you two…oh, let's see… so, we went over a bunch of those things your Grandma did to me when we were kids…and then of course her confession just now… You kids wanna hear a few more stories before dinner or did you have plans?" A small twinkle was in his eye, and he and Gertie squeezed each other's hands just a little bit more at the sight once again of the two children so happy near each other on the floor.

Meanwhile, on the floor, at the sound of he old man's question Helga and Arnold just smiled a bit more to themselves. Then Helga glanced at her beloved again. "Well, I don't know… You, uh, got any plans for what you want to do with little old me before dinner, Arnold?"

Arnold swallowed, barely glancing at her, and tried to keep his pounding heart from pumping ALL the blood in his body to his face. "Well…" he started, "we could, um…go up to my room for a little while…listen to some music…" he swallowed again, "…talk…"

A small chuckle escaped the girl beside him. "Yeah, sure… 'talk'…" She stood and then clasped one of his hands in hers and quickly pulled a now grinning Arnold up to his feet.

"Uh…whatever you say, Helga…" he just replied in an excited daze at her 'eager' response to the idea of 'talking.'

Helga just shook her head in amusement at him and all his cuteness and silliness and then looked back to Phil and Gertie. "Thanks for all the stories, you guys… And I really do want to hear more of them sometime soon, but…I think old Football Head here wants some one-on-one time with me again." Her grin picked up a little more on one side and she glanced down shyly. "We're still keeping stuff a secret in school so when that's done each day we just…kind of want to get right to being ourselves together, you know?" She shrugged.

"Oh, by all means!" Gertie announced with a smile. "You two spend some time alone while Phil and I get dinner ready—right, Phil?" She looked to her husband.

He nodded affirmatively to his wife. "Sure thing, Pookie!" Phil and Gertie turned back to the kids. "You kids go have fun and dinner should be on the table in, oh…about an hour."

"Thanks Grandpa, Grandma!" Arnold replied appreciatively, and then he squeezed his girlfriend's hand a little, looking to her once again. "Shall we go then, Helga?" he asked politely.

She giggled and gave him a small, polite nod in return. "Yes, Arnold dear. Let's go!"

And with that the two of them began to head toward the stairs, still holding hands.

"OH and _Arnold_…?"

Arnold stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of Phil's voice, Helga stopping beside him. He took a nervous (almost fearful, really) breath, and then turned back to his grandfather, prepared for the worst (he knew how the old man liked his jokes, after all…). "Yes…Grandpa?" he asked hesitantly.

Phil just smiled a little slyly at his grandson. "Your Grandma's making gelatin for dessert tonight…and dinner's just mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese…Just thought I'd let you know that overall it's a meal that's more than capable of being eaten with a mouth that's a little 'tired out' shall we say…? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

Arnold turned bright scarlet and his eyes went wide as could be. His heart thundered in his chest.

Helga, however, having a much better capacity to handle awkward romantic moments after all these years, just clasped her love's hand a little more firmly and smiled back at Phil, only a slight rosiness present in her face. "Thanks for the tip off, Arnold's Grandpa." She winked. "I'll make sure to tell Arnold when he comes out of shock…and I'll make sure he puts it to good use!" She finished with a small chuckle and then went on her way finishing pulling her stunned, blushing beloved over to the steps that would lead to the second floor of the boarding house and then his room. "Come on, my little future husband…let's go 'talk'." She giggled once more at him.

"Wh-wh-whatever you s-say, Helga…" was the last thing Phil and Gertie heard their grandson stutter out (in a very obvious bit of fluster and yet anticipation) before the two kids disappeared upstairs.

"Heh, heh!" Phil finished laughing to himself, "Just like you and me, Pookie…head over heels forever!" He turned his head and smiled at his wife lovingly once more.

Gertie just smiled back. "Mmm hmm…Forever." She released his hand and now laid hers on his shoulder. "But quit teasing him so much, Popsicle Chin!" Her grin picked up on one side a little. "_She's_ doing alright with it but _he_ looked like he was about to faint!"

Phil just shrugged, his grin still present. "Eh, just keeping the boy on his toes, letting him know it's pretty obvious how much he's growing up!" He let out a sigh…a few memories of the jokes his father and grandfather had used to make about himself and Gertie flashing through his mind…The most embarrassing ones of which he'd held back on a little for now…Let the boy think his own life was _particularly_ embarrassing for a little while longer… It'd make all the new experiences he was going to have even more memorable and fun when he looked back on them later on.

Gertie, meanwhile, just patted her husband on the shoulder twice and then removed her hand from him completely, rolling her eyes once more. "Well, I guess I always did love that sense of humor of yours, Philly Willy…or at least I was one of the only girls who could put up with it!" She smirked.

Now Phil just rolled his eyes right back at her. "Oh you _know_ all the ladies thought I was a stitch…" He noticed a bit of a look come to her smiling eyes and her mouth smirk to the side a little. "Oh but none of them had that spunk and spirit that you've always had Pookie!" he quickly assured with a wink. "Not even close."

She blushed a little at that and a chuckle escaped her. "Thanks, Popsicle Chin…" She let out a happy sigh. "Even after all these years you still think I've got spunk and spirit, huh?"

His smile grew even warmer. "Yup…You've still got it, Pookie. You'll _always_ have it."

"Yeah…that Beau kid used to think so…" She did her best not to break into laughter.

Phil blinked and then just scoffed. "Oh puh-lease, Pookie! Like he could have fully appreciated your…your one-of-a-kind charm…" He rested his head on his hand, leaning his elbow on the arm of the rocking chair, and gazed at her… "…_or_ the fact that you were the most beautiful girl in the whole school house… Nope, I can't blame him for trying but…you were just too insanely wonderful for me to pass up, Gertie…"

That did it. She finally couldn't hold it in anymore and gave a small giggle, which she really hadn't done in quite a few years. "Oh…oh stop flirting, you great big sap!" And then she gave him a playful jab in the shoulder before standing up. "Now come on, General—you've gotta help me with dinner! The mashed potatoes and macaroni aren't gonna cook themselves, you know! Plus I need to get the gelatin ready…Mmmm, it's gonna be _raspberry_ flavored!" She winked at him as she exited to the kitchen.

Phil felt his stomach grumble right on cue. "Oooo…_Pookie_!" He stood up and followed after her…with a smile despite his desperate words. "Not _raspberry_!"

"Yup!" she countered, not even turning around. "To the kitchens, mon capitan!"

Gertie finished by just giving one of her warm, crazed laughs as she entered the kitchen…

…And even though it might have seemed a little weird, that sound still couldn't help but make Phil's heart skip a beat as he followed after her.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Arnold and Helga were still up in Arnold's room…taking a small break from the 'talking'.

Helga, catching her breath a little as their lips finally fully separated for the first time in a while, just removed her arms from around Arnold and collapsed backwards onto his couch so that she was staring up at the evening sky through his skylight, her legs still over his lap (this unique position of hers was due to the fact that she'd been sitting in his lap as they'd kissed this time around, being held by him and holding him…It had taken a lot to convince him to let her try being that close to him while kissing but…he'd 'warmed up' to the idea eventually…Besides, she really liked them holding each other…had been warming up to it ever since that incident in the alley near school as a matter of fact when he'd almost carried her off in his arms)…

As she lay there now, one of her jumper straps was obviously pulling to the side and her pigtails were noticeably more slack than usual, and she was breathing a bit heavily and her face was all flushed. Had she mentioned yet that she LOVED KISSING ARNOLD! "Arnold…" with a swallow she finally managed to speak, a thought she'd been meaning to mention once they'd gotten up here…but that she'd been 'prevented' from voicing considering her beloved's eagerness today after all the romantic stories coupled with just coming off a full day of the usual act in school—heck, she had barely shut the door behind them before he'd hugged her and pressed his lips to hers for the first time that afternoon… Anyway, now that they were taking a small breather this thought of hers that she'd wanted to mention was coming back to mind… "…Before I forget to say it…which is pretty possible all things considered…" She finally just let out a breath and let herself gush! "_Gosh_, you are so cute getting all blushy when your Grandpa says little embarrassing things like that about us, Arnold!" She giggled a bunch, her own blushing right now already crazy and growing even more so at how wide-eyed and stuttery and rosy-face he'd gotten (especially when she'd called him her 'little future husband' before pulling him up the stairs.

"O-Oh…" Arnold was just sitting shyly on the other end of his couch, still feeling a little dazed and distracted at the moment…her legs still over his lap….his own face flushed a little and trying to catch his own breath…his own hair a little mussed…sweater a little twisted around his body…hat practically hanging off his head…did he mention that her warm, soft, creamy legs were still over his lap…He would have touched them just like those couple of times he'd touched her knees, but the very idea made him practically meltdown inside… And he still couldn't believe he'd had the courage to hold her in his arms again like on Monday…and at the same time he also couldn't believe his good fortune that she'd wanted to sit in his lap and kiss more than anything in the world today. "Oh, um…it's just…well…" he tried going on again. And then he blinked and looked at her with an eager smile as her comment really processed, "You really thought I looked cute like that?"

She just giggled once more at his enthusiasm and then leaned her head up a little, giving him a nod or two. "Yeah, Mr. Modest…just adorable…" She sat up then, removing her legs from his body, and now leaned her head on her arm against the back of his couch and just looked at him with all the love in the world.

Modest little Arnold's smile got a bit goofier. He rested his hands in his lap. "Oh, well…thanks, Helga…" He shifted a little bit closer to her, "And um, well I…I just couldn't help it, I guess, blushing like that…. Like you said…Mr. Modest here, heh, heh…"

"Hmm…" She scooched closer too…and lowered her voice a little, "Maybe you're Mr. Modest in _public_, Arnoldo…but you're Mr. Daredevil when it's just us…" She brushed her fingers through his hair and twirled a piece for a moment, and then readjusted his hat a little on his head. "Gosh you kiss great, Arnold!" she finally just had to let out. "And I can't think of a more enjoyable person for any girl to wrap her arms around…a more enjoyable lap to sit in…"

Arnold's heartbeat picked up and he barely managed to look to her. "Th-Thanks, Helga…" He swallowed. "A-And as for the modesty thing well…" his smile trembled a little at the topic, "…It…It's different when we're alone…when it's just you and me…because…we know and…experience things about each other that no one else does… We're special…_You're_ special, Helga…" He picked up her free hand and gave it a small kiss.

She giggled almost uncontrollably for a few seconds at his kind words. "Really, Arnold?" she asked in a light voice.

He just smiled a bit more at her and winked. "Yup…and you always will be!"

Another giggle escaped Helga and she felt everything inside of her practically flutter and oscillate. When she was done she just let out a sigh and glanced at him with a small half smile. "So…Arnold…we've got another twenty minutes 'til dinner…" She brought the fingertips of her free hand under his little chin and lifted it slightly as she finally asked, "More working out our mouths or did you wanna take the time we have left to do something that normal ten-year-olds would do?" Her grinning mouth quirked to the side a little. "I'd still like to hear about that new dream of yours about us being married, to be honest…But I can wait until after dinner, if you'd like." And then she pouted just slightly, though a smile still shone in her eyes, as she added, "Though I really would prefer the dreams as soon as possible if it's okay, my Football Head…"

Arnold took in a deep breath…savoring that feeling of her fingertips gently tilting up his head like that. He looked at her lovingly for a moment more…that little pout…so cute…and then he released her hand that he was still holding, and finally moved forward and just hugged with a smile, snuggling in next to her on the couch. He let out his breath. "Can…can we just sit together like this, Helga?...We can put on a little music and dim the lights and just hold each other like this…" he let out a happy sigh. "And we can talk about our dreams…" he added in a whisper.

Helga felt everything inside of her melt _completely_! "S-S-Sure…A-A-Arnold…" she barely managed to get out before limply reaching over, pressing a button on his remote on the end table next to the couch, and then snuggling right in next to him with a smile… '_He is so…Oh __Arnold__…_' she cooed inside of herself.

The music lightly played for a few moments in the dim, private room…and the kids just rested happily against each other.

Eventually, Helga let out a small sigh and spoke quietly to her love who continued to just hug against her, his arms around her from the side. "Y-You wanna go first, Arnold…or me?" she asked tenderly… "About sharing the dreams, I mean, my beloved…"

Arnold cuddled against her just a little more at the sound of her voice. "Whatever you want, Helga…" he just replied shyly…trying to be polite but also…feeling a little nervous about talking to her about all of THAT (it had been a pretty intense dream he'd had, after all…), even despite all they'd been through.

"Well..." Helga started lightly, finally letting herself go limp in his tender, gentle (and yet pleasantly strong) arms. She leaned back and placed a light kiss or two on his forehead before continuing. "…That dream of mine from when I passed out…it's pretty much all my standard fantasy stuff… Nothing you haven't been piecing together over the weeks, my love…I'll fill you in, of course, though, but…for now… I AM curious…Would you tell me _your_ dream first, my dearest…? How it was 'good' being married to me..." her heart trembled a little as she then added, in a very shy whisper and feeling blood pump into her face, "…having children together…" That concept had been a new factor in her own fantasies over the last few months actually, and especially over the last few nights of her dreams now that Arnold had brought it up too… She guessed she'd just been maturing a little from that 'origami marriage predictor' dream where it was just her and Arnold and nothing and no one else.

Arnold, meanwhile, was having his own trouble dealing with heat flooding into his own features. A small goofy smile was on face too… Finally, in an effort to push past his embarrassment he just let out a sigh and held himself against Helga a little more closely for support. "Okay, Helga…" he finally began quietly, "We'll talk all about how it was good being married to you…having children…" He swallowed and took one of her hands in his own from behind, gently caressing it as he spoke. "Well…it started with us at Gerald and Phoebe's wedding actually…" he began.

A chuckle escaped Helga (and she nearly swooned at him playing with her hand like that). "Just for future reference, don't _ever_ bring that up to Gerald or Phoebe, Arnoldo—_His_ voice'll crack and he'll pass out on the ground, and _she'll_ blush all over and run and hide away forever!"

Arnold chuckled right along with her. "I know…So shy, the two of them…" he brought her hand up to tenderly kiss the back of it…lingering a little before removing his mouth from her skin… "…When it's so much more fun to…_not_ be."

She giggled in his arms. "Arnold, you're such a charmer." She smirked and glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye. "But come on, enough stalling…flirting will only distract even _me_ for so long…Please tell me about the rest of your dream, my little love god…We were at Gerald and Phoebe's wedding…"

"Sure thing, Helga…" Arnold rested his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes as he continued speaking. "Well…like I said, we were at their wedding….It had just ended and we were sitting on the chapel steps watching them leave in a limo…And I looked at you and you looked so happy just watching them be together like that, that I…I guess the thought just came to me that the only way you'd look any happier would be if…if _you_ were the one in the dress running down the steps heading toward the limo…but, you know, with…_me_. S-So I took out…" he'd been rambling dreamily a little but now stopped for a moment and considered before going on… "Well, actually, if it's okay, Helga, I'd like to keep one or two things to myself for now because they...well, I'd just like some things to stay a surprise for a little while…" He cleared his throat. "Is that okay, Helga?"

Helga had to raise part of her brow at his strange sudden little secrecy…but she had a feeling by how he was talking and the smile on his face that him wanting to keep something small to himself right now…wasn't a bad thing. That he'd probably just gotten some loopy sentimental idea about something…and really, _what else_ was new when it came to him? And so Helga just shrugged and gave a small nod and replied supportively and understandingly to his request, "If you insist, Football head." She leaned back and placed another small kiss on his forehead. "Anyway, continue please…This is starting out MUCH better than your first 'married to me' dream…" Her smile grew as nestled back in alongside him and closed her eyes to hear more of the story.

"Yeah, I know…" Arnold just smiled to himself a little more, happy she understood...because that next little bit of his dream really had been a cute idea…And if things did work out in the future, he…he wouldn't have been against surprising her with something like that… "Well…anyway…" he went on and let out a sigh, "…in the dream…next I asked you …if you wanted to get…well…_you know_…" He blushed hotly, not having it in him at all to ask that question, even if it was just part of relaying something from one of his dreams… "A-And 'surprisingly enough', you _did_!" He finished, laughing to himself a little (and of course she joined in…) "And then there was our wedding…" a dreamy smile and half lidded gaze completely took over his features, "You looked really pretty, Helga… Pink flowers were in your hair, I think. And I was really nervous even about just waiting for you at the altar…but not like in the first dream. I mean…you looked so pretty and you were smiling and I…think I thought that the second I moved to take your hand or give you the ring I was going to trip or something and mess the whole perfect thing up…"

"I would have caught you, my Arnold…" he suddenly heard Helga coo near his ear. "And I wouldn't have even laughed. You get a free pass on our wedding day." She turned herself more and snuggled against his head and hair a little, taking a deep inhale of his lovely scent.

Arnold laughed a little again…and savored her affectionate little cuddling. "Thanks, Helga…" He let out a happy sigh and gently played with the end of one of her pigtails. "Anyway, we were really happy together…I was a fourth grade teacher at P.S. 118 actually…and also a doctor…and I ran the boarding house too, I think, and you were…" he laughed a little again, "You were just…_amazing_… You were a sculptor and a writer and—"

"President?" she quipped quickly.

Arnold smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Helga…I guess my dreams are a little smaller than yours in some ways. Not that the White House wouldn't be nice but I had us living in the boarding house. Not exactly close to Washington D.C…"

"Well…" she left his hair alone and turned back forward to just let herself lean happily against him again… "I guess being your wife and living here with you, and all that other stuff you said makes up for it a lot…" He heard a slightly disappointed sigh come from her. "Still, though…I always did want to be some kind of leader of someth—"

She was silent at a quick kiss from Arnold to her cheek. "I was going to say that you were the Mayor too actually…if that's an okay consolation prize, Helga."

Helga's grin picked up a lot at his news and his kiss! "O-Oh! Alright! I can live with that…Running this city. Mayor Dixie, look out! Heh…" She nuzzled her head just under his chin…letting her soft cheek press against the soft fabric of his sweater...

Arnold grinned, happy she was happy…really truly happy with everything his head had come up with and wanted her to do. And really who could imagine a grown up Helga NOT in charge of something? And something BIG! "Mmm hmm… Mayor Helga… Perfect." He reached around her back just a little more and stroked the back of her head a little… "And we actually lived right here in the boarding house so that I could take care of it, like I said, and we were very happy…We listened to music together and watched monster movies, you wrote books of poems…some poems about me, and some about any other inspirational things you managed to come across in the world…"

"…Nothing's more inspirational than you, Arnold…" she whispered, in pure peace with him like this.

He took a breath.

"…N-Not even…our, um…a d-d-daughter?" she heard his quiet voice ask.

She was silent.

He waited.

"Y-Yeah…" Helga barely managed to squeak out eventually, "I g-g-guess our, um, d-d-daughter would be pretty inspir—inspi…" She just couldn't take it—she swooned and shuddered, and just collapsed against her beloved entirely, her heart pounding like mad and a glorious tingling going throughout her entire body. She had turned herself to hold against his shoulders for support. "Uh, keep talking please, Arnold…" she managed to get out in a breath, "Sorry, I'm…just going to need a minute with this one."

"Oh. Okay…" he said very quietly, feeling very VERY shy about this part of everything…and it didn't help how pressed against him she was now. He held her tight again for support. "Well, she had your hair and my eyes…and I joked with you about naming her Lila or Ruth or Summer again…But in the end we…" he chuckled to himself a little once more that afternoon and let out a breath, "In the end we settled on Eleanor…like my Grandma calls you sometimes." He rested his chin over her shoulder and closed his eyes again. "Do you like it, Helga…the name, I mean? Sorry, I've been…I know it's silly since it was just a dream but I guess I've just been curious what you'd think of it."

He felt her gulp against him. "W-Well…" she whispered near his ear… "I…I think…the name you picked out is…beautiful. Eleanor's a beautiful name…Arnold." She turned back a little bit so that she was sitting with her side against him, his arms holding her against him from behind…She laid one of her arms over one of his around her, securing his hug even more…the side of her head was against rising and falling chest once again.

"Was, um…was I a good mom, Arnold?" the young boy heard her ask of him quietly all of a sudden.

Arnold blinked at the question, not really understanding what it was about (not just yet in his life, anyway…), and then thought back to his dream…and just spoke what he remembered. "Well…I only got pieces of us being married since it was a dream but…" his smile and half lidded gaze returned, "…She, Eleanor, was smiling and happy and laughing in your arms when the stork brought her. And I remember times when you were walking with her places or hugging her or when all of us were hugging each other and…She was really happy all those times." He sighed at that image…of a whole family with parents and their kid… Part of him wanted to mention to her that that picture made him…a lot happier and (more interestingly) a lot less sad and…left out… than he would have thought it would make him… '_But…maybe not…not right now…when we're like this…happy and peaceful together. But one day…later._' "You were a good Mom, Helga," Arnold finally finished, holding her a little more closely, savoring the warmth between them.

Arnold just barely managed to see Helga's smile pick up from the view he had of the side of her face, considering how she was sitting. He then heard and felt her let out a deep…almost relieved breath.

"I'm glad, Arnold…" Helga finally managed in reply to him, "That makes me…really happy, hearing that. Thanks. And thanks for telling me about your dream…it was beautiful." '_Heh…almost worried I'd end up like…_' she swallowed and didn't let the thought continue, '_But…she's better now so…And Arnold said I was a good Mom… But still, maybe I…_' Helga considered asking for more details…but then recalled that she'd already been pretty lucky with him not questioning that very random question of hers…and besides it really had just been a dream and not something real…and also she…she really she didn't want to dwell on potential negative things now…Not when she was here and happy and in his arms on a date together. She settled for smiling a bit more and adding to her 'thank you', "And…I…I bet you were the best Dad ever, Football Head."

Arnold instantly blushed brightly at that sudden compliment from his girlfriend, and glanced down. "Oh…" he swallowed.. "Th-Thanks, Helga…I hope so. I mean, we all seemed really happy together. Like a really happy f-family."

He was happy when she didn't notice his very slight stutter on that last word.

"Mmm hmm…" she merely replied in contentment and probably lost in a daydream or two of her own at the moment and then she leaned up a little and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "So…" she went on in that light and lovely voice of hers that she only spoke in when they were in private, and asked with genuine curiosity "…Anything else fun happen in your dream, Football Head...?"

Arnold just shrugged a little, still smiling (of course). "Just bits and pieces of our life, like I said. It was a dream so it was a little hazy of course…But…like I said on Monday in the alley before school, it was really really…good." He swallowed and added in nearly a whisper. "I think I'd be happy if I ended up getting married to you, Helga. Like I said, you're…special."

Her heart just…She was really about to cry at this point and knew she needed to move things along before that happened. "Y-Yeah, so you keep telling me, Arnoldo…" she joked, even managing a small laugh, and then let out a breath and plowed on, facing forward a little bit again so that he wouldn't be able to catch the glint of a tear or two already at the corners of her eyes. "So…in that case…wanna here the bits and pieces of MY dream now, Football Head…? You know—the one you brought on by tossing me back like some kind of romancing Don Juan…Mr. Daredevil?" The tears feeling at bay, she turned her head and torso a bit once more and smirked at him right near his face.

Arnold just let out a chuckle…and then almost shivered at the feeling of her then suddenly taking the liberty of gently stroking a finger up and down his sweater over his chest. "S-Sure…H-Helga…I wouldn't mind you making me blush a little more…" His eyes opened in utter pleasure, meeting hers.

"Mmm…" She smiled even more. "Good." She stopped with the finger and just played with his hair near his collar a tiny bit as she spoke. "Okay, well, it picked up right after that kiss of yours on our date! You grabbed me and told me we shouldn't wait—that we should start on our fabulous life together right away! A plane arrived to take us to Paris (that's my official dream destination for us by the way, Arnoldo)…and then there were dinners and dancing and balloon rides and daring escapades…we had a perfume named after us (don't recall if I mentioned that desire of mine but just putting it out there, my angel)…And then those kids you tried to name after your ex-girlfriends and after my ex-stalker came along…"

Arnold laughed warmly at the memory of his naming joke…as well as it that piece of perfume information that was certainly news to him. "Yeah?" he raised an eyebrow. "And what else Helga…?" he asked with interest, always loving that imagination of hers. He continued to hold her happily around the waist and back, waiting to hear what she'd share with him next…

Cool sounds of jazz continued to fill the room as the two kids just sat, talking about their dreams and stuff like this, holding each other in love.

* * *

**JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES FOR ME, OKAY?**

"Hey…Football Head?"

Arnold looked up from the math notebook he was writing in at the moment, and smiled at the girl seated beside him on the edge of the pink bed with his half lidded gaze. "Yes, Helga?" he asked sincerely. As he observed her face he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the slight blush upon her features and the slightly shy look in her eyes.

She seemed to pick up on his confusion and concern and in response adjusted her own features a little, just smiling calmly and rolling her eyes to the side…and then asking him (or rather _tried_ asking of him) casually, "You, uh…you wouldn't be willing to take a break from the math for a minute to help me with something, would you?"

Arnold smiled at her again, almost laughing at the playfully asked curious little question, and then placed his notebook and textbook beside him upon her bed. "Of course, Helga. What is it?"

Arnold noticed a somewhat sly smile come to her face at this affirmative response from him, and she now turned her coy eyes to his again. "Oh…just a little something. Just close your eyes for me, okay?"

Arnold blinked at the strange request. '_Close my…_' "Uh, okay, Helga, but…why?"

Helga let out a slightly exasperated sigh, though she was still smiling like crazy to herself. "Oh come on, Arnoldo—_humor_ me a little! I just want to see about something but I don't think I can get an unbiased opinion from you unless your eyes are closed…" '_Stubborn little thing…Needs to get dragged by the hand through everything sometimes! Still…he's __my__ stubborn little thing…and that's really all that matters_.'

Arnold watched her with a blank and curious expression on his face for another second…but then his trusting, warm smile began to return. "Well…okay, Helga…But do I at least get to know first what I'm supposed to be giving my unbiased opinion _about_?" '_This is going it be a good one, isn't it?_' he couldn't help but think in amusement to himself… _'Another little scheme from her…'_

Helga just chuckled and shook her head at him playfully in response. "No, no…I need the element of surprise too if I'm going to get an accurate reading, Football Head."

Arnold just sighed, his smile growing a bit more as was his curiosity. "Of course. Whatever you say, Helga…" And with that he adjusted himself a bit on the edge of her bed and then closed his eyes, the content and happy smile still on his face.

Arnold then heard what sounded like Helga moving around her room a bit as he waited for whatever it was she needed his opinion on… '_Maybe she's got some more pink books for me…or some new way of doing her hair…Or maybe she's going to punch me in the shoulder and take my hat and tell me that I need to quit going along with being such an easy target.'_ He sighed to himself again and almost shook his head. '_Well, at least there's never a dull moment when I'm spending time with Helga…'_

"Okay. Ready, Football Head?"

The sound of her excited and almost giggly voice brought Arnold out of his thoughts. "Oh, uh, ready, Helga. Should I open my eyes now or—"

"Uh-bup-bup!" She quickly cut him off. "You just keep them shut tight until I say so, so that I can get an unbiased opinion like I said, okay?"

Arnold chuckled to himself at the instruction. "Okay, Helga. I won't peek, I pro—MMM!"

Arnold instantly felt his heart start pounding at the feeling of Helga Pataki's lips suddenly firmly upon his own…but then with some new experience too…almost like a…a flavor? His mind couldn't help going back to that joke she'd made right here at her bedroom window during their one week anniversary not too long ago…about whether or not he wanted her to 'get any particular flavor' for him…flavor of…

He felt her pull back mere seconds into the kiss and took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his fluttering heart down. "Helga, wha—" he automatically started to open his eyes in his confusion and curiosity.

Instantly, Arnold felt a warmth and a darkness descend over them though, and he realized that Helga must have covered his eyes with her hand. "Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't peek, paste for brains! Sheesh!" she scolded from right near him. "Now, just keep them shut like I said because I'm not done yet…Hmm…" Her hand was removed and he obediently kept his eyes closed as she had reminded him. Arnold just listened as she then continued speaking, though it no longer sounded like she was addressing him. "Guess the blueberry one's a dud…Ah, let's try this one!"

'_Blueberry_…?' As the words she'd just said processed, the ten-year-old boy found himself pressing his lips together and indeed tasting…blueberries? "Helga, I mean it—what are you…" He still hadn't quite put two and two together…and didn't have time to do it now before… "MMM!"

Arnold felt his heart start racing yet again as Helga Pataki's lips surprisingly met his own once more and again with a flavor…though this one was kind of sweet and sugary and it made him turn up his nose for second. '_Too sweet! Ugh, what __is__ that?' _He was starting to miss just the nice, simple taste of her own plain, regular lips… Not that he'd been actively tasting them when they kissed of course (he blushed at the very idea of that…of being that…forward and ungentlemanly about the whole thing…) but still…they always left some kind of nice… 'presence'…upon his own lips…and he liked that just fine…or at least more than any of these blueberries or sweet stuff…

As his thoughts finished, Arnold, meanwhile, felt Helga pull away at the physical reaction on his part to her latest attempt with this thing she 'needed his help with'. "You don't like the Mocha one either?" he heard her ask. "Good. I hate that sugary tasting stuff—_yuck_!" A second of silence passed and it sounded to him like she was…almost rummaging through something. "And you didn't seem to be the biggest fan of the blueberry, Football Head—kind of middle of the road, at least…Let's see…"

Arnold felt his breathing and heart rate just barely starting to come under control again, and as it happened his brain really started to process some of the stuff he was hearing Helga saying…and that memory about kissing and 'flavors'…and the fact that it kept feeling like an almost slick substance had been left behind on his mouth both times she'd just kissed him…and how his thoughts had just been turning in the direction of analyzing the flavor or her own plain, perfect lips.

And then it finally clicked!

'_She's_…' "Helga, are you…trying out different lip glosses on me?" He almost couldn't believe he was asking the question…but it was what indeed seemed to be happening right now.

He just heard her scoff nonchalantly at his startled inquiry. "Well, I guess I could have just been _subtle_ and tried a different one out on you for our next four or five or six dates and slowly gauged your reactions…but this way seemed much more direct and like much more fun if you ask me, Head Boy!" He heard her laugh to herself.

Her reply processed with him…and then Arnold considered getting very embarrassed…but then he just let out a happy, almost relieved sigh and smiled…and let the warmth and blushing come to his face without worry or resistance. "Helga…" he began, once again truly amazed at her random and yet always creative ways of dealing with situations…and how fun it all was when you truly got to know and be part of it all. "…You know, you _could_ have just told me that you wanted to do this…I…wouldn't exactly have said no…" More blushing. "And…why do I have to have my eyes closed?" This last part of this whole thing was truly still a mystery to him…and he was curious as to what creative explanation she would give for it.

Arnold heard Helga sigh in response to the question and explain simply, "Well, as for just telling you about this, believe me, just _doing_ it was a lot more fun and more my style…And as for your eyes needing to be closed…_well_…"

"MMM! …Mmm…" Arnold felt his heart skip a beat in surprise as her lips came firmly to his own again…though this time, being a bit more prepared for it, he managed to really savor this kiss for at least just a moment before Helga pulled away.

"…If you can see which flavor I'm putting on before I kiss you," she continued, "…how in the world am I going to get your honest reaction about how they taste?" She giggled to herself.

Trying not to laugh at her cute (and rather convenient for her) logic and to focus on his own task in this 'epic quest' for a good flavor, Arnold pressed his lips together again, another flavor of gloss clinging to them, and could detect just a trace of peach flavor… The taste was good but the smell that suddenly hit his nose was a bit strong and involuntarily he reached up and wiped it from it mouth. '_Whatever she picks shouldn't overpower how __she__…tastes…It should just…make it more…more fun I guess…every once in a while_…'

He heard Helga sigh in frustration at this latest failure. "Hmm…no, not the peach one either…" It sounded like she was rummaging again. She scoffed to herself. "Last thing I need is you wiping off my kisses, Arnold…" she added humorously.

Arnold had to laugh at the statement, allowing his hands that had been resting against the edge of her bed to brace himself when he still hadn't been entirely sure what was coming to now just rest comfortably in his lap. "Sorry, Helga…I'm sure you'll get the right one eventually, though…" He let out a sigh of feigned exasperation, and found the courage in himself to add playfully… "…Even if we have to do this _all_ _afternoon_…"

That comment actually made Helga laugh a bit now as well…He imagined she might be blushing too. He liked when she blushed. "I really did create a monster by getting you past that modesty roadblock during our one week anniversary, didn't I, Football Head?" she just asked of him in amusement as her hunt for another flavor for them to try out continued.

And now Arnold blushed slightly _himself_. It wasn't that he hadn't gotten more than used to liking the kissing, it was just…something about her bringing it up directly like that just made his cheeks automatically tingle with warm blood. He was about to try and reply to Helga in some small, shy, playful way, when he heard her start talking to herself again and decided to just sit and listen a bit once more…It was fun listening to her talk to herself sometimes anyway… It was like she and her creativity could just carry on full _conversations_ together if she had enough on her mind and especially if she thought she was alone (like if he went to get something and came back to the room he'd left her by herself in, or if he stumbled upon her hiding near some lockers or behind some trashcans or something in school…and sometimes if they were really relaxed and quiet together she'd do it a little…kind of like now…) It was cute. Just like _her_.

"Let's see…" Helga continued speaking now as she rummaged and Arnold did his best to bring his thoughts back to the present moment…and back to the chance to hear her think out loud a little bit more. "Okay this one? Mmm…no… Or maybe… No…" A disappointed sigh. Then there were just the sounds of her rummaging for a few seconds more…

…And then Arnold heard her suddenly announce in a very satisfied tone. "Ah-ha! Let's give this one a shot!"

A second passed during which Arnold puckered his lips in preparation…

Rather than feeling his girlfriend's flavored kiss though, instead another second later Arnold just heard Helga giggle right near his face, almost like she had stopped in the middle of swooping in for the next 'test'. "Ah, used to me now, are we, Football Head?" she just asked a bit smugly.

Arnold chuckled and unpuckered for a second. "Just trying to be prepared, Hel—Mmm…" Her lips met his, and his heartbeat picked up speed and…and then suddenly an incredibly sour taste met his mouth. "_Mmm_!" Arnold had to exclaim and actually pull away, and he felt his face cringe up. "_Not_ that one, Helga! _Please_!" Of course he'd still kiss her no matter what she chose to try and make her lips taste like but…he really REALLY hoped she didn't pick that one.

"Yeah, too sour…" he (_thankfully_) heard her reply, "So much for Green Apple…" More rummaging sounds then met his ears. "Hmm…something fruity but not too sweet…that smells nice…that isn't too sour…"

She continued her search as Arnold wiped the last of the sour lip-gloss from his mouth, giving him a fresh palette.

"Hmm…okay, let's give this a shot then and if it doesn't work maybe we can take a break and try again later or on Friday…Don't want to overwhelm that mouth of yours _too_ much, Arnoldo…Last thing I need are your lips out of commission or something for a day or two recover from the 'flavor shock', heh, heh…"

Arnold felt laughter inside of him but took a deep breath and was about to pucker so that they could get on to their last test for the day, when Helga (once again) beat him to it. "Mmm! Mmm…_Mmm._.." It took a second for the taste to process with Arnold, considering the number of different ones he'd just been exposed to…but when it did, before he knew what he was doing, he'd reached up and put his hands on either side of Helga's head, pulling her in to continue the kiss much longer past the standard few seconds she'd been doing to test these different flavors.

She didn't resist…

The two of them continued to remain kissing like this for quite a while until eventually they both recalled that while kissing each other was always wonderful, there was just something about oxygen that was also quite nice (and, unfortunately, necessary) as well…

Arnold loosened his grip on Helga's head and hair a bit and he felt Helga's lips separate from his own…though that taste still lingered…mixed with her own…It was delicious, the whole thing…the whole mixed up crazy thing… '_Delicious_…'

"Bingo…_**that**_ one…" was all he heard her say, with a giggle.

Arnold blinked a couple of times at the sound of her voice and then finally opened his eyes with a dreamy smile. "Huh?" '_Hmm…Where am I, again?'_

His eyes came to focus on Helga, who just giggled again with delight at how dazed he seemed. She straightened up from leaning over him and then grabbed a small plastic tube off of her bed, next to a small bag that seemed to hold a lot of other small tubes. "I said, that one's our winner, Football Head. The one that didn't make you cringe or wipe it off or just kiss me indifferently…the one that made you make out with me a little…" Blushing now, she zipped up the small bag and then sat down next to him on the bed and smiled, gesturing to the tube still in her hand. "Raspberry Lemonade…sweet and sour and not too strong but definitely still packs a wallop…" An interesting thought occurred to her, "Kind of like you and me...especially when we're together. Excellent choice, Football Head…You're just a regular connoisseur, aren't you…?" She placed the tube on her nightstand and then tossed the make-up bag with the other options inside of it over onto her desk. She sighed and crossed her legs, and leaned back a little on her arms, still smiling to herself. "Yeah, Olga told me the other day that she had a whole collection of those things in her room, and 'casually' kind of hinted that if I wanted to try some of them out I'd be more than welcome…" She looked at Arnold and shrugged, and her grin picked up a little one side. "And, well, you know me, Arnold—I just _love_ sharing! So I figured I might as well see which of those glosses _you_ were into and then which of them_ I_ was into, and then maybe we could find one we both like… and I like the one that you just picked too so it looks like another mission accomplished for us, Football Head!" She gave him a playful nudge in the shoulder and then laughed to herself again, just gazing at him happily.

And Arnold, now that her explanation was complete, just sighed to himself…finding himself likewise lost in his love's eyes with a smile on his face. "Oh…good…" he answered, still in a bit of a daze…And then a thought occurred to him in the midst of all of this romanticness and kissing, and he swallowed and instantly felt a slight blush start to creep up into his cheeks again…but he honestly didn't care at the moment. "But, uh…" he went on, glancing upward innocently and trying to keep the smile on his face under control, "Maybe…just to be safe, of course…we should _double_ _check_ about the Raspberry Lemonade one…j-just to make sure…" He darted his eyes over and now glanced at her unsurely out of the corner of his eye.

He watched as Helga blinked for a second, a touch of doubt coming to her face…almost as though she seriously did think that he was having some kind of a problem with the choice she'd just come to…

…But then her brain processed the exact way he'd said what he'd said…and how he was blushing so much…and smiling at her as he glanced at her shyly…so adorably shyly…

…And a smile grew on her face…first one of elation and then (naturally) a more mischievous one. She leaned in closer to Arnold. "Hmm…well, I guess you do have a point there, Football Head. And, you know, DOUBLE checking is all fine and good but let's not live TOO on the edge here—_triple_ and _quadruple_ checking probably wouldn't hurt either, and it's not like we've got anywhere to go today or anything, so…" Not taking her eyes off of Arnold, she reached over to her nightstand, grabbed the lip gloss tube, instantly applied a bit more to her mouth, and then leaned in even closer to her romantic little love god again…and shut her eyes…

"But hey," she announced with a smirk, eyes still shut tight, "_You_ already got to have all of the fun with having those kisses be surprises… So you get your eyes open, Head Boy, because now it's my tur—MMM! _Mmm_…." She savored Arnold's sudden kiss for many many seconds…

Eventually the football headed boy pulled away slightly and with a chuckle leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Whatever you say, Helga…"

Helga took a second to process the kiss and what he'd just said, and then felt a lovesick giggle escape her, her eyes still closed. "Okay, well, then carry on with the extra tests, my Arnold…"

She heard Arnold chuckle once more and then felt the warmth of his face come towards her own once again…

* * *

**LOVE OR CHEESE**

"Oh Arnold…do _I_ have a date activity in store for _you_ for today or do _I_ have a date activity in store for _you_ today…" Helga, arms behind her back, leaned over and smirked at her beloved sitting upon the edge of her bed.

Arnold, who had only just arrived at the Pataki residence on this afternoon following his usual day of pretending to be hated by Helga at school and who really hadn't been expected this sudden (and slightly suggestive) statement from his girlfriend so immediately upon finding himself in her room, just blinked, confusion entering his eyes. "Uh…" He swallowed nervously…leaning back from her a little… "Heh…uh…so…w-what did you have in mind…exactly…Helga?" Anticipation competed with nervousness and uncertainty…and just a touch of excitement. This _was_ Helga G. Pataki after all…and she…was 'no ordinary girl', to put it mildly…not at all.

'_Cute._' Helga just giggled at his little stutterings and then proceeded to walk two of her fingers slowly up his chest as she spoke (in a low voice). "Oh don't get all worked up about it, Arnold—I'll do all the work. You just sit there, okay?" She finished by tapping his nose with her index and then straightening up again…and admiring the bright blush she'd managed to make flower in his face.

The ten-year-old boy just nodded shyly in response to her question, not really sure of what else to do at the moment…especially considering his potential situation…He felt his heart racing a million miles an hour. He had NO idea where she was going with all of this.

Helga let out a breath and then turned on her heel. "Okay, so, you just sit there and I'll get something, and then we can start. And thanks for being such a sport, my love." And with that and a wink she walked over to her closet, opened the door, stepped inside and proceeded to rummage around a bit.

Arnold, meanwhile, just continued to wait patiently on the edge of her bed…although now he was glancing down at his sweater with wide eyes…feeling warmth in those places her fingertips had touched going along his stomach and up his chest. '_Girls are, um… I mean, how did she know something like that would make me feel…_' He blushed more and tried to take a deep breath and focus a little bit. '_Okay, I've just got to calm down and be myself…If she wants to kiss or something, then, well…I mean, I pretty much always want to kiss her…' _Arnold had already completely given up on denying this fact to himself anymore, '…_and we've done it a lot before…even if it does seem like she might want something a little more…intense…this time around_.' He gulped, doing his best to reassure himself. '_But it's okay—whatever it is she wants to do, I'll just be calm and put my arm around her and take it slow, and it'll work out perfectly like always…Yeah…I'll be fine. We'll be fine.'_ A small smile even came to his face then. '_Maybe, whatever it is, she'll use the lip gloss again…_' Helga and Arnold had come to a basic agreement after that day deciding on the Raspberry Lemonade flavor of gloss that it would be something only used every once in a while or on special occasions…just to keep it a special thing. Besides, despite how nice it was to have a little something extra to taste, Arnold really didn't have any problem with just that plain, perfect, natural flavor of her soft mou—

"Alright, let's get to it, Arnoldo!"

Arnold blinked and came out of his thoughts and looked up…

…And had to raise an eyebrow at the sight of Helga standing there with a smile and…a camera? "Um…" Okay, now he was officially stumped. Indeed, he had genuinely no idea where she was going with whatever she had planned for today but it certainly seemed different from what he'd imagined.

Helga just giggled and rolled her eyes at his blank stare. "It's a camera, Sherlock." She held it up a little, and pushed her closet door shut with her hip. "What, did you think I was going to ask you up to the shrine for a little 'alone time' or something?" She laughed fully to herself at the image of her and him necking in front of her shrine of all things. Eventually she managed to get the chuckles under control, and cleared her throat and addressed him again. "Seriously though, I…well…" she blushed a little and took a few steps toward him, "I…well it's close to the time of year when I'd try and get a new 'Arnold photo' for my locket…you're still nine in the one in here, after all…. So…" she looked up at him and finally just asked it, "Can I take your picture, Arnold?"

Arnold continued to look utterly confused for another second.

But then he blushed a little more…and half smiled…and really almost laughed, his former nervousness leaving him entirely. "Uh…sure, Helga…" he replied shyly in amusement. "I just wish you'd told me before I came over though—I would have dressed up or something." He blushed a little at the idea of getting his picture taken…and all for her lovely locket…so she could carry it around right by her beating heart. Who even _did_ stuff as romantic and sentimental and sweet as that anymore anyway? She really was just so special…

While Arnold was distracted with marveling at her, Helga was just laughing warmly at her beloved's precious little touch of concern about his appearance. She proceeded to play with the camera a little as she spoke. "Nah—I want a picture of you looking just like you always do, Arnold...just like I've always _had_. My perfect Arnold, just smiling at me like I always used to want him to…and now like he does everyday..." She'd been focused on adjusting a few things with the camera…which explained why her eyes suddenly went open wide at the feeling of a small surprise kiss being placed upon her cheek by her beloved who had apparently gotten up to give it to her while she had been talking. She looked to him curiously, unable to help feeling a bit flustered at being so unexpectedly taken by romantic surprise like that.

Arnold, blushing quite a bit from his spontaneous action, just smiled and glanced down shyly with a blush, his hands behind his back. "Sorry…your poetry always gets to me, Helga…and what was just said was pretty, well…poetic…" He let his eyes meet hers again. '_She just puts everything in the most beautiful way imaginable… When she cares about something it's just…it's just lovely watching her love it…' _He wanted to kiss her…_kiss_ her kiss her…very badly all of a sudden… Doing the greatest thing in the world with the greatest girl in the world… He'd never just suddenly wanted to like this ever before…not even during that first week together when he'd denied himself almost every opportunity for it because he'd been scared of it… And the desire for it felt…wonderful.

Helga smiled warmly at him and snapped him out of his near daydreams…and near compulsion to actually go for that '_kiss_ her kiss her' thing…with a chuckle and a quick, "Aw, thanks, Arnoldo." She then caught him in a quick hug and pulled back a few seconds later to happily observe the goofy smile that had come to his face from her sudden embrace. She let out a sigh, putting her free hand not still holding the camera on her hip. "Okay, okay, enough mush, Football Head—plant yourself somewhere so I can snag the photo of you, and then we can get on to cuddling on my bed while we do our homework or watching a movie with some snacks downstairs or something!"

Arnold blinked several times and then cleared his throat and straightened his sweater just a little from her hug. "Oh, uh…right. Sorry, Helga." _'She's right. Other…stuff…can happen later… For now though she wants a picture and…well, what kind of gentleman would I be if I denied a lady something as simple as that?_'

"Less apologizing, more smiling and posing, paste for brains!" Helga joked with a smirk and then gave him a gentle nudge forward. Arnold just sighed with a smile, rolled his eyes and shook his head, and then headed back over to her bed and sat on the edge once more.

Helga pressed a button or two more on the camera to set things up. '_So adorable when he's all dazed all because of little old me…'_

"Hey, Helga?"

She glanced up to see a (very surprisingly) very perplexed looking Arnold. "Uh, yes, light of my life?" she asked with a half grin and part of her brow raised.

Arnold did his best not to laugh at the address, and then he asked a very good question that had suddenly come to mind considering the situation. "Helga…you've been carrying around a picture of me with you ever since you met me, right?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, still holding the camera, and nodded. "You got it, Football Head—always loved having your gorgeous smile right near my heart."

He tried not to blush too much at her way of putting it and to just finish his inquiry. "Okay, so…" he raised an eyebrow, looking positively stumped all of a sudden, "…So, how did you get the pictures without me knowing for all of these years?"

Helga blinked at the excellent question…and then a very amused grin came to her face and for a moment she seemed lost in some memories. "Uh, well…" she finally started in explanation after a second or two, "I'd just, you know…wait until picture day at school and then make sure I got mine done right away so I'd be free, and then when yours happened I'd have Phoebe pull some kind of diversion or set one up myself to distract the other kids, and then I'd snap a quick photo of you just as the photographer did. You know, so the flashes would match up and no one would know notice….Think of it as a standard, annual scheme." She just shrugged at him. "Oh…and as for the _first_ picture I ever got of you…from way back when we were in preschool… Well…let's just say I was very lucky that the teacher wanted to take pictures of us to celebrate our first day…and that it wasn't a coincidence that you had to get your picture taken twice since the first one 'mysteriously disappeared.'" She made air quotes around the last phrase (as best she could while still holding the camera) and winked at him when she was done.

"Hmm…" Arnold looked impressed at this new revelation. "Not bad." He couldn't help but smirk a little and add though, "I'm just surprised you didn't take the opportunity to get them by sneaking into my room to spy on me some more or something." And in truth if that had indeed turned out to have been her method of getting his photo for those six years, he wouldn't have been surprised considering half of her other exploits involving him over the course of their lives that she'd filled him in on so far.

Helga let out a sigh and shook her head in a bit of amusement…glancing down in thought and memories… "Well, believe me, not that I would have passed up _any_ excuse for breaking into you room to be near you, Football Head, but the school picture thing was the only way to get a perfect, straight on head shot every time. I tried just doing it on my own a few times but you were always turning in a funny way or had your eyes closed or were looking at me kind of annoyed or gawking at some silly bimbo who—" Helga had started to scowl a little bit at this last point that had automatically come into her head and out of her mouth.

Luckily, Arnold had noticed…and had made the quick decision to promptly come to the rescue.

Indeed, Helga blinked and practically almost dropped her camera at the feeling of Arnold, who had approached her once more, suddenly wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close and bringing his soft green eyes right to her fiery blue ones. She just stood there, frozen and wide-eyed and unable to speak, arms stiff at her sides…

And then Arnold finally sighed…and addressed her in a quiet…low voice. "You know…" he began softly, trying to take in all of that perfect blue in her gaze, "…over the last few months I've really started to understand why you act the way you do around me, Helga G. Pataki… But to be honest I don't think I'll ever understand how you can be jealous of other girls…other girls who don't have the ability or the passion to stalk someone they care about night and day, who don't have the creativity or skill to build shrines to certain people in closets, who don't have the talent or the love inside of them to write volumes of poetry… Really—no matter how many years go by I don't think it'll ever make any sense to me…"

He gave his words a moment to absorb.

And then the football headed fourth grader closed his eyes and gave Helga's perfect-just-as-they-were lips a soft, gentle, lingering kiss…(similar to that first real kiss from him he'd given her on the night of their first date just before his confession…but quite a bit longer, of course)…

Eventually, he allowed their mouths to separate with a small sound, and opened his eyes again. '_I guess I could have waited but…Doing it now wasn't just for me…it was for her too…So…I think that makes it alright_.' He watched her eyes flutter open too…a deep rosiness instantly flowered in her face…and then she just let out a small girlish sigh in response his action. '_Yeah. __Definitely__ alright_…'

Arnold just let out his own satisfied sigh, smiled just a bit more at her, and then finally gently released the dazed, wide eyed girl from his arms and returned himself to the edge of her bed. Sitting down there once more that afternoon, he scooched back a little and pulled up his legs this time, sitting cross-legged now. "So, are we going to do this picture, Helga…or would it be easier for you if I just walked around twenty four hours a day looking at you like I'm looking at you right now?" And indeed, he'd become much more aware of just what look it was that she loved so much, and was now doing his best (and succeeding at) giving it to her…which wasn't hard considering their kiss and how he felt about her in general. "I'm honestly okay with either choice, Helga…" he finished sincerely and still with that smile that she apparently found so attractive.

He watched as Helga blinked a few times more, continued to blush quite a bit, and then just smiled sheepishly in his direction and finally seemed to pull herself out of her enamored euphoria. "Oh! Uh…yeah, the picture…" She swallowed and looked at him a little apologetically for a moment. "Sorry for going a little 'jealous Helga' for a second on you there, Arnold. Old habits…" She shrugged and then cleared her throat, and her former happy smile returned. And finally she brought up the camera to her eye. "Say cheese, Football Head…or 'I love you, Helga.' I'm good with both…"

Arnold laughed warmly once more, happy she was okay again and just…just happy to be doing this random, slightly strange…and yet undeniably fun and interesting thing with her right now. "Love or cheese, huh?" he joked a little. "Well, since I've been saying it a lot less longer than you have considering we're only on week two of our relationship… I love you, Helga."

_FLASH_

'_I know, Arnold…I know_…' she thought happily to herself as she lowered the camera to look directly at her beloved once more…

…But then she quickly brought it back up to her eye and took a few steps closer to him. "And now just a few more…Strictly for posterity, of course!" She moved her face up and winked and then brought her eye back down to the viewer and started snapping a few more shots, flashes going off like crazy! '_Eh…might as well get some while the getting's good!'_

"Helga!" Arnold laughed and laughed, closing his eyes and holding an arm in front of himself at the sight of all the flashes.

She just moved even closer, circling around him on her bed a little, angling the camera in different ways. "Oh you're a _natural_, Football Head—_very_ photogenic! Maybe _you_ should have been the one to get that modeling contract I had instead of _me_—_WHOA_!" She laughed and fell forward as Arnold had just reached out and grabbed one of her arms, playfully pulling down onto the bed with him. And now, she realized, in her surprise, he'd managed to get the camera!

"No, I…think of the two of us _you_ make the better 'It Girl', Helga." He smirked a her and then flashed a photo or two of his own, laughing to himself. "Yup, there we go—that natural talent is just shining through! Come on, Helga, scowl for the camera—or smile if you want to." He lifted his head away from the viewer for a second. "Even if people like you better the first way I'll love you no matter what you choose or how you act." He smirked a little more. "Although I 'just don't understand why you can't act nice like that all the time'?" He playfully mocked his words from that whole 'It Girl' fiasco, and then just shook his head at her and the whole memory in amusement. "Mean and nasty and insensitive…yeah, only to people who you don't want to know that you secretly love them!" He winked and burst into warm laughter again as he went and snapped another photo.

With a laugh and her own playful smirk Helga suddenly rolled over onto him and pinned a smiling Arnold down on her bed by his shoulders. "Hey, _first of all_, _you're_ the one who admitted back then that you liked when I acted nice but yet you _still_ couldn't figure out that you maybe sort of like-liked me, you dense little Football Head!" She leaned in just a bit closer to him, her eyes half lidded. "And _second of all_, no more modeling for me _ever_! Now give me back my camera before the 'mean, nasty and insensitive' Helga G. Pataki pounds that Football Head of yours flat!"

"With punches or with kisses?" he asked, not missing a bit…and then managed to lift up one of his arms enough to get a grip on one of her arms and shift her to the side off of him.

Helga collapsed onto her side on her comforter, and then just let herself rest on her back for a moment next to him. She took a second or two catch her breath and then turned her head and lifted it up a little, allowing her smiling, flushed face to hover right over his as she announced plainly, simply, and with a ton of fun in her tone, "Guess!"

Before Arnold could respond though, Helga had reached up and over him to try and steal her camera once more…though she failed as he was now holding as far away from her as possible, having more than anticipated her fresh attack. "Nice try, Helga…but I knew you were going to try for it again…I could just feel it…" he smirked a little bit at her, "I really have just been…how did you put it, Helga… 'figuring you out all over the place' ?" he joked with a grin.

Helga let out a breath and just looked down over him right into those jellybean green eyes of his. "Oh yeah…" a touch of scarlet tinged her features…as she got an idea, "Did you 'figure out' I was going to do _this_, Football Head?"

And before Arnold could question her about this cryptic sentence, she brought her hands to his sides and began to tickle him like crazy!

"H-H-Helga!" he managed to get out between laughs, being forced to let the camera drop to her bed as he brought his formerly extended arm down to try and stop her. "H-H-Helga! Okay, okay, I…" he laughed a ton more, "I give up! You win! I'm the better 'It Girl' and you can take my picture all you want, alright?" his smiling mouth finally admitted in the throws of chuckles and convulsions.

"Hmm—knew you'd see it my way Arno—" Helga paused. She, with a very amused smirk, had just been reaching over her beloved to finally grab back the camera once and for all…

However, one of Arnold's hands had instantly shot up at her movement, and now it was grabbing her lightly by the wrist. She blinked, and looked down at him again.

He was just smiling…in that 'half lidded gaze' way like in her locket picture.

"Helga, Helga, Helga…" he began, "Now I think you of all people should be able to tell the difference between when someone admits to something sincerely and when they admit to it...in the heat of the moment…"

"What the heck are you talki—" She sucked her breath in sharply at suddenly feeling her beloved's other arm instantly come up around her waist and back, pulling her body against his on the bed! The arm of the wrist he'd grabbed pressed against the full length of his arm as well, the two limbs still reaching overhead. "A-Arnold, wha—" She was confused and a little worried and quite nervous…especially because his face right below hers was still just smiling ever so nicely.

Arnold just shook his wide head at her a little in amusement. "Tickling, Helga? Really? Is that what our relationship has come to…?" He let out a sigh and shrugged. "Well, alright. If that's fair game now for getting to each other then count me in, I guess." He winked. And even though he was a little scared himself…he was also finding this all quite fun! And he hadn't gotten in a tickle fight with someone in ages…not since he was a little kid…

Helga felt her heart pounding like mad. Her jaw dropped a little and her lower lip trembled… He wasn't…he didn't mean… '_Not Arnold_…' "You…" a smile almost came to her face at how absurdly obvious it was that he was bluffing… "You wouldn't dare…"

Arnold just shook his head again. "No, Helga, this isn't like that time on our anniversary when you said you were going to give Mr. Simmons the 'name poem' you wrote about me and have him read it out loud, but you really didn't mean it, or something. Yes, I would dare to do this, Helga…Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to it, to be honest…" He blushed a little but his half lidded gaze didn't falter. He held her a little more firmly around the waist.

Helga felt even more heat pound into her cheeks. She swallowed and felt a small squirm go through her body. She tried to maintain though, having forgotten all about the camera for a moment. "No…you would _not_ 'dare'. I know you, Arnold…you're too much of a gentleman…" she smirked a little, feeling a bit more of her confidence return. She took her hand that he wasn't holding above their heads and used it to prop herself up a bit more and really just stare him and his bluffing little self down a bit. "You would not have it in you to tickle a girl, Arnold. Never." She squeezed his hand that she was holding a bit. "Except for TWO knee squeezes under very special circumstances, those hands of yours NEVER make it below my shoulders…EVER! Even when you're hugging me, they always end up resting as high on my back as you can get them…" She narrowed her eyes a bit and pushed her face forward so that now their noses were just gently pressing against each other… "Face it, Football Head…Your dark side…just isn't that dark." '_Don't ever try and bluff with me, Arnoldo…You'll lose every time_…' She waited for him to cave.

Instead, the loving smile and the slightly narrowed eyes just remained.

"Did you know that my dark side…finds you…incredibly attractive, Helga Pataki?"

The next thing Helga became aware of was Arnold pulling her in and crushing her lips to his for several seconds, and the thing after that was suddenly being flipped onto her back and then convulsions and sparks and spirals and tingles and touches going all along her stomach and sides, and laughter and chuckles and giggles just pouring out of her mouth! "A-A-Arnold, s-s-stop!" she barely managed to get out in a fit smiles and laughs as he continued to lean over her, tickling her like crazy! '_He's…he's…oh…my…And WOW his fingers are strong…and his hands are so warm and he's…well, he's definitely touching me below my shoulders…' _Amidst the tickles she couldn't help but writhe in just a teeny bit of pleasure. He'd never actively touched her this much before EVER! And then starting it out with that passionate kiss… And what was that thing he'd said before that? Something about finding her 'incredibly attractive'. She would have swooned if she hadn't been nearly doubled over in hysterics.

Arnold just laughed right along with her. Indeed he had himself positioned just over her body and was tickling all up and down it like crazy, not caring that a part of him felt a little awkward for doing this to her and a little guilty about that kiss…and a little incredibly embarrassed about outright admitting that 'incredibly attracted to her' thing… "Hmm…" he chuckled, thoroughly letting himself enjoy himself, "No, I really don't think I can stop, Helga. I didn't realize it would make you giggle…and you know how much I like that sound…" He moved his fingers just under her ribs on her sides (she seemed most ticklish there) and heard a bunch more of those giggles pour out of her.

"S-S-Seriously, it…A-Arnold!" Her eyes were shut tight and the smile on her face was a mile wide. "I can't…I-I'm going to kill you when this is over, you…A-A-Arnold!" She twisted to this side and that side but there was no escape. And part of her wasn't even sure that she wanted an escape.

Arnold laughed and laughed more as well, continuing to bombard her body with tickles. "Okay, Helga, I'll stop under one condition…"

"N-Name it! Please! A-A-Anything!" she barely managed.

And then suddenly the tickling had ceased (though the tingles and the joy and the warmth still remained all throughout Helga's body), and she blinked a couple of times and noticed Arnold had moved past her on the bed, reaching for something. As her awareness more fully returned she then saw him now sitting up next to her on her bed, his face flushed, breathing heavily, still smiling…he had the camera in his hands. She swallowed and sat up a little on her arms, figuring she looked about the same as him after all of that.

Finally Arnold took in a deep breath, let out a deep breath…and his half lidded gaze fell to her eyes. He stated his 'condition'. "I…get to take one, perfect, non-accidental, completely planned photo of you happy and smiling, Helga G. Pataki…or I'll go right back to tickling you…because that was the most fun I think I've ever had." He awaited her approval, already adjusting some things on the camera. "Might even top the kissing…Well, okay, nothing could top the really big ones between us...but it sure comes close…" His smile picked up a little more on one side.

Helga just blinked several times at his unexpected request, and then sat up fully and instantly turned scarlet and glanced down and to the side shyly, nervously, with wide eyes. "A-A-Arnold…" she smiled a little, "That's, uh…that's cute but come on…no one in their right mind would want a picture of me…I mean, that's just…silly, and I—"

"It is no sillier than you wanting a picture of me, Helga…" Arnold simply stated, finishing up with the camera and turning his eyes back to her. "Besides, I…well…I like you smiling…R-Remember…? I find you incredibly, um…a-attractive, Helga…" Blood pounded into his face and he felt a little shiver pass through him… In fact, that whole 'attraction' thing really had been getting worse now that he was no longer afraid to admit it to himself. He kept feeling all bubbly inside every time they were together at this point…But she really was just so very…

"R-Really, Arnold?"

This hesitant, little, squeaked question broke him out of his musings. He just smiled a little more. She was sitting there, blushing, wide eyed, looking about as shy as he'd ever seen her before. And very very unsure.

He just let out a sigh. "Smile and say cheese, Helga…or 'I'm madly in love with Arnold.' Either one…" He brought the camera to his eye.

He heard a small giggle escape her, and watched through the camera lens as she crossed her legs and placed her hands on either side of herself, and then just turned toward him, her face all rosy and smiling…her blue eyes so warm. "Yes, I'm madly in love with you, Arnold. Guilty as charged. And if you don't quit being such a flirt, I'm gonna start suspecting that you have a few feelings for me up your sleeve too."

_FLASH_

"I don't know what you're talking about, Helga…" Arnold brought the camera away from his eye and shrugged innocently. "Me with feelings for you…? Modest, mild-mannered Arnold suddenly completely, hopelessly and undeniably in love with you, huh? Captivated by your every move…Hanging on your every word…Dating you night and day…Hmm…that's a stretch, Helga…" She was just giggling again and again as he kept this up, only making Arnold want to milk things further. "But to help prove it, I guess we could take some more 'photographic evidence'…" He gave her a sly smile…

And suddenly the camera viewer was up by his eye again and he was snapping shot after shot once more. "Yes, I can see it now—we can make it a headline in the school paper. Helga G. Pataki Wins Heart of Football Headed Little Love God! Come on, Helga, smile for you boyfriend. And for the front page! Please!" He let the camera drop from his face for a moment and just gave into some serious laughter. "Hey!" Distracted by his happiness and laughter, he suddenly felt the camera snagged from his hands.

His eyes met those of a smiling Helga, who had it once again now, and who was just sitting across from him like before.

"First of all that headline should read something more like Do-Gooder Turned Into Romantic Daredevil by Queen of Kisses, Helga G. Pataki." She laughed to herself and shook her head at him and his jokes. "And second of all, there is NO way I'm letting you go through the rest of our lives thinking you finally beat me at something with this camera thing, Arnoldo!" She narrowed her eyes a little bit. "We've used a nice amount of the role…but here're twelve pictures left. Whoever snaps the last one is champion! And the loser buys the winner an ice cream cone later. Deal?"

Arnold just let out a sigh through his nose and narrowed his eyes as well. "Deal!"

"Great!" She brought the camera up to her eye. "I like banana chocolate chunk, Football Head. Just so you know."

"Hmm…I'll keep that in mind while I'm eating my cone of pistachio. Maybe I'll take pity on you and buy you a cone anyway though, Helga…" He tensed up a little, ready for the epic little struggle getting ready to resume between them.

_FLASH_

She scoffed as the shot was snapped "Confident, are we? And 'pistachio'? You are _so_ abnormal sometimes, Arnoldo. What kid in their right mind picks that as their favorite flavor?" Moving the camera down from her face again, she tensed up as well, sensing what was about to come the second this witty banter ran out.

"Well…I was going to pick 'Raspberry Lemonade'…but I don't think they make that in an ice cream flavor, Helga…" He winked, and leaned closer.

She instantly swallowed and blushed, glancing away…her lips in a small smile. "Romantic deviant!" she managed with a gulp.

"Hey, you're the one who started this whole 'flavored lips' thing—not me…" he shot back playfully. "I'm just…going along for the ride…"

_FLASH_

"Speaking of just going along with things that I start…I'm never gonna let you forget the fact that you tickled me, Arnold. Never ever." She'd gotten in another shot and now adjusted the camera once again for the next picture. "Tell your dark side I'm impressed." She looked back up at him and winked.

"You're stalling right now, aren't you Helga?" Arnold merely asked with a smirk…though a blush had crept up into his cheeks…She had been right—prior to today his hands had gone no lower than her shoulders and upper back…And he knew he wouldn't have it in him to tickle her like that again anytime soon no matter what he'd said before about starting it up again if she'd refused him his photo of her… _'I cannot believe that I_…' And yet, who was he kidding—with half the stuff with her he'd found himself involved with over the last few weeks…doing something like this was more than believable for him at this point. '_She's right…I'm a romantic deviant…_' His smirk picked up considerably on one side. '_Hmm…it's not so bad, actually…Besides I'm sure I'll be back to normal by our next date…But for now…well, __she's__ happy and __I'm__ happy…does anything else really matter?'_

"Oh maybe…" Helga's response to his question about the stalling broke through Arnold's thoughts. His eyes focused on her again, and he watched as she finished with the camera and then allowed it to rest in her lap for a moment. She glanced up at him. "What are you gonna do about it?"

He paused now…eyes narrowed once again. '_When you snatch the fly out of my hand…your training will be complete…_' His grandmother's words echoed in his mind. "Well…I'm going to do _this_, Helga."

"What the heck are you tal—"

Her eyes went wide and she did a double take! Arnold now had the camera!

And he was instantly flashing away!

"Ten…Nine…Eight…I can taste the ice cream already, Helga!" he called out to her from behind the device, standing up and moving away from the bed to get a different angle on her.

Helga, finally coming out of shock at his incredibly quick steal of the camera, just resumed her former grin and held up an arm to defend herself from the bombardment of lights! "Oh that is it—You are dead Football Head!" And with that she was instantly up and chasing after him, missing him as he went across her room, but just managing to tackle him back onto the bed again when he doubled back. In all of his laughter at being stopped by her, she snagged the device for a minute and flashed a shot or two but then he clung to her all of a sudden and somehow managed to pop it out of her hands and into his own, and then somehow after another shot or two she got it back and then she got it again…the whole time the two of them taking picture after picture of each other and a shot or two accidentally going off over their heads the time or two that one of them reached up with the camera and the other one reached up for it.

And so Arnold and Helga spent the better part of the rest of their afternoon together in this fashion, just messing around, stealing the camera from each other, taking pictures, making little jokes and sharing little tickles…and maybe (of course) throwing in a little kiss or two along the way…

In the end they really didn't care who had ended up snapping the last photo. All they knew was that eventually the camera had run out of film. And so, with mutual shrugs and smiles they settled on making their own ice cream sundaes for each other downstairs to finish their afternoon together.

* * *

**LAUNDRY DAY**

"Hi Grandpa!" Arnold greeted happily as he entered the Boarding House, his eyes falling upon the familiar old man standing in the foyer. He closed the front door of the boarding house behind himself with a smile.

The elderly man, who had just been walking down the hall, stopped and smiled at the sudden arrival home of his Grandson this afternoon. "Oh hey, Shortman—there you are!" He reached into his suspenders and gave a quick glance to his pocket watch. "I thought you said you and Gerald would be done by five today. Game run a little long?" he looked back to Arnold, still smiling.

Arnold approached his grandfather and stretched up for a moment in just a bit of exhaustion, the end result of the long yet fun afternoon he'd just had. "Yeah—two extra innings. It was really fun to get to spend some extra time with Gerald though." And indeed, Arnold and Gerald hadn't exactly had a lot of quality time together lately for obvious reasons…and Arnold had thought that Helga and Phoebe were probably missing each other a bit as well…and so our favorite couple had decided that an afternoon or two off from their courtship wouldn't be the 'worst' thing in the world for them to endure.

Arnold came out of these brief recollections as it now fully washed over him that he was, indeed, quite a bit later than he'd expected to be. Almost an hour at this point. He looked up at his Grandfather and added sincerely, "Sorry I wasn't back in time to help start dinner, Grandpa."

Phil just waved him off with a grin. "Oh don't worry about that, Shortman. It's good to see you getting out a bit, anyway." His smile became just a bit slyer as he added with a dramatic eye roll, "I mean, not that it isn't great that you finally got things worked out with Helga, but all that time you're together you two usually spend up in your room or over at her house in her room doing 'who knows what.' Heh heh!" Naturally, Phil just couldn't resist.

Arnold felt a quick blush come to his cheeks and he instantly glanced down in embarrassment. "Grandpa…" Still, despite how annoyed he was trying to sound, a smile could obviously be seen pulling at the corners of his mouth…and, unbeknownst to Phil, the young boy's heart was also pleasantly fluttering as brief memories of all of his 'alone time' lately with Helga flitted through his wide mind.

"Heh, heh…" Phil just continued laughing to himself and then finally just smiled down at his Grandson once more. "Sorry, Arnold—couldn't resist!" He winked.

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes, his smile becoming more and more apparent despite the teasing. "Anyway, speaking of Helga…has she gotten here yet for dinner, Grandpa?" A new worry had just occurred to Arnold besides the fact that he hadn't been here to help start dinner—he also potentially hadn't been here to greet Helga! And that possible situation likewise couldn't help but make a tiny flutter of guilt go off inside of him.

Phil just grinned once more at Arnold and now gestured with his head to the boarding house staircase. "Oh, yes, she got here—about fifteen or twenty minutes ago, I think." He scratched the back of his head and put his other hand on one of his hips, looking back to his Grandson. "I haven't seen her yet, of course—been spending a little personal time in my private office thanks to those raspberry turnovers your Grandma made for breakfast. But I definitely heard a knock at the door before and the last I saw Pookie she was heading up the stairs with a smile saying something about how I shouldn't interrupt her because it seems 'Eleanor Roosevelt' just paid a visit and they haven't gotten a chance to really chat since their adventure with the mystery of the great plague of sleeping illness on the subcontinent or something." Phil rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath with a half grin to himself, "Crazy old bird…"

Arnold had to chuckle at the description of the incident and of what his grandmother had said: translating that she and Helga hadn't really gotten to talk since that time Helga had sleepwalked over here into something about an incurable disease none could wake up from in Africa? _'Yeah, that sounds like the way Grandma would put the fact that Helga was here and they were going to spend some time together…_' He smiled at his grandfather. "Okay, Grandpa. I'll just head upstairs and see if they're done talking yet. Do you want me to come back down afterwards and help set the table or—"

Phil sighed in a bit of exasperation and suddenly pushed a slightly confused but very amused Arnold toward the staircase. "Arnold, don't you know anything about dating? Sheesh, the girl's been up there for almost a half an hour and you just want to check in and then come down here and do chores after you haven't seen her in practically two days since you two have been trying to catch up with your friends? Cheese and crackers, get up there and give the poor girl a little attention!" he scolded in finish.

Arnold just laughed to himself at the advice and at his grandfather's gentle push of him in Helga's direction that had accompanied it. "Okay, maybe you're right, Grandpa…" he admitted with a small and a somewhat half lidded gaze as his eyes fell to the steps that would lead him to her.

" 'Course I'm right!" Phil announced with his both of his hands on his hips as a still smiling Arnold began to ascend the stairs. "Rule number one of dating, Shortman—a lady'll always keep you waiting but NEVER keep her waiting! Especially one who could take you in a fight!" He rolled his eyes and called out to his Grandson's disappearing form as some memories of his youth flashed through his mind. "Believe me—I have the scars to prove it! _Literally_!"

Watching Arnold go, Phil's warm smile slowly returned and he just shook his head at the departing fourth grader. '_Heh…Boy still has a lot to learn…Oh well, at least he was lucky enough to find a good one to teach him, just like I was_…' He sighed in blissful reminiscing and then walked off to the kitchen, a smile on his face, to finish preparing things for dinner.

* * *

Arnold, meanwhile, was just laughing to himself a bit more at his grandfather's words as he finally made it to the second landing of the boarding house. He took a breath to get his chuckles under control and then glanced around the hallway in search of Helga or his grandmother.

"Grandma!" He raised a hand to his mouth and called out with a touch of curiosity, seeing no one right away. "Helga?" He walked down the hallway, glancing from side to side at all the doors…They could be anywhere, really…visiting someone or in his grandparent's room. '_Hmm…or maybe they went back downstairs to the den or the basement or something and Grandpa just didn't see them—'_

"Oh, Kimba! _There_ you are!"

Arnold stopped walking and a smile came to his face at the sight of the head and shoulders of his grandmother (who was currently dressed in her usual clothing, though she had a scarf around her hair as though she was in the middle of doing some chores…) suddenly popping out from behind the now ajar door of her and his grandfather's room. "Hi, Grandma!" The young boy greeted her with a smile, approaching the entrance to the room in question.

Stepping out into the hallway entirely now, the old woman just gave the young boy a bit of a scolding smile and wagged a finger at him. "Are you just getting back from your trip to the Sahara, Kimba? And knowing full well that you had a very important date to keep today!" She crossed her arms over her chest and her smile picked up a little on one side.

Arnold just sighed and nearly chuckled at the question. He took a step or two toward her. "Grandma…I mean, Bwana…" he lowered his voice a little and glanced over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't been followed upstairs, "You know…Grandpa's not here right now so you can just ask me if I just got back from 'seeing the game with Gerald', if you want to…"

It was then that young Arnold heard a very familiar sigh come from within the room his Grandma had just exited. "Yeah, but, seriously, Football Head—where would the fun in _that_ be? Right, Bwana?" And then a grinning Helga Pataki, her arms crossed over her chest, emerged into the hallway as well. She shot Arnold a quick wink and then gave Gertie a knowing smile.

Gertie just chuckled to herself, glancing back at the young girl. "You got it, Eleanor!" She put her hands on her hips. "One thing you should get used to if you're going to stick around here, Eleanor—the men in this family can all be real sticks in the mud if they don't have someone around to constantly whip them into shape."

Helga laughed and rolled her eyes, gesturing with her head in Arnold's direction. "Oh, _tell_ me about it! Seriously, the most daring thing Arnoldo did on a daily basis BEFORE I came along was occasionally not having exact change for the bus. Now, though, whoo boy, if I told you half the stuff I've gotten him to—"

"Um, Helga!" She was cut off by Arnold instantly coming forward with a bright blush on his face and his eyes wide, and gently putting a hand over her mouth. Though the lower part of her face was covered, the look in Helga's eyes bespoke a sly smile. He cleared his throat and glanced away. "Uh…" he swallowed and tried to think of any kind of decent segway away from Helga suddenly recounting some of his more 'daring' moments when it came to her over the last few weeks (and there had been MANY of them). "Maybe…maybe we could save the stories for another time, Helga…" He settled on, before removing his hand from her mouth and putting it and its mate behind his back, looking a bit sheepish. He took a step back. "Anyway, uh…have…have you and Grandma been having fun?" He from his grandmother to his girlfriend and then recalled his tardiness and spoke more sincerely, the nervousness starting to leave his voice. "S-Sorry I'm late, by the way—the game ran for a few extra innings…"

At all of this adorable little bashfulness, Helga just sighed and smiled at her beloved and did her best not to chuckle. She waved him off and spoke in an understanding tone. "No problem, Football Head. Gave me the chance to spend some time with your zany yet loveable family, right Bwana?" She glanced to Arnold's Grandma again.

Gertie smiled down at her and swung a fist through the air in a triumphant gesture. "That's the spirit!" She gave a contented sighed and shook her head. "Oh, Eleanor, I've missed you—I'm so happy you're stopping by so regularly now and that you and Kimba have hit it off so well."

Helga laughed slightly to herself and glanced down happily. "Yeah, I'm pretty happy about that myself. And of course it's always nice to see you again, Gert—uh, Bwana." She looked back up at her…just a touch of gratefulness in her eyes. "I'm just happy I finally got the chance to thank you for all of your help with the 'sleeping sickness thing'."

Gertie just chuckled to herself and gave Helga a wink. "Of course, dear." The two ladies shared a laugh.

Arnold chuckled as well at the memory of the sleepwalking incident, and now stepped forward a little again. "Well, I'm really happy you two got the chance to talk again." His eyes turned to Helga. "I was going to say that we could go up to my room until dinner since my Grandpa says he doesn't need any help setting things up, but if you want to stay down here with my Grandma we can do that too, Helga."

Helga's smile brightened a little, and she glanced first behind her in the direction of Arnold's room and then back up at the amusing woman beside her…and then her eyes fell once more to her beloved. "Well, you know, normally I would take you up on an offer for a little one-on-one time in your room in a heartbeat, Football Head. Especially since we haven't gotten a chance for any private time for the last two days since our best friends were feeling neglected…" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an approving smile as she quickly interjected, "By the way, good suggestion that I make plans with Phoebe while you were off doing the baseball game today and the arcade yesterday with Geraldo. Me and her got some ice cream and caught a movie and gossiped about you and tall hair boy a bit and it really seemed to make her happy…and then_ I_ got to gush about you quite a bit, and overall the whole thing felt kind of good for both of us actually." Helga cleared her throat and recalled the initial point of her reply to her beloved. "But, anyway, like I said, normally I'd jump at the chance to be alone with you in your room, but I'm actually in the middle of helping Bwana with a mission of sorts so I think just this once I'll have to take a rain check."

Arnold just took another step toward her, still smiling…a sort of half lidded look still on his face. Barely realizing it, he took one of her hands in one of his own. The idea of her 'gushing about him'… "Sure, Helga. No problem."

Helga felt her heart flutter at his touch though she did her best not to show it… Though she couldn't help getting a dreamy grin on her face at that half lidded gaze he was giving her. '_It's like he doesn't even realize he's pouring on the charm half the time…What a little closet romantic…_' She wanted to giggle.

Arnold, meanwhile, with a small sigh at how pretty she looked smiling before him…and at how much he suddenly realized he'd been missing that sight over the past couple of days…just smiled just a bit more and gently slipped his hand from Helga's as he continued speaking, looking from the girl before him to his grandmother. "Can I help with the 'mission' at all, you guys?" After all, he wasn't about to leave her alone now that they were both here together…and if his grandmother needed something, well certainly it was the right thing to do to help her out.

Arnold, who had expected an immediate 'yes' to his request, instead watched with curiosity as Helga's response to this simple, innocent question of his was to blink and then blush slightly. She then gave an almost…unsure glance to Gertie.

'_Mmm…he wouldn't be…__that__ mad at me…right_?' Helga couldn't help but think to herself with a swallow…still looking to Gertie…still thinking about what 'fun mission' she'd been lucky to find herself in upon arriving at the boarding house…and how it really was just a little arguably stalkerish.

Picking up on the young girl's slight hesitation, Gertie just smiled down at her reassuringly, giving her a very deliberate look. "Now, Eleanor, you know if you want to just head upstairs and spend time with Kimba instead, you two can go on… I can finish things up alright by myself…and we can just keep the mission between you and me…" She winked supportively.

Helga seemed to consider for a moment (all of this was a little confusing…though a bit amusing nonetheless…to Arnold, by the way)…but then the ten-year-old blonde just let out a breath shrugged, and smiled sincerely at the old woman. '_Well…I __am__ trying to be completely honest with Arnold. I mean, it's worked great so far…Heck, who knows—maybe he'll even get a kick out of it._' "Eh—that's okay, Bwana. I really do want to finish what we started…" Her smile became a little smirkish as she then added, crossing her arms over her chest and gesturing with her head to her boyfriend, "And I _guess_ we could let old Football Head help…'

Gertie chuckled just slightly to herself and then looked to her grandson. "If you want to, Kimba, then the more the merrier!" And with that and a shrug she headed back into the room.

Helga just laughed and then took Arnold's hand, and proceeded to pull him along with her to follow behind the older woman. "Okay, Football Head, you can give us a hand. I warn you, though, this is a pretty minor 'mission'—no air vents, elaborate ruses, or near social death experiences involved." She glanced back at him and winked.

Arnold, enjoying that she was holding his hand again, just laughed a little and followed Helga within, matching pace with her quickly enough. "Aw, darn it," he joked in a low voice, "And just when I was looking forward to being trapped in a closet or something with you again."

He noticed Helga freeze up for a second and he now stopped moving forward as well. Arnold then had to seriously try to fight back some laughter as she turned to look at him, a blush apparent on her face, and spoke back to him in a low voice. "Oh just…" she was trying very much in vain to keep the dreamy smile off of her face, "Just shut up, you big jerk…"

Arnold rolled his eyes and moved closer beside her. "Don't you mean 'big lug'?" He did his best not to laugh even more at that memor— "Ow!" he flinched just slightly at the playful though firm punch Helga had just given his shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and let his hand go, putting both of hers on her hips with a smirk, her blush already starting to dissipate. "Crimeny, you are such a flirt, Head Boy! Sheesh, rope it in, already, Romeo!"

"Okay you two…" Grandma called from the other side of the coffee table in the middle of the room, around which she'd walked while her grandson and his girlfriend had been having this little exchange. The kids (currently still near the doorway just inside the room), blinked and turned to her at this address, recalling their purpose here. "Enough whispering sweet nothings to each other…" Gertie went on with a smile. "We have a mission to complete!" Instantly she bent over and appeared to grab something that was on the floor (though from the position of the table Arnold couldn't really see what it was) and then stood…revealing it to be a full laundry basket, which she then plopped onto the tabletop.

"Laundry?" Arnold instantly asked with a touch of surprise, raising an eyebrow, having really not expected that at all.

"Doi, Football Head!" Helga announced, heading over to join Gertie. "Yeah, I got here and you weren't back yet, and your Grandma was coming up from the basement with a few of these baskets and she looked like she might need some help—and I can't be self centered ALL the time, so…I offered to give her a hand." She raised part of her brow at him, still smiling slightly dreamily. "Aren't you glad you put me in touch with my sweet side, Football Head?" She almost giggled.

Arnold felt a warmth come over his heart at what she'd just told him she'd done…and then smiled a bit more in response to her question and walked over to the table to join the two ladies in their chore. "Thanks, Helga…that really was, well…sweet of you." He blushed a bit and glanced down…

…Which caused Helga to blush a bit and glance down as well. "Sure thing, Arnold…"

There was a moment of precious silence between the two ten-year-olds (which Gertie was more than content to let happen)

After a couple of seconds, though, recalling that they weren't alone and WERE in the middle of something, Helga cleared her throat and did her best to move the situation along. "Anyway…" Arnold, glancing up, couldn't help but notice that her grin became just a bit slyer…and her blush grew just a little stronger… Once again he felt a little confused (and once again something about her smiling and blushing was so very distracting to him that he didn't harp on the confusion thing too much…for now.) "Well, anyway, Arnold…" she went on after clearing her throat, "I was just helping her fold some of the clean stuff to put away. No big deal…"

She was looking down and gently digging her foot into the carpet. She was so cute looking all sweet and shy like that, that Arnold really didn't think twice about what she might be feeling 'shy' about… '_She's the prettiest girl in the whole—_'

"Oh, no, a VERY big deal…" Gertie suddenly interjected with a smile, interrupting his pleasant thoughts and causing Arnold to blink and quickly come back to reality, happy he hadn't gotten lost in a daydream or anything else embarrassing. "I almost didn't think I could make it up here with those three baskets all by myself and since the general was busy," she looked to Helga as she continued on, "…but you made it happen. Thank you, dear!"

Helga smiled up at her modestly. "Oh you're…you're welcome, Arnold's Grandma…"

Gertie instantly waved her off. "Oh, just call me Gertie, Helga…" she assured her firmly…and then Arnold noticed a gleam come into her eye for a second before she added, "Oh and call Arnold's Grandpa 'Phil'…he _loves_ that!"

Arnold did his best not to laugh at the advice, while Helga just smiled a bit more at the old woman and with a wink replied, "You got it, Gertie!"

Gertie chuckled at the enthusiastic response, and then brought another two baskets up from the floor to rest on the table. "Well, I guess we'd better get to it then before dinnertime…" She looked at the laundry for a moment and then, with a disbelieving smile, just had to let out a sigh and shake her head in a bit of dismay. "Honestly, though, for a family of three I don't know how we make this much laundry in two weeks…"

Arnold, still smiling (and still just happy to be near Helga), was about to agree with his Grandmother's statement and then pull a basket over to himself to start folding…

…when Gertie finished her sentence…

"…And your Grandpa's and my stuff is still going through the washer…This is all just from _you_, Arnold!"

Arnold paused all movement for a second.

And then his eyes suddenly went very wide…

…And he was fairly certain his heart had just stopped. '_Did she just say…?_'

He opened his mouth and tried (and failed) to sound casual as he asked of his grandmother in a noticeably high pitched voice, "Did you just say…that this is all _my_ stuff…that Helga's been folding?"

Gertie just smiled at him (and really did her best not to smirk too much…and to not just yet bring attention to Helga, just standing off to the side still, who's blush and smirk had grown quite a bit stronger). "Why yes, Arnold…" she shrugged like it was no big deal, "Like I said, this is all that's dry, the rest of our stuff is still getting washed." She shook her head at her Grandson's reaction and then finally turned her attention back to Helga. "So, Helga, ready to move on to the next basket?"

Arnold blinked and he instantly turned to Helga, who he watched just grin a bit more at his grandmother's address, her face all rosy. "Bring it on!" she managed, as casually as could be. '_It's okay, it's okay…Actually, I haven't' really gotten a chance to make him really sweat about something in a little while so this might be kind of fun…I'll just have to keep myself from taking it too far… But other than that…might as well milk it while I have the chance! Oh Arnold…you should always know better than to leave me unsupervised in your house_…' "Oh and by the way, Football Head…" Set on this course of action, Helga then turned to a still shocked looking and at this point very pale Arnold, "This probably goes without saying but if you ever tell anyone I was involved in doing your laundry I guarantee you will randomly find itching powder in everything you wear whenever the mood strikes me from now until the end of time." She shrugged and turned her attentions back to the baskets before her. "And don't think for even a second that I'm going all 'domestic' on you—I just happen to like spending time with your family and I just happen to like spending time with your clothes (you know, when I'm NOT trapped in a closet with them because I'm trying to sneak out of your room but you won't freaking leave for long enough to let me make a break for the window)." She chuckled at the memory of the pink book incident, among other things, (and also used the small chance for a laugh as a way to release some personal stress she was feeling at the moment) and then looked back up at Gertie. "So, we already did his sweaters and the plaid shirts…way to have a MILLION of those, by the way, Football Head!" She rolled her eyes. "What's next, Gertie?"

Gertie smiled and then gestured from one basket to the other as she described their respective contents. "Well, like you said we already folded the sweaters and shirts and put them in this one…" she moved one of the basket filled with dark red and green colors to the side and gestured to the other two remaining, "So all we have left to do are the pajamas…"

Helga's eyes lit up for a second as she glanced down and her eye caught on something at the top of the basket…Something blue and with a pattern…"Ah, yes, of course—the teddy bear pajamas old Football Head randomly ran out in public in when he had that nightmare that turned out to just be his subconscious screaming 'Lila bad, Helga good'…" '_I do love the memory of that…_' She sighed to herself in a bit of personal satisfaction.

(As for Arnold, meanwhile, the poor, flustered boy was continuing to just…to just really try and convince himself that he was not hearing and seeing and being a part of what he was hearing and seeing and being a part of.)

Gertie's smile just grew a bit in response to Helga's comment, and the old woman now gestured to the final basket on the bed…smirking just a little more as she casually stated, "And then we've got the whites."

'_Okay, forget trying to keep myself from taking it too far! Once in a lifetime opportunities only come along once in a lifetime!_' Helga's eyes lit up and a rush of heat came to her face and she quickly announced, reaching over for the basket, "Bingo! Let's go with thos—" She had her hand half on an item from inside the basket when she instantly felt her body being pulled around the coffee table and in an entirely opposite direction courtesy of something that had a very firm hold of her hand.

"Okay, Helga, I think that's enough 'helping' for today—come on, let's watch some TV or something, or double check that my Grandpa doesn't need any help with dinner. Thanks for keeping her company, Grandma—bye!" These nervously and hastily (and high-pitched sounding, almost cracking) words came out of Arnold's mortified mouth as he suddenly proceeded to pull Helga away from the opportunity to touch his pajamas…among other things... '_If I'd gotten back here any later, then she'd have…'_

He felt even more heat instantly rush to his face and did his best to clear his head of this line of thought as he, with Helga still in tow, entered the hallway and he shut his Grandparent's door behind them.

Breathing heavily, Arnold just leaned against the wall by the door, his eyes wide. He really just needed a minute…

The sound of Helga's voice ripped him out of his state of shock rather quickly though. "Hey, Football Head, what gives?" She smiled slyly at him and leaned on her shoulder beside him against the wall, and added innocently (though she was still blushing a little, of course), "I was just trying to help your Grandma with a little laundry…no need to have a conniption." She let out a breath and moved away from the wall, and before he could respond just yet to her, suddenly went on, "But if it's such a big deal to you then you just stay out here and I'll go back in and 'do the right thing' by finishing helping her fold a few of your nightshirts, ball a pair of socks or two…make sure the creases come out right in your—"

Arnold's eyes instantly practically dilated, and before he knew what he was doing he'd moved forward and grabbed her shoulders and now had Helga pinned against the wall. He opened his mouth as though about to speak, though his system was so utterly overloaded with pure shock and embarrassment and shyness at this point that for a moment he just stood there, looking into her amused eyes in panic, and slowly letting his breathing slow… _'She…She…I…'_

Helga just did her best not to smirk at him…actually kind of enjoying the fact a little that his hands were on her and he was so close…even if his sudden action had nothing to do with romance at the moment… "Something on your mind, Football Head?" she asked innocently enough. _'I'm pushing it…I know I'm pushing it…but this is just too funny_…'

Ignoring the question, Arnold eventually he took one final breath in and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. He then gently released the girl before him and took a step back from her, and then opened his eyes once more. He did his best to speak calmly. "Helga…" he paused and then paced to the side a little, "You…" He paused again, shook his head, and paced a little back to the other side. "I…" he raised a finger, as though really about to speak this time…but hesitated once more…the words for it all just not coming to him.

Helga, meanwhile, finally taking pity on his humiliation and dilemma, just sighed and came forward, putting a hand on her beloved's shoulder and saving him the trouble. "Alright, alright…look, Arnold, I'm sorry and I admit it—I…might have pushed things a _little_ too far just now, but I haven't seen you in a couple of days and I haven't had a good, crazy scheme in what feels like forever, and it actually _was_ really fun to catch up with your Grandma, and if you recall it wasn't too long ago that you came out of my closet having just had an examination of _my_ clothes, and on top of all that, well…" She let out a sigh and looked at Arnold with a mix of sheepishness and sincerity, removing her hand from his shoulder and putting it and its mate behind her back. "…Well, once again, Arnold…even though I think it's been becoming pretty obvious to you for the last few weeks no matter how much I try and hide it…I'm just a little off sometimes, Football Head, and I—"

She stopped suddenly and had to raise part of her brow in confusion as Arnold…with a small smile on his face (?)…suddenly walked calmly past her, opened the door of the room they'd just left, and entered, closing it behind him.

Helga just remained standing there in confusion alone for a few seconds…and then the door opened again and Arnold exited the room once more, closing it behind him again, though not before calling out "Thanks, Grandma!" over his shoulder.

Helga just continued to stare in perplexity at him…and at the laundry basket he now had with him, full of his green sweaters and red and yellow plaid shirts.

"Uh…Football Head?" she asked very VERY cautiously. '_What's he up to…and whatever happened to the rest of whatever he was about to say to me…?_ _I mean, does he forgive me, or…' _She gulped at the frightening possibility of him actually not forgiving her for something. Not that she doubted for even a moment his capacity to be the most forgiving and understanding and supportive boy in the world, but still…Even that very notion of him not (at least eventually) being okay with what she'd done seemed like…well, like just about the saddest thing in the world to her.

She watched as Arnold placed the basket upon the floor at her question, sighed, and then smiled a little more and finally looked to her again. "Oh…sorry I keep leaving you alone even though we're supposed to be on a date, Helga, but I just figured that you were right about my Grandma having a lot to do…and as long as you said this basket was done being folded…" He swallowed and shrugged before finishing, "…I figured I might as well bring it up to my room to put away…"

Helga just blinked at the explanation. "Oh…Uh, okay…" she responded with a lot of confusion. "So, uh…" she swallowed nervously and put her hands behind her back, trying to seem casual as she inquired, "So...we're good, then…you and me?" She held her breath a little.

In response to this (obviously important to her) question, Arnold just picked up the laundry basket and sighed to himself, smiling over his shoulder at Helga as he began to make his way down the hall. "Come on, Helga…I want to get these put away before dinner and I could use some help…" '_She…'_ He sighed to himself and shook his head with a smile once more, continuing onward toward his room.

"Uh…" '_Okay, is this some instant form of denial or…?_' "Right behind you, Football Head…" was the only thing Helga could think to say as she instantly raced after him.

* * *

"Uh…Football Head?" Helga asked cautiously, handing him another shirt to put away (they'd already gotten the sweaters folded up and tucked neatly into his dresser drawers and now the last of the shirts was all that remained).

Arnold took the folded item and placed it on a hanger, and then hung it up in his closet, which the two of them were currently standing in the open doorway of. "Yes, Helga?" he asked, still with a slight smile on his face (the same slight smile he'd had this whole time…the one that was starting to creep her out a bit).

"Uh…well…" she went on, rubbing the back of her neck, a worried look still in her eyes, "A-Are you SURE we're okay from before…? I mean, from that small situation I tried to take advantage of just to get under your skin… It's just…" she blushed a bit and handed him another shirt from the basket, "You seemed a little upset at first but now you're acting like nothing happened and I just want to make sure you're not mad at me or anything, heh, heh…heh…" She grabbed the final shirt to be put away and held it out to him…and held her breath again, waiting for his reply…

Arnold, however, still did not give her the direct answer she obviously desired.

Instead, he just let out a sigh and finished putting the shirt she'd just handed him away. He then turned to her to get the next item of clothing she was holding out to him. Helga just continued to watch unsurely as he gently grabbed the item and was about to turn around and put it in a hanger…. But then he paused and his eyes (which had been glancing at it every now and again as he and she had been putting things from it away) fell upon the laundry basket on the floor once more…and he saw that it was now empty…and then his smile grew a little. "Helga, is that the last shirt?"

Helga blinked at the unexpected question and then glanced into the now empty basket and then back up at her beloved, who was indeed holding his final plaid shirt. "Uh, yeah…" she shrugged, "Looks like it…" '_Why won't he answer me?' _She was really worried at this point. Really, really worried…

"Oh, good…" Arnold smiled at her just a bit more, and then glanced down at the shirt in his hands and almost…chuckled about something?

Helga swallowed and gathered her courage to try one more time. "Football Head? Seriously! About the laundry thing from before…even if you don't want to talk about it can you at least just give me some kind of sign that we're okay?" Honestly, she didn't think that at least THAT was too much to ask. Just a 'high sign' or a wink or something to let her know that he didn't secretly hate her guts now or whatever.

She noticed that the request only made Arnold's grin pick up just a bit more on one side. Then suddenly he took a step toward her. "Come on, Helga…" And then to her COMPLETE surprise and confusion he tossed the plaid shirt he'd been holding into her hands! "I think dinner's probably ready now and everything's all put away, and I don't know about you but _I'm_ starving…" And then be began to walk to the door…

Helga just blinked and then looked down at the shirt in her hands and then back toward her beloved. "Arnold…what are you talking about?" And now she felt herself seriously starting to scowl, and her patience growing thin at how strange he was acting! And at how he was obviously blowing her off! "Seriously, Football head, if you're angry just say so and if you're okay just say so, but quit ignoring me every time I ask you which one you are right now!" She held up the shirt, "And what the heck does _this_ mean, anyway? Some subtle hint for me to put it away myself? Is that your big passive aggressive revenge, Arnoldo, because if it is then you're even more of a stick in the mud than I thought you wer—"

"It means that it's yours."

The response made Helga stop mid word. She froze and her eyes went wide. She almost dropped the shirt. "_Huh_?"

Arnold did his best not to laugh (or blush too much). He turned back to Helga and to explain. "I tossed it to you, Helga, because it's the last one in the basket…and I said that everything was put away already because that one's not mine to put away anymore. It's yours…to keep. If you want it, I mean, of course, Helga…" He swallowed hard and felt a slight embarrassed twist go through his stomach, and couldn't help shyly glancing down just a bit as he went on. "But I just figured…considering how you feel about me and what you just tried to do with my clothes with my Grandma…and all those times you spent in my closet over the years, like you were saying… Well, I just figured that you might like something of mine that you could hang onto permanently…and with my permission." He chuckled a bit to himself at the idea of her really caring THAT much, not just about him but also about _everything and anything to do with_ him, and then looked back up at the girl before him. "Is that okay, Helga? Otherwise, I can take it back…"

She just remained standing there, frozen, her eyes wide, still in that former position of mid speech with the shirt raised high in the air, the same as when she had been yelling at him just now. '_He's…he's giving me…his…his…'_

Helga managed to shift her eyes up and to lower the soft, warm looking plaid shirt down a little…a shirt Arnold had worn…that smelled like him and that was a part of him and that was a personal item of his…that he was giving to her… Yes, over the years she'd been fortunate enough to swipe used gum, an occasional sock, heck even his hat for a little while, but his…his shirt… She hadn't even ever dared to dream of such a prize. And to have it PERMANENTLY. And yet here it was. She felt heat come to her face. Her heart sparked and fluttered like mad .Her lips trembled. "I…You…I…"

Arnold raised an eyebrow at this response to his simple gift, trying his best not to laugh again. "Helga?"

"_Ahhh_…" And suddenly with a girlish swoon she collapsed upon his floor, the biggest smile ever on her face and her eyes all but shut in perfect bliss! She still held the shirt tightly in her hand.

Arnold blinked and instantly went over to her, kneeling down to the floor and trying to prop her up a bit in his arms. "Helga, are you okay?" he asked with a touch of worry. _'I didn't mean to make her pass out again! I hope she didn't hurt herself…'_

Helga just blinked a couple of times, the dreamy look still there on her face, and her eyes just fluttered a bunch of time. "Fine as long as I'm in your arms, my darling…" she replied in that light, airy FTi voice.

Luckily, by this point, Arnold was a bit more used to these sudden slips into her monologuing state. And so rather than jumping back in panic he just sighed and gazed down at her lovingly. "Of course…and I'm happy to have you there…" He began to try and sit her and then stand her up… "But right now it's dinner time and if we don't get downstairs soon my Grandpa'll probably send up one of the boarders to get us, and I don't think you want anyone else seeing you like this so…maybe we could save the worshipping until after dinner?" He had managed to get Helga on her feet and now just sighed and smiled as he watched her blink a couple of times and then shake her head as she came back to reality (still clinging with a vice grip to his shirt, he couldn't help but notice with amusement).

"Oh, uh, right, right…" she finally managed to stutter out, "…P-Plenty of time for me to act like a complete fool later, right, Football Head?" She glanced around and then raced across the room and quickly placed her prize on Arnold's bed, where it would be safe during the meal and where she could get it before she left for home. She was trying to seem cool as she did this task and then walked back over to her boyfriend, but despite the fact that she had managed to get her words and actions a bit under control, Helga couldn't help the residual dreamy smile still upon her face. '_Arnold gave me his shirt…__Ahhh__!'_

Arnold just laughed at her small joke (and at that dazed little grin of hers that didn't seem to want to go away) and took her hand in his when she reached him, and began to walk with her toward his door. "I don't know, Helga—personally I think it's kind of 'cute' when you faint and get all romantic like that..." He shrugged. "I mean, anyone else might have just said 'Thank you', but not you…and I…I like that about you Helga. I like it when you do things that I don't expect or that are a little extreme, even if they embarrass me a little…I'm not sure why but I just do….I guess it's because…you wouldn't really be you if you didn't do things like that…if that makes any sen—"

He stopped and blinked and felt his heart skip at beat at the feeling of Helga's lips suddenly and sweetly kissing the side of his cheek.

She pulled away after a few seconds and giggled near his ear, glancing away shyly. "Just maintaining your image of me as spontaneously random, Football Head…" she whispered near him.

Arnold just blinked a couple of times and then felt a huge dreamy smile come to his own face. He turned to Helga. "Well, not that I don't appreciate them, Helga, but…for you, at least…a kiss on the cheek isn't that unexpected or random…at least…not anymore."

She rolled her eyes to the side at the valid point. "True, I guess… But, like you said, Arnold, dinner's probably ready and if we don't get down there soon then they'll come up and get us, and we'd _never_ hear the end of it if they caught us in the middle of anything…" With a small grin and another small giggle, Helga continued the rest of the way forward across her beloved's room and brought Arnold with her.

The two of them were now in front of Arnold's bedroom door, which Helga quickly opened with her free hand. She then separated from her beloved and turned around to descend his ladder to the second floor landing below. Before making it down more than a step or two though, the ten-year-old blonde paused and looked up at Arnold, still smiling at him lovingly. "Besides…even if we have to go downstairs for dinner _now_…" she beckoned him closer with a gesture…and then, when he complied in interest and affection, she instantly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him in _very_ close. She finished her sentence in a whisper, "Well…we could always come back up here for 'dessert'…" And then she winked and released her now wide-eyed beloved…whose cheeks were slowly and deeply warming…and whose heart was pounding like crazy…

Helga shyly but obviously giddily descended to the floor below.

Arnold just remained standing near his open bedroom door with a surprised look on his face for several more seconds until a generic sarcastic comment from Helga down in the hallway beckoning him to hurry up caused him to blink and instantly begin descending the ladder as well…a very happy smile on his face. '_Well, all I can say is if she got that excited over a shirt…what'll happen if I give her a __sweater__ one day?'_

He chuckled to himself at the idea and then, reaching the hallway below, did his best to catch up with Helga.

"By the way Football Head…" she suddenly started as he came alongside her and the two of them began to head down the hallway together, "I love the way your Grandma works your Grandpa…it's kind of impressive…all those names and the elaborate ruses. We were talking about it a little while we were working on the laundry…_Very_ good job of driving her guy nuts!" She laughed to herself a little. "I might have to start taking lessons from her."

Arnold just smiled and glanced to the side a little. "Don't worry, Helga—she may be really good at all that stuff you'll always be the best at things like that to me."

She scoffed in amusement and gave him a nudge. "I'd _better_ always be the best to you, Arnoldo!"

He just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

They had reached the end of the landing and now Arnold politely gestured forward for her to go first. After an eye roll and another standard comment on his corny sense of chivalry, Helga complied with a thank you and a nod.

And so the two of them finally descended the stairs for dinner…

…And Helga's shirt of Arnold's remained upstairs in his room…where the two kids would later return to for 'dessert.'

* * *

**A/N:**

Well, that's all for now, everyone ^_^ I hope you like the other 14 mini stories to come, lol!

Now as for the next update, I'm knee deep in grad school apps for the next six weeks so…I'll try working on stuff in bits and pieces but it's going to be another bit of a long stretch :( Thank you all for your patience though! I really appreciate it!

In the meantime though, I'll be trying to work on "April 2nd" and I've also written a one-shot based on KASUKapl's comic "Trapped In a Locker" on DeviantArt that should hopefully be up soon :) The link for the comic is here (just take out the spaces):

http : / / kasukapl . deviantart . com / art / Trapped-on-a-locker-182302107?q = &qo =

Oh and the thing inspired by the rpg me and NintendoGal are doing was Arnold and Helga's tickle fight ;)

Lol, anyway, since the next update might take a little while again, here're the titles of the four stories it will feature as kind of a preview ;)

"I Need To Lie Down" (my personal fav of all 18 mini stories XD Idk why—it's just all zany and awkward, lol.)

"Names and Naming Names"

"Best Friends"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays After School"

_**Love you, guys! And super shoutouts to all my fun fandom friends—BrokenRose, NintendoGal, Edward Crane, Pyrex Shards, GrimmXLullaby and of course my 'lil sis' SuprSingr ;)**_

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	15. The Courtship: Part 2 of 6

**A/N:**

Hiya everyone! :D Lol, okay, yes, I know it's been FOREVER since an update on this fic and I apologize but I was in the middle of school applications, and I study English so everyone wanted a twenty page writing sample and it took forever, etc. etc. Anywho, I'm assuming you all just want to get to reading since it's been quite a few weeks, but I just want to mention a few things in regards to this story first:

1) Okay, in the first courtship chapter I said there would only be 5 of them…but there's actually going to be 6 (as you can see by the chapter title XD). I can't help it—I got four new story ideas, lol!

2) Alright, so, I hate long delays on this fic but that tends to happen because it is EPICALLY long especially if you count TA as part of it so I'm honestly not sure when the next update will be, but I have some time off right now and so I really am going to try and get caught up on some of my other stuff over the next couple of months. And in the meantime this fic might get some more updates on or it might not, but there's going to be about 26 chapters or so in total, just so you have an idea of what's to come ;)

3) Part of the reason this chapter has taken so long is that it's about, oh…75,000 freaking words long because I am insane XD So I'd seriously recommend reading this in shifts so your eyes don't start bleeding or something like mine were getting really close to doing for the past week, lol!

4) I apologies to anyone who has reviewed or sent me a message recently whom I haven't replied too—I've literally been swamped but I'll be completely remedying that situation asap! ^_^ I love and appreciate your communication and feedback guys—always! ;)

5) The courtship chapters, just to clarify, take place over the course of the three weeks between Arnold and Helga's one week anniversary and their one month anniversary. Am I fudging it a little fitting in like 22 mini stories into a time period of 21 days (even though some of them can occur on the same day but with different characters...although then again some of them imply a couple of days passing...)? Yes. My response to that: according to HA! the order of the holidays during the school year is as follows: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, April Fools Day. ^_^ If everyone could just kind of go with it, I would very much appreciate it ;)

6) Due to the addition of the extra courtship chapters, some stories got shifted around because the order of them matters to an extent, so here's what we've got for this chapter:

**I NEED TO LIE DOWN**

**NAMING NAMES AND NAMES **

**BEST FRIENDS**

**FLASHBACKS AND FANTASIES**

(*In regards to **Flashbacks and Fantasies**, two things: I would STRONGLY, STRONGLY, STRONGLY RECOMMEND rereading the first Epilogue of TA from the part where Helga and Arnold start kissing up until the part where that scene ends as they're watching the movie together. And also…THIS MINI STORY IS DEDICATED TO MY BABY SISTER, **SUPRSINGR** WHO TOTALLY INSPIRED ME TO GO WITH THIS IDEA ;) )

Alright, let's go!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 15: **

**The Courtship: Part 2/6**

**

* * *

**

**I NEED TO LIE DOWN…**

"Let's see…it's got to be three syllables long and rhyme with the end of that line up there…Hmm…" Helga G. Pataki brought the end of her trusty purple pen to the edge of her lip and considered the next turn her most recent love poem should take for a few seconds more… However, she only found herself giving a slow blink… She shook her head and tried to focus once more on the half blank pink book page before her…but then suddenly the need came over her to rub her eyes…And then giving in to this action caused her to blink a few times more…Still determined to finish at least the line of her poem that she was seeking an end to though, the young lady in question was about to open her mouth and try out a word or two out loud, hoping to quickly find the necessary and best rhyme just so she could jot it down and be done with it…but her jaw going a little agape only resulted in a deep, uncontrollable yawn escaping her lips instead…

'_Okay…_' she thought to herself lazily, '_That does it_…'

Letting her pink book rest open on its back upon her lap, Helga conceded to a yawn once more…and what that yawn meant, regardless of the fact that she was in mid-'Arnold,-the-cutest,-sweetest,-most-god-like-boy-in-existence-is-in-love-with-me-and-showers-me-with-affection-and-compliments-and-kisses-on-a-regular-basis'-inspired poem in her room on this sunny afternoon. Her smile both voluntarily and involuntarily picked up at the very idea of her current activity…though still the fact that she could already feel another yawn at the back of her throat told her that unless she wanted to fall asleep in mid-word with her book of love poems open and on display for Bob or Miriam to see if they happened to come in to check on her or to let her know dinner was ready or something, she'd better take a cue from the drowsiness she was already feeling and set things in order before succumbing to sleep.

"Well…time to take a five minute break from yet another Arnold writing 'frenzy'…" she finally admitted out loud officially to herself with an amused shake of her head (on a side note, Helga was referring to the fact that Arnold loving her back and some of their experiences together so far had doubled and sometimes even tripled on some days her normal poetic output—and she was loving every minute of it...even though there were days (like today) when between that and the covert dates secret from their classmates and keeping up the act at school and participating in random bonding stuff with Bob and Miriam and just being a fourth grade kid in general, she could get pretty exhausted!) But anyway, though, blinking a few times, Helga now reached forward and picked up her pink book, closing it securely and then slipping it just under the pillow behind her head. Then she likewise grabbed Arnold's plaid shirt (conveniently located right at her side, of course, where she made sure to have it _every time_ she went off into a personal little Arnold love fest…or…got into bed in general, actually…) that she had been playing with and reveling in a little ever since school had let out, and (after hugging it to her body like crazy once more today), she delicately folded it up and went to slip it under her pillow as well, likewise for safe keeping…and of course to keep anyone in her house but herself from knowing about her precious, intimate gift from her beloved.

And yet…

Helga G. Pataki paused in this action for a moment and considered…and then suddenly smiled to herself and shrugged, and then unfolded the shirt and finally wrapped its sleeves in a knot around her shoulders, allowing the rest of the shirt to fall over her back like a blanket of love. "Eh, why not…?" she thought to herself with amusement. "Bob's not going to be home for a little while, Miriam's busy cooking dinner downstairs and I don't think she'd have _too_ much to say if she saw me like this anyway, and it's not like anyone from school's going to be randomly stopping by…And besides…" the young blonde girl curled herself into a ball on her bed, facing away from her door, her head resting against her pink pillow, "…It's…It's just over my shoulders…Not like how it usually is when I…sleep with it at nights…" Helga secretly thrilled inside at that new part of her life…Sleeping at night with Arnold's shirt not just around her shoulders…but rather actually completely being worn upon her body, her arms through the sleeves, the front buttoned up and everything! Oh, using it like that made it felt like Arnold was right there with her every single night! ('_Mental note…I've GOT to find Arnold something nice of mine to sleep with or near until he's finally not shy enough to just let me crawl under the covers with him myself…_' She blushed like mad at the idea but didn't care, and just smiled all the more.)

Another yawn suddenly found it's way out of Helga's mouth and she came out of her fun little thought a bit, continuing her what she had been saying to herself before about this mid afternoon wearing of her beloved's shirt not being all that incredibly high-risk of a task, all things considered. "Yeah, it's…" she blinked a few more times, feeling all warm both inside and outside, "…It's over my shoulders and it's just going to be for a five minute cat nap…not one of my eight hour epic nightly wearings of the thing…No big risk of…getting caught or anything…" She sleepily chuckled to herself, a half formed idea coming into her drowsy mind about this whole thing reminding her just slightly of pulling one of her old crazy Arnold schemes… "And…" she added to herself in further reassurance, her eyes shutting more and more, "…and his shirt really is just the warmest thing in the world…to sleep in…And it even smells good too…" Angling her head just the tiniest bit, Helga took a deep inhale through her nose of Arnold's collar…and grinned as widely as could be… The scent of Arnold's shampoo still lingered there like crazy! '_Mmm…it's like ocean breeze and almost a kind of spice or something…_' She giggled to herself and then yawned once more. "Yup, just five minutes…ten tops…" And with that she snuggled in for her cat nap, taking deep inhales of Arnold's shirt every few seconds until she slipped into slumber…

Helga G. Pataki was, um…a little 'surprised', shall we say, at some point later (and actually she began to indeed realize more and more now as the seconds passed that she must have fallen completely asleep for quite a little while… She _felt_ like she'd been in a deep sleep for a bit more than 'five or ten minutes', anyway…though thankfully afternoon sunlight still poured through her window, hitting her closed eyelids, telling her that it wasn't like she really _had_ passed out for fourteen hours with Arnold's shirt obviously wrapped around her for her parents to see or anything)…But anyway, Helga was surprised at some point after this initial falling asleep to feel…well…to feel the exhale from one of the deep, slumbering inhales of Arnold's shirt collar that she'd just taken in leave her mouth…and…hit her in the… back of the neck…? And feel very real and undreamlike…very real and undreamlike…indeed…

…And then something…some kind of feeling (as her cognition became more aware) told her that…that not only was that strange breath of air coming close on the back of her neck a signal that she wasn't alone…but that also (and she took a deep inhale of the scents around her through her nose to confirm)…Yes, there was suddenly… 'more' of Arnold in this room than just the shirt he'd given her…if that made any sense.

The clincher though was when, now basically fully conscious (though her eyes were still shut), she also became aware of the feeling of a weight right next to her on her bed.

Helga's eyes flew open and she instantly twisted right around on her bed so that she was no longer facing her wall!

…And her eyes fell on the figure of Arnold…laying right next to her on this same bed…a happy…_very_ happy, actually, smile on his face and his eyes closed, almost as in peaceful slumber.

Helga, every thought and feeling and breath locking up within her in an instant, just watched, unblinking and unbreathing (and unbelieving of) the sight before her…even as Arnold opened his green eyes just slightly and blinked a few times, as though coming out of a dream, and then made eye contact with her, still smiling peacefully.

Helga and Arnold remained like that for a second or two more: Helga's eyes completely dilated and not a sound or breath escaping her, and Arnold just looking very content and happy.

Helga was pretty sure her heart had stopped at this point, by the way.

'_Okay…this is obviously a dream…_' her thoughts barely (BARELY) managed to squeak out to her in her total shock and confusion and complete lack of comprehension of whatever the heck it was she had just woken up to…or just _dreamed_ she'd woken up to, or…or whatever! '_Yes, it's a dream_…' she soothed herself once more (still not blinking though), '_And…and I'll know it's a dream because…because next he'll kiss me and tell me the plane's waiting to take us to Paris to kick off our wonderful life traveling around the world together…J-Just like in half my other Arnold dreams…He'll do something completely out of character and nutty that defies the laws of physics and I'll know this isn't real…I-I will_…' She gulped.

However…

…Instead of escorting her to the Paris-bound plane she was expecting…the Arnold before Helga on her bed spent approximately another quarter of a second in whatever little daze he had been in, and then instantly flew up with such of yelp of surprise and in such an obvious state of shock and panic and FEAR that he actually fell off of the edge of Helga's bed and to her (luckily carpeted) pink floor with a loud crash!

Helga sat straight up in her bed.

Her jaw dropped. Completely.

She gulped only once more.

'_Not a dream…_' a sharp intake of breath (finally), '_Oh boy…'_

* * *

_10 minutes earlier…aka roughly twenty minutes after Helga had fallen asleep in her bed…_

_KNOCK KNO—_

Arnold, in mid-knock on the door of the Pataki household, was interrupted by the door in front of him suddenly and unexpectedly opening to reveal Miriam Pataki with her coat on, and purse and keys in hand, looking a little distracted. Her eyes suddenly fell on the short, football headed boy in front of her, though, upon which they quickly lit up and a smile came to her face. "Oh, hello…um, Arnold…" It took Miriam half a second but she was slowly getting better and better with being not just accurate but quick about names thing lately. "How are you, sweetie?" she asked sincerely.

Arnold, polite as always, smiled up at her. "Hi, Mrs. Pataki. I'm okay. How are you?"

Miriam continued to smile warmly down at him, stepping fully out onto the stoop now as she spoke. "I'm fine, Arnold. Thank you for asking." And then she couldn't help but chuckle slightly and of course ask the nice little boy (even though the answer was always the same and also so very obvious every single time), "Are you here to see Helga, Arnold?"

"Uh huh…" The young, smiling blonde boy nodded in response to her question. "I meant to give this back to her after school today so she could copy down some stuff from it for our next English assignment…" he gestured to the small pink book he was currently holding in one of his hands, "…but then we had that surprise after school assembly and then baseball practice and I guess I forgot." All of a sudden, though, Arnold blinked and finally really took in the sight of Miriam's coat and purse again, and recalled how quickly she had popped out of the door. "Should I come back later though? I mean, were you just about to go out?" he asked with his usual politeness and concern.

In response to the cute question, Miriam's smile only grew and she reached behind her and gave the still ajar door a light push further open. "Oh, now don't you worry about that, Arnold," she assured him, "I was just heading out to the store to pick up a few last minute ingredients for dinner later before Bob gets home….Would you like to stay and eat with us again?" she asked kindly. (Though Helga eating at Arnold's house was still a bit more common, Arnold had ended up at the Pataki dinner table once or twice since his first official family dinner with them, and with how much Miriam liked him and how well he was still getting along with Big Bob (and of course with how Helga couldn't stop smiling whenever he was around) the young boy was more than welcome to dine with them as often as he felt liked.)

"Thank you, Mrs. Pataki…" Arnold replied with a sincere smile, "But actually…" he went on with an apologetic look, "I still have a couple of chores to finish up at the Boarding House and also it's my night to help with dinner and the dishes, so I should probably get home soon… But I appreciate the invitation." And of course he really did hate to turn down an evening of sitting next to Helga and holding her hand under the dinner table while he watched her light up like crazy, whether she realized it or not, at eating surrounded by a loving, happy family…and right near a loving and happy boyfriend…. What a nice sight it was for him to see her like that…

Meanwhile, outside of Arnold's slight daydreams and reminisces, Miriam almost had to laugh at how polite and responsible and sweet her daughter's new little 'friend' could be…and at the slightly daydreamy look that had randomly come to his face…though according to her younger daughter, random daydreaming was pretty standard for the young man before her. "Okay, Arnold…" Miriam replied with an understanding smile, "But you're welcome anytime."

Arnold blinked once and then cleared his throat, coming out of his reverie with only a slight blush, thankfully. He looked up at Miriam sheepishly, arms behind his back. "Thanks, Mrs. Pataki."

Miriam then walked past Arnold and down to the sidewalk, leaving the front door of the Pataki household still widely ajar. "Anyway, dear," she went on, turning back to Arnold briefly, "Like I said, I'll be out for a few minutes and Mr. Pataki won't be home until just before dinner, but Helga's been home for a little while and I think she's still upstairs working on some homework in her room." And small gleam came into her eye. "I'm sure she'll be happy to have you stop by up there to see her, Arnold…."

Arnold felt himself blush just a little more and he glanced down shyly and gave a small nod. "Uh, thanks, Mrs. Pataki…" he merely replied again, always unable to help but feel at least a little awkward around his girlfriend's mother ever since that night he'd had to carry a passed out Helga home from their date thanks to one of his 'terrific' kisses to her.

"You're welcome, Arnold," Miriam called back to him as she watched him give her one more smile and then turn and shyly proceed to head the rest of the way up the stoop and to walk inside of the familiar brownstone, gently closing the door behind him.

Now by herself on the sidewalk, the older woman, still looking in the direction of her now closed front door, just smiled to herself for a second and gave a small chuckle. '_They deserve a few minutes alone, anyway, without B constantly walking by the door and popping his head in with those random questions and excuses of his_…' She almost laughed to herself at those memories from over the past couple of weeks…Bob just passing by to 'say hello' or 'see if they needed anything' or 'ask how baseball was going'… She could still remember how annoyed it used to get Olga when he did that to _her_, and it only made her want to laugh more… _'And besides the two of them getting a few minutes of genuine privacy for once, Helga really does seem to like it when Arnold comes over here…_' Miriam added to herself knowingly. _'She always seems…happier_.' It had taken Helga's mother a second to come across the word…but she smiled even more when she did: it fit perfectly. Arnold made Helga happy. And if all those smiles and blushing from the boy in question were any indication…Helga certainly made Arnold happy too. '_They really are so nice together, aren't they…'_

And so with these few thoughts and an amused shake of her head, Miriam headed down the street to pick up the few grocery items she still needed for dinner…and to leave the kids to their privacy.

* * *

Back within the Pataki household (more specifically, upstairs and down the hall and just outside the second door on the left in the Pataki household) Arnold, still blushing a tiny bit from his encounter with Miriam, gave a gentle knock against the outside of Helga's half ajar bedroom door (He didn't want to accidentally push it open, of course—last time he'd come up here to find her door like this (way, way back during their one week anniversary), she'd told him he'd have to wait a minute because she was getting dressed for bed, and, well…). Arnold instantly shook his head and did his best to let the fresh flow of warm blood that had come to his features ebb. He cleared his throat and called out nicely from his place in the hall, "Helga? It's me…Can I come in?"

Arnold waited patiently for several seconds for one of her familiar sarcastic responses (probably something along the lines of 'No, I'm actually going to tell you to NOT come into my room for a surprise visit, Football Head—sheesh!' if he knew Helga at all)…but…there was just silence… He took just the tiniest step closer to the door and tried again, giving one more small knock to go along with his address. "Helga…?"

Several more seconds of silence passed though…and then finally Arnold, albeit nervously, (even though Helga had gotten him over his old, for lack of a better term, 'fear' of her room…it still felt like there was something slightly sacred about it sometimes to him, little gentleman that he inherently was…) took a small bit of initiative and gave the door before him a gentle push more open, peering hesitantly around the doorframe. "Helga…?" he asked curiously.

Arnold curious eyes fell upon several things in the quiet room…and then he blinked several times…and a very warm, very amused smile came to his face at the central (and quite frankly adorable) sight before him… and he finally realized why Helga hadn't answered him. It was because at the moment she was curled in a ball on her bed, facing away from him and resting peacefully with her head on her pillow…and (and this was what made Arnold have to try really hard not to chuckle just a bit, since he really didn't want to disturb her) she had his plaid shirt wrapped around her shoulders, covering her body.

Letting out a small sigh, Arnold pushed Helga's door open a bit more and entered the room as quietly as possible, making sure to give it a gentle push most of the way shut behind him so that the sound of Mrs. Pataki returning if she happened to come back or of Mr. Pataki coming in if he happened to get home wouldn't reach up here and disturb Helga's slumber. Arnold then slowly approached her bed, her pink book still in his hand. '_I'll just leave this on the nightstand, and then call her later and explain_…' he told himself with a smile.

Finally reaching the edge of the bed (after basically having tiptoed all the way there), Arnold then indeed placed the small, pink volume where he had intended, gently allowing it to rest propped up against the base of Helga's bedside lamp. This little mission complete, our football headed hero was about to turn around and tip toe his way back over to the door, and then head downstairs and back to the boarding house…He really did have to help with dinner tonight.

…And yet…

…In the middle of being about to turn away from her…Arnold couldn't help but feel his eyes drawn to Helga once more, just for one more moment…and to the amusing sight of her sleeping peacefully and smiling and with his shirt so snuggly around her. And then he realized, now that he was really looking, that her familiar purple pen was laying beside her on the covers, and also there was the corner of a pink book sticking out from under her pillow. '_Hmm…she must have been writing and…using the shirt as inspiration_…' His grin picked up quite a bit, and as it had occurred to him so many times over the course of the last several weeks of falling more and more in love with Helga, Arnold knew that this realization of her using his clothing like that probably should have struck him as a little strange…and yet…he couldn't help but just think instead that this manifestation of Helga's affections for him was just another one of those things that truly made her Helga…that truly made her special. And besides, '_It's…kind of cute…if you think about it_…' For a little piece of a second, the idea occurred to Arnold of what it would be like to see her wearing his shirt entirely, all buttoned up around her…Helga in his plaid shirt, smiling and waving at him…her hair falling over her shoulders like touchable sunshine…

Blushing quickly consumed Arnold's face to such an extent though at this new little daydream that he had to clear his throat and glance toward the end of Helga's bed for a second, before taking a breath and letting out a calming sigh and then managing to bring his eyes back to her sleeping form once more…his thoughts returning to her as she was now and in reality—just draping his shirt over her shoulders for warmth as she slept.

Arnold guessed that his deep sigh out must have been a little louder than he'd intended, because he noticed Helga suddenly shift slightly in her sleep, causing his shirt to fall a bit away from her. And then, one of her upper arms now suddenly exposed, she actually gave a small shiver. Arnold frowned at the sight…especially since she was also lying rather close to the window side of her bed and the window was half open, permitting entrance of the slowly cooling evening air to her lovely pink room. Arnold didn't hesitate and quickly reached down and gently pulled the shirt back around her shoulders and over her arm, and then took a step back again…and had to smile as his small action made Helga smile a bit more in her sleep and then snuggle just a little deeper into the garment in question.

Arnold just sighed (much more lightly this time, of course, so as not to disturb her again) and shook his head in amusement. '_I'm glad she likes the shirt so much…I know she said she's kind of gotten over the need for shrines and stuff but…I figured she probably wouldn't mind having just a little something that reminds her of me for when we're not together… Kind of like how I have some of her pink books to look at when she's busy…And to sleep with at night_…' Arnold blushed. He hadn't told Helga about sleeping with her poetry, and he was not planning to divulge that little secret for at least a little while yet.

And for a moment, all this thinking of shrines and poetry and stuff couldn't help but make Arnold reminisce for a few moments about Helga's confession and the first time he'd been introduced (in his total state of utter shock, of course) to the existence of all of these things and more…and how, even though after all the time and events that had passed since then he now understood and accepted completely all of these things and more about Helga, at the time the concept of all of those new parts of her had simply been so much to take in and so jarring that he'd almost passed out right in the middle of saving the neighborhood! Indeed, despite his desire not to wake Helga, Arnold had to fight back a serious laugh at the very memory of having been so nervous and so terrified that his first response to her admission of love had (among other utterings of confusion) been an announcement that despite their deadline for stopping the bulldozers he 'needed to lie down' …only to have her smile and say 'wonderful, I'll go with you'… That memory finally made a small chuckle come from the back of his throat, though he kept it as muffled as possible of course…

And so, with these amusing thoughts to keep him entertained until his telephone call to Helga later to explain the sudden presence of an extra pink book in her room, Arnold probably should have just left and headed back to the Boarding House like he really did have to do…

And yet…

Arnold…felt his eyes continue to linger on the peacefully sleeping and smiling form of Helga…content and cozy, curled up near the far edge of her bed, with his shirt happily wrapped around her… And he also couldn't help but recall that, well…well…okay…Mr. Pataki wouldn't be home for probably another half hour or so if he got home everyday just before dinner, right? And…and Mrs. Pataki would probably be at least a bit longer getting stuff from the grocery store, too…right? And also it wasn't like he hadn't found himself laying on Helga's bed before (though there had never been any…any sleeping involved during those times or real lying down together…but still at least it was some kind of precedent)…And…and then also…well…

…Admittedly, it…it WAS an interesting idea…

…And all of Helga's pep talks during their first anniversary and since then had indeed been making him a lot more comfortable with some of the more 'intimate' aspects of their relationship, especially when they happened in her room as opposed to his…And it wasn't like it wasn't anything she hadn't suggested herself a long time ago or that would really be so very forward since it didn't actually involve any touching…

Arnold felt himself take a (very, very, VERY) small step back toward the bed…

But then of course he stopped dead in his tracks. '_But_…' He shook his head—this was…no this was crazy. _'It…it would be a little…I mean, it's just not something I would normally…that it would seem like I would normally do...'_

Still…though…still…

(And his weight shifted back in the direction of taking yet another…and possibly slightly less small…step toward the bed again)

…As Helga had been making sure to point out over the last few weeks he did, well…have a sort of a dark side, as she liked to put it…A side of him that liked different things…More…well, less puppy love kind of things… An image of that heated kiss he'd given her during their one-week anniversary right here in this room flashed through Arnold's mind and caused his already quick-beating heart to pound….

So, yes, he did have a darker side to him about all of this romance and love business: he could freely admit that at this point. And then along with all of that, well…honestly, he wouldn't have been surprised if what he was considering actually doing right now hadn't been something Helga had attempted and probably succeeded at doing at least once in her life in regards to him….

Arnold swallowed now and glanced to either side nervously (almost guiltily really, but still at the same time with just a touch of a spark of something in his eyes, though he wasn't personally aware of it)…then he took a deep breath and came to a decision…a kind of a… 'dark' decision. '_Well…_' he gulped, '_…well, maybe just for a __second__…just to see what it would be like…_' He blushed so much and his arms were shyly behind his back, and a little sigh of worry escaped through his nose. '_B-Besides, if I asked her to try something like this in real life she'd…she'd probably just look at me in total shock like that first time I told her I wanted to try kissing again on her couch during our first date, and then laugh about how funny it is that __I'm__ suddenly the one always wanting to get closer to __her__…'_ She'd have every right to react in these ways of course, but still…Arnold was still getting used to being the type of person…the type of _boy_ who would find himself tossing a girl onto couches and holding her in his lap and making out in alleys… (his stomach squirmed at all of these intense memories)…and so, with all of this easing into all of this epic change for him, the less embarrassment he could manage to be subjected to while he was going through all of it, the better…

So, all of this moral back and forth and obvious stalling finally over with…a very very shy looking Arnold took one final big step back toward Helga's pretty pink bed…with that large pink sheet and blanket covered area right beside her…ready and waiting and available…_inviting_, really…

…And then as gently, gently, _gently_ as possible so that his movements wouldn't wake up Helga (and making absolutely certain NOT to let this incredibly INSANE thing he was doing involve ANY touching whatsoever with the sleeping lady to his side)…the young football headed boy climbed onto the bed…turned over on his back…and finally in his life 'laid down' with Helga G. Pataki…

For a few seconds, Arnold was so embarrassed and surprised and utterly guilt-stricken by his actions that he just kept his eyes closed tight and his body as stiff as possible, more than expecting for Helga to suddenly sit up, pop open her eyes in wakefulness, and proceed to either burst into laughter or pass out from surprise or start kissing him in total elation…

However…seconds passed…but the same silence still just continued in the room.

Slowly, Arnold took a deep breath…and then got the courage to open his eyes…and to let them shift towards Helga.

To his (IMMENSE) relief she was still just laying there with her back to him, still slowly breathing as she slept, still wrapped up cozily and just the same in his shirt.

A smile cam to Arnold's face, and he let out a light sigh of relief. '_At least I didn't wake her up…'_

And then, reassured of this fact, Arnold finally took a few seconds to really think about the fact that he was currently laying down next to Helga Pataki…just like she'd said they should try that first time she'd ever been completely honest with him in her entire life…and that first time he'd finally realized that the most unexpected (and later, he had come to understand, the most wonderful) person in the world was in love…with him… A-And they were doing this on a bed of all places! On HER bed of all places! Arnold felt himself melt inside as for the first time ever the feeling came over him of really being a part of this pretty room he'd come to love so much as opposed to just a guest in it… Part of it…Part of Helga…Together with Helga…He wondered if she felt the same whenever they managed to make it over to his bed together in _his_ room (though of course they'd never done any laying down or sleeping there…yet…)

So, all of the initial fear and the initial euphoria now dealt with…interestingly enough, now that he was actually doing it and had a moment to really savor it, Arnold could very much understand the appeal of him and Helga 'lying down' with each other…and her desire for it that day back on that rooftop. After all, it was so very nice to just be resting next to each other and close to each other like this…everything quiet and comfortable and peaceful… Not that going to the movies or getting ice cream or eating dinner or listening to music or laughing in one of their rooms together wasn't fun…and not that occasionally holding hands or holding her in a hug or having her suddenly do the same…or all of those sudden expected or unexpected kisses that could progress into full blown makeout sessions pretty quickly if there was nothing to interrupt them weren't fun also but… It really was just nice to be…near Helga, next to her, and to have a chance to really savor that feeling that just her mere presence had started giving him: it was warm and light and happy and calming—like there was a tension of some kind created every time she left him…and it got made better again when she came back. '_We're…a part of each other_…' He let that whole concept wash over him again and it felt SO good. He grinned even more in perfect contentment:

And yet, Arnold knew, despite the quite frankly AWESOME time he was having right now, that he should stop before too much time passed and Helga's mom really did come back (she seemed more okay with him and Helga having a more than friends relationship than Mr. Pataki might be, but even still she might not necessarily like the fact that he was suddenly laying down next to her sleeping daughter in her bedroom alone). And Mr. Pataki was of course due home soon too. And yet…Arnold couldn't help but close his eyes and just take a second to inhale deeply and just really savor this most perfect moment…

It was then that the scent of lemons and raspberries came to him, and Arnold's eyes opened in surprise for a second…until he realized, with a smile and just a little blush, that after that little lip gloss taste testing earlier that week, Helga must have started going a little overboard in response to how much he'd liked the flavor they'd settled on, and started using a shampoo or something that was similar.

Arnold closed his eyes again and shifted just a bit closer to her, turning his head right near hers now…and inhaled deeply again…lingering for a moment… '_Helga_…' He almost laughed. And part of his mind…the, uh, 'bolder' part…but also the daydreamy part…and the loving part… all of it imagined then what it might be like to reach over and put an arm around Helga just now…holding him and her very close together as they lay down…sleeping like this forever…connected and whole and the same… Of course, he'd already promised himself no touching since she was asleep and this was just supposed to be an innocent little experiment anyway…but he could imagine, couldn't he? Imagine holding them together like that…his blues and greens and her pinks and golds melting warmly into one another… Arnold, at this point putting everything he had into not trembling like a leaf on Helga's bed considering how overwhelming such a perfect image was for him, finally settled on letting out a deep sigh through his nose and just letting his love-touched mind savor _the mere idea_ of holding her like that for now…the full image really being just too great for him to bear so suddenly…and especially when that image as a reality was so very close…

His eyes were closed and he was totally at peace, and nothing could disrupt the love…

A second or two more passed.

And then there was the sound of a shift on the bed.

It took a nearly sleeping/dreaming (at this point) Arnold a moment to process the shifting sensation, and his first response in his daydream/nearly dream state was just to open his eyes part of the way and blink a few times, the content smile still on his face.

A pair of wide and totally shocked blue eyes met his. And another second or so passed.

And then Arnold's eyes flew open wide and he felt the strongest blush imaginable come to his face. "HELGA!" And then he spazzed and fell completely off of her bed!

* * *

"Okay, let me see if I have this one straight…" Helga G. Pataki cleared her throat, a very pensive look on her face as she sat on the edge of her bed looking down at a totally mortified Arnold who was still seated upon her carpet, where he had fallen to not too many minutes ago. There was no attitude in her tone—just an expected curiosity and slight confusion as she briefly recounted the facts of the situation at hand… "…You came over to drop off my poetry book…saw I was sleeping…thought I looked cold and went to cover me…started thinking about our relationship and my confession…suddenly remembered that whole 'I need to lie down, wonderful I'll go with you' thing…and then actually laid down next to me on my bed to try it…And I woke up because you were inhaling the scent of my shampoo and then let out a sigh as you nearly started to fall asleep…once again, _next to me_…_in my bed._ Is that about the long and short of this, Arnold?" She brought her eyes to his and raised part of her brow, seeking confirmation…Once again, no sarcasm nor anger were present—just a genuine desire to get the facts straight…however very unexpected they were.

Arnold, blushing like mad and looking down in total shame and humiliation quickly nodded his head and pulled his knees even closer into his chest. He'd been in this fetal position, his face looking just morbidly distraught, ever since five minutes ago when Helga had woken up and caught him actually laying down with her in her bed 'just to see what it would be like', upon which he'd fallen off and instantly explained in a high-pitched voice the entire situation leading up to the current moment. And now he was just…awaiting his execution…whatever form Helga would choose to have it take…and fully believing in his guilt-stricken little heart that whatever his punishment would be, it would be well-deserved considering the practically unforgiveable offense which he had just so rudely committed…

Helga, meanwhile, having now officially comprehended everything about what was going on, just took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. "Okay…" she said once more, and then paused for a few seconds as she really considered this new situation she'd woken up to...that pensive look still upon her face. Finally, she sighed and continued speaking. "Arnold…"

"I know, I know, _I know_!" the poor little thing suddenly announced from the floor in a _very_ distressed voice, his face buried in his arms which were currently wrapped around his legs. _'Climbing into a girl's bed…CLIMBING INTO A GIRL'S BED! What is WRONG with me?'_ "It was wrong and it was stupid and it was something I ABSOLUTELY shouldn't have done without your permission and especially when you were asleep, and there's no excuse for it and it was too much and I should just leave after you finish yelling at me or punching me right in the nose or something like you have every right to do! I'm sorry, Helga—I'm really, really, really sorry, and I wasn't thinking at all and I—"

The football headed boy was quite suddenly cut-off just then by the feeling of a warm hand coming to rest upon one of his shoulders. He took in a sharp breath and, nearly in tears from his hysterics at this point, instantly lifted his head up and looked first to Helga's hand indeed lightly upon him and then to Helga herself. She was sitting on the floor in front of him now with a small smile on her face. "Football Head…" she started gently.

He just continued looking at her so unsurely…He was so very vulnerable right now…

And she was aware of it very much… '_Sensitive…He's sensitive…Let him know that you can be sensitive too_…'

Helga let out a breath, and continued with comfort in her eyes and tone. "First of all, I need you to calm down…" she spoke calmly and patiently, with a small smile, "Because otherwise, _I'm_ going to have to calm you down, and the only way I know how to do that is by hitting someone. And I don't ever want to actually hit you, Arnold. Ever. Okay?" She chuckled a tiny bit. "Unless, of course, you're gonna be torturing me in one of my dreams again about naming our future kid Summer or something…" She recalled the light sock in the nose he'd claimed to have gotten from her in her sleep for that joke during their first date after their one-week anniversary…and hoped it would lighten the mood.

Though her attempt at levity didn't make Arnold suddenly start laughing or anything, at the very least his frown of self-disappointment became less pronounced. He continued looking at her with his sad eyes for a second longer, and then finally nodded at her request to calm down a little, and took a deep breath in and let it out… He was still blushing horribly though, and all of a sudden he couldn't help dropping his sad eyes from her face a little in shame once again. '_I…I did a really horrible thing to a really nice person…didn't I? And all because of this stupid…stupid dark side thing_…' A frustrated sigh escaped him. '_I don't care if that side of me IS a good kisser and DOES know how to make a girl faint and moan, and CAN get giggles and blushes out of the most amazing girl in the world just by saying nice things in a nice voice…If it's so crazy that it makes her never want to be near me again and ME never want to be near me again then what's the point?_' The young boy just felt like apologizing like crazy again and throwing himself at Helga's mercy…but, still, she'd told him to calm down and had seemed quite sincere…and so he closed his eyes and took in and let out one more calming breath, and then opened them again and awaited patiently whatever she'd have to say next.

Seeing from the look on his face and from the fact that there were no more hysterics and near-tears pouring out of him that he was taking her advice about calming down to heart, Helga smiled a bit more and removed her hand from his shoulder, letting out a small relieved sigh. "Good…" she merely stated, happy that he was at least willing to listen to her.

Arnold, still a little emotionally unstable at the moment though he _was_ actually feeling somewhat better from five minutes or so ago, just watched as (a smiling?) Helga suddenly shifted herself on her carpet so that she was now seated directly beside him instead of in front of him. He also didn't fail to notice that she was blushing just the tiniest bit…

And he was about to find out why exactly that was.

Because, in point of fact...a small plan for how to help her beloved through his embarrassment _had_ presented itself to Helga G. Pataki while she had been listening to Arnold's explanations and absorbing this whole little shenanigan he'd gotten busted right in the middle of…And she now realized that the only way to help Arnold with his humiliation was to act on this plan…and to share with him an utterly embarrassing incident of her own…to show him that he wasn't alone and that this too would pass. The only problem with this obviously necessary course of action though was that Helga, over the course of the last couple of weeks, had pretty much shared all standard major embarrassing incidents of her unrequited love with Arnold…on top of which, with how upset Arnold obviously was…it was going to take some thing BIG to snap him out of it…

…All of which left Helga with no choice but to share a 'not so standard' embarrassing incident…The worst one she could think of, to be honest… Her first choice, naturally, would have been to share the shrine with him but they had 'been there and done that'… And only one other option was presenting itself to her mind at the moment… She was so afraid that for a second she almost really wasn't sure if she could go through with it… But…but it would help her little beloved. And that was all that mattered. Plus…he loved her…a lot obviously if he was getting this worked up over this whole thing. And he _still_ would love her when this was done. '_Yeah…he'll still love you, Helga old girl…It'll be fine_…' She did her best to take comfort in this small mantra.

"Okay…" Helga started once more, clearing her throat, smiling a little more…and blushing a little more…and gulping now, actually…and gripping her fingers and nails into her pink carpet at her sides, but thankfully still managing to maintain… "Arnold…" she went on quietly but firmly, "Do you want to hear a story? I-I mean…" her wide eyes went to his, "A story you've already heard but…the 'whole' story this time…about something I did once…um…before my confession?"

Arnold had to blink at this question and now he actually finally fully turned his head to face her, more than a touch of curiosity in his face… '_What is she talking about?_' He literally had no clue.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes at his typical, kind of clueless reaction…though she was still nervous as heck inside. "Don't worry…" she assured him with a small grin, "It'll make sense in about two seconds. And I think it might make you feel better about this whole thing…Otherwise, BELIEVE ME," she announced emphatically, still trying to smile and lighten the mood despite her nerves, "I would be saving _this_ one for one day when we're in our thirties and the kids are at school and there are over a dozen wedding anniversaries behind us …"

That married-based remark actually got a small, brief smile out of Arnold, and now at least he seemed willing to sustain eye contact with her…and it made Helga smile and gain confidence all the more. "Ah, and there it is again—that Arnold smile that I so adore…" She giggled as she finished and the familiar sound plus her little compliment about his smile made Arnold actually release one small chuckle as well…and the corners of his mouth linger in their slightly turned up position.

This small shared laugh came and went, and then Helga was (pleasantly) surprised to hear Arnold clear his throat and actually speak again, and this time not in that panicked voice from before. "So…" he started quietly, a small smile still on his face, "You…um…have a story to tell me, you said? A…A whole story?" He was being genuine and sincere in his inquiry, not accusing at all about whatever it was she might have kept from him until now…The most trusting person in the whole world and Helga had always loved him for that.

Helga just swallowed and shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck, clearing her throat. "Uh, yeah…a 'whole' story… And, uh… I…think it'll help bring what just happened into proportion…or at least stop you from being curled in a ball on the floor in convulsions of guilt, Football Head, heh…" She grinned sheepishly at him…but there was touch of fear in her heart.

Still, her joke did manage to get another very tiny chuckle from Arnold, and that helped ease her once again. "Helga…" he said quietly, glancing down with a smile for a moment, "You…you really think you've got a pre-confession story that'll equal what I just did?"

Helga (to Arnold's surprise and interest) let out a very deep sigh before she replied to his question…And then he looked up only to see her glancing down again (though she still smiled…but she was also blushing again too). "It'll top it," she responded simply. "I-I mean…" a small laugh, "This whole 'laying down with me' thing comes pretty close—which is impressive, by the way, Arnold, but…trust me, what I've got to say is better….er, worse…whatever." She shook her head, and gave him a small glance. "Anyway, if anything, when I'm done filling you in, _I'll_ be the one in guilt convulsions on the floor and _you'll_ be the one with the right to yell at _me_ and kick _me_ out—and regardless of the fact that we're in _my_ room!"

Arnold had to laugh just a little more this time, and Helga (the action making her feel a little better) joined him…There was just something about her humor that could always make Arnold smile and feel good, even in his worst times…and he loved that.

The sound of Helga's small bit of laughter ceasing and her taking in a very deep breath met Arnold's ears, and caused him to pause in his slight chuckle-filled musings over her…And then his eyes flew open wide and his attention became completely fixed on Helga at the sight of her suddenly completely laying down on her floor, her arms still locked at her sides…hands still digging into her carpet…

As she spoke, she stared up at the ceiling.

She let out that deep breath she'd taken in. "Okay…so…" she spoke slowly, but steadily, ('_This is for Arnold, this is for Arnold, this is for Arnold…and he loves you_…') "...You, um…you remember that story I told you about that parrot you found that had memorized one of my poems, and how I had to spend all those days trying to get it back from you before he said the last line?" '_Ugh_…_I know it's for Arnold and that he loves me but…I cannot believe I am telling him this…_' She did her best to stay firm and not to cringe.

Arnold, meanwhile, still sitting and still looking down at her, just gave a small nod at her question... "Mmm hmm…" He still had no idea where she going with this, by the way—the parrot story had, after all, seemed pretty straightforward to him. A little embarrassing but…nothing extreme…not like she seemed to be hinting some new fact about it would be…

Helga let out a breath, and all of his attention went away from his thoughts and right back to her words once more. "Okay, well…" she went on with a swallow, "Y-You remember how your grandparents told you about me breaking through your ceiling that time, and I explained to you that it was because I'd had to spend the night in the boarding house behind your couch and couldn't get out when you left because the remote was too far away…right?" Helga felt like she was shaking inside…What would he do when she said it? Break up with her? Pass out cold and block it all out? Burst into flames because of how much his modesty would reject it all? WHAT?

She glanced over at her beloved just a little only to see a still clueless but nonetheless interested Arnold nod at her once more…and she now really noticed that he was more and more losing the embarrassed, mortified, just-shoot-me-now look as he became more and more intrigued as she went on…and that fact was enough to keep her going.

Helga swallowed again and pulled her eyes back to the ceiling. "Alright…" she let out a deep breath, "Alright…so…I think I might have, uh, conveniently skipped over at least one thing in between when I got to the boarding house that first afternoon and when I left the next morning… You know…" Blushing, so much blushing… "…when I was trapped behind your couch waiting for you to leave so I could get the bird…"

Okay, Arnold had to officially raise an eyebrow, the majority of his humility really being entirely forgotten with his growing concern for Helga and whatever it was she had to say... After all, she was blushing an awful lot at this point, and, after all, he still had NO idea why._ 'What could she have done that night that could be worse than any of the stuff we've already gone over…any of the stuff we've been through together…what I did to her just now?'_

Helga took another breath and began very intentionally playing with one of her pigtails, Arnold noticed, not looking at him at all. _At all_. And now she spoke and did not interrupt things anymore with little questions to him or small jokes or breaths. She just laid it all out on the line….come what may. "Okay, so…um…well, like I said, Arnold, I was there all night and ended up going to sleep back there…But, uh, heh, you ended up going to sleep in your room first…while I was watching you and the bird. And part of you going to sleep was, well…you…started getting ready to, um…to change into your, uh…you know…pajamas…Heh, uh, is it hot in here or is it just me? Heh, well, um, and, anyway…well, I told myself not to, you know…l-l-l-look…b-b-but it…it was kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity, and, and, and…I mean…I basically more or less passed out the second you got your shirt off…and…and maybe some other stuff…a lot of other stuff…b-b-but I was still basically…_Oh Arnold, I spied on you while you were getting undressed_! _And that's what's worse than what you just did, Football Head! And I'm sorry—like really __really__ sorry! Because there's a difference between stuff I usually did back then and something like that which I admit totally did cross a line, okay?"_

And so with these finals lines and a heavy sigh out, Helga finally finished her rant about having one day watched Arnold get undressed! And now she just lay there, her eyes shut tight as could be and cringing like crazy because she couldn't help doing so anymore! Her arms were straight out at her sides and her hands were still clenched into nervous fists, practically digging up her carpet from the floor, as she awaited Arnold's inevitable shocked response to this most embarrassing admission she'd ever voiced EVER! '_Well, there it is_…' she gulped, '_And, you know, going over it in my head, I'm pretty sure the time I watched the little shrimp take off his clothes was about the most random, obsessive thing I've ever done to the poor, dense, little Football Head… I just hope it makes him feel better at least, and forget all his stupid guilt about just climbing onto my freaking bed with me… I mean, at least he was being a gentleman and considerate—not touching me or kissing me or anything, just enjoying being near me…__I'm__ the one who acted like a total creep! Watching him take off his… Oh I would completely deserve it if he never wants to see me again! Oh maybe this __whole thing__ was just a mistake! I mean, I wanted to make him feel better and Arnold's pretty understanding if the last few weeks (heck, the last few __years__) prove anything, but…come on! I tried to abuse my incredible luck at being able to do things behind his back without getting caught to get a secret glimpse of his chest and his arms and his…well… Oh, Crimeny, I don't even know what I was thinking! What kind of an obsessed freak does something like that, anyway? I mean, I know Bliss always says that as long as I'm not hurting anyone, it's okay, but still…at the very least, he's gonna need a break from 'us' for a few days after this one, no question. Oh this whole thing…EVERYTHING…was a mistake! I should have just given him a hug or something to make him feel better about getting caught in my bed, and waited on telling him this stupid story until we really WERE married or somethi_—'

It was then that Helga had to end her thoughts abruptly as she suddenly felt a warmth clasped around her constricted left hand. '_Wh-Wh…Huh?_'

Her blue eyes popped open wide and her gaze shifted to the side…only to fall upon… Arnold… now laying, likewise on his back, on her carpet right next to her…with his hands down to his sides just like hers were…and specifically his right hand currently atop her left one. Helga's heart pounded in fear and hope. Her eyes shifted specifically to her beloved's face just as he let out a sigh, and she noticed that Arnold's kind of wide eyes were just looking up at her ceiling, probably in thought but also probably from an effort not to look at her (the latter theory was further supported by the fact that Helga could see a distinct blush tingeing his cheeks.)

A couple more seconds passed like this in silence and then finally Arnold…young, sweet, caring, constantly on an emotional roller coaster ever since he'd gotten that bright…brilliant…beautiful idea to save the neighborhood, which had led to him being here right now with the person he was with and hearing what he'd just heard… Yes, young Arnold opened his mouth and spoke in a quiet, pensive, slow voice… "Helga…" he simply began.

Helga swallowed. Hard. "Uh…" she squeaked out, her eyes shifting away to look up casually at the ceiling now as well, though she did her best to glance just slightly at Arnold out of the corner of her eye nonetheless, "Yeah…Arnold..?" came her quiet reply.

He just let out another sigh…and squeezed her hand just a little…and at this point she couldn't tell whether _she_ was shaking or _he_ was shaking or if it was some combination of both of them…all she knew was that tremors were currently passing through their hands. "We're…a little…we're a little…" He was quiet again. He couldn't find what he wanted to say.

Helga took a breath and, trying to lighten the mood as before, swallowed and suggested a few words humorously. "Uh…strange? Unusual? Uncanny? Adorable together? Come on, Arnold, these are the jokes…heh, heh…heh…" she quickly rambled, still focusing very intently on the ceiling. '_Oh boy…I…am SO going to end up single again after this…Crimeny_…' She practically wanted to let out an exasperated, defeated, humiliated sigh, roll her eyes and slap a hand to her forehead and then of course BEG Arnold's forgiveness for her crimes but she was still too afraid to make any major movements at the moment.

"We're…a little…" Arnold's voice came to her ears again and she shut up her internal lamentations to listen closely, "We're a little…" his voice cracked, "…crazy sometimes…you and…and me. I mean…" his voice was still so quiet, "…s-sometimes we do kind of 'crazy' things when we're around each other…don't we…?" he finally finished, still just laying next to her, still holding her hand and still just looking up at the ceiling.

Helga swallowed again and felt all of her emotions peak at once…with fear leading the way. 'Crazy', after all, didn't exactly have the best connotation to it.

The sound of Arnold letting out another breath caught Helga's ears and made her eyes shift fully over to him. "Helga?" And then suddenly, to Helga's immense surprise, Arnold's gaze shifted over to her now too…and their eyes instantly met. She saw his eyes almost pull away in a little bit of fear…but then they remained looking into her own and she felt him squeeze her hand just a little harder.

He spoke some more.

"I…" a breath, "I…This, um…might be that, um…that 'other side' of me that we talked about talking a bit…Y-You know, the, um…the 'dark' side…heh…" She watched him try and smile though it quickly faded back to his former blank look. "B-But I…" he went on, obviously thinking very hard about expressing what he had to say as clearly as possible, "But I kind of like that you…you know…that you make me do 'crazy' things sometimes." He glanced down just a little, though she could tell part of his gaze was still on her. "I mean…you make my life interesting, Helga, and…it's kind of…i-interesting to know that I've made yours so different too… And um…" She noticed a small smile come to his face now…and stay… And his blush deepened just a little.

He sat up a bit.

"And well…" there was…actually some _conviction_ in his quiet, small voice now…just a little mind you but it was still there and Helga did not fail to notice it…And it confused the heck out of her trying to figure out whatever the heck Arnold might have had on his wide mind to do next…"And I think," he went on bravely, brave little boy that he was, "I think that on a regular day or with anybody I had a regular relationship with, right now I'd probably just stand and offer them a hand up and say I was sorry again for what I just did and that I forgive them for what they did, and then I'd go home…and probably never be able to look them in the eye again, to be honest…" He swallowed, still blushing…still looking so unsure…but still obviously having something left to say. His eyes traveled up again and now were looking right into hers once more. "But…like I said, you make me feel like doing crazy things sometimes, Helga, so instead of all that…if it's okay with you…I mean, since we both just kind of took some risks with each other…just to show you that nothing's changed, at least, for me…."

Helga propped herself up a bit on her elbows, still looking at him in a bit of surprise and with just a touch of worry…And indeed all of this rambling and talking of craziness and that nervous quality to his voice were all worrying her considerably! '_What is it…WHAT is he going to do? The break up, the blocking it out, the bursting into flames, WHAT?'_ She just…didn't know!

…Until Arnold moved his right hand off of her left, and placed this now free hand on the carpet on the left side of her body, and then shifted his own body over and placed his other free hand on her carpet on the right side of her body, thus balancing himself over Helga Pataki…And then he leaned over her and gently kissed her upon the mouth…

Helga just blinked several times in total perplexity…TOTAL PERPLEXITY! But then…then she of course quickly lost herself in the kiss…and the perfect feeling of Arnold being so close to her. '_He…he's…_' it was like…the warmest wave of relief and love and hope imaginable washed over her just then, _'He's never going to hate me…is he? He'll…He'll never hate me or reject me or want nothing to do with me just because I'm a little different sometimes…He loves me…Arnold loves me…He really actually truly unconditionally loves me, doesn't he?_' And then Helga allowed her trembling heart and her trembling lips and her trembling everything to slowly collapse back upon her carpet, bringing her arms around her beloved in an embrace…and as she laid back she felt him slowly collapse on top of her, bringing his own arms behind her head and into her hair as the kiss continued. All in all, it was very similar to that first mutual kiss they had shared on her coffee table all those weeks ago during their first date, but much more tender than passionate this time around…and Helga couldn't help but smile just a bit more at the idea that this time _Arnold_ was the one on top of _her_. _'He really does love me just like I love him_…' Nothing about the thought was a question.

There was a light knock on the door.

It took a second but then Helga and Arnold's eyes fluttered open.

"Helga, sweetie, are you in there? I just wanted to see if Arnold's still here and to ask one more time if he wants to stay for dinner…"

Helga's eyes shot open and she didn't waste any time! First, she instantly flipped herself so that she was atop her beloved for a moment, and then she separated their mouths as quick as could be and scrambled up and ran to the door, just praying that a couple of seconds would be enough time for Arnold to come out of any lovesick daze he might be in and recompose himself. She ran to grad the doorknob, hoping her own blushing wasn't too bad! _'Come on, Helga, focus! Ignore how fast your heart is beating and how warm your body still feels from being against his, and the feeling of his hands in your_—' "Miriam!" The ten-year-old blonde pulled the door open wide and did her best to announce her mother's name with a cheery and welcoming smile! _'Yup…just keeping it casual. Maintain_.' "Hey! Uh…" Helga glanced behind herself nervously to see Arnold now just sitting up upon her floor with his legs crossed, looking to the side and smiling quite nervously…his blushing (unfortunately) unhideable.

Helga literally almost moaned in exasperation. '_Oh great—I am just going to be dealing with __days__ of good natured ribbing from Miriam about this, aren't I?_' She shook her head to clear it and quickly turned back to her mother...who, to Helga's dread, was just looking back and forth from one child to the next and smiling…and obviously trying not to laugh. Helga cleared her throat and firmed up her look a little, doing her best to get this little interruption moving along…now! "Uh, sorry, Miriam, didn't mean to keep you waiting… We were just, uh…" it took her a second, but, "…just working something out for school! Uh, yeah!" Helga tried not to blush too much at the lameness of the excuse and finally just looked Miriam in the eye, getting right to the point with a matter-of-fact tone. "What did you need, again, Mom?"

Miriam, however, (more than aware from how shy Arnold was looking and how nervous her daughter was acting that obviously she'd just interrupted 'something' between them) couldn't help finally chuckling slightly to herself, though she did her best to keep it to a minimum: the kids were probably already embarrassed enough after all. She turned her gaze to Helga. "Oh, sorry, Helga…I just…wanted to make sure about whether or not Arnold can stay for dinner tonight…I know you two like to spend as much time together as possible when you see each other and so I invited him when he came to the door before, and it's getting close to five thirty though so…" Miriam's gaze shifted behind Helga, "How about it, Arnold?" she finished kindly, awaiting a response from the (obviously quite anxious) boy still on the floor.

Arnold blinked and his eyes went wide at being addressed directly like that! He instantly stood up and cleared his throat, still looking down and to the side with a nervous smile on his face, and his arms so very shyly behind his back as he spoke. "Um…thanks, again, Mrs. Pataki, but…" his voice was so high pitched that it obviously sounded like it was BEGGING to crack, and Arnold knew it! He tried to finish up quickly. "But it, um…it really is my turn to do most of the cooking tonight and I don't want to leave my Grandma and Grandpa with everything to take care of on such short notice…" He let out a breath and then took a slow one in, trying to fully calm his still strongly blushing little self.

Miriam just let out a sigh at his response, still smiling. "I understand, Arnold. You really are such a responsible young man…"

And just when he thought he had the redness in his face under control, that compliment about being a 'responsible young man' made Arnold blush even more if that was possible and clear his throat nervously! '_A responsible young man…who almost fell asleep dreaming about holding Helga in my arms and sleeping next to her in her bed…And when Mrs. Pataki trusted me to come up here all alone and just give Helga a book back…Oh boy…_' Little pricks of guilt went over him, and he was full scale shy and blushing and nervous all over again this afternoon!

Helga, watching from the sidelines, finally just smacked a hand to her forehead and dragged it down her face, officially giving up entirely on any ability of Arnold's to play it cool_. 'I swear, if HE had been the one with the crush I would have had him figured out before snack time that first day of preschool…__Crimeny__, he cannot lie!_'

"Anyway…" Miriam suddenly continued, now having to try and hold back even more laughter at how flustered poor little Arnold seemed at the moment and how obviously embarrassing her daughter was finding it all…Really, though, seeing this, she decided to spare both children and start to wrap things up a bit and to avoid the elephant in the room about whatever Helga and Arnold had been doing before Helga had whipped open her door the rest of the way just now… "Maybe we can have you over tomorrow or sometime this weekend instead…What do you kids say?"

Helga, realizing Arnold was probably in no condition to speak much more considering how much distress he seemed to be in once again, just let out a sigh and then reached over and put her hand on the doorknob, looking Miriam in the eye again. "Okay, Miriam…" she began patiently, her other hand on her hip, just wanting this to be over, "Me and Arnold'll talk it over and maybe we'll eat here on Friday or something instead of at the Boarding House. For now, though, can we, you know… have a few minutes?" At having to ask the question, Helga couldn't help but swallow hard and lose a bit of the firmness of her look…She also broke eye contact with Miriam and glanced down just a little shyly. "We, uh…still have to finish working out that, uh, thing for school…okay?"

To Helga's chagrin but also relief, Miriam just let out a sigh and took a step away from the door back out into the hallway. "Okay, sweetie." She nodded. "You two finish up and dinner should be ready in about half an hour or so. I'll see you downstairs, Helga. And bye, Arnold." And with that and a wave Miriam headed out of her daughter's doorway and down the hall with an all knowing smile on her face while Helga just shut her door once more, and then turned and let herself collapse back against it, letting out a very relieved sigh and wiping her brow.

"Whoo!" Helga Pataki looked straight to Arnold…and she just plain had to observe before anything else was said, "Football Head, you and me have got to go over how to NOT act like a total spazz when you get caught in an awkward situation. I mean, not that it isn't always adorable watching you squirm but…_not_ when it's going to get me teased by my mother for the rest of the week, you know?" Despite the complaint though, Helga was half smiling at Arnold as she spoke. After all, sure it was embarrassing…but there also really was nothing more adorable than her cute little Arnold all shy and red in the face just because of something to do with _her_. _'It's just freaking precious!' _she finally just had to admit to herself with a mental giggle.

Arnold, meanwhile, still standing across the room near Helga's bed, just blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat, and then looked to his girlfriend sincerely, hands still behind his back. "Sorry, Helga…" he began innocently and with just a tinge of that former nervousness in his face and voice, "…I guess I just forgot your mom was coming back, and then…and then…that kiss was kind of…um…" a dreamy smile began to come to his face and his eyes began to get glazed over…and the nervousness left entirely…and his speaking slowed quite a bit…"It was…um…" '_I think it was actually one of the most…_' Arnold had to laugh at the first word to come to mind, '_It was…crazy…One of the craziest and most unexpected moments in my life…and one of the greatest…Oh boy, it's always fun when she just throws me some place and starts kissing me or when I just lean in a give her a small one, of course…. But that just now was different… just slowly and gently and quietly and warmly like that with our arms wrapped around each other and our hearts pounding against one another…like we were the only two people in the world… It was really, really…_' "It was, um…" he'd kind of started speaking his thoughts aloud without realizing it…his eyes brimming with love, "It was warm…deep…and your heart…against mine…" Arnold was barely even forming words anymore, though they still remained coherent enough to be heard by the only other person in the room "...and…pretty…sweet…lovely…your body…and my body…and…" His lips trembled... "And…and…"

"Uh…Arnold? You who—earth to Football Head? Arnold…Arnold? Hey Arnold!" Arnold was suddenly broken clean from his thoughts and daydreams and fantasies by these words and the sudden sound and motion of someone snapping their fingers right in front of his face.

The football headed boy blinked a few more times and then suddenly his gaze came back into focus right on the face of a very smug looking Helga now standing right in front of him, her arms now crossed over her chest! "OH! Uh…." He felt even more heat flood his face. '_What…? I…I didn't say all of that out loud…!_' She looked SO smug…and she was blushing… And now Arnold just sighed and shut his eyes and smacked a hand to his forehead, dragging it down. "I…just said all of that out loud…Didn't I, Helga?" he merely asked in a flat voice.

Helga finally gave in to a few chuckles she'd been holding back. "Uh huh, big time, Arnoldo." Something more like a giggle escaped her next and she smiled a bit more. "And yeah, yeah, we get it, Head Boy—kissing me equals magically amazing and amazingly magical." She just shook her head in amusement…but then added with a much slyer smile, leaning in close… "But, uh…what exactly was all that stuff about hearts against each other and your body and my body again?" She smirked all the more…but was also secretly nervous as could be inside. After all, she'd…she'd NEVER heard Arnold sound so focused on the physical stuff before… He'd been much more willing to participate in stuff like that lately but he certainly never openly _talked_ about it (at least, not yet in their relationship…)! And she knew he liked it of course but…did he really like it…think about it…want it…THAT much?

In response to THAT little playful question from Helga, Arnold just froze and swallowed…and then said whatever the heck he could get to come out of his mouth, he was so flustered at having just told his girlfriend all of those things! He was practically collapsing into a pile of nerves as he spoke. "O-Oh…well…It-it's just that we were against each other and y-you feel n-nice when I'm against you, and then y-your heart beats against mine and it f-feels nice to hold you…touch you…A-And I…l-l-like i-it…like it so much…a-and—"

…But then to Arnold's surprise (and very great relief and even salvation) Helga suddenly reached forward and took one of his hands sweetly in her own. "Oh relax, Arnold…" she soothed with a happy smile, "Don't hurt yourself. Just felt like messing with you a little…" She winked. And not that Helga wouldn't have LOVED to hear the rest of her beloved's little ramblings on this matter but…she didn't want to push him on this…especially considering the amount of emotional trauma he'd already been through on this afternoon (and all to do another good deed in his life and drop off her poetry book)…and also, well…she was still a little surprised with how he was answering her right now…so very focused on the physical, somewhere deep down inside of him. Maybe she'd have them come back to it later…one of these days in the future but not quite yet. But as for here and now, that really was the least she could do—letting him off the hook. Payback for the time _he'd_ done it for _her_ right after her confession, let's say. Having come to this decision, Helga just let out a sigh and squeezed Arnold's hand a bit more. "Now come on, Arnoldo," she went on, "All these surprising moments and revelations have left me in need of a little relaxing time before dinner. And since you can't stick around for the meal and relax me just by being you…why don't we go for a quick walk around the block before you head home, okay, Football Head?"

Arnold, who really had been put through quite a lot today, at first didn't respond in any way to the question or the hand hold…but then he blushed…but then it faded a little…and then he seemed to be thinking…and then his eyes widened and suddenly they were wide again and they instantly focused directly on Helga's hand still clasping his own. "You want to go for a walk with me…_together_…_outside_?" was the first thing to pop out of his mouth in his tone of confusion. "_Are you sure_?" His confused eyes snapped to hers. "I-I mean…aren't you worried that someone might see us?" After all, Arnold…well, even though he didn't like to bring it up because he knew Helga still needed time and he wanted to respect that, one of his personal fantasies was still what it would be like when the day came when he could be with Helga…in public…when everyone would know everything and how nice that would be…And now…here it was? (Well, part of it anyway…) And so very out of the blue! He had half a mind to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't passed out and dreaming from that fall off of Helga's bed before! '_Heh, well, that would certainly explain away that crazy story about her watching me, um…heh_…' He…did his best not to focus on that particular subject for now…instead trying to deal with the fact that he knew full well that this was reality…and that Helga's desire to go for a handholding walk with him in public was a real part of it.

And then Helga, to Arnold's further surprise, just shrugged at his shocked disbelief about this whole 'walk in public' business, the smile still on her face…and actually waved him off of all things! "Eh, everyone's probably home eating dinner right now, and it's not like it'd be that long of a walk, and anyway I could always make up an excuse or something for why we're together…Just two enemies who happened to meet up, and you owe me a quarter or something so I've latched onto you and I'm not letting you go until I get it back, maybe…" Arnold was about to smile when he saw Helga's smile become just a bit more mischievous, and that in turn made him pause and gulp, "…Or instead of all that song and dance...I _could _just pull us into a dim alley for a few minutes while whoever we saw passed by…" She winked and then made sure to add, using a finger of her free hand to give him a light poke on his chest just above his heart. "Maybe you could even explain more to me about this hearts beating against each other thing…Just pounding away, one on top of the other…" She ended in a whisper

Arnold felt himself swallow hard at this suggestion…and of course at that little poke…and then also of course at the thing about 'hearts pounding away one on top of the other'… Always such an accurate poet, his Helga was…and she always found the best way to put things to make Arnold's heart race uncontrollably whenever he read or listened to her stuff, whether he admitted it or not. '_Oh…OH_…' he couldn't help but think to himself in nervousness as her little 'Plan B' for seeing someone they knew fully sunk in…complete with pending daydreams just waiting to take over his thoughts at a moment's notice.

Helga, meanwhile, now just gave in to full on girly giggles at Arnold's reaction to her suggestive little suggestion, and then rolled her eyes and suddenly commenced pulling him toward the bedroom door with her so they could start that walk already before it got too late. '_Cute…and FUN_.' "Besides," she went on talking, a happy smile on her face, "Honestly, right now, Arnold, spending some time just walking with you is more important to me than someone MAYBE seeing us together and POSSIBLY thinking that we're MAYBE friends or at least that I don't ENTIRELY hate you…" She opened her door, revealing the empty Pataki upstairs hallway, and then looked back to Arnold once more…who was just smiling at what she'd just said, happiness and contentment seeming to overpower all of his former fluster for now. "So…you in or out, Football Head?" she finished finally, putting a hand on her hip and turning fully around to him. She smirked a little. "Come on…be a 'responsible young man' and give your girlfriend just one quick walk around the block…" She winked.

Arnold, elated that this really was happening in real life and also that he could finally do something this afternoon with his girlfriend that was nice and normal and innocent and sane, just let out a happy sigh and gripped Helga's hand a bit more firmly as he stepped out of the open bedroom door. "Of course I'll walk with you, Helga." He nodded with a smile and added playfully, "Where are my manners?" Now in the hall with her, Arnold gestured forward politely with his free arm for her to go first, as he'd done on several occasions during this relationship of theirs.

Helga just rolled her eyes once more at that little bow forward of his that he always loved to pull out. "Beats the heck out of me, Arnoldo," she replied to his rhetorical question about his manners…but then added sweetly, "But thank you for being my escort, Football Head."

She went forward a step or two and Arnold quickly came up beside her, and the two shared a laugh at this little formal exchange of theirs as they proceeded to head down the hallway side by side together.

"But…um…really, Arnold…" Helga suddenly whispered as they headed toward the stairs, catching the now lighthearted-feeling football headed boy by a bit of surprise with the sudden return of seriousness and shyness to her tone, "Thanks…for being okay with…uh, well…_you know_…" It took Arnold a second, considering the vague wording and his degree of natural denseness…but then it clicked that she was referring to the 'watching you undress' incident from before. He gulped. "And I…I mean," she suddenly started to go on, "I really didn't see much of anything! I promise!" Despite these assuring words though, she was blushing like crazy and trying not to look him in the eye… "And…if it's…if it's any consolation…whatever it was I might have seen…well, you're a handsome guy Arnold so whatever it was I might have seen was…you know…" She seemed practically trembling with nerves, "N…Ni…Nic—"

Okay, that…that was…No, he couldn't take anymore. It was like the other day when she'd nearly gotten at his underwear but a MILLION times worse.

"H-Helga?" Arnold finally brought himself enough out of his shock to squeak out to her, only just barely looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

Her mouth closed and her eyes went wide (they were still locked forward) and he saw her just barely nod in reply.

"Um…" Arnold let out a breath and just said it as best he could, tugging at his collar as they reached the top of the stairs and paused here for a moment together. "I…appreciate that… A-A lot. But…um…I'm going to need a little while before I can, um…talk about…_you know_…directly. Okay?" Actually, Arnold didn't want to think about having to talk too much about this incident of which he now had awareness EVER…but at the very least, he just didn't have it in him to do it right now. Not after an afternoon like this…All he wanted and what he needed most right now was a nice, simple, straightforward walk…

To his relief and happiness, Arnold saw Helga just nod again in agreement with him. (And she really could more than understand his feelings…and to be honest she was just happy that she was still in a relationship after telling him about the whole thing… Besides, on top of all that, she really hadn't been sure exactly where she'd been going with that whole 'assessment of having seen Arnold undress' thing she'd suddenly started to ramble off into…But wherever it was headed, it was obviously a place of deep, DEEP mortification for the both of them…At least, right here and now. Better to just keep things simple).

Helga, having come to this silent agreement with Arnold about the very awkward topic in question, was about to segue them back into casual conversation again by grinning and suggesting in some weakly sarcastic way (considering how fried _she herself_ felt as well after this afternoon of emotions and embarrassing explanations) that they head down the stairs already before they were taking a pre-breakfast walk instead of a pre-dinner walk, or something to that effect… She instantly paused though, and her eyes went wide and shifted over to her beloved as she suddenly she felt him give her hand a squeeze. The young boy in question then took a small step closer and said quietly to her, "And also, um…thanks to you too, Helga…for not getting angry about the other, um, '_you know'_…" For a second, the enormity of her own 'you know' clouded her thinking but then Helga instantly realized he was talking about that whole 'laying down with you' incident. She had been about to give him a quick 'you're welcome' when he suddenly went on past the thank you, much to her surprise "It was, um…It was nice to be near you like that…" Helga's jaw dropped quite completely at this little addition to his words…and then he STILL kept speaking…!

'_Just say it, Arnold…Just…let her know while the moment's here and you still have it in you…That's what you did when you confessed to her and it turned out alright…great…amazing…_' "I…um…I think it'd be nice if one day we could sleep next to each other like that…" His stomach flipped at the very idea. "I-In the…In the _future_, of course…heh…" he tacked on sheepishly.

Helga just…gulped…and almost lost any actual participation in their handholding, she was in such a state of just...numbness… And then finally the shocked and wide eyed girl could only manage to say back to him in the lightest voice in the world as what he'd just said as well as snippets of all of the other unusual things that had come out of his mouth this afternoon (combined with memories the quite a few unusual-for-him romantic actions over the last few weeks that Arnold had not only been participating in, but…quite _enthusiastically_ at times) all washed over her, "Y-Yeah…just next to each other…against each other…hearts and…bodies and stuff…."

The two then shared another small, nervous laugh on this day…

Finally, Arnold took a breath in and let it out, and did his best to get them out of the even more awkward hole they were both just digging themselves completely into today now that he had said what he had to say. "Well, anyway…" he went on with a shrug, glancing to the side with a small smile, "Thanks for being okay with that, Helga…" (Once again, Helga was all set to give him a small 'You're welcome, Arnold' to wrap things up…when suddenly he kept talking once more and it made her pause), "And for making my life a little crazy…in a really good way…"

Helga just blinked at Arnold's sudden little addition. And then she felt him about to begin leading them both down the stairs…but before he could do so she suddenly had her arms wrapped around him in a quick, tight hug, a large smile blossoming upon her face. The young girl let out a sigh and just savored the feeling of embracing her beloved for a second …but then she recalled at the back of her mind that her mother was indeed right downstairs and that her father was indeed due home any minute, and so she reluctantly pulled away from Arnold and their small tender moment together (for now)…though not before finishing things by whispering with a giggle into her beloved's lovely ear, "You're welcome, Arnold…"

Meanwhile, upon being released from his girlfriend's hold, a slightly blushing and of course pleasantly surprised Arnold blinked a couple of times with a smile as he processed her hug and whisper and giggle…and then the young blonde boy cleared his throat and glanced down with his arms behind his back, digging a foot into the hall carpet. "Uh…s-sure thing…Helga…" And then he really knew that he should just accept the lightheartedness returning to them once more today…but there really was just one more thing he had to say before that happened. He looked to the girl before him shyly but sincerely. "But um…Helga? Can you…Can you just promise me that you won't try something like spying on me…for _that_ reason…ever again? I just…don't want to feel like I have to run down to the bathroom every time I change clothes or something…" He blushed. Darkly. (But at least he managed to kind of maintain eye contact this time.)

Helga, not having expected this explicit request (but more than understanding it… After all, how would _she_ have liked it if _Arnold_…Her mind blanched at the very notion and she went back to responding to Arnold's request instantly.) A small, understanding (though still a little shy and flustered too) smile came to her face and she swallowed hard and rubbed one arm with one of her hands as she replied with a nod, "Okay, I promise, Arnold…" She looked right into his eyes…

…But then, if HE was getting a last request about the awkward thing SHE'D done to HIM…didn't SHE maybe deserve one about the awkward thing HE'D done to HER?

Helga thought so.

And so now she slid up quite close to her beloved with a smirk and a gleam in her eye and added in a low voice, almost a whisper, "But…only if _you_ promise to keep trying to sneak in the 'lying down with me' thing…Hey, you never know—now that it wouldn't throw me for a such a loop I might wake up one of those times and surprise you by insisting you stick around for the night or something…"

She giggled and pulled away, immediately commencing heading down the steps…while Arnold still just stood there at the top of the landing…with his eyes now wide at what she'd just said. '_She…Oh…She…heh_…' He was nervous as could be once more today and yet…in that instant he had never longed to be alone in a bedroom with Helga more in his entire life! Even though it would make him panic again, and be so very awkward, and none of it would make sense…such a huge part of him wanted to try one more time at least…even though another huge part knew that now was probably a bit too soon, all things considered. The time was just not quite right yet… '_But, um…I-I guess it's nice to know that she won't be opposed to it when the time __is__ right…heh, heh…_' He gulped. '_Oh boy_…'

Helga, now more than half way down her steps and STILL alone, paused in her journey and finally just sighed and shook her head in amusement, and then turned back to her blushing, unsure, mouth agape beloved once more, a hand on one of her hips, "Oh, and, uh, by the way, I've decided we're racing to the corner outside so get that look of shock off of your face unless you want to lose, paste for brains!" And with that Helga was off like a shot down the rest of the stairs…thrilling inside at having actually said that (very VERY true) thing to him about lying down together…and NOT wanting this little incident to discourage him from trying it again sometime ('_Hopefully soon…Ahh!_' She gave a girlish internal sigh!)

Back at the top of the stairs, it took Arnold another second and another blink to process Helga's words and challenge, but once he did (and now with all of the awkwardness of the day finally truly feeling like it was behind them with her sudden sarcastic quip) he couldn't help but smile and quickly chase after her. "I'll catch up with you, Helga," he called out happily, "even if I have to sneak through an air vent to do it!"

And indeed Arnold did manage to catch up with her at the door as that comment suddenly left Helga almost collapsed upon the floor in a fit of laughter at the hilarious memory from what felt like an eternity ago!

Laughing a lot himself, Arnold paused in their race and reached down and took Helga's hand, helping her up. "You okay, Helga?" he asked playfully and with an eyebrow raised at how obviously funny she'd found such a simple joke.

Helga chuckled a little more and just let out a sigh. "Eh, it's just that image of you sneaking through the vent…Like you'd transformed into me or something…" A few more chuckles. "Ah, but come on, Arnoldo, enough stalling! We're in mid race if I remember correctly…" a gleam came to her eyes, "And YOU were the one foolish enough to stop when your opponent was down to help her up instead of going for the win…Haven't you ever heard that nice guys always finish last, Football Head?"

"I didn't finish last by getting _you_ in the end, did I?" Arnold absolutely couldn't help himself, a smirk upon his face and a gleam in his eyes as well.

He watched in amusement as the comeback made Helga blink and blush for just a second…but then her own smirk was back and her hand not still clasped in his reached forward and grabbed his collar and yanked him a little closer. "No…I AM the cream of the crop, Football Head…But then…you haven't always been such a 'nice' little guy when it comes to me, have you?"

He blushed so much…but still smiled though… He shrugged. "Couldn't be helped…" He glanced down a little, "After all, SOMEBODY basically held me dangling out of her window until I gave up the perfect gentleman thing…And then also, well…SOMEBODY had to go and turn out to be the only person on the planet who could get 'not so nice' things to come out of m—"

Mr. Pataki came home at that moment, by the way.

Indeed, the knob turned, the door suddenly opened, and Bob was there, and Arnold and Helga froze and their eyes went wide…and they realized that basically they had been in such a high degree of mid-flirting that they were about to have one of their kisses… Yes, indeed, all of the signs were there—witty and suggestive remarks, hand holding, Helga pulling Arnold in close (albeit by his collar, but still that left mere inches between their lips, and THAT _was_ the ultimate goal), coy smiles and half lidded eyes…Heck, Arnold's free arm had even been in the middle of being about to come around Helga's waist to pull _her_ in close too…

"Hey, Miriam, I'm home! Is dinner read—"

The two kids instantly flew away from one another, blushing and clearing their throats…It was pretty obvious, meanwhile, that the sudden halt in Bob's speech was the result of him having stopped at the sight of his daughter and Arnold surprisingly directly in front of him, though the two of them just hoped they'd pulled apart quick enough for him not to have gotten a good view of things…

Helga still felt a little bit of Arnold's charge going through her though and her eyes went even wider and she realized that they were still holding hands! She instantly ripped hers from his, bringing both arms behind her back. "U-Um…" she merely stuttered, looking down and doing her best to scowl, "A-Arnold, um…owes me a quarter…And I was just, um…getting it back…" '_Shoot me…Come on, somebody have mercy, already, and just do it…_'

All Arnold did was nod at her little story. "Quarter…yeah…" He took a breath and then managed to raise his eyes and added politely. "Um…hi, Mr. Pataki…How're you?"

Arnold took in that Bob just had a very…very curious look on his face. Helga's eyes barely came up to see it as well and she cringed, awaiting whatever was to co—

"Uh…I'm okay, Arnold…Thanks…Uh, so, you sticking around for dinner tonight?" His voice had been slow at first but now it sounded…almost…happy and normal and casual! Both kids held their breaths—had he really seen so little and was he really that dense? Smiling, the older man cleared his throat and went on. "Feel like you haven't eaten here in a few days…We just keep shipping Helga over there, heh…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

Arnold took a second to absorb the fact that he was NOT going to be killed right now…and then just did his best to smile and say back without too much nervousness, "Uh…thanks, Mr. Pataki but, um…I actually have to get home and help my grandparents with dinner…It's my night tonight…I just had to drop a book off to Helga first, but, um…if it's okay, we thought we'd take a quick walk around the block together before I went home…" He blushed just the tiniest bit but tried his very hardest not to do so… After all, it looked like they might actually be…IN THE CLEAR! And he did NOT want to mess that up!

Bob cleared his throat…and for just a second the smile faltered…but then he sighed and it returned and he shrugged. "Uh, sure…You kids have fun…Just be back by six, Helga, okay? Or, uh, let us know if you decide to have dinner at Arnold's again or whatever…"

Helga, internally thanking her lucky stars, just nodded and spoke quickly and (hopefully) casually. "Okay, got it, Bob. Thanks. Well, Football Head and I'll just head out now. Uh, tell Mom dinner smells great!" And with that and a quick smile and even a little salute, Helga grabbed Arnold's sweater sleeve (no hands again just yet) and yanked him past Bob and out the door, down the stoop and into the street.

Bob just let out a sigh at the sight of them going…but then just shook his head and turned his sights back to the kitchen. "Hey, Miriam, the girl's right—whatever you're making really does smell good!" He smiled…Actually, his wife had seemed a lot happier lately and well...the cooking from it had been pretty phenomenal to say the least.

He heard her chuckle from the kitchen. "Thanks, B…It'll be ready in about twenty minutes…Unless you could come in here and help me with a few things…"

Bob smiled a little more. "Uh, yeah, sure…why not!" He headed right toward the kitchen…

…Though there was…at least one more brief glance back in the direction of the now shut Pataki door before he did so…

* * *

"Whoo! Crimeny, that was close!" Helga let out a deep breath, leaning back against a building at the corner she'd just sprinted to with Arnold in tow. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked to her beloved. "Arnold, let's face it—this is one of those days when irony isn't just our best friend…He has moved in, put up his feet and made us his slaves…" She had to at least half smile though, despite all of their misfortune, at how kind of funny it all was when you thought about it.

Arnold chuckled a little and just nodded, likewise with his back against the building. "Agreed, Helga. Completely agreed."

She chuckled a little more, and then, now having caught her breath, stopped leaning and held out a hand to Arnold. "Well, anyway, now that our race is over—and shockingly enough since I was dragging you right along with me when we got to this corner, it was a tie—you wanna just continue our walk nicely and normally and calmly, Football Head?"

Arnold smiled even more and gladly took her hand (secretly thrilling inside about this actually occurring in public, even if it would only be a walk of a few minutes and only around the block and only because it was highly unlikely that anyone they knew would be out of the house so close to dinnertime!) "I…would like that very VERY much, Helga…"

And so, hand in hand, the two of them began walking…and Helga giggled a little. "Yeah, well, with that look in your 'not so nice' little eyes right before we got interrupted, I _figured_ you wouldn't exactly mind a little more touching and being close today, Arnold…"

Arnold just rolled his now half lidded eyes to the side, and squeezed her hand a little. "Hey, you were about to kiss me too…"

"Oh, well, duh!" She chuckled some more and smiled at him. "But still…it's just fun for me to point it out…" She sighed and looked forward, a content smile upon her face now. "But really, no more awkward stuff…Just nice, quiet, sane walking together…I think both of our nerves are pretty much shot for the day anyway…"

Arnold sighed and glanced forward as well with a content smile and nodded. "Yeah…" he blushed the tiniest bit. "But, um…could I ask one more small question, Helga? And if it's too much or something right now, all things considered, then I can always wait and ask it again later, but, um…I'm kind of curious…"

Helga blushed quite a bit…_Oh boy_ the number of random things he could ask after everything they had just been through were ENDLESS and most ended in total humiliation. But still…she shrugged. "What the heck—might as well make this the perfect afternoon of awkwardness. Fire away, my love."

Arnold let out a breath. "How did you find raspberry and lemony shampoo?"

Helga's breathe caught in her throat…and this…this kind of funny sweet smile came to her face…and this cute little blush…She even started swinging their hands just the tiniest bit…But in her defense she couldn't help it. After all…after all these years ARNOLD had finally been the one to sniff HER hair…It was like a fairytale or something! "O-Oh…well, I…you'd actually be surprised at how rare something like that is, Arnold…" She shrugged. (Arnold, meanwhile, was just in full-on lovesick half lidded gaze mode at how cute she was suddenly being by the way. He hung on her every word as she went on). "So, I settled on getting a raspberry shampoo and a lemon conditioner…Makes for the perfect mix and well…you seem to like my hair an awful lot so…this way it's as nice smelling and also as soft and shiny looking as can be for you, you know?" She shrugged a little again… "Oh and, um, by the way…" her heart fluttered, "I've been sniffing your hair ever since I was three and your pillows ever since I was seven…That oceans and spice smelling shampoo you use is very…very nice, Arnold…"

Okay, yeah, that…Arnold, without _any_ hesitation and just looking totally gone instantly bee lined their walk right into an alley, wrapped his arms around Helga and finished that lingering kiss they'd been interrupted from back in her room (and interrupted from finishing back at her front door). And then, having gotten his fill (for now) of clinging against her and kissing her and making sure to feel his fingers pressing against and even pulling through that soft lemony, raspberry, sunshine hair, he pulled back, blushing, and just looked into her dewy blue eyes. "S-Sorry that was so sudden…" he barely got out in a whisper… "It's the…the attraction thing…You looked so cute saying all of that stuff…and then your soft hair…and saying stuff about my hair, and…" He sighed, and finally got more strength back in his voice. "Sorry…but I just…I would have passed out if I hadn't gotten the chance to kiss y—"

He was stopped in mid-sentence by Helga placing a gentle, loving peck right on his forehead, and then leaning over and obviously taking a big inhale through her nose of his hair. It made him shiver, her taking him in like that. She pulled back and he could just make out the smile on her face in the dim light of the alley. "No apologies for kisses, my sea and spicy Arnold." She winked. "B-Besides…I…just love having that effect on you…Making you unable to control yourself…It feels so wonderful…"

He grinned like crazy…then he added, the funny thought suddenly popping into his head in the middle of his semi-dazed state, "You know, it's funny that it turns out you were smelling my hair first, Helga…" He swallowed and then went on with a shy smile, "Actually, that's, um…that's part of why I tried the…you know…the 'laying down with you' thing back at your house. Part of me couldn't help but think that you'd probably managed to do the same with me one of those nights you were in my room…so I guess I figured I'd just try doing it back or something." He shrugged sheepishly

Helga just giggled a little in response to his admission and rolled her eyes. "No, Arnold—never did get the gumption to climb into bed with you…Not a bad plan though, but I guess I was saving that for fifth grade or something…"

He laughed and she laughed and they were just happy together.

Eventually, their mutual laughter faded into just mutual content smiles. Helga then closed her eyes and took a breath in and out, and then opened her eyes once more and managed to speak in a more normal and less dazed tone of voice. "Okay…So…that was incredible…as always, Arnold… And not that I wouldn't love to stay here in the shadows and have some more incredibleness between us, but, um, my parents are expecting us back pretty soon and you grandpa's expecting you back pretty soon, so I guess we need to finish up this walk for now, but…of course we can have more fun like this on another date or something later…We have a whole life of incredibleness to look forward to if we want, you know." She winked.

Arnold nodded, smiling goofily (of course), and then stepped aside…and took Helga's hand in his once more. "Okay…You're right…we should just finish our nice, normal walk for today, Hel—" His gaze had started to come out of daydreams and back into focus on Helga, and as it did he had to pause and blink…but then he just smiled. "Oh, hold on…I messed up your hair a little…" He reached up and ran his free hand over and gently smoothed each of her pigtails, and then he adjusted her bow…and shifted one jumper strap back up into its proper position on her shoulder. He pulled back and admired his handy work. "Good…Beautiful as always."

Helga's heart pounded at him touching her like that to fix her up and then of course at being suddenly called beautiful once more in her life by him…But then, as Arnold was about to finally lead them from the alley, she just smiled and almost chuckled really, and put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him for one more moment. "Uh, hold on there, Football Head. I'm not the only one who needs a quick fix..." Arnold just looked at her a little curiously…until she pulled the fingers of her free hand through either side of his cornflower hair, making the tufts look a bit more groomed, and then adjusted his cap how it usually was, and straightened his sweater a little. She pulled back. "There, perfect as always." She winked at him.

Arnold, now having had HER hands all over him fixing himself up, blushed but smiled all the more and let out a sigh. "Thank you, Helga…" He squeezed her hand. "Shall we, then?"

"Of course, Arnold." She smiled and nodded and the two of them finally went back to the street to walk together some more.

"Hey, Helga?" Arnold asked curiously a minute or two later. "Um…just out of curiosity…what kind of shampoo did you use before, you know…the lip gloss and all the raspberry lemonade stuff?"

Helga shrugged. "Oh…I don't know. Some kind of pink flowery stuff…" She smiled a little. "Actually, when I was little, the first thing I went for was some strawberry junk but…" she sighed, looking a little sheepish, "Turns out I'm allergic—to strawberries, I mean… It seems I have a weakness besides you, Arnold…Who knew, right?" She chuckled. "But anyway instead of that it was some pink flowery stuff…" She then raised part of her brow at him and asked in mild curiosity, "Why?"

Arnold blushed a little and shrugged as well…still smiling of course though. "I was just curious…Hmm…pink and flowers…" It reminded him of dreaming about pink flowers in her hair during their wedding…and even about his dream of visiting Arnie's when he'd tried to put a flower in 'Hilda's' hair…and also that time Helga's nanny had made her come to school with flowers in her hair… He blushed a little more at all of these memories.

Helga, meanwhile, just sighed at all of his blushing and the cute little question he'd asked just out of his adorable curiosity. "You are such a goner for me, Arnoldo….I swear it'd be pathetic if it wasn't, well…about me."

The boy beside her just sighed and smiled all the more at her observation. "I know. I'm a goner…" And then in a bold move he leaned over and took a deep inhale right near her hairline at the side of her neck. He released the breath in a shuddery sigh. "And I'm…really, really happy you got me this way, Helga G. Pataki…" He then placed she softest, quickest kiss imaginable right there near her neck, and then pulled back with a smile. "Now, come on…I have to finish escorting you home and then head back to my house…Do you want to come over tomorrow, though? Do our homework and stuff, Helga?"

'"Uh, s-s-s-s-…" '_He just…smelled my…oh_…'

Arnold let out a sigh and squeezed her hand. "Helga…focus…It's okay…"

"S-Sure…Arnold…" she finally got out with a little squeak of a giggle. "I, uh, guess I could fit that in to my busy schedule."

Arnold just smiled. "Great…I need some help with our poetry assignment anyway, to be honest… I mean, we might have to stay up there working together for…_hours_…"

She giggled tons. "Whatever you say, Arnold, whatever you say…"

The two continued their walk back to Helga's house…with Helga (of course) sneaking in occasional little sniffs of Arnold's hair, as she'd done throughout her entire life, though finally know with his full knowledge and approval, and to her delight she even noticed him shyly leaning up to inhale the scent of her own hair just a little more at least once or twice… _'I DEFINITELY made the right choice upping the presence of raspberries and lemons in our romantic life…DEFINITELY…'_

"Oh, and, I'm happy to see you've been making good use of my shirt, Helga."

Helga's entire face flushed a bright pink. "Oh, uh…" she could hear her beloved trying not to chuckle…and finally just rolled her eyes and smirked, "Hey, I was just cold and too lazy to go get a real blanket—don't start thinking I had it wrapped around me because, I don't know, I find the thing highly poetically inspirational since it drips of your essence or anything!" She gave him a wink.

A small laugh or two escaped the contently smiling boy beside her. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Helga's stoop was coming in sight again, and the two proceeded to (slowly, of course) head in that direction.

(And, meanwhile, Arnold made sure to keep his love for the idea of Helga with flowers in her hair tucked safely and happily away at the back of his mind…just thankful that now he was finally fully aware of its presence within himself.)

* * *

**NAMING NAMES AND NAMES…**

"Hey, Helga?"

Helga G. Pataki let out a good-natured sigh from across the blue and green hued room, and smirked a little in her beloved's direction. "Arnold, I have told you time and time again, my self-conscious little poet—I can't 'tell you' how to write your poem for Simmons. Just do your best to write it and when it's done, if you're really REALLY worried about it, I'll read it over and we can talk about it together, okay? But first you write!"

Arnold had to chuckle quite a bit at the response (and smile just a little sheepishly since, well, kind of 'desperately' going to Helga during these poetry assignments wasn't something entirely unheard of from him ever since the tutoring fiasco and the start of their courtship). Still, that wasn't what he had in mind at the moment… "No, no…" The young football headed boy let out a breath and put down the notebook in which he had been writing on the end table next to his couch, and then looked over at Helga once more. She was still just casually reclining on her back on his bed which she had been doing for the last half hour since they'd started studying together up here, occasionally writing in a notebook or jotting something down in a spare pink book (and every once in a while, Arnold couldn't help but notice with a blush, closing her eyes for a second and inhaling near his pillow…now doing it freely and openly considering yesterday's revelations between the two of them about shampoo-smelling). "I just wanted to ask you a question, Helga…" Arnold went on, "If you'd be willing to take a break from homework for a minute, of course…"

He watched as Helga placed her own notebook down upon his bed, and then just rubbed one side of her head with the bottom of her palm and closed her eyes, smirking even more thanks to a small sense of déjà vous she was suddenly getting at this situation and his request… "Oh brother—if you're trying out lip glosses on me, Arnold, I swear I—"

"Ha-ha, very funny Helga…" Arnold cut her off with this slightly sarcastic reply and an eye roll, and watched in continued amusement as she just laughed a little bit to herself and then sat up completely now on his bed, swinging her legs over the side of it.

"Hey, can't blame a girl for checking…" She shrugged and then let out a sigh and smiled at him again, crossing her arms over her chest. "But seriously…Sure, Arnoldo—I _think_ I can take a small break from the wonderful world of homework…What's on that wide mind of yours, my beloved…besides _me,_ of course?"

Smiling just a little bit more, Arnold glanced to the side and couldn't help but rub the back of his neck a little nervously about how Helga might respond to the topic he wanted to bring up, all things considered. '_Still…now's as good a time as any, I guess…And after her being willing to hold my hand and walk with me in public the other day, even if it was only for a few minutes, I think it's something it'd be good for me to know_…' And so the ten-year-old boy took a breath, looked to her, and finally simply (well, with only a moderate degree of beating around the bush, at least) asked, "Well…actually it _is_ about you, Helga…I…well, I was just thinking lately and I was wondering…Well...I mean, you mentioned, that time I found out that Lila knew how you felt, that the only reason you told her was to get the part of Juliet in the school play so that you could kiss me…"

"Yeah…" Helga interrupted, part of her brow raised in curiosity as she really wasn't sure where he was going with this, "That would be correct, Football Head…told your ex-girlfriend I was over the moon for you for the chance to lock lips…" She couldn't help but smirk just a little again…Of all the times she'd ever spilled the beans, that time had BY FAR been the most worth it (except of course for spilling to Arnold…but that naturally went without saying).

Arnold, meanwhile, just nodded and did his best not to laugh too much at Helga's clever rephrasing of the incident. He went on…still having his question to ask, after all. "Well, anyway…that time, when I thought for a second that you'd told the other girls the same thing to get them to give up the role, you mentioned something about how you only told Lila…but that there were other people who had found out that didn't have anything to do with the school play…" He gave her a hesitant glance. _'I know it seems silly but I'm just…curious I guess_…' He opened his mouth, about to ask the question…

When Helga, who had been looking at him in even more puzzlement for a moment, suddenly knowingly smiled and then asked the question for him, "And…you want to know what exactly I meant by that…Who else knows, I mean… Am I in the ballpark, Football Head?""

Arnold just smiled. '_Of course…She's probably the most clever person on the whole planet…Of course she already knows what I wanted to ask_…' "Is it really always THAT obvious what I'm thinking, Helga?" he asked her in amusement.

Helga just chuckled at his question, and leaned back on her hands a little, still sitting upon the edge of his bed. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you keep doing the same thing to me…Always knowing when something's bothering me or when I want to kiss you or when I'm really happy about something…" She shook her head in amusement and happiness…her lovely Arnold already knowing her so well…and him being happy that she knew him so well too…Sometimes how well they matched made her just want to squeal inside, though she had been getting better and better about going all ga-ga on him lately. "But anyway," she went on, returning to the matter at hand, "Back to your question, Arnoldo…" And then the young girl sighed and looked up in pensive thought for a moment. "Let's see…who else knows…? Hmm…uh, this one might take me a minute actually…which is a little frightening if you think about it, Football Head…"

She had to chuckle to herself at the thought, which might have seemed strange but honestly now that Arnold knew and was more than okay with her love, her knowledge that there were others aware of her feelings wasn't as… 'fearful' to her. After all, the two big fears about her secret getting out had always been Arnold finding out and then herself getting teased. Well, Arnold already more than knew about her love and things were better than ever, and as for being teased…Had Helga mentioned yet that Arnold already knew about her love and things had been better than ever? Granted, there was still a bit of worry inside of her at the idea of being mercilessly tortured for the rest of her life by her peers, but with the option of running to Arnold's warm and waiting arms at the end of every single brutal day in school now available to her…the possibility of all of that mocking and berating and her reputation being torn to shred didn't seem 'unbearable' at least… Still, there was the problem to be worked out of how to handle things if Arnold got teased as well (which frightened Helga A LOT more than any abuse that could potentially come her own way…) But then suddenly, Helga shook her head, coming back to reality. '_Eh, this is all stuff that I can try and work out more later like usual…Right now we're here, we're happy, we're on a date and Arnold's got a question…and a good one at that._'

"But anyway…" she suddenly spoke up again, and then sighed and laid back completely on the bed, looking up at the blue, cloud dotted sky above her through Arnold's ceiling. "Let me see…who else knows…? Hmm..."

Arnold, meanwhile, had gone quite wide eyed at the announcement that she would actually have to think about it for a minute to come up with EVERYONE who knew she had feelings for him! Indeed, he couldn't help but lean a bit forward off the edge of his couch, feeling a great deal of anticipation about how she would continue. '_That many people know…? But how…__I__ didn't even…_' he gave a mental sigh, _'Okay, I know I'M not the best person to go by in terms of how obvious Helga's secret was, but still…THAT many people!_' It kind of fascinated him to say the least. '_Maybe…_' he almost couldn't help but wonder, '_Maybe Helga's closer than she thinks to being able to tell everyone abou—'_

His thoughts were cut off at the sound of Helga suddenly speaking once more, obviously done with her mental inventory. "Well…" she started, casually enough, "You already know about Lila and Gerald and Brainy and Phoebe…my sister knows and my Mom, of course…Let's see, your entire family…Crimeny, I've been bad at secret-keeping over the last few weeks…" She chuckled at those memories, still lying on her back. "Um …Simmons because of all my poetry…Hmm…" She let out a sigh. "And now for names you don't know I guess…" She swallowed. "Well, I'm pretty sure Big Patty knows…"

"Really?" Arnold couldn't help but suddenly blurt out in surprise.

Helga sighed once more and then sat up upon his bed again and nodded with a sheepish grin. "Mmm hmm…" She shrugged, stretching up a bit. "I mean, I never explicitly told her, but… You remember that time she was going to beat me up for kind of mouthing off about her and you kind of talked to her and saved me? Thanks, by the way…" She placed her arms behind herself and smiled appreciatively at him. He had really saved her…A LOT that day.

Arnold just smiled warmly back to her. "You're welcome, Helga. And yes…I remember the fight…and keeping you safe…" He blushed even more.

Helga just chuckled a little more and blushed a tiny bit herself. "Well, um…well, anyway…when she pulled me into the gym to 'fake beat me up' and then told me what you said to her, she asked me if we had some kind of 'thing' for each other…and, I mean, _of course_ I denied it like crazy but she smiled at me and I kind of smiled back so I don't think she bought it…But she didn't push things so that was pretty cool of her, you know?" She crossed her legs and looked to Arnold. "So, yeah…she knows."

Arnold nodded. "Okay…" He let the information process. Patty… Well, she was nice. And she obviously wasn't about to tell anyone or anything. But he liked just being aware that she knew nonetheless. "Anyone else?" he then asked Helga with continued curiosity…after all, that list in her head really had taken her a minute or two.

"Hmm…" Helga considered, glancing down…There was one name that kept coming to mind of course but…well, let's just say Arnold wasn't quite aware yet of why Helga tended to… 'avoid' dates on Tuesdays and Thursdays right after school…and she hadn't found the right time to mention it just yet. Suddenly though, upon glancing down Helga's eyes caught the glint of her locket chain reaching down into her shirt. She blinked and smiled. "Oh, yeah!" She looked back up at her beloved. "Well, I'm assuming the jeweler I had engrave my locket knows."

Another little laugh escaped Arnold, and he leaned back against his couch a little and responded with a smile, "Yeah…I'd assume that the person who carved 'Arnold my soul, You are always in my heart, Love Helga G. Pataki' might have an idea that you care about me, Helga…"

Helga instantly raised part of her brow, giving Arnold an impressed smile. "You memorized the inscription in my locket?" she observed in surprise.

She watched (and tried not to giggle) as Arnold instantly blushed at the observation and his voice squeaked a little as he explained. "Oh…well…um, I…" he swallowed and shrugged, "I-I mean…it's not like it's very long and, um, well…it's special to you and, I've seen it a few times so…you know…"

'_Oh he is just too cute sometimes…_' Helga finally just had to shake her head and chuckle "Yeah, yeah, Romeo…" she cut him off, rolling her eyes from across the room, "A very likely story…And I'm sure the fact that it's all about my love for you and flatters you by hanging right over my heart every day and night has nothing to do with it…" She smirked as he just blushed a little more and shrugged…but smiled, letting her know that she had him pegged. "Anyway…" she went on, actually kind of enjoying this random little conversation they were suddenly off into, "Getting back to who else knows my most intimate guarded secret…Or my most intimate 'not so very well guarded anymore' secret… Let's see…" Helga took a moment to consider again with a smile…and then suddenly a slight blush came to her face and she instantly put a hand to her temple and smiled even more at certain memories. "Oh for Pete's sake, there's my old dentist!"

Arnold, his blushing ebbing, had to blink and raise an eyebrow at that one. "Your old dentist?"

Helga nodded. "Yup…Football Head…" And then she gave him a bit of a look. "I feel like you should have asked me about this before…" She scoffed. "Actually, I feel like you should have asked me about this _the second it happened_ considering the fact that it's the one and only time besides FTi that you actually caught me…you know, in mid-scheme…" She cleared her throat and tired not to blush too much as she began. "So, do you, uh…remember that day a couple months ago when you were having some random meeting of every guy in our class up here and I…might have rolled out into the middle of the floor from behind your couch dressed in a Campfire Lass sash and covered in dust…with something in my mouth?"

Helga glanced over to Arnold sheepishly…who seemed to be smiling strangely for a moment…But then it became apparent that he was trying to politely hold back laughter until she was done and that only made heat burn even more in her cheeks. "Oh, um…yeah, Helga…I remember…" he merely said, obviously having to try his hardest to maintain right now.

'_Oh whatever—it's understandable…and at least he's being nice and trying to fight it, right?'_ Helga rolled her eyes at him and tried to go on casually, though a bit of her sheepish grin (and self-conscious feeling) still remained. "Meanwhile, sheesh, why didn't you say anything that day, Football Head? Crimeny, if _you'd_ rolled out into the middle of _my_ floor I would have put you through the Spanish inquisition!"

Arnold was still grinning and trying to keep it at just that (after all, it probably had been a pretty traumatic experience for Helga and he didn't want her to feel teased about it or anything…getting caught like that for once). In response to her question he just glanced to the side and shrugged. "I don't know, Helga…I guess I figured that if I said anything you'd… pound me or something." He looked back up at her…

Their eyes met for a moment.

And then finally the two of them just instantly burst into laughter together!

A few seconds passed and then the two kids managed to get themselves under control… It was just—the very idea! Helga actually pounding Arnold! It was something that would be a fail-proof source of a joke for them for their entire lives and they both knew it. All those threats only culminating after seven years in a countless number of kisses!

Eventually, Helga managed to sit up again on Arnold's bed, on which she had been rolling around as she'd let herself be consumed by chuckles. "Okay, okay…" she let out a breath, finally able to speak again, and looked to Arnold who had collapsed completely onto his side on his couch while laughing and who was now just barely managing to sit up again as well, just smiling like crazy, "I needed a good laugh like that, but getting back to the story, though, Football Head, and how my dentist fits into all of this…" She took in one more calming breath and then went on. "So, anyway, I ended up rolling out into the middle of your floor like that because earlier that day my dentist had given me laughing gas for a cavity and I guess I started spilling my guts about you in the middle of the office without thinking…" She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes… "And then, you know me, Football Head, I got all carried away and suddenly grabbed the phone in the reception room and called here and left a message where I confessed everything I could think of to confess at the moment…I mean, the FTi confession was a bit more thorough in my opinion but still the one I left on your answering machine would have done the trick, let me tell you…"

Suddenly, Helga let out a dramatic sigh and collapsed backward upon Arnold's bed. "But _then_, once the stupid gas wore off and I realized the incredibly stupid thing I'd done, I bolted out of there and I had to spend the whole day sneaking around here trying to get the darn answering machine tape back until I finally got a hold of the thing (and it was NOT easy Arnold) and ended up in the vents (I know, I know…surprise, surprise)… But then JUST when I thought I was home free, I accidentally swung forward on a rope and banged right smack into the back of your couch with just the right amount of force, I guess, because suddenly the thing flipped me right in here! Ugh, _most stressful moment of my life_!" she finished, letting out a deep breath and throwing her hands up in the air, still on her back! Still though, she was smiling despite the slightly embarrassing incident…She really did love just getting to reminisce about the past like this with Arnold, share a few little laughs about things that had one time had seemed so stressful. It was…therapeutic. Helga smiled at the idea.

The sound of Arnold suddenly letting out a small, obviously controlled sigh from across the room met her ears. "And, um…why were you in a Campfire Lass's sash again, Helga?" he merely asked in a quiet, level voice.

Helga had to chuckle just a bit herself as she admitted with a shrug, still gazing up at the sky overhead, "Jumped one for her outfit so I could knock on your door and fake selling chocolate turtles so that I could get inside...And if you're worried about the moral consequences of that, don't be—I got what was coming to me. The second I got out of here she and a couple of other Campfire lasses caught me and chased me down the street to get the outfit back. Hmph…stupid Campfire lasses…"

A very small chuckle from Arnold met her ears… (which was to be expected…Like she'd more than admitted, it was a funny memory albeit a little embarrassing...)

And then suddenly, some low, steady laughter from Arnold met her ears… (which was… understandable (if just the teeniest bit annoying to Helga…but she was willing to let it slide of course since it was coming from the love of her life)).

And then suddenly a bout of uncontrollable, full on, raucous, loud-as-could-be laughter from the ten-year-old boy in question hit Helga's ear, and she instantly sat up a little to see him rolling on his couch, holding his sides, his eyes shut tight in hilarity and obviously barely able to speak or even breathe at the moment! Helga instantly sat up fully and blinked in surprise—she'd never seen Arnold laugh this much in her entire life! She glanced to the side and couldn't help blushing in just a little bit of humiliation. "Oh…come on, Arnoldo, the whole thing wasn't _that_ ridiculous of me…" She crossed her arms shyly over her chest.

"I-I'm sorry Helga…" he only barely managed to get out, just barely opening his eyes to look at her, "But…but…"And then suddenly he was instantly consumed completely in laughter again, his eyes closing tight once more as he continued to hold his sides.

Okay, now Helga let out a slightly more impatient sigh and was actually starting to scowl just a bit. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Okay, really, Arnold. I get it—another mildly amusing Helga G. Pataki anecdote, but that's enough now….We've all had a good laugh and now it's time to move on…." After all, if this had been anyone else laughing at her, Helga would have punched their lights out _long_ ago.

"I-I— " Still, though, Arnold remained in his giggle fit, just laying on his back on the couch, still holding his sides with his eyes shut tight. "And then you—" He was obviously still stuck on the details of her story. "And _then_…" The laughter consumed him once more. Oh, it had been so hard holding it all in to be polite as she had recounted the wacky adventure, but that last stuff about getting chased down the street by Campfire lasses had just made it all come tumbling out of him! And it felt so good!

"Arnold, you're starting to tick me off now…" Helga announced firmly at this point. She crossed her arms more tightly over her chest and began to tap one of her feet on the floor, a dark scowl slowly fully cementing itself upon her brow as she became less and less amused.

Arnold just continued laughing though: laughing and laughing and laughing to his heart's content. '_I…I want to stop but_…' The image of her rolling out into the middle of the floor…followed by him imagining her getting chased down the street…And then the idea of her jumping a Campfire Lass in the first place…And who even did stuff like that anyway? Oh it was too much…ENTIRELY too much! And the whole thing about her dentist and the air vents on top of it just made it worse! He just had to laugh! It was the most brilliant thing he'd ever heard in his entire life!

"You're just having a regular old good time, aren't you, Arnold?" he heard her say from across his room, sounding quite obviously just plain annoyed at this point.

Arnold needed a few more seconds just to get the last of the laughs out of his system, but he really did have every intention of doing his best to sit up after that and take a few breaths, and then apologize to and talk to Helga about all of this…Maybe continue their conversation about who else knew her secret…

"Well," he then heard her say smugly all of a sudden, "Why don't you try having a good time in one of my favorite old places to sit and think about our relationship…?"

And then in an instant, before he even really had time to process this comment from her, Arnold was prevented from the apology he had been intending to give…eventually (and was forced to cease all laughter entirely, actually) by the sudden feeling of flying backwards and then slamming into some place that was hard and cold and dark and dusty…?

Arnold blinked several times, both at the strange feeling of suddenly being shoved (or rather 'flung' was probably a better word) new environment and at the sound of Helga's laughter now filling his ears…though strangely the sound seemed muffled as though it was…coming from behind a barrier or something…

…And then it hit him. And Arnold realized that Helga G. Pataki had just used his remote (which had been resting on his bed, it seemed) to flip him back behind his will upon his couch!

The shocked boy was instantly on his knees and he crawled toward the horizontal sliver of light that was the crack in the wall just above where the top of his couch would normally go, and his wide eyes instantly fell upon the sight of Helga rolling around on his bed in her own uncontrollable fit of laughter. "Helga!" he practically squeaked, he was so at a loss for what to do!

She just kept laughing though…laughing and laughing and letting a minute or two pass as she enjoyed herself…and he knew with a distressed gulp that she was doing that and ignoring him on purpose just to get even. Eventually though, she did sit up and glanced quite smugly in the direction of his couch. "Oh man, I have _always_ wanted to do that!" She laughed more, actually wiping a tear from her eye. "Of course," she added, glancing up innocently, "I always imagined doing it with _both_ of us on the couch just in case we ever really wanted some serious private time, but, uh, I've gotta say…this is _far_ more entertaining, Football Head!"

"Okay, Helga…" Arnold started, taking a deep breath and speaking very sincerely, his face practically pressed against the small crack of space leading back into his room, "I admit it—I was laughing a little too much and I'm sorry. But come on—it's dusty back here! And dark and freezing and…who knows what's back here? Please let me out! _Please_!" he pleaded.

She just chuckled a little more to herself though and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, and _I _wouldn't know how dusty it is back there! Hmm…Maybe I'll let you spend a few hours or a night behind there just so you know what it's like! Might teach you a lesson about making fun of people who end up trapped back there against their own free will…"

Arnold rolled his eyes. "_Helga_…"

"Aw…" she feigned a pitying look, "What? Is Arnold getting a little miffed at being the butt of the joke?" She gave him a smug pout. _'Oh I do so love torturing my little love god_…' She chuckled to herself some more in amusement.

Before Arnold could reply to this new little sarcastic quip of hers though, suddenly there was a knock on the bedroom door, and it opened, revealing a familiar face. "Hey, Short Man, just wanted to see if you and Helga wanted some cookies or something…" Phil announced as he stepped into the room with a smile. The old man had to stop and blink though as he realized his grandson was strangely nowhere in sight. His perplexed gaze turned to Helga. "Helga, where'd Short Man go?"

Helga just chuckled and looked up innocently, putting her arms behind her back. "Oh, he's _around_…"

"Grandpa!" Arnold instantly called from behind the wall!

Phil instantly looked around with wide eyes trying to find the source of his seemingly missing grandson's voice…until Arnold began to knock against the back of his wall, and then Phil's gaze popped over to the area where Arnold's couch usually was...and realization washed over him as Arnold spoke once again from his current location. "Grandpa, she trapped me back here! Can you please tell her to let me out?" The young boy sighed in both frustration and desperation.

A SEVERLY smiling Phil's sights now turned to Helga, and he raised an eyebrow and asked, just doing his best not to laugh. "Helga, is this true?"

Helga just shrugged, casually playing with the remote in one of her hands as she continued to sit all comfy and cozy on Arnold's bed. "Eh, we're learning a lesson about laughing at your girlfriend's expense. Don't worry…" she winked at the old man, "I'll let him out…_eventually_…OR give him a schematic of the ventilation system so that he can find his own way out…Whichever strikes my fancy…"

"Helga!" Arnold called in a dry/serious voice from behind the couch.

Phil absorbed the situation that he had just walked in on for a split-second longer…and then just burst into laughter...complete and utter laughter! "Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Boy, she's sure got you over a barrel, Short Man! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" He glanced in the direction of where his grandson was trapped and then looked back to Helga once more. "Well, I'll just leave you two kids to finish up your little argument, then…" And with that he turned back in the direction of Arnold's door.

"Grandpa!" Behind the wall, Arnold's jaw dropped! "Come on! You…You aren't seriously going to just let her leave me like this?" the poor, trapped boy called out in disbelief.

Phil just turned his head as he reached his grandson's bedroom door, and smiled in the direction of where the wall couch would usually be once more. "Oh, you'll be fine, Short Man. Like she said, she'll let you out…_eventually_…. Heh, besides, _you're_ getting off easy—your Grandma used to get back at _me_ for things by locking me in empty rooms in this place or the basement. At least you're still technically in your own room! Heh, heh, heh…!" He glanced to Helga again. "Take good care of him, Helga." He winked.

Helga winked back. "Just like I always have, Phil!"

"Atta girl…Have fun, you two!" And with that and a wave he opened the door, stepped out, and left the kids to their devices, closing the entrance to Arnold's room behind him.

Arnold, still in his small, dark prison, just let out an annoyed sigh. '_Great_…'

Helga meanwhile had to burst into laughter once more this afternoon at the exchange that had just happened! '_Abandoned to the mercy of his girlfriend by his own grandpa…Nice… This afternoon just keeps getting better and better! Ah, I love revenge!'_

Meanwhile, sighing once more and resigning himself to the fact that his grandfather just found this whole thing Arnold turned his attentions back to addressing and pleading with Helga again. "Helga, please let me out…" he started sincerely, "We still have homework to do and it's starting to kind of creep me out being back here and…Come on…I'll…" he gulped, "I-I'll…do anything you want!" '_I'm going to regret this, aren't I? But still...she's got the only remote and I_…' He glanced over his shoulder at the darkness behind him. '_I couldn't even imagine figuring out a way out of here using the vents…and who knows what might be back there…_' He recalled those rats from the school ventilation system and gulped, turning back in the direction of the light (he didn't have Helga's same fear of those things but still…rats…He cringed a little at the idea).

Luckily though, this sudden new offer from him…finally got Helga's attention. "Anything?" he heard come from her in an intrigued voice from across his room. "_Really_…Arnold?"

Arnold considered for a second…deeply considered…but then finally just let out a sigh, his head hanging a little low. "…Yes, Helga…" he replied… And then his head lifted up again and that pleading tone from before came back to his voice. "And like I said it's really cold back here so…can you just please let it be quick…whatever it is you want…?" '_And please don't let it be anything too humiliating…or too, um… 'romantic' …_' he added silently to himself.

"Hmm…" looking out via his thin line of sight into his room, Arnold watched Helga Pataki consider his words some more, rubbing her chin…and with a very mischievous smile on her face…

….And then her eyes lit up. "Okay Arnold…" she said slyly from the edge of his bed, looking right at the space in the wall, her legs crossed. "I'll let you out, my love…But first…" her smile grew and Arnold gulped and waited for the bomb to drop… "_First_…you have to tell me what you'd have someone carve in YOUR locket if you had one… you know, about ME!"

Arnold blinked…and then felt a very warm blush creep up into his face in the darkness. "_Helga_!" Yeah, she was going for a romantic request…of course…Even though, honestly it wasn't the worst thing she could have come up with and he knew it…At least this only involved words and not a lot of awkward things with lips or something like that.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes at his little exclamation. "Nope! I _think_ it would have to be a bit more elaborate than just my name, Football Head." She laughed and grinned al the more mischievously towards the wall behind which the couch and her beloved remained. "So spill!" she went on eagerly. "In one to two sentences or less, what would you, Arnold, write down about me, Helga G. Pataki, to always keep hanging right near your warm little beating heart?"

A moment of silence passed.

"You're actually not going to let me out of here until I tell you, are you, Helga?" came Arnold's patient if not slightly peeved voice from behind the wall at being had so very much over a barrel by her.

"You got it, head boy!" Helga winked from his bed, and then finally stood up and approached the wall, tossing the remote up and down in her hand teasingly. "Now, come on—have a mushy, sentimental moment and tell me what you'd have someone engrave. I think this could be interesting, anyway…" She disappeared from sight and Arnold assumed from how close the sound of her then sighing in satisfaction seemed that she was seated upon his carpet just below eye level of the crack in the wall.

Arnold just sighed to himself (though his was in defeat) and then finally just sat down upon the upper part of his couch cushion which was currently below him with his back against the lower part of its cushions which were usually used for sitting…and he considered.

Then the young boy took a deep breath in and spoke.

"I guess…" he started quietly and shyly, "I guess I would have someone write…if I had a locket like yours…" he let out a breath, still thinking, " 'Helga….' Um…it would say… 'Helga…'"

"Arnold…" Helga interrupted, in a still slightly amused voice, "We already went over the fact that there's a length requirement for this that goes beyond just my name."

"I know, I know!" Arnold replied, rolling his eyes and blushing a little more in the darkness. "But I'm not as good at poetic stuff as you are and it just…takes me a while, okay? You know that…." he finished with a touch of annoyance.

Helga, meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, just sighed in a touch of understanding, and then laid down fully and turned on her stomach on Arnold's carpet. "Okay, okay, sorry…I forgot about you and your 'deficiencies', my love…" She chuckled to herself, but only a little, and then glanced up at the crack. "But come on, Football Head…" she went on much more sincerely now, "It doesn't have to be some epic ode or anything—just say what you feel…you know?" And in truth…this whole thing right now really wasn't just to tease and torture Arnold (though that was certainly a perk, of course)…She…really did want to know…what he would have engraved about her. After all, he got volumes and volumes of poetry from her, but…Helga only had that one from him. One of her most prized possessions… But still, her heart craved more of his sweet, composed words of affection for her…

Helga heard Arnold sigh once more from behind the wall…though this time it sounded much less annoyed and much more like it was just the result of him genuinely trying to think about how to answer her request. She waited patiently, looking with hope to the crack in the wall. "Okay…" several seconds more of silence passed… " 'Helga…my…'" she heard in start… " 'Helga, my…' um…"

"Um…Arnold? Not to interrupt again, but if…if I might make some suggestions based upon my own personal fantasies over the last seven years…" She spoke sincerely as she genuinely did want to help him along if she could…though of course there was a touch of proud sass with her delivery as she announced after clearing her throat, "'Helga, my sweet', 'Helga, my darling,' 'Helga, my dearest', 'Helga, my life', 'Helga, my one and only…'"

"How about 'Helga, my personal tormentor'?" her beloved's voice suddenly suggested from behind the wall with an obvious amount of sarcasm and laughter underlying it.

Helga sighed and rolled her eyes, moving to sit up fully again, her back against Arnold's wall once more. "Oh ha ha, very hilarious, Football Head!" She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up to the crack in the wall again. "Now come on—seriously, I—"

"No, no…" she suddenly heard Arnold begin with a bit more confidence in his voice, cutting her off…"You're right, Helga…This really _could_ be fun… _if_ we're basing it on the last seven years and not just the last few weeks... Let's see…" Helga raised part of her brow, especially at that smug little tone underlying his voice now… " 'Helga, my personal tormentor, You are always mocking the shape of my head even though you secretly think it's adorable. Love, Arnold.' Is that good, Helga?"

Helga gave an exasperated sigh. "You know," she started in a flat voice, "The one thing that stinks about this whole 'us in love' thing is that you have gotten WAY too comfortable with pushing my buttons, Football Head…" She quirked her mouth to the side and glanced at the wall crack in annoyance and a little frustration. '_Sue me! I want my inscription and I am not going down without a fight even if he's gotta set up a base camp back there and start counting off the days in tally marks on the back of the wall_!' "But seriously now—"

Arnold chuckled, cutting her off again. "No, no—I have a few more!" He cleared his throat. "Let's see, 'Helga, my bully, You fill my life with an unexpected mixture of kisses and insults…the kisses being a lot more unexpected than the insults...and a lot more fun! Love, Football Head.'"

"You _are_ aware of the fact that I still control whether or not you ever see the light of day again, right, Football Head? I mean, I could just toss your remote in your wastebasket and leave by the fire escape and you'd be stuck back there until who knows when…" Helga announced with a scowl, looking forward, slumping in annoyance.

She just heard Arnold laugh to himself a little more. "Oh wait, I've got another one! Okay, okay… 'Helga, my not so secret admirer, Who knew that for all these years you wanted to give me poems instead of punches? Love, your Arnold.' "

"And now I go and get a soda and give you a few minutes to cool down…" And instantly and with her smug smile having returned, Helga was standing and walking proudly across Arnold's room to his door!

"Helga!" Arnold suddenly called out, all humor leaving and all desperation returning to his voice.

"No, no, no…" she shook her head, grinning back in his direction as she put her hand on the doorknob, "_I'm_ still the one in control of this situation, geekbait, so you can just wait and think about what you've do—"

"_Actually_…" Arnold's voice suddenly interrupted her once more…and some of the playfulness and smugness was back…and it made her a little wary…though what he had to sound smug or playful about right now she couldn't figure out for the life of her. He was still trapped behind the couch and she had the only remote in her hand (she took it and tossed it over to his bed for good measure). And then, to confuse her even more, her beloved suddenly continued on quite brightly, "I was…just going to ask you to try and remember to bring me back a soda too…" He let out a sigh that sounded almost…happy? "You know, it took a little while to get used to, but it's actually kind of nice back here. Quiet, cool, dark…I think I could do this all day, if you're up for it…" He chuckled.

Helga just looked at the wall in utter perplexity for a second but then let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, and turned back around to the door. "_Boys_!" she called out in annoyance as she began to head down the steps to the hallway and to close the door behind her.

The word caused Arnold to burst into laughter from within his wall. "I'll see you and raise that with '_girls_!', Helga!" managed to meet her ears before the door closed with a light slam.

Helga just let out another sigh, shaking her head, and headed down the rest of Arnold's attic stairs with a "Hmph!" '_Most confusing individual on the planet…And he thinks __I'm__ overcomplicated sometimes_…' Oh well…She decided to get that soda and to take her sweet time while doing it…That would be sure to remind him who was boss! Some of the smug little smile returned to her face.

* * *

"Okay, Football Head…I'm back!" Helga Pataki announced, using her hip to push open the door to her beloved's room as her hands were each occupied with holding one of two bottles of cold Yahoo soda (hey, she wasn't heartless—Arnold at least deserved a drink for what she was putting him through). "…I took ten or fifteen minutes downstairs to leisurely drink one of these on my own first, of course…Just wanted to make sure you had ample time to think about your new funny man routine and all the wonderful things about me for your locket inscript—" She turned finally in the direction of Arnold's wall couch…and froze instantly.

"Hey, Helga! Thanks for remembering to bring me back a soda!" A smiling Arnold winked at her.

Helga's jaw dropped and the two glass bottles in her hands actually fell to Arnold's carpet with a soft plops. She blinked several times. "F-F-Football Head…?" Confusion…so much confusion.

And indeed, Helga's shock right now was well deserved…because Arnold was now sitting peacefully upon his currently flipped out couch…a few smudges of grease on his face and hands but otherwise looking perfectly content. He glanced to his left and then to his right at Helga's exclamation and continued look of utter bewilderment, as though trying to figure out what was surprising her so much. "Something wrong, Helga?" he then asked with just a touch of smugness, turning his eyes back to her once more.

"But—how—when did—wha—" Helga blinked several more times, glancing from her beloved on the couch to his room remote still on his bed, and then shook her head to clear it. Suddenly she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him seriously. "Arnold, you are going to tell how you did that _right now_!"

'_Uh oh_…' Arnold almost blinked at the touch of anger that seemed to be in her voice for a second…

…Until she finished, an impressed smile coming to her face, "…Because if I knew how to do that…it would have made a few things over the last few years MUCH MUCH easier!"

Arnold's smile returned as her words absorbed, and he was about start explaining as Helga then picked up the soda bottles from the floor and seemed about to walk over to him…until she suddenly made a beeline for his bed…and his remote! "Or you could just SHOW me!" she suddenly announced and then with these words she dove onto his bed, grabbed the remote in question and pressed the button to flip the couch back into the wall. "HA!"

A triumphant smile remained upon Helga's face for a single second…

Until it instantly fell at the sight of Arnold just continuing to sit there on his flipped-out red couch in perfect contentment…now chuckling slightly at her actions. "Oh no, no, no, Helga…" he even shook his head, really savoring that look of confusion and defeat upon her face…because really it was so rare that he ever pulled off anything in his life that could get that look from her. "You'll just have to settle for me _telling_ you…" And then he suddenly picked up a small wire or two that Helga hadn't noticed lying next to him on the couch. "At least until I re-hook up the couch's wiring…"

Silence.

"You…" Helga's jaw dropped and she looked at him in even more shock, if that was possible…speaking in utter perplexity. "You…hotwired…your couch…?"

Arnold just laughed a little more, and glanced down with a proud grin upon his face, "Well…I'm the one who wired it to the remote in the first place last year, so…it wasn't that hard to figure out how to do it from back there…" His eyes met hers again. "Actually, that's kind of why I wasn't too upset about you leaving for a little while to get us some drinks…Gave me just enough time to get everything done!" He smiled at her.

Helga blinked several times as she absorbed all of this information…and then that impressed smile from before returned to her face, and she stood up from Arnold's bed and walked over to him, leaving the sodas behind for the moment in her sudden intrigue. "_You're_ the one who wired the couch in the first place? Where the heck did you learn how to do something like that, Football Head?" She sat down next to him with part of her brow raised, genuinely. "I mean_, I_ wouldn't even know how the heck to do something like that…"

Arnold chuckled at the comment. "Really, Helga? You can weld shrines but you can't do wiring?"

She rolled her eyes, her grin growing. "Oh well, you'll _have_ to excuse me—I hadn't gotten around to making a shrine that required a combustion engine or moving parts, Football Face." She crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned back.

Arnold laughed some more and moved a little closer to her on the couch. "Well, when you _do _make a shrine like that one of these days, and if you're really interested…I can show you some time. It's just something that always interested me…" he glanced up and around for a second, "I mean, I also set up the lights in here and the whole sound system too…"

Helga gave something between a chuckle and a giggle, and scooched just a bit closer to him herself. "Well, well, well…" she reached up and wiped off the most noticeable little smudge of grease from his cheek with her thumb, "…you're just a regular little handyman, aren't you, Arnoldo…"

Arnold blushed a bit and turned his gaze forward...smiling a little proudly once more. "Oh…thanks, Helga…"

She chuckled/giggled again…and moved 'quite a bit' closer to him this time…and she had also just touched his face…and after being in the chilly recess behind the couch for so many minutes Arnold almost felt a shiver pass through him at suddenly being able to feel so strongly the warmth coming off of her body…the little place on his cheek that she had touched burning most of all.

"And hey…" he heard her go on, and coming a little out of certain thoughts Arnold glanced at Helga out of the corner of his eye to see her shrug and glance down a bit sheepishly, "I'm sorry I locked you behind the couch like that, Arnold…And you know I wouldn't ever have really left you like that, right?" Her eyes came up to meet his, brimming with sincerity.

He smiled a little more…and then reached over and placed a hand atop one of Helga's. "I know, Helga…" he assured her. "And actually it _was_ kind of fun…and, you know, being back there…really did give me some time to think…especially about that inscription thing…and, well…" He glanced to the side and swallowed.

"Aw, hey," she instantly began, looking away a little and waving him off with her free hand, "Don't worry about it, Football Head… It was kind of a silly thing for me to ask, anyway…and I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that…" She leaned back a bit on the couch, letting out a sigh and just looking up at the sky overhead through his ceiling, slowly shifting from blue to the yellows and pinks and oranges of evening…just kind of enjoying the feeling of her heart beating a little more quickly than usual thanks to her beloved's touch and proximity.

"No, it…it wasn't." These words from her beloved caused Helga to blink and curiosity to instantly outweigh any romantic thoughts. And then her eyes snapped to Arnold's at the feeling of him suddenly giving her hand a light, unexpected little squeeze. She just watched him with part of her brow raised as he went on quietly, looking down and forward a little. "It was actually kind of an interesting thing to bring up…And… well…" he turned his head and gave her a bit of a mischievous look…yes there was definitely a glimmer of something in his perfect, green eyes, she couldn't help but notice, "…Since it really took me _so little_ time to sneak out of there…" (Arnold couldn't help rubbing in his miraculous escape just a little bit), "…and since you really did take _so much_ time getting us drinks…" but then he finished…sincerely, "I actually had time to come up with one more…inscription, I mean, Helga…"

Helga felt her breath catch in her throat at all of this. '_He…didn't…__really_…' He was smiling a little and Helga took in this fact… And then, blushing because she couldn't help it, she just let out a sigh and said back to her beloved with a half smile, "Arnold…instead of more jokes and gag engravings…can't we just cut out the middle man and kiss already?"

Now it was Arnold's turn to blink and feel his breath catch for a second…but then he just smiled too and laughed warmly, looking into her eyes and giving her hand another gentle squeeze. "That's kind of becoming a standard thing with us, isn't it, Helga…?"

Another laugh escaped her. "Are you complaining?" She raised part of her brow suggestively.

Arnold's eyes went a little wide again for a second and then he shook his head emphatically. "_Huh uh…_" No. Kissing Helga…was definitely not something in his life that he had ANY kind of complaint about.

That response got a giggle out of her already coyly smirking lips…set just under her lightly blushing cheeks… Arnold felt his heart pound…( _'It figures she picks one of the times I really do need to talk to her to get like this…_') "Okay…" Helga's voice cooed, and she scooched just a little bit closer so that now their hips were almost touching, "So…then…" She closed her eyes and began to lean closer…

…And felt her lips press against…the back of Arnold's hand. Helga pulled back and opened her eyes, and blinked in surprise, unsure of what to make of this. Ever since their one-week anniversary when she'd gotten him over his fear of kissing, he'd never turned down one from her ever.

She watched as Arnold, blushing quite a bit and still smiling, let out a sigh and looked into her eyes. "Helga…" he began, "I'm sorry, but…I really do have one more inscription I want to share with you…okay?" He looked to her hopefully.

For a second Helga couldn't help the touch of hurt inside of her at being rejected, no matter what the reason…But then she just sighed and leaned back against the couch again and at least managed a small smile. _'He's just getting me back for trapping him in the wall…No big deal..._' "Oh fine…" she began in amused defeat, "Share your joke, Football Head. I guess you deserve to since I locked you in a wall for almost half an hour…"

"Okay…" Arnold replied happily…and then he swallowed and glanced forward and down very shyly, and released her hand, bringing both of his own onto his lap to play with his fingers a bit distractedly…. "Okay…" he said one more time, a touch of nervousness apparent in his voice…and this fact and all the other stuff certainly wasn't lost on Helga. Arnold took a deep breath… "And, you know...this one might not be a joke…" He paused…and then… " 'Dear my Helga, I'm happy you decided to let me into your heart…and that I finally realized I want you in mine too. Love, Arnold P. Shortman."

Helga's jaw dropped. Her eyes went wide. A few squeaks came out of her mouth. Actually to be blunt she was pretty certain her entire nervous system had just shut down and that the very fabric of her reality had been blown wide apart. You get the picture—she was, uh…quite surprised, to say the least…and about MULTIPLE things…

And taking in this sudden condition she appeared to be in was both amusing…and also slightly worrying to…Arnold. "Helga?" he ventured. "Oh come on it wasn't _that_ bad—"

"Your…your last name is…Shortman?"

Arnold blinked at the question…a very random question to be asked in the middle of all of this. "Uh…yeah…of course…" he replied, not really sure what else to say. "Uh…you know…my Grandpa always calls me 'Short Man' as kind of a joke about it…" He shrugged. "Anyway, you signed _your_ inscription with _your_ full name so…I just thought I should do the same th—"

"_**YOU HAVE A LAST NAME?"**_ Her voice was so high pitched and her sudden exclamation was said with such volume that Arnold HAD to put his hands over his ears! It was like the sound was reverberating through him right to the core or something!

"Um…Helga…" he managed after a couple of seconds, shaking his head to clear it and blinking a few times as his ears finally ceased ringing, "_Everyone_ has a last name…" And now, his ears a lot better, he had to half smile at her… She was surprised he had a last name? Yes, certainly Helga had astounded him with quite a few things she could come up with, but…seriously? She was SURPRISED that he had a LAST NAME?

"Yeah…but…" Helga's voice broke him from his amusing thoughts, and he watched as she blinked a few times…and then suddenly grabbed him by the collar, looking right into his eyes! "I've been trying to figure out _**your**_ last name for SEVEN years! _**Seven years**_! It's been like one of my ultimate goals in life along with kissing you and getting you to hold my hand and to date me for the rest of your childhoods and then to marry me as soon as possible!" She was even breathing heavily now! ('_Arnold…has a…and it's…W-Whoa…Heh…And now I know how he felt on the roof of the FTi building when I confessed, because if there is ONE thing I certainly wouldn't mind right now, it would be a chance to lie down and just absorb this!'_)

Arnold's eyes went wide for a second at this sudden exclamation. "Okay, okay, wait a minute…" he held his hands up in a 'slow down, please' motion, "You've been in love with me since we were three years old…and you didn't know my last name?"

"_**NO**__**!**_" Helga suddenly released Arnold's collar (while Arnold cringed once more at such a loud word being said by her) and threw her hands up in the air, her eyes still wide! And then she instantly put a hand to her head and proceeded to think out loud. "Okay, wow, there is _so_ much work to do…I've got to add an S to all those hearts with our initials in them that I'm always writing in notebooks, I've got to decide whether putting Helga G. Pataki or Arnold Shortman first on any potential weeding invitations would look better... Oh and I've got to try out your last name out loud with my first name in a bunch of different ways to see what I want to be called for the rest of my life… Helga Shortman; Mrs. Arnold Shortman; Helga G. Shortman…" Suddenly she looked over to (a by this point very blushing but also very amused) Arnold and half smiled. "You know, I've gotta tell you, I'm still a bit more partial to what I was using as a placeholder _before_ finding out this new information…"

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "Which was what, exactly?"

She just shrugged and then put her hands behind her head, reclining back on the couch. "Arnold Pataki."

Arnold just looked at her for a second longer…and then burst into warm chuckles.

"Hey, it could happen!" she announced proudly! "Who says _I_ have to be the one to change my name, anyway?" Helga asked, crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a smirk.

"S-sorry, Helga…" The poor boy managed to get his laughter under control, "It's just…I don't know, something about the name Arnold Pataki…" Some of the warm, good-natured chuckles resumed.

Helga rolled her eyes, but still kept smiling, and announced with conviction, "Yeah, well, get used to it, Football Head, because if you stick with me there's every chance in the world that name'll end up being _yours_ one day!"

Arnold's laughter faded into a smile, and he couldn't help scooching just a little closer to her again (they were now almost shoulder to shoulder) and saying with a light blush, just barely looking at her, his eyes half lidded, "Aw but…I think Helga Shortman sounds kind of cute, Helga…" He watched her blush and swallow…and he liked watching her do that, of course. "Helga G. Shortman…" he said again slowly…the thought never having occurred to him until now. The deepening blush in her cheeks confirmed for him that she liked the sound of it…and, well…the fluttering of his heart and the warm, bubbling, almost effervescing feeling going through his chest told him that he was kind of partial to it himself. And then Arnold blinked, a thought occurring to him. He looked at Helga with innocent interest. "Hey, what does the G stand for anyway, Helga?"

Helga's blushing face blinked and scoffed. "E-Excuse me?"

"The G….Your middle name…" he went on in explanation, "What is it?" He raised an eyebrow, now quite curious actually. Come to think of it—he didn't know his own girlfriend's middle name! And as long as _she_ was finding out his last one today…what better time than now for _him_ to learn her middle one!

"Uh…." Helga instantly blushed a bright scarlet and glanced away from him a little shyly, much to Arnold's surprise. "Uh…" she started again, and then feigned a smile and shrugged, looking at his eyes again. "Hey so…" she began cheerily, putting her arms behind her back, "You came up with an inscription for me—a real one! Good job Football Head—it was really sweet! Heh, heh…"

Arnold gave her a bit of a look, his smile growing a LOT more intrigued... "Helga…" he leaned in a bit closer to her, "What's your middle name…?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed again, still feigning a smile. "Oh, come on—who cares about that! I mean, you know my last one and I know your last one now, and besides I…I don't even think I can remember what it is anymore myself! Heh, heh…" She ended with a nervous laugh again, and it wasn't lost on Arnold. Her eyes then lit up like she had an idea. "Hey, how about that electric wiring lesson now as long as we have some time?" she suddenly asked eagerly.

Arnold just smiled a bit more, looking even more interested if that was possible, and ignored the excuse of a request entirely. "It's something really good, isn't it, Helga…?" he asked playfully.

"Heh, heh, Arnold," she waved him off, and then brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck, "I really don't know what you're talking about…Uh…" her eyes shifted around as she obviously tried to think of another change of topic, and then she turned to him with a desperate smile again. "Uh, hey, how about we kiss or something? You always like that, don't you, Arnold?"

He almost laughed. "Nice try Helga…" he shook his head, "You're not getting out of this that easily…"

"G-Get out of this?" she asked the question in 'total shock.' "Arnold, I am totally shocked! WHY would I want to get out of…um…" She let out a breath and tugged at her collar, then blinked and gave him a forced grin once again. "Hey, speaking of, um…_whatever_…how's about a few more zany stories from the past then? Uh, let's see…oh, I've got a GREAT one I could tell you about you, me, and a couple of cheese festivals! What do you say?" She smiled cheerily.

Arnold pulled back and glanced down, smiling to himself and putting a hand to his chin. "Hmm…well that is a tempting offer, Helga…" his eyes went up to meet hers again, "But…I'm more curious about _this_ right now…" '_Hmm…I bet it's something really cute…really nice_…' He almost had to shake his head. '_And here she is, being all shy about it_…' The whole thing really almost made him want to take her up on that kissing offer she'd given before…though he held back for now. He noticed Helga was just sitting there now at his announcement of not biting at her 'crazy schemes from the past' distraction, and so he just let out a sigh…and then his eyes narrowed playfully as all of a sudden as an interesting idea for how to move things along in regards to this topic came to him. "You know…" he began slowly, looking right into her eyes, "If you're not going to tell me what it is…then I'm just going to have to guess, Helga…" His grin picked up a little on one side. "And since you've gotten so horrible at lying to me…all I have to do is get it right and I'll know!" he ended brightly.

A touch of fear instantly came into Helga's eyes. "Arnold," she started firmly, "I'm serious…let it go! It's a stupid middle name anyway…Just let it go…" She blushed a little bit and did her best to scowl at him. '_Oh brother, I knew this was going to come up sooner or later…Why couldn't I have gotten a COOL middle name! One that strikes fear into the hearts of everyone who hears it!_ _But, NO, I get stuck with a lemon that sounds like it's from the twenties or something…And then even though he means well he's going to laugh about it just like he laughed about the Campfire Lass thing and all that other stuff…And then once that's all over he's going to insist on calling me it (because I KNOW him), pretty soon it'll get around to Gerald_,' she shuddered_, 'and then eventually one of them'll slip in public with calling me it, and then bing bang boom, it'll be all over school where EVERYBODY can laugh at Helga's geeky middle name…_' Yes, Helga knew it all probably seemed silly and superficial and that it really wasn't a SUPER big deal when you got right down to it (she'd prefer people knew about her middle name over something like her love for Arnold ANYDAY) but…darn it, she did not like her middle name and she did not want it to suddenly become a part of her life! It was just that simple: the G could stay…but not what it stood for! Her 'Pataki pride' had spoken!

"Let's see…" the football headed boy began, ignoring Helga's pleas entirely of course, "G…G…" He chuckled to himself. "Gertie?" he suddenly had to ask, an eyebrow raised, and trying not to marvel at the very idea.

Helga rolled her eyes DRAMATICALLY at that guess. "No, of course not! Come on, Arnold!" She held her arms out straight before her, palms out. "Things between us can't be THAT ironic!"

Arnold laughed. "Okay, uh…Gretchen?" he said, moving right along into the next guess.

Helga scoffed at that (and Arnold loved how she couldn't help reacting to his guesses at least in some way… '_I'll figure it out…And I love that she loves me so much that she keeps letting her conscience give her away every time she tries to avoid telling me the truth_…') "Arnold, just let this go…" her plea broke through his thoughts, "It's not important!" But then she gave him a look and couldn't help (as expected) giving him an answer about his guess. "And no it's not 'Gretchen'…_Please_!" She rolled her eyes once more.

"Not Gretchen, huh? Let's see…" He put a hand to his chin. "Helga G. Pataki…Helga 'blank' Pataki… Gabriella?"

"Arnold, this is ridiculous!" Helga crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to scowl even more…though really it was like he was teasing her a little…which was just a hop, skip and a jump away from flirting…which usually led to kisses, and she liked kisses quite a bit…So maybe Helga wasn't ENTIRELY opposed to this line of 'guessing' from Arnold at the moment…

"Georgette?"

"No…"

"Gilda?"

"_Arnold_…"

"Gorgeous…?"

"Stop flirting, Arnold…It won't soften me up."

"Gail!"

"You know, I COULD put you back behind the couch MANUALLY…"

"Gena?"

"This will never end, will it?"

"Uh…Gloria?"

To Arnold's surprise, Helga responded to this particular name by blinking and then giving him a deathly glare. "_No_," she stated firmly.

Arnold blinked and then raised an eyebrow at this interesting reaction. "Uh…I'll take your word for it, Helga…" he replied in a normal voice, "But…is there something about that name I should know? Because…" he couldn't help but smile as he finished, "Your eyes only look _that_ angry when you're jealous, and…I don't remember having a crush on anyone named Gloria…" He chuckled and went on with interest, "Unless you knew someone named Gloria who had a crush on _me_…"

Helga just let out a sigh, waving him off and shaking her head…though she was actually kind of smiling a little to herself at the same time. "Oh, don't worry about it, Football Head… Just a stupid dream I had once…" A chuckle actually escaped her. "And, you know, randomly enough there's actually a stupid girl from P.S. 119 who's really named…" She closed her eyes and shook her head—this was all getting very random and off topic. "Anyway…" she looked at him again, a bit of the anger gone from her glare now whether he realized it or not, "No, it's not Gloria, Arnold…and I really wish you'd quit trying to guess, Football Head." Still, there wasn't a whole lot of conviction in her tone… And deep down she couldn't deny that she was enjoying this game a little…And also, besides—like Arnold was actually going to guess the right 'G' name in _a million year_s!

"Helga, come on…" Arnold smiled sincerely at her, "Whatever it is, it can't be _that_ bad! Besides…" he gave her a bit of a look, "You're set on spending your _whole_ life with me…but you won't even let me know your middle name?"

"You've got it, Football Head!" Helga instantly replied without missing beat, arms crossed over her chest defiantly. "I'll take it with me to the grave!" She winked.

Arnold let out a sigh…and then just shrugged and scooched just a little bit away from her. "Okay…" The young boy saw a bit of relief come to Helga's face…though it was quickly dashed as he added carefully… "Guess I'll just…have to ask your mom or Olga then…" Arnold almost couldn't stop himself from laughing at the sight of the blush instantly returning to Helga's face at this announcement.

"Arnold!" She looked at him with wide eyes, her jaw dropping. "You…you _wouldn't_…"

Arnold just sighed and crossed his own arms over his own chest, and spoke with conviction as well. "I don't know, Helga…Usually I wouldn't go over your head like that but I really am curious at this point, so…" he looked her right in the eyes, "Yes. I would, Helga."

Helga G. Pataki just continued to stare at her beloved in shock…wide eyed and blushing for a second or two more…

…But then she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, and dragged a hand down her face…and collapsed back against his couch…in defeat. "Oh for the love of…" she let out another sigh and rolled her eyes. "Okay, look…" her gaze went back over to him, "I'll tell you, alright, Football Head? But you have to PROMISE me that you will not tell anyone else ever! And just this once that includes your best friend! In fact, ESPECIALLY don't tell your best friend! Got it?" She looked at him very seriously. _'Last thing I need is to go and give Geraldo any more ammo against me…Our 'friendship's' catty enough as it is…and he already knows about the freaking shrine…He'll eat me alive if he finds out about this too!_'

Arnold, meanwhile, had to blink a couple of times at her serious tone…but then he just smiled again and replied calmly and sincerely, "Okay, Helga, if it means that much to you I'll never tell anyone else ever…even Gerald." He leaned in a bit closer and his eyes narrowed a little, and finally he had to ask in a low, eager voice, "So…what is it?"

Helga let out a sigh and closed her eyes… '_Stubborn little thing…I swear sometimes if he wasn't so gorgeous and so great…_' Still, she almost smiled…it really was kind of cute that he cared so much even though she personally couldn't stand her middle name. "It's…G…r…ne."

"Huh?" Arnold had to exclaim in response to this strange mumble. "I'm sorry, Helga…" he replied sincerely, "I couldn't hear you. Could you say it again?"

Helga sighed with a bit more impatience this time and shifted uncomfortably on the couch, opening her eyes and NOT looking at him. "It's Ger…ld..ne…"

"I'm sorry, Helga…" Arnold raised an eyebrow. "You're still mumbli—"

"IT IS GERALDINE! OKAY? HELGA GERALDINE PATAKI!" Helga GERALDINE Pataki suddenly announced very loudly, now fully looking to Arnold and with quite a bit of a desperate scowl! "And if you ever tell anyone, ESPECIALLY Gerald, I will personally fill him in on every morbidly awkward detail about that whole 'I need to lie down' fiasco from yesterday, got it?" She was right in his face, breathing heavily.

Arnold just blinked a few times at her intense reaction…but then her words slowly started to sink in…and then a small smile came to Arnold Shortman's face. "So…" he began slowly, with a thoughtful look in his eyes…. "Helga…_Geraldine_…Pataki… Geraldine, huh?" He looked back up into her eyes. "I…I like it, Helga… It's nice."

He had his mouth open to speak again but Helga instantly cut him off, not liking the smile on his face at all…. "And also, Arnoldo, if you ever call me that 'completely non-intimidating, totally out of character for me, can't believe it's the female form of your geeky best friend's name, there are probably a billion G names in the world and my parents pick THAT one of all things' name—under ANY circumstances—you'll be having make out sessions with just YOURSELF from now until summer break, got it? I do NOT want the use of it to become some regular part of my life now or something…" She was right in his face again. "And as for the kissing, _don't_ think I'm bluffing, Arnold! I've had seven years of practice resisting kissing you, but you seem to need it at least once every time we're together. Capiche, Football Head?" She looked at him with deep determination set in her reputation-concerned face.

And yet…Arnold just had to chuckle at this threat…and the fact that she would even now lose her temper with him sometimes when she wanted her way…when really all she ever had to do was smile and ask and he'd do just about anything for her… "Okay, okay…" he merely replied, taking one of her hands in both of his and looking at her sincerely. "I'll never call you 'Geraldine' under any circumstances…I promise." He couldn't help but laugh a little though and add sweetly and sincerely, "Even if it _is_ a…really pretty middle name…"

Helga felt a touch of a blush come to her face at the compliment, and all defensiveness and anger instantly slipped away. "Really? It…It is?" she merely asked quietly and unsurely. He…He really wasn't going to laugh at her about it like with some of the other stuff today?

"Really, Helga…It is." Arnold picked up her hand and gave it a gentle, lingering kiss…Her soft, pretty, Geraldine hand… his still engaged lips almost smiled at the idea.

Arnold pulled his lips away from Helga's hand (eventually) only to see her now sitting before him with a very dreamy smile on her face…and then she even let out a giggle, and that made him smile all the more. "Oh, uh…well, thanks, Arnold…" she replied sweetly to his compliment, and then swooned a little… And then after a second or two Helga shook her head to clear it and looked to her beloved with a smile. "Oh and, hey, um…listen…about the whole last names thing from before…"

"Yes?" he asked, gazing into her eyes…still holding her hand…His lovely Helga Geraldine.

"Well…" she went on, still with that small smile, "Since you're being such a sport about my middle name and DIDN'T burst into laughter about it, and really did promise not to let it get around, and also, well…went and said it was pretty…I'll make you a deal, Arnold…" She leaned in a bit closer to him… "You keep Arnold Pataki in mind and I'll keep Helga Shortman in mind…and we'll just see where it goes from there, okay?" She winked.

Arnold basically melted inside. "Okay, Helga…" he managed to reply, adding a small nod…and trying not to chuckle about how the name 'Helga Shortman' kept making him feel all…tickled inside…especially when _she_ said it…

"Good!" Helga's eyes brightened and then she leaned back a little from him again once more, though she still held his hand, of course. "Now, since we've both learned a few 'great, personal truths' about each other, and since I don't know about you but doing that always leaves me in need of some relaxation time, why don't we head to the arcade or something and then just finish up our homework later, okay?" She saw that 'but…aren't you worried about being seen together look' come into Arnold's eyes just like it had done yesterday, but instantly nipped the concern in the bud before he could voice it. "We can just, I don't know, play on different machines that are right next to each other and shoot each other little smiles between levels, or something… Sound good?" She finished with a grin.

Arnold's smile instantly brightened and he nodded happily. "Okay! Fire escape or front door, Helga?" He smirked just a little.

"Hmm…" She put a hand to her chin, still smiling, and then let out a sigh. "Ah, let's be conventional for once and take the front door. Besides I love running into your extended family and getting some gentle natured ribbing, you know?"

Arnold laughed, and stood, pulling her up with him and gesturing for her to walk forward. "Okay…Gerald—"

"Arnold!" Helga instantly froze and glared at him.

Arnold just looked away innocently. "I was just going to say that _Gerald_ and Phoebe told me the Crazy Bus 2 game just got put in there, so maybe could check it out…"

Helga sighed in a bit of exasperation and rolled her eyes, heading over toward his door and speaking under her breath (though she was still smiling of course…and still holding his hand). "Why do I get the feeling that you starting to talk about me and then faking at the last second that you're talking about something with Gerald is going to be a running gag with you?"

He just laughed and let himself get pulled along. "I don't know…Gerald—"

"ARNOLD!" She whipped around to him quickly as they reached the door, trying to scowl…and at the same time trying very very hard not to smile (after all, what he was doing was kind of funny…just a little…when you thought about it…) _'Last thing he needs is encouragement though…'_

"—says," Arnold went on, "…that I can get a bit carried away with things when I'm around you so…_maybe_!" He winked, giving her his half lidded gaze to soften the joke so she wouldn't get _too_ annoyed with him.

Helga just rolled her eyes...but finally broke into a small smile at this point, despite the words that came out of her mouth. "I knew this was going to be a mistake…"

"Not a mistake, Helga…" he assured her, squeezing her hand a little and raising a playful eyebrow, "Kind of fun, actually…" He smiled to himself more, "Ger—"

"Football Head," she gave him such a look, though her smile remained, "I swear, I—"

"—ald Field," he merely went on with a shrug, cutting her off, "…isn't even as much fun as knowing this about you now…"

She popped her free hand onto her hip and just plain smirked, giving up any scowl at this point. "Okay, now you're just making stuff up, Arnold."

"Hmm…" Arnold glanced away from her and went to open his door, a fun thought or two occurring to him now considering all this talk of names… "You know…between Geraldine and Deep Voice and even Cecile I could probably bug you a lot, couldn't I, Helga?" He turned to her, his door open now… "…Maybe I could even get a little revenge for all those years of 'geek' and 'shrimp' and 'paste for brains' and 'Football Head' and 'Head Boy' and—"

Helga didn't miss a beat, stepping so that she was right in front of him, a playful smirk upon her face and cutting him off with a touch of one of her fingers to his lips. "Hey, didn't I say something about you having to practice kissing with _yourself_ for the next several weeks if you actually went through with calling me Geraldine…or Deep Voice for that matter?" She scowled at him just a little…but that instantly faded and only her smirk remained as she added, "Cecile's not quite as bad though—I'd still prefer Helga but, well…that alter ego of mine _was_ kind of a bombshell…" She chuckled to herself (especially at the little blush the term 'bombshell' brought to Arnold's cheeks, though he was obviously trying to ignore it), and then she just sighed and gave Arnold a smile again, removing her finger from his lips and using it to give him a playful little poke in the shoulder. "But seriously, Arnold—you call me either Helga or, in about twenty years, Madame President, Mayor Helga and/or something along the lines of 'My charming, lovely, dazzling, intelligent, brilliant, breath taking wife' or no more kisses for the most kissable boy on the planet."

'The most kissable boy on the planet' chuckled shyly a little in the middle of his blushing at being called that by Helga, and then he just shrugged and found it in him to reply, rolling his eyes up a little with a small smirk of his own, "Oh, I…think you like kissing me too much to actually go through with that, Helga…. And besides…you're saying you'd resist _right now_, but…" He moved just a bit closer, lowering his voice a little… "…I think you'd say something different when I held you in my arms and looked into your eyes and told you I love you…" His smile grew a bit more. "Either way though…speaking as someone who was tortured by the girl he loves for seven years before she'd let him figure out that he loved her…I think this might be too tempting for me to pass up…"

Helga blushed quite a bit…but still at least managed to roll her eyes and reply back (also in a low voice…and still impressively managing to maintain just a touch of the sarcasm despite her and her beloved's proximity)…"Oh brother…this could be a long afternoon…couldn't it, Arnold?"

He laughed a little…so did she.

"But, um, Arnold…"

"Yes Helga?"

Helga smiled a little more...and blushed a little more… "All joking aside…Your inscription that you came up with about me was wonderful. And I…I'm happy I let you into my heart—for real, I mean—too…"

"Oh…" Arnold too smiled and blushed more. "Thanks Helga…Geraldine Shortman…" he added the last two words with a chuckle.

"No problem, Arnold…Uh…Arnold…" She glanced at him, part of her brow raised in amusement. "What's the middle name?"

Arnold smiled. "Phillip. Like my Grandpa. And just so you know, you can call me that as much as you want, Helga." He winked.

She smiled back and rolled her eyes a little. "Ha-ha, very funny, Arnold…Anyway, in that case, you're welcome, Arnold Phillip Pataki…" She giggled.

"Hey Helga?"

"Yes, Arnold?"

He reached up and brushed aside a wisp of hair that had been hanging near one of her eyes…just so he could look into both of them more clearly…His lovely '_Helga Geraldine…Shortman…_' Oh he was having a LOT of fun with that name…. "On the way to the arcade…" he said quietly, "…As long as we have a little time…Would you be willing to tell me those cheese festival stories you mentioned before?"

Feeling a little pleasant tremor go through her at him so unexpectedly adjusting her hair like that…(and he was so close…and he hadn't run off in fear at the name 'Arnold Philip Pataki' like she'd always been certain he would do ever since they were little…), Helga just smiled and put her free hand on his shoulder. "Sure…about time you found out why you've had such 'bad luck' on your last two of those, anyway…and why you're bound to have better luck on your third one," she finished with a wink.

He laughed in return….and sighed…liking her hand on his shoulder. "So…I guess we should…go…huh?" He was still just smiling…his eyes half lidded…There wasn't a whole lot of conviction in his voice.

Helga was just smiling and had her eyes half lidded too. "Mmm hmm…That would seem to be the next logical course of action, paste for brains…" No conviction there either.

"Helga?" "Arnold?"

They laughed, having said each other's names at the same time.

And they both knew what they were thinking…

"Football Head…are you thinking…"

"…What I'm thinking, Helga…?" He blushed a little. "I mean…since it's already almost happened a couple of times this afternoon…we, um…"

She placed a finger over his lips once more, finishing for him… "…We…might as well just… give in and do it at least once today…while we're still alone together…"

She removed her finger, putting her hand back on his shoulder…and he just gave a small nod... "Okay…" And then he slowly let his free arm come around Helga…and let his hand rest lightly against the center of her back… "At least one…" he kind of whispered to her, "It…feels like it wouldn't be one of our dates without at least…one…And also…I…" He stopped talking for a moment and just swallowed…feeling rather tongue tied…After all, their kisses were usually a bit more spontaneous than this...and the build up was a little much for him even though he was dealing with it… And…well… '_She's so pretty…right before I kiss her…"_

"Yes, Arnold…?" He watched her lips move and heard her prompt him in a delicate whisper to finish his sentence…

"I like kissing…And I like kissing you, Helga…" he admitted with a very shy blush, not used to just saying it like that, and unable to help feeling a little ungentlemanly while doing it…even though it was the truth.

Helga gave a small giggle… "And I like kissing you, Arnold…" '_So shy…my little love-overwhelmed future husband_…', "And…so…speaking of kissing…" She separated their hands from holding and brought her now free one up to rest on his other shoulder… "Wanna?" She gave the tiniest smirk.

An intrigued look came to Arnold's face as an amusing thought popped into his head at that question. "I don't think I ever really _didn't_ want to in my entire life, Helga…" He swallowed and then brought up his now free arm around her back as well…And now she was holding him and he was hugging her close.

They just looked in each other's eyes…and they didn't need to say anything else.

Their eyes shut and their heads tilted and they came together. Little lips meeting and responding to one another. Holding each other together.

(And Arnold tried not to let Helga notice (and Helga tried not to let Arnold realize that she noticed) that he was trying something new with pressing up on his toes whenever he and Helga kissed standing up…Kind of a small, little, self-conscious effort to match her height… He really couldn't help it: something about Helga having to lean down and pull him up when they kissed like this just…made him feel a little funny sometimes…Besides, if he pressed up like his, with his arms around her, he could even kind of lean her back a little as he kissed her…and he liked doing that…a lot…and he knew she liked it too… Sort of a win-win situation…)

"Whoa-ho-ho! Hey, Huynh, Kokoschka, get out here—Arnold and Helga action going on in the halls!"

"Arnold/Helga action! Yes!"

"Heh, heh, alright—this afternoon was getting kind of boring anyway!"

The interruption processed and Arnold and Helga's eyes instantly popped open and then shifted down to the hall below to see Mr. Potts, Mr. Huynh, and Mr. Kokoschka now standing right at the bottom of Arnold's attic steps, grinning up at the two kids embracing!

Arnold felt Helga instantly pull her lips from his and turned his eyes back to her to see her now blushing very much and glancing down…though rather than separating herself from him entirely she actually seemed to be clinging to his shoulders even more, almost in surprise and fear. Arnold understood though… He knew that even thought Helga was getting better about owning up to her feelings around people who already knew they were together, public displays of intimacy were another thing entirely… Heck, it had been a fight just to finally get the _private_ displays of intimacy from her until his confession had finally taken care of all of that.

And so Arnold just hugged a nervous Helga a little closer as well in reciprocation, leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, and then whispered into her ear, "It's okay…I promise. You'll be fine." She didn't say anything back…but she did squeeze his shoulders a little more and give a very small nod. And then he slowly removed his arms from around her and eased her into removing her hands from his shoulder… He knew of course though that she needed at least _some_ contact to feel secure and so he took her hand in his once more…and then finally led her down the steps and into the hall.

Arnold tried to just keep a casual smile on his face as he came more in sight of his extended family, his still obviously flustered girlfriend in tow. "Very funny, everyone…" he merely said with a shrug as he and Helga stepped onto the hallway carpet. "You caught us…We were, um, kissing…We were on a date and we were kissing. No big deal—right, Helga?" He glanced at her over his shoulder, squeezing her hand supportively.

Helga swallowed and he watched her give a little nod and shrug. "Uh, y-yeah, uh…no big…deal…" And then he watched her wait for whatever the reaction would be. Yeah, sure, Helga didn't mind good-natured ribbing about their relationship from his family but…she had also never had the topic of it be the fact that she'd just gotten caught clinging against Arnold for a slow, deep, lingering kiss upon his ten-year-old little lips…so she was a little worried right now, to say the least.

The three boarders remained smirking at the kids…and Arnold (feeling a little worried himself and knowing that it really was important for this to okay for Helga's sake) was getting ready to gently but firmly remind his three extended family members of their promise not to make any 'bets' or really bad jokes around Helga…

But then Mr. Potts just waved the kids off with a smile. "Ah, we know, we know….Sorry, Helga…and you too, Arnold." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Didn't mean to make you guys feel uncomfortable, it's just that…well, Helga, over the years we've all just kind of gotten used to Arnold being kind of a...well, a quiet kid…"

"A goodie two shoes!" chimed in Oskar.

"A wet blanket!" added Mr. Huynh enthusiastically with a smile.

(A smiling Arnold just rolled his eyes.)

"Yeah, exactly!" Mr. Potts smiled at them and then turned back to the kids. "And well we just never took him for the ladies man type…And then stuff around here can get pretty boring so…we see a shot to tease him a little about this whole 'terrific kisser of a boyfriend' thing, and we just…well, we wouldn't be family if we didn't give him at least a little bit of a hard time, you know?" He shrugged with a sheepish smile.

Arnold smiled quite a bit at this kind (and admittedly kind of funny) little explanation and looked to Helga once again…and to his happiness she was smiling now too, all fear gone from her face. And then she actually chuckled! "Eh, don't worry about it, Mr. Potts…" she waved him off with her free hand, "Believe me, if there's one thing I can understand…" she let out a sigh and gave Arnold a glance, "It's how strong the temptation can be to give old Football Head here a hard time when the opportunity presents itself…" And then she smirked a bit and turned to Arnold fully now, part of her brow raised… "And meanwhile…you didn't tell me you filled them in on the fact that you give terrific little kisses, my terrific little Football Head…Bragging with the boys, huh?"

Arnold blushed quite a bit and glanced away at this sudden observation, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Oh, um…well, it was just…Th-They were betting around our anniversary that I, um…had never actually kissed you before, and I just…well…"

"Actually, though, fellas, I have to confess…" Helga suddenly cut off her stuttering beloved (and she was smirking like crazy)...She turned her attentions back to the boarders, "Strictly speaking, I can't say that _all_ of Arnold's kisses have been terrific…"

Arnold blushed even more and his eyes went wide and he looked to her! (And tried not to scowl—what did she mean 'not all of his kisses had been terrific'?)

The three older men instantly started smirking and trying to suppress chuckles, and Arnold knew he was in for it…

…Until Helga giggled and then cleared her throat and finished quite simply, "You see, every once in a while I get one from him that's so utterly mind-blowing that I pass out in the middle of it, so 'technically' it wouldn't be fair of me to say that those kisses are terrific too since I'm only conscious for about half of them." She turned right to her beloved. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it, Arnold?" And then (blushing like crazy but still smiling nonetheless) she leaned down and gave him a quick peck on the corner of his mouth, and then pulled back coyly. "But really, Arnold, we should head out if we want to have any time at the arcade before dinner…Let's go, my love."

The boarders couldn't help but finally break into laughter at this entire little speech from the sassy ten-year-old girl before them (and at the fact that it had finished with 'my love' of all things!) But as for Arnold, as he had just gotten a tiny kiss from Helga and a 'my love' from Helga and one of those coy giggles and smiles from Helga, he himself…wasn't caring all that much about getting laughed at a little (plus the fact that Helga had just informed the three older men that he apparently could give kisses that made girls pass out was helping to keep him more than content with this entire situation!) "Uh…sure thing…my Helga…" he merely replied with a chuckle as she pulled him along. He turned back to the boarders with a happy (and proud) smile and gave them a small wave. "Uh…bye guys! See you later! Still, uh…still on a date here, heh…" He shrugged sheepishly as Helga got them to the stairs and began to lead him down them, giggling all the more to herself at his daze!

"Hey, just try not to make the girl pass out during your goodnight kiss, okay, Arnold?" Mr. Potts shouted to them, and instantly he and the other two men burst into more laughter.

Half way down the stairs Arnold just rolled his eyes and looked to his smirking girlfriend, finally having it in him to form coherent words and observations again. "You know that I'm going to have to take the fire escape up to my own room now for the next week just to avoid them and their teasing, right Helga?" he asked just a little sarcastically.

Helga just shrugged. "Oh, you know you're not all that upset about me telling them about how much of a kissing god you are…Besides, I felt that little bit of tension that went through you when you thought for a second that I was going to say that some of your kisses were less than terrific…Don't deny it—you like being a good kisser, Arnold."

Arnold rolled his eyes to the side innocently. "Maybe…just a little…maybe…" He let out a happy sigh and looked to her as they made it to the first floor and paused for a moment. "Oh and…you did good, you know, Helga…See—somebody saw us kissing, they laughed a little…and you did great with it. Brilliant, really." He leaned up and gave a shy kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I told you you'd be okay…" He looked at her with so much pride and love…

Helga G. Pataki just smiled like crazy and blushed quite a bit too, glancing to the side a little coyly. "Thanks, Arnold…and sorry I spazzed a little at first and broke our kiss, but…thanks…" She shrugged and gave a chuckle. "I try…"

They shared a happy smile.

And then Helga just let out a sigh and shook her head. "Alright, alright, enough mush, let's get out of here and get to the arcade already, bucko! There's an air hockey table with our names on it!" She winked. "I think we could safely play a rousing game of that together without making anyone suspicious as long as I threw in a bunch of insults and scowled a lot—what do you say?"

Arnold gave her a challenging smile. "You're on, Helga!" He proceeded to lead her down the foyer to the front door, still looking at her as they walked. "But first I'd really like to hear those cheese festival stories on the way there…You know, come to think of it, I DID have an AWFUL LOT of 'bad luck' trying to get close to Ruth and Lila during the last two of those…" His grin grew. "I wonder why that was…? Any ideas, Helga?" he asked feigning uncertainty.

She just chuckled and brought her free hand to her forehead dramatically. "Okay, okay, you've 'got me', Football Head…I'll spill both stories about how I used my cunning and wits to cleverly keep you out of the clutches of other women…but only if YOU then tell me in detail how you plan to make our date together at the next one of those a very special night!" She winked. "And I expect to hear the term 'Tunnel of Love' sprinkled A LOT throughout whatever it is you might think up, got it, paste for brains?"

Arnold blushed a little but nodded just the same. "Of course….Tunnel of Love…many times…you and me on a boat alone together in the dark surrounded by romantic images and music…Looking forward to it, Helga…." He smiled and winked. "But first, your two stories…" he blinked as though remembering something, "Oh, and, if there's anyone else who knows that you love me, I'd still be interested in hearing about that too, of course, Helga…" he added, recalling their initial topic of conversation from before.

'_Dr. Bliss_…' "Um…no one who we know that knows is coming to mind at the moment, Football Head…" She felt a lurch go through her at the 'technically not a lie', but did her best to smile just the same. "But, uh, you've got it about getting my two zany stories, Arnoldo." She winked and tried to put her qualms behind her for now…Besides, Dr. Bliss was a topic for another day.

Her beloved just smiled at her happily and nodded. "Sounds good, Helga…" And then he turned and opened the front door that they had just reached…

…And Helga felt another little lurch go through her at what she'd have to do now…But…she just couldn't take the risk…

"Uh…Arnold?"

Arnold had begun to pull Helga out to his stoop, but was stopped by these words and the feeling of her not budging behind him. He looked back at her in confusion to see her with part of her brow raised and looking at him and then at her hand that he was holding. "Uh…it's late afternoon…and there's a lot of blocks to the arcade…and it's a place where all of our friends are…"

Arnold just continued to look at her…still not understanding…

"Our, um…our hands…" Helga finally explicitly explained…still feeling horrible about this inside, "…we can't hold them out here, Arnold. Remember? I-I mean it was one thing for the block around my house yesterday right at dinner time but…this is different…okay, Arnold?" she finished carefully and quietly…and then removed her hand from his.

For a moment the perplexed look on Arnold's face remained…but then he sighed and smiled up at her (or tried to, at least). "You're right, Helga…Sorry…I just, um…forgot, I guess…" He let out a breath…and then was quiet for a moment…and then looked at her with that smile again. "Um…let's go!" He did his best to sound enthusiastic…but in truth…he was a little sad. He'd never push her but….he really did, deep down, want to just…be able to hold his girlfriend's hand in public…or at least to try.

Helga more than noticed the tiny bit of a frown in her beloved's eyes though…and she knew exactly why it was there and what he was thinking about…After all, it had come to him the second she'd told them they couldn't hold hands! And yesterday he'd been so obviously happy when she'd said they could!

Helga considered for a second and then smiled…and hoped what she would say next would at least be a small consolation to him. "Hey, Arnold?"

Arnold nodded at her, still only barely smiling "Yes, Helga?"

She let out a sigh…then shrugged and glanced down with a shy smile. "Um…well…I was thinking, and I think that…as long as you really do think it's pretty…you can toss in calling me Geraldine sometimes…but only when we're alone, okay, Football Head?" She smirked at him a little.

That offer made a genuine and even amused smile come to her love's face. "Really, Hel—um…Geraldine?" he asked happily. "You mean I really don't have to resist adding in that pretty name sometimes when I'm talking to you?"

She nodded, happy her distraction had not only worked but had made her beloved a little happy too. "You've got it, Phillip Jr. Now let's get going…And, hey, to start, I'll race you to the corner, Football Head!" She winked. "It'll make up for that race of ours that got interrupted at my house the other day." She laughed a little, stepping out onto the stoop and pulling him along by his sleeve out there with her so that now they were side by side.

Arnold's grin grew and he nodded, all traces of sadness now gone from his face. He closed the door behind them, never taking his eyes off of the girl at his side. "Whatever you say, Helga. Racing, then cheese festivals, then the arcade and then maybe dinner…" He gave kind of a dreamy sigh. "Remind me again why I was so afraid to date you? I've never had as much fun in my entire life as I have every day with you, Helga Geraldine." He winked at her…and it was all so very true!

Helga giggled just a little at his cute question. "Beats the heck out of me, you dense little shrimp! Now let's go!"

She was suddenly off like a shot with Arnold chasing after her, just at her heels…and for now the happiness and fun and love of the rest of this afternoon with Helga was enough to distract him once again from that…that quite unhappy feeling that always shot through him whenever they had to hide everything they had together every time they came out of their rooms and out of their houses and into the world. (On top of which the phrase 'Multiple rides on the Tunnel of Love with Helga at the next Cheese Festival' was currently flashing through his head over and over and over again, and the daydreams he could already feel forming about that memory that would be made next year plus anticipation for the arcade plus waiting to hear her stories about the last two festivals, plus this race that she was giving him in public, plus her admitting that he gave 'mind-blowing kisses' every now and then…all of these things were just doing wonders for keeping any degree of sadness or disappointment from entering the fourth grade boy's mind or heart at the moment.)

* * *

**BEST FRIENDS**

"Hmm… Wrestling: like."

"Dislike. I'm more of a boxing man, myself…"

A scoff. "Oh _please_! All those quick little controlled movements—don't you ever get sick of it and just want to see somebody piledrive somebody else into the ground?"

Half a laugh. "Hey, any sport where people have to wear colorful costumes, and make up crazy personas just isn't really a sport in my opinion."

An exasperated sigh. "Oh whatever. Okay let's not get hung up on this like with the last three or four things…Hmm…um, okay…" A chuckle. "I know this isn't helping but…Purdy Boy Books: _total_ dislike."

"That's pretty obviously a like for me AND Arnold, Helga—otherwise his bookshelf wouldn't be _filled_ with the things!" came the slightly annoyed sounding reply.

A few laughs. "Okay, Okay, sorry, Geraldo…"

"Hey, you called up Phoebe and told her to just meet you here instead of at your house, right?" came the sudden inquiry.

"Yeah…" came the confused reply. "Why?"

"Good…she's smart. She could probably come up with something…" It sounded like there was definitely a smile underlying this reply. "Anyway, while we're waiting, let me try another one…Um…Pop Daddy: like."

"Ugh, you mean that lame-o cheesy Saturday morning cartoon? Once again, _total_ dislike."

A laugh. "You know, 'once again', Helga…_Arnold_ likes it…"

A scoff again. "Oh nice try but just because Arnold likes something doesn't mean _I _automatically have to like it. I love him—doesn't mean I love his taste all the tim—"

The sound of a door (specifically a bedroom door…specifically a certain football headed young man's bedroom door) opening interrupted this rather random and unexpected exchange. "Uh…Gerald? Helga?" came Arnold's confused-sounding response to this conversation he'd been catching bits and pieces of as he climbed the steps to his room (and maybe as he'd listened at the door for a few seconds to confirm that he was indeed hearing right and that the two people he thought were actually having a one-on-one conversation up there were indeed having a one-on-one conversation).

And indeed, having now opened his door, Arnold's eyes fell on none other than Helga and Gerald, sitting on opposite sides of his bed…and now looking to him in surprise at his sudden entrance.

Helga blinked at first at suddenly seeing her beloved in his doorway, but then her eyes lit up (as they'd been getting in the habit of doing every time he entered a room lately, Arnold hadn't been able to help but happily notice) and she stood and walked across the room, and caught him in a quick hug! (The most intimate thing she'd ever voluntarily done with him in front of another person, though he guessed that after that little encounter in the halls with the boarders the other day, she was feeling a bit more confident about showing him affection in front of people who already knew about their courtship.) "Hey, Football Head!" she announced brightly! "Sheesh, it took you long enough to get here!" She separated from him now, still smiling and looking happily into his eyes though of course.

"Hey man!" Gerald called from across the room, smiling and waving. "What's up?"

"Uh…" A rather amused Arnold just had to take a step or two back to fully absorb this situation just a little bit more before finally responding, still in a bit of confusion… "Nothing much…" His eyes went to Helga. "Helga I'm really happy to see you, of course…" A half smile broke through his surprised visage… "But I thought our date was tomorrow afternoon after your doctor's appointment…today is Wednesday, right?"

Helga flinched just a tiny bit at his reminder of that vague 'doctor's appointment' excuse she'd given him, but managed to put all of that aside for now and just smile at her beloved, her hands on her hips. "Yeah, don't worry Football Head, you didn't mix up the dates. I know you've got Dino Land plans with Geraldo later—and Phoebe and I are actually supposed to be heading down to the docs to skip rocks off the pier ourselves. But…" she then fished into her jumper pocket and pulled out a small, familiar pink item, smiling just a little more at her beloved, "I was just in the neighborhood and I wanted to do a quick pink book swap with you if you had a minute… There's a poem in one of the ones you've got at the moment that I wanted to copy down for another one of Simmons' assignments, and then I just finished filling up this one the other day after our date…and I thought you might, you know…like to have a fresh batch of poems to look at…" She blushed a little at having to bring up her Arnold poetry with Gerald in the room, but otherwise just shrugged with a sheepish smile and offered the book to Arnold.

Arnold couldn't help the grin (or the half lidded gaze) that came to his face at this explanation… "Oh…well, um…thanks, Helga…" He reached forward and gently took the precious book from the girl before him. "That was really nice of you…"

She just giggled a little and glanced down. "No problem, Arnold…Anything for you…" She looked up and winked at him.

"Okay, 'Hurl-Alert', 'Severe Hurl-Alert'!" And with this announcement Arnold and Helga turned their gazes in the direction of the head of Arnold's bed to see Gerald now standing up and faking a gagging action.

Helga just rolled her eyes and turned to him fully, arms crossed over her chest and smirking. "Okay, so I guess me and Football Head acting all lovey-dovey with each other goes on your 'dislike' list…And in response to that, it is obviously on my 'like' list so there's another dud for us, tall hair boy!"

Gerald just rolled his eyes and laughed to himself, sitting back down on the edge of Arnold's bed. "Well, maybe while we're waiting for Phoebe, Arnold can come up with something…"

It was then that Arnold blinked, coming out of the small lovesick state Helga had started to send him off into…and recalled the heretofore unprecedented conversation that he had just heard part of and the heretofore unprecedented sight he had just walked in on: Gerald and Helga…talking…together…and _not_ sarcastically trying to out-insult each other for once!

"Um…guys…" Arnold had to raise a concerned eyebrow at the both of them now as he recalled all of these things, "Are you two…" he glanced back and forth from one to the other and then said the only word that came to mind, "…okay?"

Helga and Gerald blinked at this question and at the strange look on Arnold's face, and then looked to each other in confusion and then back to Arnold.

"Football Head, what are you talking about? We were just talking in your room…" Helga jerked her thumb back in Gerald's general direction. "I came in through the skylight to drop off the book, Geraldo was already here waiting for you and said Phil said you'd be back in a few minutes from running to the store for your Grandma, and I decided to wait and see you before I left…so…we talked…like two normal human beings would…" She looked at Arnold with a touch of concern at the obviously great deal of disbelief on his face.

"Yeah, man," Gerald nodded and stood up again, an eyebrow raised, "We were just hanging around waiting for you…We weren't gonna sit in neutral corners and not say a word to each other or something…" He smiled a little. "Oh and Helga called Phoebe and told her to meet her here now so she'll be coming by soon too…" But then he hesitated and raised an eyebrow once more. "Seriously, though, you look a little pale, man—you need to lie down or something?"

Arnold blinked several more times, and then closed his eyes and put a hand to his head, letting out a breath. "Uh…no, no, it's just…" He half smiled and glanced back at them again. "You two sounded like you were actually…getting along a little…a lot…And all on your own…No Phoebe and me to keep you from trying to verbally kill each other I mean…" he added for clarification, almost chuckling. "You sounded like…friends!"

Helga and Gerald just looked to each other with wide eyes again, and then turned their gazes back to Arnold once more.

Helga rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, sheesh, Arnoldo, we _do_ have the capacity to be civil to one another and to genuinely get along, you know? I mean, it's not like we HATE each other or anything… At least, not _anymore_…" She gave Arnold a half smile. "We're just…" she sighed and shrugged, "Well, you and Phoebe get along alright because you're both nice and just a little shy and pretty smart and have always had a decent friendship…but me and Geraldo here are just kind of different from each other…like…like…cats and dogs, north and south…uh…" She searched for another comparison.

"A unicorn and Wolfgang…" Gerald chimed in with a smirk from Arnold's bed.

Helga actually laughed a little and rolled her eyes at the comment. "Yes, thank you, Johanssen. Point is, we don't mix." She smiled at Arnold again. "And well...actually, since Phoebe couldn't get here right away and we weren't sure when you'd be back, we kind of got to talking and we figured…I mean for YOUR sakes and not because I actually want anything to do with tall hair boy…" she added with a smirk, glancing over her shoulder.

"_Oh yeah_…" Gerald shot back with a smile and a rolls of his eyes, "And like I'm just itching or something to be _your_ new best friend…" He scoffed and added playfully, "Honestly, my goal is just to get off of the top of your list of people to torment mercilessly… Last person I knew who held that spot was Arnold," he jerked his thumb in his best friend's direction, "…and he ended up finding out that you practically want to undress him whenever you get within eyesight of each other!" He finished with a fit of chuckles, the idea of 'Arnold and Helga' and this whole 'love' thing in general still having the capacity to amuse him even after all these weeks.

Meanwhile, across the room, Helga instantly turned a bright scarlet and her eyes went wide…the idea of Arnold undressing awakening a very specific memory. She looked right at her beloved! "Arnold, you did NOT tell him about the time I was stuck here and I—"

Arnold's eyes instantly went wide as well as her words struck him, and he more than understood what was being referred to! "NO!" He blushed severely, cutting her off before she could say more! "I…" he cleared his throat and glanced away nervously, "I think he's just talking about that time…you know, in that alley by the school when him and Phoebe found us and you had my sweater all pulled up…" He gulped. (Arnold had decided, by the way, that the more intimate details of the parrot crazy scheme could, uh…just stay between himself and Helga.)

Meanwhile, the reality of the situation processed upon which Helga took several breaths and then finally spoke in at least a passably calm voice once more. "Oh…okay…uh, right…" She closed her eyes and cleared her throat and then turned back to Gerald. "In that case….Hey, I…I…I do NOT want to u-undress Arnold! He…. It's just sometimes we're together and it seems like he must be a little warm so I gently suggest he take off his sweater by…starting the process…" She put her arms behind her back and glanced away VERY nervously and VERY shyly. '_Oh boy, THAT was a close one…Smooth, Helga, really smooth…'_

At all of this fluster and random reactions, Gerald just glanced back and forth from a very embarrassed looking Helga to a very VERY embarrassed looking Arnold several times with a confused look and a half smile on his face. "_Right_…" he finally said, and just shook his head in amusement. '_I'm pretty sure I don't even want to know…_' "Anyway…" he went on slowly, "… I'll just stick with holding Phoebe's hand and having her laugh at my jokes, myself, and leave whatever the heck embarrassing incident I obviously just reminded you two of to the two of you and your 'we're ten-years-old and in love' thing, if that's okay with everyone…" He laughed a little himself.

"I agree—that sounds like a more than acceptable situation for us to continue pursuing, Gerald…" Phoebe Heyerdahl added as she suddenly finished her climb up to Arnold's room (the door of which was still ajar, allowing the entire conversation going on to reach her as she had been making her way up the steps). She laughed to herself a little as she finished this response and then closed Arnold's door behind her.

"Phoebe!" Instantly, Gerald's eyes went wide and he almost jumped off of the bed, he was so surprised at her sudden entrance! "I mean, uh…" he smiled nervously at her and managed to reseat himself, and then did his best to add 'smoothly', "Uh…hey, babe! What's up?" The slight crack to his voice and the fact that he nearly half fell off of Arnold's bed once again before he managed to get himself completely comfortably sitting once more didn't help matters much.

Still the middle of Arnold's room, Helga all but burst into laughter at this whole little exchange! "Oh man!" She looked to her beloved's best friend. "Smooth, Gerald. Really smooth." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Sheesh you two finally admitted you 'like like' each other HOW long ago, and you're _still_ turning into a total spazz every time she suddenly shows up somewhere? Please! Me and Football Head got over little stuff like that a long time ago, right, Arnold?" She smiled awaiting Arnold's agreement with her from behind.

"Yeah…" she heard him sigh in reply…and she heard him shift closer to her…And then suddenly Helga's eyes went quite wide and she all but shivered at the feeling of one of his fingertips suddenly tracing up from the base of her spine to top of her neck, and ending by moving off to one side and playing with a piece of the hair at the end of one of her pigtails before leaving her entirely. Arnold chuckled and she felt him step closer to her. "I keep having to find new…more interesting things to do to make Helga turn into a 'total spazz'. It hasn't been easy…but it's been fun…" He chuckled once more…now right near her ear. "Hasn't it, Helga?"

Helga felt her cheeks turn bright scarlet and her heart tremble. "Uh…I… uh…" '_So…So daring…Oh Arnold, if we were alone right now, I'd_—'

"Okay, 'HURL ALERT' again, you guys!"

This announcement from across the room snapped Helga out of her near internal monologue. She blinked a few times and then her eyes came back into focus enough to fall upon the form of Gerald faking another gagging motion and then laughing to himself…joined by some good-natured chuckles from Arnold and Phoebe.

Helga shook her head to clear it and then did her best to scowl (though, unfortunately, she couldn't control her continued blushing). '_Oh brother…In my defense though…Arnold's finger…gently up the curve of my back…playing with my hair…Forget dying, I could just fly to the moon!_' Still, now was not the time to get lost in internal girly gushing and Helga knew it, so along with her half scowl she crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away stubbornly, deciding to move things in the room along. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…very funny you guys!" She rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, I'm in love with Arnold and it makes tough-as-nails Helga G. Pataki get all mushy sometimes—you know, it's been a few weeks…you'd _think_ you three would have gotten over the humor in that irony or something!" She gave an exasperated sigh (though she couldn't help smiling a little at this point herself), and then walked across Arnold's room to seat herself comfortably on the end of his bed, as she had been before her beloved had entered.

"Spoiled sport…" Gerald muttered under his breath with his own eye roll. "You always could dish it out but never take it, Pataki…"

Helga instantly scoffed, crossing her legs and turning her eyes to him. "Oh yeah, this from the guy who's more than willing to go into a giggle fit about the fact that Arnold can turn me into a puddle if he tries hard enough, but who can't even see his girlfriend _enter a room_ without practically throwing himself off of a bed…" She laughed to herself and then, seeing that Gerald already had his mouth open and a slight scowl on his face for a comeback, cut him off. "Okay, okay, truce though, Geraldo, seriously…our whole conversation before Arnoldo and Pheebs got here was about trying to be better friends and NOT just get into catty exchanges with each other…Remember?"

Arnold and Phoebe then watched with interest as Gerald indeed put away whatever sarcastic comeback he'd been about to deliver, and instead just sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I remember, Pataki…And now that they're here we should probably get back to it…After all, if there are two people in the world who can solve any seemingly unsolvable problem, it's Arnold and Phoebe…"

Helga gave him an approving nod. "Exactly!" And then she turned to addressing the other two kids in the room…who were rather intrigued at this point. "Anyway, like I was saying to Arnold before you got here and this little laugh fest started, Pheebs, tall hair boy and I just found ourselves here alone for a little while waiting for you guys to show up, and well…" she smiled a little sheepishly and shrugged, "We figured that, you know…since _you two_ have been getting along together so well and even trying to get us to do group stuff together and the idea of double dates has even been getting tossed around a little…and since Geraldo and I have basically just spent the last few weeks kind of going back and forth between exchanging good-natured barbs and just barely tolerating one another, maybe the two of us could try seeing if, you know…we had anything in common…to kind of build a stronger friendship on…right, tall hair boy?" She glanced over her shoulder at Gerald with a smile.

"Mmm hmm…" Gerald nodded, smiling back, and then looked to Arnold and Phoebe and elaborated a little further, "Yeah, so, we talked about all that stuff for a little bit and then for the past twenty minutes or so, I guess, me and Helga just kind of settled on taking turns picking a random topic and saying whether we liked it or disliked it, and then seeing if the other person felt the same way." He smiled.

"Yeah, exactly, but…" Helga chimed in and had to scoff again, crossing her arms over her chest, "It hasn't exactly been…working out very well, if you know what I mean…"

"Total failure," Gerald supplied dryly.

"What he said," Helga added in confirmation.

From across the room, Phoebe raised an eyebrow in concern upon absorbing all of this information. "You mean…" She glanced from her best friend to her (she was still having a little trouble with the word boyfriend…It just seemed so big and official! So…) boy she 'like-liked', and then questioned in disbelief, "Neither of you has found a common interest yet?"

Both Helga and Gerald closed their eyes and shook their heads at the same time.

Not a second later though, Helga's eyes opened wide and she quickly qualified, "Oh well, except for you and Arnold, of course but…with how things have been going between me and tall hair boy over the last few weeks I think it's pretty obvious that that's not enough for us to really build a friendship on, you know?"

Gerald just let out a sigh and nodded, throwing himself back on Arnold's bed to lie down and look up at the ceiling. "Tell me about it…" he had to chuckle a little, "Although I HAVE gotten to get in a few good jokes now that I know for sure Helga's not going to sock me one…"

Helga let out a slightly exasperated sigh and was obviously about to make a comment of some sort to Gerald (it really just had to be a reflex at this point in her life), though luckily Arnold noticed and so he quickly stepped forward and spoke up now too. "Oh come on guys…" he took a few more steps closer to his bed, looking back and forth from best friend to girlfriend, a bit of a disbelieving look on his face just as it was on Phoebe's. "You're both the same age in the same class with the same group of friends and you haven't been able to find any genuine interest you have in common? Not one?"

Helga just had to shrug at her beloved's very good question and then proceeded to lie back on his bed as well. "I know, I know, it doesn't make sense but it's true…I don't know, maybe we're being too specific with what we've been coming up with but we really wanted to find at least one random thing that actually interests both of us—you know something besides generic stuff like baseball or ice cream that every kid's interested in." She smiled and sat up a bit. "Actually…" she looked from her boyfriend to her best friend and then back again, "Geraldo and I were kind of hoping that when _the two of you_ got here, you could come up with something we could try…" She smiled a bit more. "I mean, you two _are_ some of the smartest people we know, and you know us better than anyone, so…"

"Yeah," Gerald agreed, sitting up little himself, "I mean, if we can't ever come up with anything it's not a _huge_ deal—we'll just continue to exchange catty but well intentioned insults with each other for the rest of our lives. But still, I feel like there's got to be SOMETHING!" He chuckled a little, glancing at all three other individuals in the room. "I mean, there's no way two people could be THAT opposite from each other, right?"

"Hmph," Helga instantly scoffed with a smile, sitting up all the way and stretching a bit, "Obviously you're not taking into account the fact that I still exist in the same universe as Lila and Olga…"

"Oh!" Phoebe suddenly exclaimed brightly, causing all heads to turn to her. Finding herself the center of attention so suddenly though, the shy young girl quickly cleared her throat and glanced down modestly, and then continued in a quiet voice. "Well, that's one thing you two have in common…"

Gerald sat up all the way now, and he and Helga just looked at Phoebe in confusion.

"You both have older siblings you don't always get along with," Phoebe clarified with a smile.

Arnold's eyes suddenly lit up as well at this explanation. "Yeah!" He turned to Gerald and Helga. "Jamieo loves you, Gerald, but he drives you nuts, and Helga, Olga loves you but she always makes your life a little crazy when she's around." His smile grew. '_Perfect! At least that's something…'_

Helga and Gerald continued stare at their best friends/significant others for another second or two as this suggestion processed with them, and then slowly they turned to look at each other once more…

Helga cleared her throat. "Okay so…obnoxious older siblings: dislike?"

Gerald nodded. "Dislike."

Another second of silence passed…and then Helga smiled and turned to Arnold and Phoebe. "Hey, not bad! Okay, keep it up guys!" she announced eagerly. "I sense a roll, here!"

"Yeah," Gerald suddenly added with a smile, turning to them as well. "Arnold, you come up with one now!"

Arnold blinked at the sudden request…and then a distinct blush crept up into his cheeks and a distinct smile came to his face. "Actually…" he began glancing down and putting his arms behind his back, "I do have one that I keep thinking of, but…someone asked me not to bring it up…" He glanced up…and in his girlfriend's direction, "Right…Helga G. Pataki?" It took all he had not to burst into laughter.

"Huh?" Gerald just raised an eyebrow at this cryptic answer and then turned to Helga. "Helga, what's he talking about? And why did he just call you by your full na—"

He stopped and had to blink as his eyes met the sight of Helga suddenly looking quite a bit pale, and with her eyes quite a bit wide… And then suddenly she scowled and instantly replied to Arnold in a very unhappy tone, "Arnold, no."

Arnold just chuckled to himself a little and let out a sigh… "Okay, sorry, Helga. I'll try and think of something else."

Phoebe, meanwhile, had been glancing back and forth from Helga to Arnold in a bit of confusion herself… This small exchange over now, though, she settled on questioning her best friend about what it meant. "Helga, if it's alright for me to ask, what is Arnold referring to exactly?"

The sound of Phoebe's voice asking this question made Arnold suddenly blink, an interesting thought occurring to him. He addressed Helga as well. "Hey, does Phoebe know about…you know…" he almost lost it as he added with emphasis and a slightly smug smile, "Helga _G._ Pataki?"

"Uh, hey, guys? Seriously, what's up?" Gerald interjected again from the head of Arnold's bed.

Helga growled a bit at her beloved, but then glanced down in frustration and finally replied in a tense voice. "Yes, Phoebe knows…" She glared at him. "So Phoebe knows and you know…why don't we leave it at that, hmm?"

Phoebe just blinked and looked to Arnold. "Arnold, I'm not sure wha—"

Arnold quickly took the few steps over to the young Asian-American girl and leaned over and whispered something into her ear…and it didn't take a second of processing what he had been referring to with his little suggestive comments for Phoebe to almost burst into chuckles herself as he pulled away and returned his still-smiling sights back to Helga.

"Oh, Helga…" Phoebe looked to her best friend again, trying not to laugh TOO much since Helga was obviously a little sensitive about all of this, "I really don't see what the big deal is…I mean…" She couldn't help it—she giggled again.

"Hello—_guys_?" Gerald once more, and now waving his hands to get attention…and getting a very strong sense of déjà vous at this point (being in a room of people, Arnold and Helga included, and being ignored…)

"Well, you know, it might be something me and Geraldo have in common but it would just be a dislike from me and a LOVE from him, so can we end it now, you two?" Helga looked at Phoebe and Arnold firmly (of course, not even processing Gerald at the moment, she was so intent on making sure that the two people in front of her kept their lips buttoned!)

"You know, I am getting a very BIG of déjà vous here from that time you guys were all talking about Helga's secret and leaving me out of it! I mean, seriously, where's Lila to throw in her fair share of confusing statements that I'm not going to get filled in on unless I accidentally walk into another kitchen to hear one of you telling the truth?" the tall haired boy grumbled in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest and really starting to get a little miffed.

"Aw, but see Helga—Phoebe doesn't think it's so bad! And I'm sure no one else would either…" Arnold smiled charmingly over at Helga's still scowling face. "Just…at least think about it, okay?"

Gerald rolled his eyes dramatically. "You guys are just plain not listening to me right now, are you?"

"Oh _yeah_!" Helga scoffed. "Then why did she practically go off into a giggle fit the second you told her?" She gestured with one of her arms to her still smiling and obviously trying not to chuckle best friend.

Gerald, meanwhile, just crossed his arms over his chest and let out a dramatic sigh, continuing with his valid (if still ignored) complaints. "I mean, really, I could just say anything right now and no one would call me on it, would they?" he said to no one in particular.

"I-I'm sorry, Helga…" Phoebe meanwhile replied from across the room, doing her best to get her wide smile and any amount of potential laughter under control, "I just never thought about the irony before, but it _is_ pretty interesting when you think about it…But not a bad thing certainly."

"You know…" Gerald announced with a smirk, leaning back on his hands a little and taking some advantage of his newfound 'invisibility' to have some fun, "When Helga being terrified of the class finding out she's got the hots for Arnold blows over, I was planning to turn this whole thing into a brand new urban legend. I'm still working on the title but something along the lines of "The Legend of the Nine-Year-Olds who Made Out" comes to mind… What do you guys think?" he asked the room with a smile, knowing full well no one would even bat an eye. '_It's almost worse than that first time they did this to me! I swear, Arnold and Helga are like the Bermuda Triangle or something—once you get sucked in, you're in…and there's no way back to reality.'_

Helga, meanwhile, of course didn't even process Gerald's jest she was so caught up in all this middle name stuff, and now just rolled her eyes, still looking to Phoebe and Arnold. "Okay, look, it's nice that you two think it's sweet and charming, but _I _don't so can we just skip on down to OTHER THINGS Gerald and I might have in common? Please?"

"See I knew it—nothing." Gerald yawned and shrugged. "I could pass out from a heart attack right now and you all wouldn't even notice." He sighed and waited… '_Nope. Nothing again. Knew it.'_

"Okay, Helga…" Arnold finally agreed to her demand with a sigh and an understanding smile…and then got a pensive look again. "Hmm…let's see—other stuff you and Gerald might have in common…" he began sincerely.

"Okay, well, I'm going… See you, guys!" And suddenly Gerald stood up and with a wave stomped right through the triangle of his friends/girlfr—uh, girl he 'like liked', and right over to Arnold's bedroom door to seriously take his leave, because this whole little 'leave Gerald out of the loop game' was amusing…but only to a point…and that point for him had been reached.

"Huh? Gerald!" Phoebe suddenly piped up at his movement past them, her eyes going wide as she instantly turned away from Helga and turned right to him with concern coming to her features and tone. "Where are you going?" Indeed, Phoebe (like Arnold and Helga) really hadn't been meaning to ignore Gerald…they'd just been a little wrapped up in their conversation (Helga trying to keep Gerald from getting a nice one up on her, Arnold finding Helga's little fear about other people knowing her middle name incredibly amusing…and charming…and did he mention that she could look so cute when she got all worked-up and angry?, and Phoebe just trying to gently ease her usually defensive friend into being a little more open about things (which was a job that was much more difficult than it looked at times) and also secretly finding it so nice watching Helga and Arnold having a little pleasant back and forth between each other. She really was so very happy that her best friend had found happiness, and that Arnold was obviously so very happy with the situation as well.)

"Leaving…" Gerald replied simply to Phoebe's inquiry, putting his hand on the door handle, a blank look on his face. He turned his head to glance back to the three other kids with a slightly miffed look…He wasn't angry, really, he was just…kind of bored at this point. "Look guys, we're obviously not going to get anywhere else with this since no one's even paying attention to me anymore, and from the bits and pieces of your conversation I was picking up, I think it's pretty clear that Helga obviously still doesn't entirely trust me so…maybe we just shouldn't bother with trying to figure out anymore stuff we might have in common until we've had a few more weeks or months to ease into this friendship thing…" He shrugged and turned fully back around for a moment and added quite seriously, "Or maybe we should just go back to the catty insults permanently and not try anything at all…" He sighed, giving all three of them a bit of a look. "Either way, I just don't really feel like sitting around while you three talk about something I don't know anything about…AGAIN…" He glanced back at his best friend. "Arnold, I'll be downstairs waiting for you three to finish up so that we can go to Dino Land…" And with this speech and final announcement he turned back around and opened the door.

"Gerald, wait—don't be mad…" Arnold instantly began very apologetically, reaching out a hand in his direction. "We're sorry…We were just getting carried away…Really!"

"Yes, Gerald!" Phoebe piped up apologetically as well, now getting really upset since it seemed Gerald was so very upset, and because of something she had been a part of on top of it all! "We were just having a little fun with Helga…We didn't mean to upset or ignore you! Please stay!"

"Oh just let him have his little fit and go!" Helga just announced with an exasperated sigh from Arnold's bed, crossing her arms over her chest with a smirk and looking toward the young African-American boy. "Honestly, Geraldo, if you can't take a little—"

"Helga!" She was cut off by the sound of both Arnold and Phoebe loudly and firmly stating her name…And then they both suddenly turned to her with…with scowls of all things!

The young blonde girl blinked at this sight and all sarcasm and smirking instantly drained from her face as she was …very very UNUSED to seeing even slightly angry faces from either one of the two people before her…but definitely not (she kind of gulped) kind of…angry faces from them. '_Yikes, and I thought __I __could be intimidating…Sheesh! Remind me never to cross either of __these__ two!'_

"Helga…" Arnold approached her, looking at her very seriously, "Come on, he's…he's leaving! What happened to wanting to try and be better friends…for me and Phoebe's sakes like the…like the good person I know you are…?" A touch of desperation and almost disappointment came to his eyes.

"Yes, Helga!" Phoebe instantly ran over to her as well, looking at her quite desperately and pleadingly too. "Please! No more sarcasm…Just…Just try…"

Helga, her eyes wide, looked back and forth from Arnold to Phoebe…and couldn't help but feel her heartstrings pulled. "Oh…I…I…" And then finally she let out a sigh and closed her eyes and half smiled to herself. "For Pete's sake…you know, it's not exactly fair when you two double team me…You're like my two biggest soft spots ever…" And really there was nothing in the world more endearing than the looks Phoebe and Arnold could get when their normally bright, sunny, optimistic faces were sad.

Helga just smiled a bit more and shook her head in amusement at the sights of them like that and how it could instantly melt it heart…. and then suddenly she got up, and walked past a now surprised looking Arnold and Phoebe and over to Gerald, who was still standing by the ajar door, just watching this whole scene with interest. Then she stopped before him, took a deep breath, looked him in the eye and spoke. "Geraldo—uh, Gerald…" she corrected herself, and then continued on quite sincerely, "Look, I'm sorry we kind of kept you out of the loop again there for a few minutes…" She cleared her throat and glanced down a little, a slight blush coming to her face. "And, you know…I…I do, um…you know, trust you and everything, Gerald. I mean…" she raised her eyes to meet his again, "You've been really cool about keeping my secret and even not giving me that hard of a time about it in private, so...of course, I trust you." She even smiled a little at this point… '_After all, he's…kind of given me hope, in a way, if you really think about it…I-I mean, if HE can find out and not make my life a torturous mess…maybe one day other people can know, and it…really __won't__ be __so__ bad…'_

Helga's speech over, she looked to the tall-haired boy as she awaited his reaction…and after a second, she was met with a very happy smile from him. "Really?" he replied brightly, removing his hand from the door handle and crossing his arms over his chest in satisfaction. "Well, thanks, Helga…And…you _can_, you know. Trust me, I mean." He spoke sincerely. "I mean, you've made my best friend really happy and I'd never want to do anything to upset that or you…" He gave her a bit of a good-natured smirk, "Even though you _did_ torture us since pre-k…"

Helga rolled her eyes, now smirking a little as well…and also feeling immense relief inside of herself that Geraldo seemed to have forgiven her and the rest of them. "Yes, yes, I know, Gerald, and I've apologized for that about a million times so far so you can quit clinging to it anytime!" she finished with a lighthearted chuckle…but then cleared her throat nervously (much to Gerald's interest….He raised an eyebrow) "And, um…" Helga suddenly went on with a small shrug, "…Um, as for what Pheebs and Football Head and I were just talking about before…the, uh, other thing besides obnoxious siblings that we might have in common…it's not that I thought you'd parade what it is around town or anything, but it's just…something that I find a little embarrassing, but…" She finally just let out one more sigh and looked at him with a smile. "Might as well face the music, right? You found out about my love for Arnold, my poetry, my shrine…you were bound to find out about this eventually too, I guess…"

Okay, now Gerald was officially hooked, by the way… '_What the heck is she talking ab_—' He paused and his eyes went even wider as Helga then reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Gerald Johanssen…There _is_ one small thing we kind of automatically have in common…though I think you'll be a bigger fan of it than I am…" She let out a breath (still feeling the need to be a little unnecessarily dramatic about this whole thing, but then again, this WAS Helga we were talking about), and then finally just said it. "You know the G in Helga G. Pataki…? It, uh…it might stand for, uh…G…r…ne…"

"_Helga_…" came Arnold's gently coaxing voice from behind her, familiar with her mumbling tactic about this whole thing.

"It's GERALDINE, okay? GERALDINE, and that does NOT leave this room and that IN NO WAY becomes my new nickname or anything or I really WILL sock you right in the nose, hair boy!" she finished firmly, and then removed her hand from Gerald's shoulder and turned back to her beloved with a touch of a scowl (though of course a smile obviously pulled at the corner of her mouth). "Thanks for the prompt, _darling_!" she commented with more than a touch of sarcasm.

Arnold just chuckled and blushed a tiny bit. "You're welcome, _my love_!" he replied back playfully.

"Okay two things—First, 'Hurl Alert' is at maximum!" Gerald suddenly commented from behind them. "And second…" he snorted, "A-And second…" And then he instantly fell to the floor in laughter. "Oh—oh man…ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Helga just let out a good-natured sigh and turned back in his direction. "Oh brother, I knew it…"

"Ha, ha, ha—Oh man…" he went on, still in convulsions, "You always hated me and your middle name was practically my first name! Oh that's a nice touch of irony! Very well done! Score another one for the bullied!"

Helga rolled her eyes, turning back to Arnold and Phoebe once more. "Okay, okay, NOW can we get back to finding something Gerald and I have in common and actually _both like_ besides 'the annoying brother and sister' topic that Phoebe came up with eons ago? Besides, see Geraldo loves my middle name and I can barely stand it…" She smiled at her beloved. "I mean, really, the only reason I'm not saying I hate it outright is because you like it, Arnold."

"Ha, ha, oh hey and see I was right!" Gerald suddenly chimed in, getting some of his laughter under control and managing to sit up a little on the floor. "Arnold liking something CAN influence your opinion!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Helga waved him off playfully over her shoulder, still smiling to herself. "Old Football Head _can_ sway me a little…" her fiery eyes met Arnold's across the room, "…but I'M still the one calling the shots for me, of course!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Helga…" her beloved assured with a smile and a nod. "After all… 'just because you love me doesn't mean you love my taste all the time'…" He did his best not to laugh, unable to help quoting that snippet of conversation he'd walked in in the middle of.

He watched Helga blink and blush a little…but then just smile and let out a sigh. "Oh, Arnold…you and that eavesdropping habit…First at Slausen's the day you realized you were falling for me and now this…I blame myself…I've made the life of someone with almost no moral conscience look FAR too appealing…I really am a bad influence on you, Arnold." She winked and then watched Arnold chuckle and then she joined him.

Still, though, Helga knew that right now needed to be about Gerald and her working things out, and not about Arnold and her flirting like they were prone to do when talking together, and so she let out a sigh and looked to everyone in the room once more. "But anyway, everyone, seriously…like I said, back to our epic search for things in common between Helga and the guy with the three foot head of hair…" She smirked a little and turned her sights specifically to Gerald once more, "So, provided you're still definitely willing to stick around, Johanssen, I'd recommend getting away from the door and getting back to sitting on Arnold's bed please so we can finish this thing up before our best friends get the wrong idea and go and pull the desperate wide-eyed pleading stare thing on YOU too!" She then walked over and sat herself in her former position on the end of Arnold's bed, and waved Gerald over, gesturing with a jerk of her thumb to the head of her beloved's place of sleep where he had been sitting before.

Gerald, now finally standing and now finally in control of his laughter, just let out a final good-natured chuckle or two more and nodded. "Yeah, okay…and of course I'm staying, guys… And thanks, Pataki—uh, Helga…And don't worry, I'll keep the 'Geraldine' stuff to a minimum…mostly…" Gerald watched Helga sigh and roll her eyes away from him at that little promise of a small tease or two to come about this whole thing (though he could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't genuinely upset enough to actually hit him for just one or two little side comments…though he knew better than to make them public, of course). Smiling to himself a little at the sight, he then walked back over to the bed and indeed sat at its head once more. He turned to Arnold and Phoebe with a smile. "And, uh, sorry for getting a little dramatic there, guys…just felt like I needed to do _something_ to get you to notice me…And I knew that you two…uh, that all _three_ of you," he gave Helga a small smile, "wouldn't really not care enough to let me leave like that…" He let out a breath and turned his sights back to Arnold and Phoebe. "So, anyway…back to finding stuff me and Helga have in common and feel the same way about…Phoebe got one with the brothers and sisters, Arnold you got one 'kind of' with our names…especially since Helga kind of did admit that she likes her middle name a little since you like it…" Phoebe and Arnold were amused to see Gerald smirk a tiny bit at this comment and Helga roll her eyes with a smile…but no one went for the start of another catty insult fight...which actually gave Gerald the chance to continue on with a smile, looking to his 'girl he like liked'. "Looks like it's Phoebe's turn again…" He shot her an encouraging grin. "Come on, babe—I know you've got a good one saved up..." He winked.

Phoebe instantly giggled and blushed slightly at his address (she loved being called 'babe' by him…especially lately). "Well…actually…" she began shyly with a smile, "I do have another one…But…" She looked to Gerald just a little hesitantly, "You might not necessarily like me mentioning it in front of Helga, Gerald…"

Gerald just looked back at her with an eyebrow raised as though unsure of what she meant…though at the same time he was blushing slightly as he was more than aware that even though he couldn't think of one specific big one off the top of his head, there were indeed several things he might have mentioned to Phoebe over the course of the last few weeks that…might be a little embarrassing…and that Helga could potentially lord over him for the rest of their lives. "Um…" he started hesitantly.

"Hey, no fair!" Helga suddenly called out. "I just had to spill that me and tall hair boy basically share a name! He does NOT get to hold out on me now! And besides it can't be _that_ bad, and anyway…" she glanced back at Gerald, raising part of her brow, "You know, if I trust you…and with knowing that I'm in love with your best friend of all things (a fact that could destroy the tough as nails, take no prisoners reputation I've worked two thirds of my life to build) then I don't think it'd KILL you to trust me with whatever Phoebe's talking about, Gerald…Seriously…" And unarguably, it was a more than valid point.

Her argument caused Gerald to glance from her to Phoebe to the floor a little uneasily… "Well…" he started slowly…

"Gerald, she does have a point…" Arnold, always the unbiased arbitrator couldn't help but add with a small grin…

And so, with it being three against one, Gerald finally just sighed and admitted defeat. "Okay, okay, you three, I fold! Phoebe," he looked to her with an accepting smile, "Whatever it is…" he shrugged, "…give it a shot, please."

Phoebe smiled and nodded. "Okay…" She cleared her throat, and then looked from Gerald to Helga, and finally said, "Alright…for something you both like…Poetry."

Helga blinked…and Gerald blushed a bit. "Uh…" Helga began from her end of Arnold's bed, "I think all those pink books on Arnold's desk," (on a side note, though Arnold did indeed sleep with Helga's pink books right at eye level near his pillow each night…and right within easy reach so that he could grab one to cuddle with as he slept…he was just…still a little shy about letting Helga realize this fact…and so, usually, during the day, he kept the stack somewhere else in his room…always moving it back to its proper place at night of course though so that the last thing he could see upon closing his eyes would be Helga's perfect shade of pink…But anyway, back to what Helga was saying), "…and not to mention that whole tutoring fiasco kind of prove that I like poetry…or at least, _writing_ it…" And then the blonde, ten-year-old girl blinked and turned to Gerald, part of her brow raised…and a half smile on her face. "Geraldo? You a bit of a closet poet too?" She did her best not to laugh at the very idea of suave, smooth, macho, Mr. Cool Geraldo filling up a bunch of pink books with love poems in his spare time.

Gerald just sighed and rolled his eyes and responded dryly, "No Helga, I'm not secretly composing odes of books about Arnold in my spare time…'Fraid that's only you!" He gave a small chuckle (as did Arnold and Phoebe, unable to help themselves), but then he swallowed and finally admitted a little sheepishly, "But Phoebe's right…I do kind of like poetry. But you know, more _listening_ to it…like spoken word stuff…Me and Phoebe have gone to a couple of things at some clubs around here together actually…and every once in a while someone decent shows up at the Cocoa Hut too…" He half grinned. "Guess it kinda of speaks to the 'Keeper of the Tales' in me, you know?"

"Huh…really?" Helga leaned back a bit, crossing one leg over the other and giving him a surprised and intrigued smile. "Well…wonders never cease, do they? " She chuckled to herself. "I mean, I've never really listened to or read much spoken word stuff but who knows? Maybe I should try mixing it up a bit? Check out some of those clubs you mentioned…"

Gerald, smiling just a bit more, had to give her a bit of a look as he replied (unable to help himself), "And, what—in exchange you'll start sharing some of your Arnold poems with me?"

"Uh…as I'd rather gouge out my own eyes with the sharp end of my heart shaped Arnold locket—that would be a no!" Helga replied with a cheesy grin (on a side note, after finding out basically everything about Helga's love for Arnold, including her shrine, it had taken Gerald literally two seconds to realize who that heart-shaped Arnold locket that Arnold had mentioned had shown up in the boarding house one day weeks go belonged to...much to the amusement of a sheepish Arnold, who of course had needed Helga to tell him outright that it was hers during their second date even AFTER he'd already figured out his feelings for her… But once again back to our story). "But…" Helga went on with a shrug and a sincere smile, "maybe I could share some of the poetry books by authors I like with you…"

"Hmm…okay…" Gerald replied, an intrigued look on his face coupled with a sincere smile. "So what are you into? I mean, what styles, time periods, genres, that sort of thing?"

Helga shrugged and leaned back a little on Arnold's bed again, trying not to let a slight blush get the better of her. "What else…the Romantics?" She had to chuckle at the irony. "I mean, some modern and post modern stuff too, but…I guess all that mushy 'life is beautiful', 'oh my dearest you are a perfection', 'there is still hope in the world' stuff kind of appeals to the in love part of me, you know?"

Gerald chuckled a little too…but not harshly or anything, of course. "I could see that…" He smiled a little more. "Actually, it could be kind of cool to check out some of that older stuff—maybe incorporate it into some new stuff I might come up with for my performances…" he finished, quite absentmindedly.

"Wait!" Helga's eyes suddenly lit up and she instantly sat up completely once more, her jaw practically on the floor in a wide smile. "You _perform_ sometimes!"

Gerald's cheeks instantly became tinged with red and his eyes flew open wide as could be! "OH, well…uh…s-sometimes…" And then he whipped his head around and glared at her a little. "But _not_ when you're there! I know you, Helga GERALDINE Pataki…obnoxious jeering is your specialty!" He sighed and shook his head, bringing a hand to one of his temples and collapsing back on Arnold's bed. "Man, it took me two weeks to have the courage to officially do it in front of _Phoebe_…And I've never even _brought_ _Arnold_ to one where I've performed!"

"Yeah, I was just going to say…" Arnold suddenly chimed in with a grin, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at his best friend with interest. "I've listened to a couple of your poems but I've never actually seen you _perform_, Gerald…"

Gerald just rolled his eyes and sat up again, giving his friend a bit of a look. "Well, come on, Arnold, it's not exactly the most macho thing, and I do have this certain image of coolness to maintain to you and the other guys, you know…"

Arnold couldn't help it—he just rolled his eyes and had to reply dryly, "Mmm hmm…Yes, we all just look to you as a model of coolness, Gerald. Hands down…" Helga snickered at the comment…much to Arnold's delight and pride.

Gerald just gave him a bit of an annoyed look, though at the same time it was obvious he was trying not to smile. "Arnold you have been getting entirely too randomly sarcastic lately from hanging out with Helga, you know that?"

Arnold just chuckled a little and shrugged. "I can't help it. How she talks kind of grows on you a little..."

Gerald deeply sighed and rolled his eyes once more. "Man, I'm starting to miss when you were all quiet and polite and Mr. Straight Talk all the time, you know?"

'_Yeah_…' Helga chuckled to herself a little more at the comment, '_Mr. Straight Talk all the ti_—' Helga's eyes lit up and then suddenly, to everyone's surprise, she stood up from the bed and announced to the room, "Hey, guys, I think I've actually got one!"

"Helga…" Gerald narrowed his eyes a little and looked at her very closely, "Just so I know in advance—is this related to you making a joke about my poetry readings and/or is it going to annoy me in any way?"

"Nah…" Helga waved him off with a grin.

But then…

"It'll annoy old Football Head a little though…" she went on, her smirk only growing.

Arnold blinked from the middle of his room. "Huh? But what did I—" he instantly started!

"Oh, you didn't DO anything, Arnoldo…" She cut him off, rolling her eyes with a smile. "We've been over this before: for better or worse I just like pushing your buttons. And also I really do think I've got one… Actually I'm surprised I didn't come up with it sooner." She sighed and smiled to herself, crossing her arms over her chest. "I guess it's just that sometimes I forget with all the dating we've all been doing lately that you and Geraldo really have spent a lot of time together over your lives…" She cleared her throat and turned back to Gerald…who looked rather intrigued once again at this point. "Okay…for a mutual dislike: when you're doing something super fun (but maybe just a little sneaky and underhanded) with Arnold…and it's obvious that he's going to go through with doing it with you and that he does want to do it…but he stops you at one of the most crucial and time sensitive moments to give some kind of little disclaimer speech about how it's 'maybe not the right thing to be doing' just to make himself feel better…"

"…Yeah, and then you have to just kind of roll your eyes and pull him along and do your best to make up for the lost time…!" Gerald suddenly finished with a huge smile, totally getting where she was coming from. "Meanwhile, he's complaining, but he's already helped you with about a million 'less than right' things already at that point!"

"Yes!" Helga suddenly announced, sitting down on the bed again with a full smile. "Total dislike, right!"

"Yes, total dislike!" Gerald agreed and instantly both kids burst into laughter, holding their side. Phoebe even had to giggle as well.

Eventually Gerald wiped a tear from his eye, now finally managing to get some of his laughs under control (yet again) this afternoon, and turned to his (blinking and blushing) best friend. "Oh man, Arnold—I _still_ remember you doing that like three or four times that time we played hooky!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…WHOA!" Helga instantly sat up straight, all laughing gone, and turned directly to Arnold, her jaw dropped in a surprised smile. "You…" her eyes then went to Gerald, "Gerald, you got Football Head to SKIP SCHOOL? Mr. Morals…Mr. Do the Right Thing… Mr. Wet Blanket…"

Arnold just let out a small sigh, though he couldn't help smiling a little. "Gerald…" he said under his breath. '_Here we go…'_

"Oh yeah!" Gerald replied to Helga, not paying any attention to Arnold. "It wasn't easy though, believe me!" He chuckled to himself some more. "Meanwhile, though, did you know Arnold can do this dead-on impression of Phil—that's how he pulled it off. Called up Wartz—something about 'young Arnold having a touch of malaria' or something…"

Helga just looked at him with that jaw dropped smile of hers for a second more…and then broke and utterly burst out laughing again. "Oh…Oh for the love of…." She continued, holding her sides and laughing warmly, actually rolling around on Arnold's bed at this point again today. "_Malaria_!" Her laughing continued and Gerald had joined in now once again this afternoon as well.

Arnold, meanwhile, still left awkwardly standing in the middle of his room watching this whole sight at his expense, just sighed once more and rolled his eyes. "Gerald…" he began, "You know, there's a reason I hadn't mentioned that story to her yet…" He rubbed his eyes. "_This_ is why…"

Helga managed to get some of her chuckles under control at this little announcement from her beloved, and sat up again, looking to him with a smile. "Oh Arnold…" she just shook her head at him at little, "Malaria? REALLY?" She sighed. "We have to have a seriously long talk about you not even trying to lie anymore before you hurt yourself or something…" She raised part of her brow…seeming rather intrigued all of a sudden. "And also…we should probably talk about this little deviant streak you've got…Who knew you were a delinquent, Football Head…and long before _I _came along, apparently…?"

Arnold swallowed and blushed a little more, crossing his arms over his chest (though his small smile still remained, telling Helga that he was finding all of this just as funny as she was, despite his shyness about it). "Are you done yet, Helga?" he merely asked.

Helga's reply was preceded by a distinct giggle as well as her glancing down just a little shyly. "No, no…we'll definitely talk about this more later…" she began in a rather nice sounding voice (which distinctly caught Arnold's attention), "Besides…it may be really funny…but it's also…really cute…Arnold." She blushed a little more and looked up at him...adding in a slightly lowered voice and giving him a half lidded look, "You know I like that secret side of you, Arnold…The side that says to heck with the rules every once in while…all to do something a little 'daring…'" She even winked. '_Just getting you back, Arnold…Just getting you back…_' She recalled that little touch up her spine before with the sole purpose of publically sending her into cardiac arrest.

And indeed Helga could observe that her plan was more than working as Arnold's breath visibly caught in his throat and blushes fully bloomed in both of his cheeks and he even gulped and blinked a few times. "O-Oh…" he then replied shakily…and then (to Helga's further amusement) a strange smile came to his face…and he put his hands behind his back and glanced down a little. "Well, then…you know, once I had to steal back my grandpa's watch from this guy in the sewer who found it…and then you remember when I crashed Rhonda's slumber party with all the other guys…oh and this other time I—"

"Okay, Arnold, wow—" Gerald instantly cut him off, giving him a completely disbelieving look, "Really, man, can you save trying to impress your girlfriend with your 'feats of daring' for sometime when I'm NOT within earshot? I mean, does the 'hurl alert' mean NOTHING to you?" He looked over to Helga, cringing. "And HELGA, I will take you to one of my readings, heck I will do ANYTHING you ask, but I just plain would rather NOT have exposure to excessive amounts of your 'flirtatious' side, at least without fair warning, okay?"

Helga just chuckled, losing the coy look. "Eh, I was just trying to get back at Arnold for giving me that surprise little touch before to make me spazz." She glanced at her boyfriend. "Speaking of which, how're you doing over there, champ of the 'bad boys'? Feel the blushing, Arnold…FEEL the blushing! And remember that Helga Geraldine Pataki NEVER gets got without getting you back!" She winked.

Arnold, meanwhile, had just been wide eyed and frozen ever since Gerald's interruption of his listing of his 'feats of daring'… Now at Helga's sudden address though, he instantly blinked, fully realized the semi daze he had just gone into all about trying to impress her, and suddenly blushed darkly and took a step back away from the bed, looking down sheepishly. The sight only made Helga unable to help giggling once again, though Arnold did his best to ignore the lovely sound as he cleared his throat and sheepishly began, "Oh uh…s-so…" he vaguely recalled their initial topic of conversation through the haze of his embarrassment, "So you both find it annoying sometimes that I try to always do the right thing…even though I don't always necessarily _do_ the right thing…Um…good! Something else you have in common, heh, heh…!" _'I…Heh…b-bad boy…__me__…? Heh_…' He let out a sigh and just tried to put aside the whole thing for now.

Gerald just shook his head in amusement at Arnold's desperate attempt at a segway and Helga just giggled/chuckled again…though they both seemed willing to cut him a bit of a break for now…

…Especially since, all of a sudden, Gerald's eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers, turning to Helga. "Oh hey, wait, I've got a 'mutual like' one about Phoebe!"

Helga's eyes flew open in pleasant surprise and flew right to Gerald. "Really? Oh, spill, Geraldo!"

"Really? A like one…about _me_?" Phoebe suddenly asked timidly with a smile on her face from the middle of the room.

"Okay, now…wait a minute…" Arnold couldn't help but interject, "How come Phoebe gets a like one from Gerald but I get a dislike one from you, Helga?" He looked to her with an eyebrow raised and a half smile on his face, his blushing slowly leaving

Helga just shrugged at him and smirked. "Because I believe in tough love, Football Head…"

He rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh. "Yeah, tell me about it…" Arnold looked to Gerald. "Did I tell you how she locked me behind my couch the other day just because I laughed at her about something?"

"Oh get _over_ it Arnold!" Helga instantly interjected, waving him off with a full on grin. "It was twenty minutes at most and you ended up more than safe and sound before we left for the arcade…especially right at the end there just before we left your room…" She gave another small chuckle/giggle… "And as for other reasons why you got a dislike…" And then she leaned over and lowered her voice just a little again… "Well…the things I like best about you, I don't think you'd like me discussing with your best friend, Arnold…" She winked at him.

Arnold instantly blushed brightly and practically almost tripped over his own feet! His eyes went wide again! "I…Uh…I…"

"Guys…HURL ALERT!" Gerald (of course).

Helga laughed a bunch more at this announcement and rolled her eyes. "And now we are not only even for what you did to me at the door before, Football Head, but I have one up on you! Ah, my work here is done…"

Arnold, meanwhile, just let out a deep sigh at this explanation and did his best to come out of the heart-pounding, palms sweating, remembering-in-an-instant-all-of-the-little-intimate-things-he-and-Helga-had-done-together state she'd just sent him into. '_Wow, she's good…_' he had to admit to himself. And then he just smiled a little, still blushing, and shrugged in her direction. "Very funny, Helga…"

"Aren't they always? Glad to see you're out of 'romantic fantasy land' though…and glad to know, once again in our lives, that it's so easy to send you off into it in the first place." '_Simple as flipping a switch, I swear_…' She winked and chuckled a little, and then crossed her legs and turned her attentions away from a blushing Arnold and back to a (once again) amused-looking Gerald. "Anyway, while Arnold's still getting his well-deserved blushing under control, spill, Geraldo! What's your mutual like about Phoebe?"

"Okay, okay…" Gerald chuckled once more about the whole Arnold thing…but then turned his sights away from Helga and smiled just a little dreamily at Phoebe. "For a mutual like…How every once in a while, even though she's normally really shy and quiet and sweet…which I…like about her…a lot…" he blushed a little but went on just the same, "…Well, anyway, how, even though she's all those things, if someone does something to really bug her or anyone she cares about she'll all of a sudden just take complete charge of the situation, bring out some of that ninjitsu or whatever, or maybe even yell at them…and sometimes in Japanese! There's just…something about it… It's always really unexpected and really…awesome!" he finally finished with a totally amazed grin!

Helga chuckled from her end of the bed and had to nod in agreement. "Yes, Phoebe's assertive side is a definite mutual like!"

And now everyone in the room was smiling and maybe laughing a little and just genuinely having a good time with this whole 'building Helga and Gerald a friendship' thing…

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey, kids!" Phil suddenly entered the room of happy fourth graders with a smile on his face and holding a plate of something high up in one hand. "Oh hey and what do you know—looks like you and Helga DO do other things up here besides smooch all day, Short Man, heh, heh, heh!" the old man couldn't resist adding, wiping a tear from his eye with his free hand. "Sorry, Arnold, I couldn't resist."

Phoebe giggled a little and Gerald snorted once or twice through his nose…And Arnold and Helga just both instantly blushed darkly and glanced down sheepishly, clearing their throats a little…but also slightly glancing to each other out of the corner of their eyes with very small, mutual smiles.

"Heh, heh…" Phil finished his chuckles and then looked around at the four ten-year-olds before him. "Anyway, Short Man, from the hall it sounded like you were starting to get a little group up here and I just wanted to bring you kids a snack!"

"Uh…Grandpa?" Arnold began hesitantly. "Hasn't Grandma only been pickling raspberries for the past two days…?"

The other three children exchanged uneasy looks.

Phil sighed. "Well, you're right about that, Arnold… Crazy old bird—can't get her to stop…Something about having them through summer…" He shook his head (though it was obviously in amusement, of course), but then smiled once more at the kids. "Oh, but, not to worry though—I did manage to scrounge up a few left over boxes of chocolate turtles from that Campfire Lass that came by last month…" He suddenly lowered the platter, showing the kids the chocolates. "Even managed to get keep them away from that bum Kokoschka all this time, heh heh!"

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Arnold smiled up at the old man at the sight of the treats on the plate.

"Yes, thank you very much!" Phoebe chimed in as well, eagerly stepping forward to partake.

"Yeah, uh…thanks…" Helga (not…exactly enthusiastically…)

"Uh, yeah…thanks, Phil…" Gerald (ditto.)

Phil handed the plate off to Arnold to share with his friends and then turned back in the direction of the bedroom door. "Well, I'll leave you kids alone then! Let me know if you need sodas or anything else like that!" And with that and a smile he departed down the attic steps once more.

"_Ugh—chocolate turtles!" _

The second he left it was out of their mouths…Helga's and Gerald's mouths to be precise…at the same time, this fact made them both blink and look to each other with wide eyes.

Several seconds of silence passed.

"Tell me we just found another dislike…" Helga suddenly began incredulously.

"I…think we might have…" Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Huh…random…"

"I'll say…" Helga agreed, and leaned back on the bed a little. "So, what's _your_ beef with chocolate turtles, Gerald?"

Gerald shrugged, a half smile on his face. "Me and Arnold tried selling them once…Situation turned kind of chaotic…Ended up with a bunch of angry Campfire lasses taking all of our money." He raised an eyebrow at her. "_Your_ beef with them, Helga?"

Helga shrugged, a full grin on her face. She let out a sigh. "Well, I told Arnold the full version this yesterday…that's actually why I had to lock him behind the couch because he laughed at me, but…I had to steal a Campfire Lass's sash once as part of keeping my 'big secret.'" She made air quotes. "They found me later when I was heading home and chased me down the street. Believe me, after getting pelted with a few chocolate turtles you'll get sick of them pretty quickly."

The two of them just looked at each other with smiles for another second…and then burst into mutual laughter at their ordeals…which both really were quite amusing, when you thought about them.

Arnold and Phoebe, meanwhile, just continued watching their friends with smiles and munching on chocolate turtles in the middle of Arnold's room, as they had been ever since their respective friends/significant others had started their explanations about their own personal pet peeves with the food in question.

Arnold swallowed a bite and then turned to Gerald with a smile. "Gerald, I can't believe all that stuff bothers you so much that you still won't eat them…"

"Yes, I have to agree with Arnold," Phoebe added, looking to the occupants of Arnold's bed and swallowing now as well. "They're still quite an excellent candy despite what happened to you, too, Helga."

Gerald just rolled his eyes. "Man, I just never want to see, hear, smell, touch or taste anything having to do with Campfire lasses again, okay?"

Helga smirked. "Yeah, ditto!"

The two of them turned to one another, and smiled and chuckled a little.

Arnold and Phoebe just sighed to one another, and smiled at the sight of their friends…finally actually, genuinely sincerely getting along…

And then a little something occurred to Arnold, and he swallowed the bite of chocolate turtle in his mouth and turned to Phoebe, speaking to her in a low voice so that only the two of them would hear while Helga and Gerald continued to just find humor in their shared random mutual food preference. "Hey, Phoebe…as long as they're getting along so well together…do you think that maybe…" he leaned in close and whispered something in her ear.

Phoebe's eyes instantly lit up and she looked to him and nodded. "I concur, Arnold! That sounds like a wonderful idea!"

Arnold nodded as well and then suddenly took a step forward and cleared his throat, getting Helga and Gerald's attentions. "Hey, um, guys…? As long as you two are getting along so well now and we're all having a good time together…well, Phoebe and I were talking and we were just wondering…do you guys maybe want to do something all together today…? You know, like that one of those…double dates, like Helga mentioned before."

Helga and Gerald had looked from each other to Arnold as he had spoken, and now they considered for a second…and then just looked back to each other again with smiles. Helga shrugged. "Hey, I'm game! Who knows, maybe a little more time together would even give us a chance to find a few more reasons why we shouldn't hate each other. What do you say, hair boy?"

Gerald shrugged as well. "Works for me, _Geraldine_!" He broke into some suppressed chuckles and Arnold and even Phoebe couldn't help but let out a laugh as well.

Helga gave a stiff sigh, but her half smile was undeniable. "Ha-ha, glad you got that out of your system, Geraldo." She gave him a smirk. "Now before you start reciting an epic spoken poem about it, 'Oh Keeper of the Tales', why don't we take this group date downstairs, order a pizza and just all spend some time together getting to know each other a little better as friends? And we can even continue the bonding process on the way to an afternoon of Dino Land as a foursome, and then an evening of skipping rocks off the pier. It'll be great—we can complain about Campfire Lasses, talk a little poetry, and heck maybe even swap some older sibling horror stories or something because, hey, at least your brother never got the bright idea to be our class's student teacher!"

Gerald couldn't help smiling as well. "Fair enough, Pataki…I could go for some pizza, and this _is_ pretty fun…And, hey, at least your sister's gone and out of the house! Do you know what it's like waking up every morning wondering what's going to be on your face THIS time? Not pretty, Helga, not pretty…"

Helga stood up and so did he. She began to head to Arnold's door, still looking to Gerald as she passed by Arnold and Phoebe. "Touché, tall hair boy. And hey as long as we're swapping stories about siblings, wanna gossip more about Arnold and then praise Phoebe more so that Arnold's embarrassment is as intense as possible?"

Gerald smirked and raised an eyebrow, standing up and heading across the room, likewise right past Arnold and Phoebe. "You know, Helga…I think I like that attitude of yours a lot better when it's directed at torturing someone besides _me_…Oh but, hey, as long as we're on the subject of you and Arnold…this might sound a little weird but…can I ask you a question?" He was standing right by the half open door right along with her now.

Helga paused and looked at him curiously for a second, but then shrugged. "Hey, as long as it's not too embarrassing, shoot!"

Gerald reached for the door handle, opening the exit from Arnold's room fully, and descended the first couple of steps down to the hallway below, looking over his shoulder at Helga with a curious half smile. "If you're in love with him and everything…why do you still call him Football Head? I mean, not that I want ANY details, but I'm assuming that this whole 'in love' thing implies that you kind of, uh…" he rolled his eyes off to the side awkwardly, "…you know, dig how my man looks a little… I mean, strictly speaking, from the earful of stuff I CONTINUE to hear from Arnold about _you_…" Gerald made a motion of cleaning out his ears, as he had once so long ago in this room near this door, "…apparently you're some kind of 'vision of loveliness he never fully realized until now', etcetera, etcetera…" He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh (while across the room Arnold just blushed a lot but…obviously didn't correct his best friend). "So, uh…" Gerald cleared his throat, trying to move things along, "What's with keeping up the 'Football Head' even when we're all in private? Or any of the insults for that matter?" He paused on the steps and looked at her with genuine curiosity once more.

Helga just blinked at first at the unexpected question from the boy before her…but then she instantly started laughing to herself and shaking her head as she began to follow after him down the stairs. "Oh, Gerald, Gerald, Gerald…still so very blind about the romantic subtleties of our class, I see…" She let out a sigh. "I still call Arnold 'Football Head' because I never meant it as an insult in the first place… I don't think the shape of his head is weird…I, uh…well…like you said, kind of 'dig it' actually…. So it's always been more of a pet name for him than anything…that's what _all_ of the 'insults' have been over the years, actually…and now Arnold knows it." Then something between a chuckle and a giggle then escaped her. "Oh and I appreciate that tip off about the old Football Head—I didn't realize he had taken to gushing to anyone who would listen about his little preoccupation with me as pretty…I'll have to bring that up with him later along with his whole delinquent thing…Thanks, Gerald."

A chuckle as their voices began to disappear into the hallway. "Sure thing, Helga. Oh and okay, I get why the 'insults' have been sticking around…" Another chuckle. "Hey, so when you call me 'tall hair boy' ," the sentence smugly began, "You actually think that my incredible do is—"

"Weird as can be," came the dry reply, "Sorry, the opposites thing only applies to Arnold…although…okay, fine, I admit…the hair IS a little cool, okay, Geraldo?"

Some laughter. "KNEW IT! Score another one for the bullied!"

"…And from what she's told me over the years and especially recently, _Phoebe's_ very into it too…"

"O-Oh…uh…cool! Heh…"

"Hey, just repaying you for that little tidbit about Arnold going off on a regular basis about how he's attracted to me." Some laughter. "Now come on—on our way downstairs to order the pizza, I want to hear more about Arnold and this whole 'hooky' business…"

"You've got it, Pataki. Okay, so, like I said Arnold used his Phil impression to dupe Wartz, and then we…" These were the last words to make it clearly up into the room to be heard as the speaker and his companion obviously had made it to the far end of the hallway.

Back in Arnold's room, Arnold and Phoebe had just been watching Gerald and Helga go with mutual slight blushes (at this point) but also smiles on their faces.

"Well…" Arnold began with a shrug, now that the conversation of their friends was too far away to really hear, "At least they're happier together…" He glanced to the girl at his side. "We have weird friends slash people we're dating, don't we, Phoebe?"

Phoebe gave a small chuckle and glanced to the boy at her side. "Indeed, Arnold, indeed…" She glanced in the direction of his doorway again. "Perhaps before too many more fun pieces of information about us get shared between them, we should head downstairs and distract them from their newfound pastime."

Arnold smiled a little more. "Yeah, we probably should…" He blushed just a little more. "You sit close to Gerald to distract him and I'll sit close to Helga?"

Phoebe nodded (and blushed a little more as well). "Precisely."

The two headed toward Arnold's still open bedroom door.

"Just so you know, Phoebe…" Arnold suddenly began with a smile, "I mean, as long as Helga and Gerald are sharing some things…" He turned, to her. "Gerald really really…really likes you." He chuckled a little and began to head down some of his steps.

Phoebe likewise smiled chuckled a little, commencing her descent as well. "Th-Thanks, Arnold…I know… And, um…brace yourself…" she gave him a bit of a look, still smiling, "Helga's in love with you."

Arnold burst into laughter for a moment. "No, _really_?" He raised an eyebrow at her as they made it down the rest of the stairs together. "No…it can't be! I'm sure I would have figured it out _by now_ if she did…"

The two kids shared another small laugh together…but then as they finally reached the hallway below, Phoebe paused for just a moment (causing Arnold to do the same), and she looked to the football headed boy and…couldn't help saying very sincerely, "But…but really, Arnold…No matter how casual she'll ever try and be about it…Helga gave her heart to you a long time ago…and now it's like you're her heart for her…and she'll love you forever, Arnold."

Arnold blushed quite a bit as he stood in the hall with Phoebe like this and this particular phrasing of Helga having feelings for him washed over him. '_I'm her…her heart… And she's…_' "I know, Phoebe…Thanks…" Arnold replied with a breath, choosing to tuck the thought away for now…such a beautiful, thought really…And he knew how…very true it was.

"Oh, and, um…she secretly thinks all the 'gentleman' type things you try and do for her are very cute, despite the fact that she doesn't want to be treated too differently for being a girl." Phoebe winked at him, having made this humorous little gossipy addition to her words, and then, with a shrug, commenced her walk up the hall.

The amusing little revelation actually did make Arnold laugh and feel a bit more lighthearted once again, and he quickly began to follow alongside her. "Thanks, Phoebe. Oh, and…" he let out a sigh, "As long as everyone's sharing about everyone else today, before I forget, Gerald says his heart skips a beat every time you answer a question right in class." He winked back at the girl beside him.

Phoebe gave one of her light little happy laughs at this amusing piece of information, and nodded at Arnold. "Thank you, Arnold…Let's save anything else though for when we're downstairs right in front of them, okay? Just to keep the embarrassment…balanced." They had reached the top of the stairs.

Arnold nodded, his smile picking up quite a bit. "I couldn't agree more, Phoebe."

Set on this course of action, the two kids began their descent to the first floor landing…just smiling and talking and preparing to join their best friends for a fun, double date of an afternoon.

* * *

**FLASHBACKS AND FANTASIES**

**(A/N: Once again, this is for SUPRSINGR and once again PULLING UP AND REREADING THE FIRST EPILOGUE OF TA FROM THE POINT WHERE HELGA SLIPS INTO ARNOLD'S ARMS AND HE KISSES HER TO THE END OF THAT WHOLE SCENE IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED BEFORE STARTING THIS STORY ;) )**

_~*Flashback*~_

…_Arnold only had about half a second to wonder at Helga's response before she suddenly pushed up from the floor using her heels and pressed her own lips against his as hard as she could. She wrapped her arms around his head and neck, righting herself completely!  
_

_Needless to say this degree of… 'reciprocation'…was VERY unexpected by Arnold._

_And then to make matters even more 'unexpected' the sudden shift of Helga's weight as well as the force of her kiss…as well as the fact something inside of him, though he didn't have time at the moment to really process what exactly it was, basically EXPLODED…caught Arnold off guard, and he swayed for a second before falling completely back onto the coffee table with Helga on top of him! (Once again, a very…um… 'unexpected' turn of events for our 'very new to this whole being in love thing' football headed little hero)._

_Arnold's back slammed hard against the table and he could just make out the feeling of objects moving away and falling at his sudden impact against the hard, elevated surface, but his focus right now was mostly on the fact that the person he'd only realized about a week ago that he was starting to fall in love with was on TOP of him! Completely burying and burning him into the table underneath! Just like on that building when she'd confessed…but oh so much more insane! Unexpected…all so unexpected… He…okay, yes, he'd…thought about the memory of that FTi kiss sometimes…but certainly, he'd figured, though the confession itself had been genuine the passion of that kiss must have been in the heat of the moment…Just part of Helga finally letting her feelings out…right? After all, THAT…that was practically how GROWN-UPS kissed! And the same could almost be said for when she'd kissed him in the closet last Monday for his pep talk to her about finding a way to escape from the other kids…__Of course__, she had gotten a little carried again that kiss as well—after all, she'd been seriously suppressing her feelings for him for a few days only to suddenly let them come flooding back, and then also she'd just been happy that he'd helped her and also scared with everyone pounding on the door… Yes, all 'heat of the moment' incidents easily explained by, well…being in the 'heat of the moment.'_

_But certainly Helga really kissing him in a controlled setting…in a situation such as this one where they were alone and could think about it and where everything was out on the table already (he tried not to cringe at the unintentional pun) would be…loving, tender, maybe a little intense considering how passionate a person she was by nature, but still tame and childlike. But this was…this…__for heaven's sake__, her arms were cradling his head and she was almost twisting herself against him and she was MOANING like crazy and her lips were just…nothing had ever felt so…Could there be anything that soft yet that powerful in the entire world? Really? _

_And then the whole EXPLOSION INSIDE OF HIM thing finally hit Arnold's conscious mind…_

_And suddenly he realized something very… strange…but also…good…perfect actually._

_You see, throughout Arnold's life, his relationship with Helga G. Pataki had always felt…somehow… 'imbalanced' if that made any sense. Like, how they were together—the insults but then the surprise good times but then the fights but then the random bonding—it felt like it was… a 'good' thing to do but…there was a tension there… Like somehow it was all forced, just barely being held together by both of their efforts. In short, it didn't really feel right. Arnold usually hadn't paid too much attention to it though—as long as he could be there to help one of his friends and as long as she really did let that nice side of her come out now and again, it seemed like it was working okay enough. And besides, he'd never been able to come up with any other manner of relationship that they could be in together to try out. …But still, so very often it had nagged at Arnold and confused him a little. Why had what they'd had together all those years feel…kind of good but in the wrong way…? Why had he always liked her even though it seemed like he shouldn't…? And why did he still care so much, even after all of these years, about figuring out an answer to these questions and more? Where was the imbalance…?_

_But now…right now…with her like this…_

_The imbalance wasn't just clear and wasn't just righted…it was like it had never even existed in the first place. It was like…what they had been before was a shadow of what this was. This…__fit__. It was like finally releasing a breath after having held it in for a really long time. A REALLY long time. This FIT. And…And…And…_

…_To have to go back to how it had been before…the funny tension…the funny imbalance…trying to keep two people together in a way that kept undoing itself because who they were made it just plain wrong for them to be together like that…it seemed really almost quite unbearable…almost painful… Not in the face of all of this lovely perfection!_

_Nearest Arnold could figure, the fear and disbelief that had coursed through him during every kiss before this one had been what had kept him from realizing it all… But he wasn't scared of her anymore….or of her feelings…or of his feelings…or of the truth… He was kissing her back and he loved kissing her…he loved spending time with her…the idea of her loving anyone else ever (Brainy, for example) made this hot jealousy course through him that he'd never felt EVER before…and he even loved that she had just tossed him onto a table to just…just…_

_She wasn't just burning him into the table, was she? She was burning HERSELF into HIM too! _

_And maybe he…maybe he…wanted that. Maybe HE wanted to burn into HER right back…COULD he?_

_What a…a fascinating idea…  
_

_And suddenly before he could let himself stop himself, Arnold's usually modest and before quite paralyzed arms were around Helga's back, pulling her in close and tight, holding savoring…EVERYTHING! If she ended this and tried to fake like it was all in the heat of the moment…it would have been UNBEARABLE! No—no more going backwards! He held her, pressed his hands into her back to assure himself that she was real…because she belonged right here with him like this! This was the way they were supposed to…they way they needed to…the way they WANTED to be! The way HE wanted to be! And the way she just melted even more into him, kissed him even more crazily and hungrily, cradled his head even more lovingly at his actions only confirmed it more! She knew it too! She'd known it __first__! And how had he gotten through the last seven years not just screaming that he…that he loved her too…that his heart burned for hers too, that his lips longed to touch hers too, that his arms needed to embrace her body just as much as hers needed to embrace his…? Who could be that blind, stupid, dense?_

_And now, finally accepting that simple fact…the fact that he had found the right relationship with Helga G. Pataki…the power of coherent thought finally returned to Arnold. _

'_Kiss me! Please keep kissing me! Please don't take it away again! Please! Don't run away again or pretend it didn't happen or have this all be another dream or something again!__' (Er…on a side note, Arnold HAD occasionally dreamt about that FTi kiss along with just thinking about it… After all it had been rather passionate…and his first real one…and well…he'd never done anything even close to something like that with a girl before! But anyway back to our story…) '__I…__' She was moaning and breathing heavily through her nose and pulling her fingers through his hair and pushing them back more and more on the table to support them… It all interrupted Arnold's thoughts to say the least…and then made him hold tighter around her waist and back…this beautiful creature who loved him so…. '__I…need us like this…'__ he finally got out to himself… '__The tension…it doesn't just make it go away…When we do it together it makes it…it makes it like it was never there! Changes it into…__' It was like she was pulling his kiss from his lips by the roots or something and he just did his best to do it back to her though he had NO clue if he was doing it right…though hopefully the fact that she was still going with things so very enthusiastically was a good sign… '__It changes it into…__' the word he'd used before with her stuck in his head again, __'…passion…So much passion…__' Arnold let out such a deep sigh through his nose. '__I…I know I'm still kind of falling and not really in love yet…I know I need a little more time for it to sink in, but…until it does…and until I finally have it in me to tell her…which hopefully will be tonight if this ever stops…__' He knew, of course, that all of this kissing would have to stop eventually… (though Arnold was hesitant to admit it to himself…After all, he'd never felt such intensity in his entire life—who could blame him for secretly never wanting it to end?) __'I just hope more than anything that she knows from all of this that I…I…__' Helga moaned very deeply this time and it made Arnold shake as he finally freely and fully admitted to himself, '__I want YOU, Helga G. Pataki!'__ The thought consumed him! __'I want you more than anybody in the whole world…__**Please**__ don't ever stop kissing m—__'_

"_OW!"_

"_OW!"_

_Oh…oh boy…_

'_We just__…' the wind was knocked out of him a little as he lay there on his back on Helga's living room carpet, so it took Arnold a second but…opening his eyes a little and looking up at Helga's ceiling he suddenly fully realized what had just happened to shift his entire reality once again in his life and to make him slip back into his normal, sane, very impassionate self for the moment at hand. 'We just…fell off the table…Kissing so much we fell off the…and we were ON the table in the first place!' He blushed so hotly! Thinking about what he'd just done with her! About how he must have looked…Her curving herself against him like that and him pulling her in for more and more and…_

"_Okay, hold on…" _

_Arnold heard an angel's voice say these words…His angel…His person he was supposed to be with…And then his head switched gears again: Her mouth was speaking…which meant it wasn't kissing. Why wasn't she kissing him anymore? That's how they belonged, right? He could already feel it…the imbalance whispering its return…the threat that it would just get pretended again that nothing had happened between th—_

_She was on top of him again._

_Arnold's heart pounded and every instinct inside of him screamed at him not to let her get out of this! To pull her back in for—_

_It was all happening so fast! Suddenly, her weight was off of him and he was being yanked through the air and back to his feet. Meanwhile, though, his head still raced with ideas and concepts and all sorts of lovely things… Had it always been like this? Always been this simple? Just kiss Helga and let her kiss you—and the world would never be more perfect than it was in that instant. Her warmth, her love, her sweetness, her brilliance…her fire…everything about her that he'd only glimpsed on FTi and had been trying to get to come out again with this whole tutoring thing, everything that he'd ever wanted and never even known he wanted in a girl…_

'_A girl…'_

_And suddenly Arnold felt that big explosion that had happened before in him just moments ago when she'd kissed him—that sudden flood of realization and feeling and truth and rightness—come over him once more. It wasn't as overwhelming to his system this time around, of course, since he'd been thinking and realizing and becoming familiar with so many things in regards to it over the few minutes since the initial one… but still it exploded somewhere between his stomach and his heart like electric butterflies and all but made him quake inside. And then Arnold glanced down a little and realized with a growing smile that the source of the power for this sudden grand cloud of delight appearing inside of him once again this evening was Helga's lovely hand still holding his own…that hand he'd kissed last Monday after school…Only now he genuinely couldn't understand how, after doing that to her that day, he'd resisted what would have obviously been the natural course of action of continuing with his kisses along the back of that gentle hand and up Helga's lovely, smooth arm, bringing an arm of his own around her waist in the process…and then when his lips had reached her firm, warm shoulder he would have looked into her unsure eyes and made the unsureness go far, far away by bringing their lips together again…and not in some fearful little peck like he'd given her before in front of the TV…but in the kind of kiss she deserved! One that would melt HER and burn HER and make it so that she could never ever forget or deny or hide the fact that she was a girl, his girl, and she loved him. Yes…it was so simple… Arnold felt the butterflies dance…_

_Yes! That was it! He would kiss her until she just couldn't help but say it over and over again forever and ever: 'I love you Arnold…I've always loved you…' The most wonderful thing he'd ever heard her say to him in his entire life! And he would give her such a perfect kiss—just like hers to him always were and especially like hers to him on the FTi building had been—so that no matter how much fear might overtake him this time when it was over, there would be NO question in Helga's mind that it had been a genuine and sincere action on his part, and he wouldn't be able to take it back himself when all was said and done either no matter how nervous he was about all of this! The idea only made Arnold's smile grow just the tiniest bit more and his heart pump even faster! It would be crazy and insane and something so very against anything he would have ever done with anybody else ever! And then Arnold genuinely realized for the first time that this concept was something not entirely unfamiliar: that feeling of having Helga before him and doing something crazy and passionate with her… The April Fools dance… A night he'd spent walking a fine line between how he felt about her right now and how he'd thought he'd felt about her before her confession. Oh, and now he could have kicked himself for not going with his instincts that night and placing a gentle, small kiss upon Helga's 'blind' lips as he'd dipped her back on the dance floor (he'd chalked the sudden thought up at the time to just…the heat of the moment with getting back at her for her prank….Yeah, that had been it.) …But perhaps doing that actually would have been even MORE regretful… Only having teased himself with what he really must have wanted deep down… __'And she's so…__**wantable**__…__'_

_Arnold's ears suddenly practically perked up as his bright angel began to speak again! And she looked confused and a little worried and just a little flustered—so adorable! Flustered made sense…in love as she was with him…but why should she be confused and worried? There was no need for that anymore. Oh but it was just because he hadn't acted yet to show her…of course. Silly perfect woman that she was… "Why are you looking at me like that, Football He—MMM!"_

_It had been almost unbearable watching those lips of hers move even THAT much before he pulled her in to bring her mouth back to that state of perfect, blissful harmony together with his own! '__Shh…It's okay now, Helga…We're together again….in love….__' He almost ('almost' being the key word) wished his mouth was free so that he could soothe the girl in his arms with something besides his thoughts. She felt so shocked and stiff and—_

_There was a sudden shift in his balance and equilibrium (and a slight draft on his head, though Arnold wasn't paying too much attention to it at the moment), and Arnold almost panicked for just a moment…but then he had to just smile as he quickly realized that he'd mistakenly thought for just a second that it was that old imbalance coming back between them despite his kiss to her…but then of course he'd understood as he'd felt Helga come to rest upon something and as he'd come to rest mostly upon, well, HER, that he'd simply just made her collapse backward (onto the couch probably, though who could think about where the heck they were at a time like this?) But actually, maybe this was a bit more comfortable and also not standing meant they wouldn't get tired as easily so he could just keep kissing her, and also, well…her body felt so perfect under his. He wondered if his own had felt so perfect to her under hers? _

_Arnold let out a sigh for his nose. No time for all of these happy, lovesick, pretty thoughts just now… He had a job to do! She had half ripped them from the wrong way of being together to the right way of being together with that confession of hers, and now he was going to rip them the other half of the way completely into it! And also, well… _

'_Kissing…__' Coherent thoughts managed to bubble up once more through the ocean of love suddenly within Arnold, '__We're kissing…I love kissing…and she loves kissing…and now we can love it TOGETHER! This is IT! This is why I could never understand her before…I had to do THIS to understand.__' Helga shuddered underneath him and on instinct Arnold pressed into her, practically shaking __himself__! '__O-Oh…she must be…this must all be so new to her…just like it was to me…__' He brought his hands up to hold her shoulders more firmly, gently pressing into and stroking them a little, trying his best to calm her still shocked-feeling body. He let one hand travel up, moving along her neck (touching her skin made goosebumps appear all over him) and then moving into her hair, stroking through the length of one of her pigtails. Who had given her this hair? It was like silk! And then he heard and felt her moan at his action, and everything inside of him turned to jelly…_

…_And then suddenly Arnold felt one of Helga's hands…and then the other…come around him, holding him in place upon her…and they began moving up his back…but…closer to his skin than they should have been! It struck him full force all of a sudden: she was pulling up his sweater a little the higher she moved, leaving now only the thin material of his plaid shirt between them... Arnold blushed hotly at the notion…but at the same time his heart pounded faster and faster in delight! On top of which, '__Soft…warm…curved…loving…lovely… Hiding it away…but wanting to show it all to __**me**__… Didn't she…how could she think I wouldn't…that I'd be able to say no to…that she wasn't__…' He collapsed completely against her at that point with the final full force of his passion, moving his arms down and around her tightly, and trying to focus on the task at hand before this beautiful moment had to end, because he HAD to make sure it stuck! That he recognized her romantically…that she wasn't just some friend he liked getting attention from, but a girl he had every intention of wooing and courting and loving. Oh HOW did his arms fit so snugly around her waist and back? It was almost cruel, really! Perfect and yet cruel! They must have always fit perfectly like that around her but life had never fully presented him with a full awareness of it! And speaking of things that fit perfectly, their lips were still in the process of locking and in a way Arnold had never even imagined it would feel when he finally kissed a girl in his life! Mouths didn't get made in pairs like that, destined to be together! And on top of everything else how the HECK was it that her fingers pressing against his back seemed the perfect size for each one of them to be pressing pleasurably into individual grooves in his spine, one after the other! It almost hurt, it felt so wonderful! No, that didn't happen in real life! None of it did! But here it was! They MATCHED! _

_And finally Arnold just screamed it to himself! '__How could she ever need ME to be the one to show her that she's lovable? And how could ever think I wouldn't fall for her in a heartbeat…after everything that's happened…Helga…Helga…__**Helga**__…__' The name, the word was so lovely he had to think it over and over again, feeling his heart skip with each thought of it. The soft sigh of air at the H and how the E vowel afterwards extended it…the way the tongue gently curved to the teeth and lips at the L…the way the G lightly clicked at the back of the throat…and that final A that let the air escape in a sigh again…Helga…So beautiful…_

_And then there was just quiet as the two of them seemed to let out a breath through their noses as one._

_Quiet in the room as their loves came together._

…_Except for these pesky 'footstep' sounds coming from somewhere nearby that suddenly seemed to suggest to Arnold that someone else in the world existed besides Helga G. Pataki._

'_Uh oh__…' Other people in the world DID exist didn't they? '__We're in her house….__' Arnold's eyes suddenly flew open and met with Helga's wide blue ones right in front of his own… _

_Panic set in for a number of reasons as their lips remained snugly pressed together._

_Let's see…Arnold was about to get caught kissing his…well, his girlfriend (the word really hadn't occurred to him until now and made him blush a little), he was about to get caught doing it to her alone in her house, he was about to get caught almost completely on top of her with the two of them more intimately wrapped around each other than, even in his most wild boyhood imaginings, he had EVER thought it possible to be with a girl, oh and also it wasn't helping that he was suddenly snapping back to his normal sane self once again, and the realization of what he'd just done to/with Helga with this kiss made the embarrassment practically SEAR through his body. __'Oh no, oh no, okay, okay….I—__' Suddenly the situation was taken care of for him though as he felt himself quickly pushed off of Helga, flung into sitting on the couch beside her. _

"_Quick, just…act natural!" he suddenly heard her whisper… Arnold just tried not to blush, meanwhile, as the 'act natural' advice only put an image in his head of him suddenly turning back toward her and collapsing upon her and once more giving her lips the kisses they'd longed for all of these years…and the kisses he'd apparently been dying to give to her even though he hadn't realized it until now. _

_Arnold instantly shut his eyes and shook his head furiously to rid it of these thoughts for the moment as the footsteps were getting closer! His eyes then popped open once again though and he glanced around several times, trying to figure out in his state of near panic if there was anything else he could do to help out Helga's whole 'act natural' plan and thus possibly save them from TOTAL humiliation! Well, they were awkwardly close to each other…that was maybe something to fix for whoever was about to come along._

_Arnold stood then and instantly grabbed Helga's shoulders and pulled her a little to the side on the couch. "Here, sit at this end!"_

"_Football head what are you—"_

"_Um…It'll look more natural!" '__And also it'll be a lot harder for me to lose my __**mind**__ again! Not that losing it was bad or anything, I mean, but…This isn't funny! I couldn't control myself! I didn't even know I had a part of myself that __**needed controlling**__! I…I need to think this through later…really REALLY need to think this through later!'_

_He saw Helga blink a few times but then she seemed to agree with him because she instantly moved fully to her end of the couch of her own accord, and Arnold quickly turned and sat himself at his own end of the couch as well!_

_He was all but shaking as the footsteps reached the first floor and finally entered the living room._

"_Helga…" Arnold heard Phoebe Heyerdahl's voice begin…_

_Arnold just swallowed and didn't look to Helga…and tried to keep at bay all of these new thoughts and images and ideas that were suddenly nonstop flooding his head of himself and Helga together: her snuggling against him with a smile as they walked down the street, her catching him in a warm hug from behind to surprise him in the halls on the way to class, her giving him little kisses all over his face and shyly upon his lips in his room one of these days…or passionately releasing everything from her mouth to his mouth instead if she preferred (that could happen wherever and whenever she pleased, to be honest, as far as Arnold was concerned, so long as it did indeed happen again…over and over and over again…)… or him even turning to Helga right her right here and now the second Phoebe left them alone again to maybe see her laying against the arm of the couch with her legs pulled close to her body and a coy smile on her face …just waiting for him to do with her all of those things she had to now know he wanted to do with her… _

_It was MADDENING! Was this what she had been going through for SEVEN YEARS! All of these thoughts and feelings and images bombarding her, but about HIM! No wonder she needed the stalking and the poetry and the shrines (whatever that part of her confession had meant) to deal with it all! His heart was practically ready to burst just from seven SECONDS of it all!_

"_I was talking to Olga and Lila…" Phoebe's voice suddenly went on, breaking into his thoughts a little, "…And we're sorry about the trick with the movie. We've all agreed it might have been a bit much…I'd be happy to fix it for you if you're still unable to watch…"_

_Phoebe was in the room now and had stepped around the couch…and had actually paused in the middle of speaking as her eyes fell upon then…and Arnold, out of the corner of his eye, could just see her jaw drop a little. Probably NOT a good sign for it not being incredibly obvious what might have been happening in here just seconds ago._

"…_what you'd like…" the young girl's meek voice finished her sentence…And she sounded pretty in awe to say the least._

_Arnold could not even describe the massive amount of guilt coursing through him at the moment, not only at getting caught like this but at putting Helga through this humiliating situation too. _

"_Arnold…what happened to your hat?"_

'_OH…__' Arnold's eyes went very very VERY wide, and he suddenly recalled that draft upon his head from before…and that was still there, come to think about it. _

_Arnold couldn't help it—his first instinct was to barely glance at Helga out of the corner of his eye (she didn't move to look at him though, of course…), and then recall that he'd definitely had his hat when they'd been on the table together ('__Oh my…we were ON THE TABLE TOGETHER!__' He took a breath. '__Okay, okay, don't think about it now…Now's not the time…'__), and he had definitely felt the draft sometime when they had been kissing on the couch… __('We were on the…I was ON TOP OF HER KISSING HER ON THE…Okay, just calm down…We'll work it out later…__') so that meant that the item in question was probably on the floor from when, in the throes of their passion upon the coffee table, he and Helga fallen off together onto the carpet below… The carpet from which Helga had then helped him up only to have him practically just…What had that BEEN anyway, what he'd done to her with that second kiss of his tonight? __'No…no TIME for that now!__' Arnold yelled at his mind once more for twisting every event he'd just recounted to himself to such romantic views…even though it really all had undeniably been one big passionate romantic mess. _

_Arnold blinked once or twice and now focused entirely on Phoebe's 'Where's your hat' observation once more to distract himself from things, and then his eyes fell to the floor only to see his familiar blue (slightly dented from the fall) cap lying right where he'd thought it would be. As dignified as he could, he then leaned over, picked up the item, popped a dent out of it, and placed it on his head. The poor boy finished by swallowing hard and glancing away, blushing furiously…unable to bring himself to actually __say__ anything to go along with this action in response to Phoebe's very good question._

_Silence continued._

_Arnold heard Phoebe move a little, something with the TV was happening, (honestly though, the blood was pounding so hard in his ears that a lot of things were a bit of a sonic blur) and then she stepped closer again and he just made out the sound of her speaking once again. "I'm going to return to Olga's room now…Don't worry, I'll make certain that there are no more interruptions…Please enjoy the movie." And with that she quickly popped out of the room and returned upstairs._

_Arnold and Helga just sat there in silence for a few moments, not moving or looking at one another (and Arnold both dreading and…being intrigued by…the idea that he might fully turn to Helga and __actually see__ her looking like that fantasy/daydream image in his head from before…All warm and romantic and ready and waiting for whatever he'd like to do next…And oh…all the things that were presenting themselves to his mind to try out should he find her like that!) '__NO! No, no, no, no, no, snap out of it, Arnold!__' Arnold could have just died! He felt so guilty and yet so good at the same time! This was definitely something that would have to be worked out later before their SECOND date. ('__I did all of this stuff with her and it was only our FIRST date…Great—__**more**__ things to be guilty about…__') _

_And then suddenly the shaky voice of his date to his left spoke. "Arnold…what…what WAS all of that, exactly?"_

'_Good question…__' he couldn't help but think…still not entirely certain of the details himself. Words came and he just let them out, unable to process anything but saying the truth at the moment. "Well…we fell off the table and I don't think I was done yet. So….I just…thought we should finish, I guess." _

_She was silent for a moment. "A-Actually…" came her voice again, sounding even shakier!, "I meant what was that whole 'talking about kissing me and then actually doing it' thing, in general, but…good to know. Why you kissed me back after I kissed you was probably going to be my second question, anyway."_

"_Oh…" Arnold blinked, realizing his mistake. And he could have kicked himself first of all for putting his answer to the question he'd thought she'd asked in such a stupid sounding way, and second of all for directly bringing up his sudden snap! __'This is going to be…a very embarrassing conversation, isn't it?' __Absolutely worse than that whole post-confession conversation after Sheck had been taken away….There was no question in his mind about that. But with a clearing of his throat, the football headed little boy did his best to go on and explain things in as simple and innocent terms as he could for now…until he could sort things out better later…Then he would tell her more. But for now he figured it was just better to keep it simple and to speak from the heart._

_So he tried…_

_Still, that logic didn't help Arnold from then making that 'just wanted YOU I mean just wanted TO' slip which basically just left him sitting there torn between wanting to crawl into a hole and never be seen by decent people again, especially someone as lovely as Helga…and wanting to shift over on the couch and gently rest an arm behind her waist and place one hand behind her head and hair, and to assure her with a smile that if it hadn't stuck the first time…he was more than willing to show her once again what he meant by wanting her…and only her…forever._

_Arnold's face burned with heat and he tried to think of ANYTHING else but that second option!_

"_Oh…" he merely heard Helga reply in response to his answer (though why she wasn't furious and angry and disappointed with him for being so carried away and so very ungentlemanly was beyond him). "Okay." There was a second of silence. "So…uh…what did you 'figure out' exactly?"_

_Oh yeah…he'd just mentioned he'd figured something out, hadn't he? (The verbal slip had been more prominent on his mind, of course.)_

_Arnold considered, and then took a breath and did his best to go on with explaining himself innocently and simply…still so very unsure about so many of these new things now inside of himself…but more than willing to take the time to explain at least what they seemed like to him so far…and to work on figuring them out with Helga later…even if it all really was so intense and embarrassing…awkward…crazy… _

_But still, maybe it wasn't…SO bad…now that he had a second to catch his breath from it all and really kind of let it all absorb. And Helga was seeming very understanding about the whole thing…and nothing was really collapsing around him or anything like that. '__Yeah…we'll…just take it slow…and it'll be fine.__' He then smiled a little inside... '__Besides…if I have to go through this love thing with anyone….I'm happy it's her. Someone I care about and like and want to be with…__' He blushed just the tiniest bit…. '__…and…the girl who taught me how to get and give and share kisses….__' He felt a small, happy tremble go through him…and the sensation wasn't nearly as scary to him as it had been before._

_So, overall, Arnold came to the conclusion that he would have to keep some of his newer instincts in check…but at least now he was finally dealing with them. And things were finally going to be right with himself and Helga. He almost couldn't wait to see her face when the word would officially come out of his mouth later… __'Love…'__ Maybe…Maybe after he said it she really would let him try kissing her again…. (because if there was one thing Arnold couldn't deny even despite all of his embarrassment, it was that he indeed wanted to kiss Helga again…and again and again…no question.) __'But…__' he suddenly reminded himself firmly, recalling the fair amount of guilt that had bombarded him tonight along with all of the feelings of passion and romance and happiness, '__I have to be a gentleman…she deserves that…So…So…maybe no more kissing from me until I'm sure I've got myself under control…__' The thought made a very unexpected small tightening happen in his chest. '__Okay, okay, um…just…just __**try as hard as you can**__ to do no more kissing until you've had time to make SURE you're under control…__' Of course that didn't mean he couldn't think about doing it a little…go back to that nice image and idea in his head of Helga laying there with a welcoming smile and him getting to be a little bold with her once more… Arnold felt a blush mounting in his cheeks and quickly cleared his throat. After all, he still had the real Helga right here and there was still a lot to talk about and they were still on their…first date (another little tremble when through him)…So maybe it would be better to save all those happy fantasies about her for later… Yes, talking and finishing up his first date as a young man __first__…daydreaming about the girl he liked more than any other girl he'd ever met __later__… Okay, that was the plan._

_And so, having come to these few decisions and realizations, Arnold took a breath and decided to just do his best to go on with his explanations and to see where things went from there with this date tonight. What had he 'figured out'? "…That you were right about it being good for relieving tension…" he went on in regards to the kissing…and then he also admitted how much he'd liked the whole thing… Even though the second it had popped out he'd instantly closed his mouth and hoped he hadn't offended her or anything…being that forward and all about liking doing something like that with her._

"_Oh…uh…great…" was all he heard Helga respond with though…so he figured he was still okay with her…And he just hoped that however awkward the rest of this conversation between them went on to be, the end of the night would be good and perfect, just like the start of it had been…and that they would have another date to look forward to very soon. _

"_Uh, Football Head, your sweater's a little…"_

_Arnold blinked at the announcement from Helga and looked down at himself… Upon which he blushed at the sight of the state he was in (and the memory of how he'd gotten that way), and then straightened things a little and finally fully looked to her and…couldn't help making a similar comment… "And, um…Helga…your hair's a little…and the strap of your…" He sighed as she finished fixing herself up...and tried not to think too much about how Helga had gotten in the state she was in in the first place either. '__Well, wh-whatever it is that happened to me here…tonight…with her…' __Arnold recalled that explosion inside of him from earlier… __'I'm going to need to find someone who really knows what they're doing with all of this love stuff to help sort it out…'_

_The sound of a few theatrical monster movie screams suddenly filling the room had the effect of temporarily distracting Arnold (as well as Helga) from this awkward 'clothes' moment and redirecting their attentions back to the TV screen…giving them at least a small break from this very big and important and hard talk together._

_Indeed, Arnold had never been more thankful for an Evil Twin movie playing in his entire life. He knew more talking was to come of course…it HAD to come in order for them to finish sorting stuff out, but…this small distraction in the room could help ease it all a little at least. And the young man also couldn't help but think that, despite the fact that her romantic dream of him loving her back was in the process of coming true and that she probably had a decent enough idea of that fact considering how he had been acting tonight, Helga was maybe pretty thankful for having the movie to soften some of the tension too._

'_Love…is complicated…__' Arnold thought to himself with a sigh…and then he smiled. __'Well…__**she's**__ complicated…so I guess it all works out then, doesn't it?__' His heart warmed at the idea and he almost laughed. __'Well, at least I'll never be bored with her…And I'll just have to do my best to never let her get bored with __**me**__.__' For a second Arnold let the smallest sliver of that daydream of 'proving' to Helga once more how he felt enter his mind…and he felt himself shudder and melt inside…_

_Arnold continued to give himself this small indulgence as he awaited whatever Helga would like to ask him or talk about next._

_And he already knew he would be going for a goodnight kiss…one small real indulgence on this magical night. His first real goodnight kiss with a girl on a date… '__Wow…__' And suddenly, for the first and only time ever since Helga's confession, Arnold was actually __thankful__ for the dense and kind of clueless part of himself that he had…The part that had fallen for that paper thin excuse tonight about Lila needing a book from him but conveniently needing him to 'swing by' Helga's house to drop it off… _

* * *

"So…yeah…that's pretty much what was going through my head that night, Helga…Oh, can you pass me that other bag of birdseed?" Arnold stepped out of the small pigeon coop on his roof and brushed his hands together to clean them off a little before turning to his girlfriend with one of his usual smiles.

Upon now finishing his response to Helga's question (which had come up in the first place as a result of the two of them talking up here while helping take care of a few chores, eventually lighting upon the subject of their first date, and Helga, just a little curious, asking Arnold about what that night had been like for him), Arnold had been expecting to receive that last bag of birdseed from her to put away now that they were done cleaning out the coop…But… "Um, Helga?" Arnold was rather surprised instead to see Helga just standing there with her eyes wide and her jaw completely dropped and her head kind of cocked to one side.

He walked toward her, smiling a little more, and waved a hand in front of her face. "Um…Helga? You-who? Love? Are…you okay?"

He snapped his fingers once or twice in front of her eyes, and then she blinked and then blushed like crazy and swallowed hard. "Uh…" she found her voice again, "…y-yeah, I'm fine, I just…" She took a step back and brought her hand to her forehead. "Crimeny, Football Head, you didn't tell me I put you through a full-on freaking psychological meltdown with all of this confessing stuff!" She stepped to the side and then turned around, now leaning her back against the coop for support almost as though it really was overwhelming her that her beloved had been put through so much internal chaos and all because of her! "Sheesh, and _I_ thought I was the only one of us who was a basketcase!"

Arnold chuckled at the comment and then just stepped around the coop as well now and leaned on his back right next to her against its outer wall. "Well…you were a lot for me to take in, Helga…I mean, no matter what I was thinking at the time, I loved every minute of it but…" he shrugged, "I guess you just…had an effect on me…"

Helga glanced at him. "Yeah no freaking kidding!" She raised part of her brow, like she was still trying to process it all. "So you…basically decided that you were just going to kiss me into believing you really wanted me and loved me back…and also to remind me of…what again, Football Head? Being a girl?" She half smiled, half just kept looking at him in perplexity, not really sure what to make of that part of his thought process.

Arnold actually blushed a little bit at her unexpected question. "Oh! Well, I…" he glanced down a little shyly, "I just meant that…like…you know…You kept acting like no guy could ever want you or something and I guess I just wanted to make sure you realized that you're…" he paused but then just sighed and smiled more and let it out, glancing up to her again, "…You're the…the coolest girl ever…and you've got such a wonderful heart. And any guy would be…the luckiest guy in the world to have you…and you're very wantable…from a guy's perspective." He tugged at his collar a little and blushed just a little more.

Helga was blushing quite a bit herself now and looking at him in a bit of surprise. "O-Oh…okay…" she noticeably gulped and kind of squeaked out. "J-Just…curious…" She crossed her arms over her chest, glancing away now herself. "Um, th-thanks…" She smiled a little and managed to tack on sheepishly. "And, um…like I've been saying all along—as a boy…from a girl's perspective…you're very, very, um…wantable too, Arnold." Her blue eyes just managed to look shyly into his green ones now.

Arnold felt his heart flutter a little and smiled all the more. "Thanks, Helga…And, yeah, I know…" he sighed and crossed his own arms over his own chest and went on with a sigh, "I'm just your adorable, gorgeous, cute, handsome little Football Head…Did I get that all right my pretty, beautiful, lovely, feminine Helga G. Pataki?"

Helga blushed even more but rather then turning shyly away again she just sighed gave a small giggle and a nod. "Yeah, I think that about covers it, Arnold."

Arnold felt his smile go a little goofier at that cute giggle. She could melt his heart with just about everything she did…but especially that. "Yeah…" he just gazed at her lovingly for a moment… '_Best night of my life…_' He sighed, and then blinked a few times and recalled where they were and that they had just been finishing up something. "Oh, um, thanks for helping me with the coop, Helga. I appreciate it."

Her smile picked up on one side. "No problem, my love. I like helping you and spending time with you." She dug one of her feet shyly into the rooftop. "And of course, I just love hearing all about how you've basically come to worship me as some kind of little love 'goddess'…" She winked at him. "Unable to bear your life without my kisses…? Fascinated by the idea of 'burning into me', was it? All of the tension changing into raw passion now that you've balanced us…?" She was SO obviously enjoying this. '_Eat your heart out, Ruth and Summer and Lila…Arnold's hooked on little old Helga G. Pataki and there's no going back for him!'_ she thought to herself in total and perfect elation and satisfaction.

Arnold (now blushing quite a bit), instead of letting himself get consumed in embarrassment, just rolled his eyes and did his best not to laugh, and added to her assessment of the situation, "Yes, and every piece of our bodies fit together like they were made for each other…Just like I said, Helga." He winked at her. "Thanks for reminding me, my bright angel…"

Her smile got dreamy at him playing along with her…and also at that cute little term of endearment for her…and she giggled again. "What's with the 'bright' before the 'angel', my perfectly matched Arnold?" she had to ask.

Arnold smiled just a little more, realizing what she meant. He shrugged. "I don't know… When I was Romeo and you were Juliet I called you that once…and now I call you my angel sometimes… And even when I don't call you it you're always kind of an angel to me, Helga…the way you came in and changed my life and how you're always trying to help me and keep me safe and happy…and loved…" He smiled a bit more. "So, anyway…I guess I just wanted to add the bright." He shifted just a little bit closer to her. "Besides, calling you 'bright' works in two ways if you think about it." He reached up and brushed a small wisp of hair back behind one of her ears as she just watched him curiously. "You're smart…like the smartest most creative person I know…so you're bright like that. And then also…" he moved his face a little closer to hers…wow her eyes were pretty…especially in just the right light…and with it being nearly sunset and all on his rooftop… "A-And also…" Arnold managed to continue, just barely resisting getting lost in those wide, curious, warm blue orbs of love, "You kind of…glow. At least, to me, Helga G. Pataki. You glow when you smile and when you laugh and when you write and when you love…You glow. So you're bright like that too…my bright angel." He finished by lifting up one of her hands and giving a gentle kiss to the back of it, never removing his eyes from her own.

Helga just blinked a couple of times and then this little shudder passed through her and she gave a little, uncontrollable swoon. "Mmm…" she finally cooed out when she found her voice again, "A-Arnold you've really gotta start giving me fair warnings before you pour on the charm like that…Something inside of me might just…. 'explode'…" Her eyelids fluttered a little and she gave a small giggle at her joke.

Not heeding her words at all, of course, Arnold placed one or two more kisses upon the back of her hand as he spoke. "Hmm…Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Helga…You'll go through a psychological meltdown but once someone knocks you out of it with a good firm talking to on an anniversary..." He lowered her hand a little and placed his other hand on top of it, cradling it in both of his, "…Well, then it's…not SO bad…" He rolled his eyes and winked at her.

Helga snickered just a little at that daydreamy look still in her eyes and couldn't help but reply playfully, "Yeah, ouch, you have to deal with having a girlfriend who makes you experience uncontrollable romantic feelings of love and desire…How will you ever cope?"

Arnold gently released Helga's hand and then just shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest, smirking back at her a little. "Mostly I do it by not being afraid to kiss you anymore. Really helps relieve some of the tens—uh, passion." He leaned forward and winked once more.

Helga just giggled again, blushing all the more and loving, loving, loving when he flirted with her.

"Now…" Arnold then went on once her giggles had calmed a little, leaning back just a bit from her to give her a little space now that he had successfully gotten all the cute laughs and blushes and smiles out of her that he'd been going for with all of that, "I don't know about you, Helga, but I'm kind of hungry from all of this cleaning and organizing. How about we head down the street to the pizza parlour and split a pie…half black olives and jalapeños for you…" he smiled a little more… "Even though I still don't understand why you think that tastes good…" He had to chuckle a tiny bit.

"Hey it's a Pataki thing!" a now much more in control of her lovesickness Helga replied with a smirk. "One of the few things me and Big Bob have in common actually." She put her arms over her chest, knowing this game, and added, "And yeah, yeah, half olives and jalapeños for me and half pineapple for you…because all SANE people put FRUIT on PIZZA!" She scoffed and chuckled as well.

Arnold just let out a sigh. "Hey, it's not like I'm putting strawberries on it or anything…Then I'd have to live without your kisses until I brushed my teeth about a million times to make sure you'd be okay."

Helga instantly waved him off. "Oh please! Like an allergic reaction would keep me from kissing you, paste for brains! You'd be prying me off of you with a crowbar!"

Arnold instantly went very red, though he managed to still keep smiling and also to not have to run and hide from how flustered he felt inside all of a sudden…the idea of her being so wrapped around him in desire for a kiss that he'd actually have to pry her off with something… He let out a small laugh, managing to keep his daydreams and sudden instincts in check (thankfully)… "Yeah…crowbar…Good one, Helga…" he swallowed rather hard as he replied. "A-Anyway, um…so, you up for that pizza?" he managed to ask casually. And then a thought occurred to him and he added, "Oh and…if anyone sees us I think we should stick with that one story you came up with about me losing a bet to you and having to buy you a pie, and you just wanting me to stick around to watch you eat the 'fruits of your victory'…but then sharing a little with me because you 'took pity' on me as the loser… You know, like we used at Slausen's the other day after dinner when we ran into Sid and Park."

Helga seemed to be thinking about something though as he had been talking, and as a result she didn't respond at first…but then she blinked. "Huh? Oh, uh…" Arnold's suggestion processed and then she smiled in satisfaction. "Yeah, we'll stick with that one. And not a bad excuse if I do say so myself…" She cleared her throat…and put her arms behind her back and looked to the side a little shyly. "Um…and…even though it's risky…while we're there…and, I mean, we can hide it if anyone comes along but…could we get one big soda and drink it with two straws…just like we do when we're alone here sometimes?" Her wide eyes looked hopefully into his. "Please, my Romeo of Romance…" She pouted just slightly.

Arnold just blinked at her request…and then his face instantly lit up in happiness! After all, he loved any chance she'd give him to do stuff in public…but she'd never agreed to something this big before…and had CERTAINLY never suggested something this big on her _own_ before! "Really?" he replied brightly. "You want to! I-I mean, you're not afraid of us getting caught?"

Helga, arms still behind her back, just smiled coyly and shook her head. "No…well…a _little_…maybe...But I really want to share a soda with you like that, so…" she shrugged, "…If you're game then I'm game, Football Head." In truth, Helga really had no idea what had prompted her to asking to do something so risky… It was just that suddenly the compulsion to be sitting in a pizza parlour splitting not just a pie but a soda with her beloved had come over her, and, well…after seven years of suppressing things she'd be darned if she was going to suppress _this_!

Arnold was very happy. _Very happy_. He nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. We'll share one. Two straws…Yahoo soda with a cherry twist?" he asked with a smile, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"At least we can agree on that," Helga replied with a chuckle and a nod in return.

"Okay…" Arnold picked up the last bag of birdseed and headed around to the door of the coop to toss it inside. Doing so, he then shut the door and stepped back around to Helga. "Let's go, Helg…Helga? Didn't you say you wanted to go?"

Arnold took a step forward, looking in his girlfriend's direction curiously…because rather than preparing to head down his fire escape on the other side of his roof to the street, the girl in question was…now sitting on the edge of one of the lounge chairs in the center of his roof not too many feet away…and she seemed in pleasant thought once more.

Her smile picked up a little on one side at the sound of Arnold addressing her, and then she turned her kind of half lidded eyes to him and let out a sigh. "You know…" she began in an average tone (which was ALWAYS suspicious for Helga G. Pataki…and Arnold was more than aware of this fact) "I must say, Arnold…" she went on, "…for the one of use who's ultimately supposed to be the more modest…that first time image in your head you had of me that night of our first date…curled up on the couch, knees pulled in, smiling and waiting for you to 'do with me all of those things I now knew you wanted to do with me'…'" Her eyes met his and she let out a small laugh. "Crimeny, Arnold, I've dreamt about you at night on a regular basis and daydreamed about you here and there for the last seven years and even I'VE never come up with something sounding that…potentially intimate…" She swallowed. "I mean, okay, I've had you confessing your undying love to me and giving me little kisses and telling me I'm perfect and that you can't live without me, of course…But _you_…" she blushed a little, "You know, I'm…uh…" her smile grew, "…From a few things that have happened lately, Football Head, and from that little tidbit of your fantasy life you just shared…I'm starting to think that you don't just have a darker side Arnold…I think that darker side has a… natural talent at being darker..."

And then she stood up…and undid her ribbon and pulled her fingers through her hair a bunch of times until it hung lightly and lovely down around her shoulders…and then she tied her ribbon back in and sat back down on the lounge chair…and then actually laid herself on her side on it, pulling her knees coyly to her body…and finally finished by bringing up one of her arms and resting it underneath her head, and letting her other arm rest lazily along her side, following in the slight curve of her body. "Was it kind of like this, Arnold?" she asked with a half smile, sounding light and casual. "I mean, I added the hair being down since you didn't realize how much you really like that as part of our kissing until _after_ our first date, but…overall…did that small fantasy you had that night…look something like this?" Her grin picked up on one side.

Oh…oh boy…

Arnold swallowed very very hard. It was…perfect. Exactly like that image in his head had been that night… She was right here and right now…making a fantasy of his…that he'd never really expected anything to come of, of course…a reality.

Arnold instantly decided to just play it cool, like it wasn't bugging him. He had been getting better at that over the weeks and besides he knew he would be at her mercy if he let her get to him like she had at that bedroom window of hers during that one week anniversary…positioning herself and letting her hair down and making him…how to put it… _'…b-basically…hers_…' Completely, utterly, uncontrollably, undeniably hers, actually… But he wouldn't let that happen this time…probably._ 'I…I can control myself…I'm…I'm a lot better at that than I was during that first date and our one week anniversary.'_

"Arnold…I'm waiting… Am I your fantasy or not, Football Head?" A light giggle.

Having finished assuring himself of his ability to keep focused (and at the sound of this little prompt from Helga), Arnold just…nodded a little at her question and did his best to make eye contact (because no eye contact was the first sign of no ability for self control). "Uh…yeah, that was about it…Helga…Heh…" He managed a half grin. "Pretty silly, huh…? Imagining…things like…you know…" He cleared his throat and did his best to seem casual. "Anyway, um…we're still getting pizza, right, Helga?" _'Just keep us on task, just keep us on task…'_

Helga just smiled a little more…still trying to seem casual obviously…which was another bad sign…like she was circling and waiting to strike. It made Arnold gulp. "Oh come on, Arnold…." she joked pleasantly, "…That's all you've got to say to me when I'm actually in real life laying here 'just waiting for you to do with me all those things I now know you want to do with me…' ?" She batted her eyelashes a bunch of times and then chuckled, rolling her eyes at that little image and phrasing his cute, in-love mind had come up with that night. "Oh yes Arnold, I'm just a buffet of love waiting for you to have your fill of me. Dig right in." She chuckled happily.

Darn it… Arnold felt himself blushing brightly. And he knew she'd see it and would now really know that she was really getting to him. '_It's okay, Arnold…Just…take a breath_…' "Very funny, Helga…" he managed to reply with a sigh…and then mumbled to himself under his breath, "Love buffet…dig in…" He really REALLY tried to keep his head from forming any images.

"Aw, but seriously though, Arnold…" her voice lowered just a little, almost like a coo really…and its playful quality remained, "You don't even wanna 'gently rest an arm behind my waist and place one hand behind my head and hair to assure me with a smile that if it didn't stick the first time…you're MORE THAN WILLING to show me once again what you mean by wanting me…and only me…forever' ?" She pouted a little as she finished. '_Going down like a lead balloon…Who knew I was such a catch?_' Her grin picked up…and she waited for her beloved's inevitable break!

To her surprise, though, instead of her beloved either jumping at her to smother her with kisses or passing out cold from all of this romance and flirting, Helga was instantly met with her boyfriend closing his eyes and shaking his head and almost smiling to himself despite the fact that it was obvious he was trying to suppress it a little. "No…no, no, no…I know this game, Helga." He turned away from her and was now heading past her toward the skylight. "Remember?" He spoke over his shoulder. "The window? Your room? Come and get it, THE ROPE I MEAN, Arnold…?" Now at his roof ledge near the fire escape he turned back around and looked at her fully, feeling just a little more in control of the situation especially since he had put a small bit more distance between them. "Love buffet…" he finally just had to say. "Now, really, Helga…why are you doing this to me? And…why would you go and put that…image into my head?" He looked at her with a curious smile, trying not to blush TOO much.

Arnold was met with the sight of Helga having turned her body in the direction he had gone, and she was now sitting up a little looking at him with some surprise. She was silent for another moment or two…but then finally spoke. She started off with a giggle that she couldn't help escaping herself. "Off the seducing record, Arnold?" she asked in amusement.

He let out a breath and nodded. "It'd be nice, Helga…"

She smiled at him all the more and then just shrugged and replied, flipping a piece of her hair back over one of her ears. "I'm just curious to see if you want me or pizza more…Being a boy versus being a boyfriend—you remember, Arnold…" She winked. "And also, once again, doing stuff like this to you is hysterical every single time. " Then she laid on her side once more on the lounge chair, and positioned her arms as they had been before. "Come on, Football Head…can't I at least get a little peck on the cheek from you for this or something? Don't make me feel like I'm losing my touch, my little god of love…" Her eyes went half lidded and she even fluttered them a little… "Unless, of course, you really couldn't resist doing a whole lot more to me if you came over here, Arnold…"

The young boy across the roof from her swallowed, still smiling a little… "Don't…don't tempt me, Helga…" he managed to breath out, still managing to keep in control.

"I think it's too late for that, Arnold…" the girl across from him merely replied without missing a beat. "Come on… I mean, you indulge _my_ fantasies all the time just by loving me and giving me kisses and going on dates with me, Arnold…So let me…indulge one of yours….With all that stuff I apparently put you through with realizing your feelings I think you've earned it." She winked…her eyes still half lidded, her hair still falling over her shoulders and around her head, her body still resting so lazily and cozily on that lounge chair…

Arnold tried to still appear fine and in control…but took a small step or two back toward Helga nonetheless. "I'm…not sure I understand exactly, Helga…" was all he could say for now, a little unsurely. His heart was pounding and he just…wanted a bit more clarity about what was going on here right now…before he went and made any decisions…gave in to anything…

Helga let out a breath, still looking as lovely as ever. "Well…" she said, as casually as could be, "…I already _look like_ the Helga in your fantasy so…just _do_ with me whatever you wanted to _do_ with that Helga in your fantasy…"

Arnold was pretty sure his heart had just stopped.

He broke all outward appearance of casualness, and his eyes went wide and he just looked at her. He opened his mouth, paused…swallowed and then spoke. "We…We should just go get pizza, Helga…like normal kids…Come on…d-don't you remember…taking breaks from the kissing…how that's, um…good for our relationship…a-and…w-weren't you hungry or something…?" He was proud of himself for even beginning to come up with a plausible sounding excuse considering how he was feeling inside at the moment.

Helga considered tossing out a 'hungry…for you!' line but she didn't want to burst the poor boy's throbbing little heart…She just wanted some cuddles and kisses on his roof before dinner. So instead… "Five minutes…"

At this response Arnold just cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Huh?"

"Five minutes of getting your fill at the love buffet…" Helga explained with an eager smile, "…and then we'll go get pizza like normal kids. But for right now I'm curious…I want to see what you'll do with me like this, my dark little Arnold…Yes, you and that naturally talented little dark side of yours…" She smirked in anticipation.

Five minutes…of fantasy?

Arnold was…kind of going into meltdown at this point. He only barely managed to pull the tiniest bit back toward the roof ledge…He glanced away in worry. "Helga, I…I really don't think…"

"Come on Arnold…you're always up for an adventure…And what kind of adventurer would you be if you passed this by…" she coaxed…

Arnold blushed furiously. An adventure? A fantasy? Five minutes…Five minutes to…well…pull his fingers softly through her hair, lay against her and feel them fit in that way like on the couch again, kiss her softly, quietly, deeply and feel himself explode in goosebumps. They hadn't really done anything that intense or extreme since all the stuff over the course of that weekend and Monday morning after their one-week anniversary, come to think of it… Certainly between then and now there had been kissing…making out…but not exactly in that passionate and crazed, giving-into-all-desires way like that weekend or on the FTi building… And that's…basically what she was offering to let him have right now: something intense and on top of it all however he wanted it to be…with whatever details he wanted to throw in that he might have been keeping to his usually shy little self…whatever that other side of him wanted to do with the pretty, perfect girl before him. And who knew what could happen during or even after this whole 'five minutes' thing…Maybe she'd moan…swoon…or even write a poem when it was all over, she'd like it so much! He smiled, almost laughed then as another thought occurred to him and made him feel even more bubbly inside…Because along with indulging _that_ little image in his head, maybe he could even take the opportunity to…indulge some of the _other_ fantasies he'd had since then about being with her… So many other wonderful things that had occurred to him over the course of their courtship so far to do with Helga G. Pataki… Lovely things to make her smile and blush and giggle and feel happy…Things like—

"Arnold—you who? Hey if you're just going to fantasize in your head instead of doing _something_ in real life there's not much point to the whole 'you have me here and now' thing, is there, Football Head?"

This call from Helga caused Arnold to blink and pop out of his thoughts, and then he let his eyes fall upon her again.

The football headed young man considered for another moment.

"Anything…I want to do, Helga…?" he finally slowly asked. "_Anything_…?" He made sure to state the word firmly, just to clarify…and to make it clear to her that he really might be coming at her with stuff completely out of left field.

The heavenly vision over on his lounge chair just grinned a bit more at his question. "Mmm hmm…I'm all yours…" She winked one of those pretty blue eyes.

Then Arnold glanced from side to side on his roof, almost like…he was trying to make sure they were indeed alone and no one was watching (which might have seemed silly considering that they were on a roof, but still he was understandably a tad bit nervous about this whole thing.)

…And then he turned his head back in her direction…and gave a shy nod before slowly coming forward.

Helga instantly beamed and her heart raced…He…had just said YES! She gave an internal swoon in anticipation of his kisses….

Meanwhile, soon enough Arnold had finally managed to shyly shuffle over to the edge of the lounge chair.

With a small swallow he sat down near the end.

Helga gave a small giggle and pulled her knees in a little more to give him some extra room (and because he apparently thought she looked a little cute like that—all cozy and curled up….). She turned on her back just a little to get a better look at him. "Well…buffet's open, Arnold…" She couldn't resist. "Here I am waiting for you to do whatever you want…Let's see what you come up with…"

Arnold blushed a little more and appeared to take a deep breath…But then his gaze traveled over to meet Helga's with a small smile…and his eyes narrowed just a bit…because, to be quite frank, if he was 'going down' in terms of this whole 'completely becoming hers, losing all free will thing' then he was going to do everything in his power to take her with him…! "Don't worry, my talented blue eyed love…" The words flowed from his mouth in a low voice (he'd noticed she always seemed to respond most strongly when he lowered his voice a little to say nice things to her)... He then reached forward and suddenly brought a hand to each of Helga's shoulders, causing the girl now in his arms to stiffen in surprise just a little, and to let her arms slip limply to her sides… "You're in good hands, remember?" His heart beat wildly and that lovely explosion feeling was going on inside of him again, as it did every time he was close to Helga ever since that first date…

"Y-Yes…I…I remember…" he heard Helga whisper out as casually as possible, though obviously he had caught her quite a bit off guard, to say the least. "You've…got some good…talented hands there, A-Arnold…" the flustered girl couldn't help but add in her nervousness.

Arnold just did his best not to chuckle at how worked up she seemed…or at the cute little compliment. "Thank you, Helga…" he merely replied…and then leaned just a bit closer to her…his voice still low of course. "Now, can you do me one small favor…this is my fantasy after all…?" he asked kindly.

He watched Helga blush hotly at that reminder of his fantasy to come, and then she nodded. "Uh…o-okay…" she squeaked out, awaiting instructions.

Arnold just smiled even more and leaned even closer, and then brought his voice to just above a whisper. "Okay then…well…even though I love hearing everything you have to say, Helga…" he began sincerely, "…can you close your mouth for just long enough for me to kiss it, my bright angel? That's always the trick with you, you know—finding a quiet moment to continue making up for seven years worth of missed kisses."

Helga's mouth instantly popped tight closed…her wide blue eyes looking anxiously into his.

Arnold released a sigh. "Perfect… Oh but…one more thing? I almost forgot. I guess I spoke too soon with the 'quiet' thing…" He chuckled to himself and then went on, his eyes so very half lidded. "Can you tell me that you think my stupid football head that you insulted ever since the day you met me is actually cute and attractive to you? Sorry, I guess that seems a little weird, Helga, but…I just love the idea of you secretly liking it ten times as much as you pretended to hate it."

Her mouth was open again in an instant, she was so incredibly overwhelmed by him at this point! "It makes you look like a god….It's my favorite shape in the whole world…All I want to do half the time is just trace all along it with kisses…I hope beyond anything that one of our children has it because it's just that beautiful… Half the reason I ever learned how to play football was because the ball's freaking shaped like your gorgeous head…Sometimes I just cradle it when we kiss because it's just so…it makes everything inside of me twist and warm up and it makes me want to girlishly swoon! I—"

Arnold sighed, blushing like crazy by this point, and placed a single finger gently over her lips, silencing her immediately once again. "Okay, okay…" he chuckled a little, still using that low, near-whisper voice, "That's good, Helga. Thank you." He removed his finger and went back to having one of his hands gently holding each of her shoulders. "Now…close your eyes…and pucker your lips, please…More fantasy…" He smiled a little more again.

Helga nodded and did as he asked.

"Well…" Arnold let out a happy sigh, just looking down at her and taking in everything that was waiting for him, "I guess now it's time for me to show you again that I want you and only you forever and ever, Helga G. Pataki…Just…let me do everything though, okay, Helga? My fantasy…Remember?" He felt her shiver in his arms but then she managed one more nod.

Arnold took a breath…

And then he closed his eyes and leaned in and placed a slow gentle kiss upon her lips…

He decided to give himself whatever felt like a single minute…that was all he wanted for this part of his fantasy… He had something else in mind for the other four minutes of his time with her like this.

Meanwhile, Arnold could feel that Helga was completely limp right now, obviously going along with that 'let me do all the work' request he'd had…(which really was an idea Arnold had thought about at least a few times in between dates: what it would be like to just take over and be completely in control of the kiss for once, like she had been on the roof of the FTi building…And now he had the chance and he was NOT going to pass it up!) Continuing to press his lips deeply into Helga's, Arnold let out a sigh through his nose and then held Helga's shoulders a bit more firmly for a moment before gently allowing his hands to slide a little down to reach the skin of her arms….and then, well…before he had just been leaning over her…but now he slowly came more and more forward, letting himself rest almost completely on top of her.

Kissing passionately and crazily and just a little insanely was of course fun, but there really was just something so very wonderful about kissing slowly and deeply and tenderly like this too…just like in her room the other week after that 'lying down with her' thing…on her floor…against her like he was now, and getting once more in his life to feel how perfect her body felt underneath his…

Moving things along a little, Arnold then brought up one of his hands to pull through Helga's loose, soft hair a little and then ended by resting it under her head, cradling it. She was so lovely to touch. Arnold felt Helga suddenly shift just a little underneath him in an obviously pleased response to his action…and he used the opportunity to bring his other arm under the now increased arch of her back so that he could hold her around the waist as well. At this move, her back instantly arched even more underneath him and she moaned deeply…though she somehow still managed to let him continue doing all of the work, Arnold noticed with pleased interest (her hands remained at her sides and she still felt limp). As her moan completed, Arnold absorbed the perfect sound of Helga's happiness entering his mouth, and felt that small compulsion once again in his life to have his mouth free for even just a moment so that he could soothe her through the more intense feelings going through her right now…

Of course, though, that wasn't an option considering that he wanted this kiss thing to keep going for at least approximately a full minute (just enough time to make this a very VERY good kiss but not so much time that he wouldn't have the chance to fulfill the next 'fantasy' thing he had in mind)…and also he was enjoying himself a LOT right now with his mouth ceaselessly pressed to hers… So instead of soothing her with any words…Arnold 'settled' for soothing Helga by not holding back anymore and finally just gently allowing their bodies to press and fit together completely, his full weight resting upon her, just like that day in her room… '_I love you…Helga Geraldine Pataki…Shortman_…'

The seconds continued to pass…

…And roughly sixty seconds in total later Arnold gently shifted his lips from Helga's, and shifted himself up off of her just a little.

He took a shaky breath in and then let it out…and then just looked down at her flushed face, eyes still closed, lips all rosy and trembling…just admiring for a moment… And he decided then that it was a tie—there was just no way to tell whether she looked more beautiful just before or just after kisses between them.

A few seconds passed and she was still just lying there like that, only taking shallow breaths in and out… Finally, Arnold spoke to her in a whisper. "Helga…my love? Are you okay?" He tried not to chuckle at much he'd obviously affected her.

He watched as Helga took another breath in and then let it out. Then she nodded a little. "Y-Yeah…" she whispered, "I just…It was a little hard to keep from doing anything back to you at first, but then when I got used to it, it was just…" Her eyes fluttered open… "I mean…" she was still whispering, still so very obviously overwhelmed by it all, "I always just figured the best way to enjoy myself when we kissed was to just get as much of my fill of you as you'd let me, but…just laying back every once in a while and letting you have _your_ fill of _me_…entirely…" She gave a small swoon and looked deeply into his eyes, smiling in so much happiness and pleasure. "Arnold…you can have fantasy time any time, let's put it that way…"

Arnold smiled and blushed at her adorable explanations… "Thanks, Helga…but I think this should really just be very special occasion thing…" he whispered back. "Otherwise it's not a fantasy anymore, is it?" And then with a breath Arnold closed his eyes and turned his head a little to the side, and allowed it to rest on the top of Helga's chest for a moment while he regained himself a little (and also, he…he'd always dreamed of getting to be so close to Helga's heart that he could actually not just feel but _hear_ it beating…and right now he could…What a lovely suggestion this whole thing had been…). Arnold let out a breath, staying cozily where he was for right now…and continued talking to her… "Well…anyway, Helga…I figured that whole thing, however wonderful it was, only took about a minute, so…I've still got four minutes of fantasy time left, if I did the math right….You ready for what's next Helga?" He let his arm hold her even more snugly around her back and waist…. "…Because…that kiss _did_ fulfill a lot of things I've thought about, but…I have other fantasies about you too, you know…"

He felt her heart pound insanely right under his ear! "Other f-fantas—Uh…okay…" she whispered in a shaky, almost squeaking voice. "Like I said, wh-whatever f-floats your boat…It's your five minutes, Football Head." (On a side note, inside of herself Helga was…almost numb with pleasure at this point…Kisses, laying on top of her, arms around her, snuggling against her…And all only one minute into this whole thing! '_Oh…my…_')

At her reply, Arnold smiled and opened his eyes, and now finally lifted his head up in order to look into her eyes again (and also to give Helga a break from what it must have been like for her to have his head cuddling against her like that… After all, if _she'd_ been the one doing that to _him_…A shiver passed through Arnold and he couldn't even think about it…He decided to just move things along for now…save that fantasy for another day). "Okay, then…whatever you say, Helga." Now he sat up completely, and moved himself back down the chair so that he was sitting on the end of it once again. "I need you to sit up for this one…." He went on with a smile. "Oh and turn around please..." he added…and then smirked a little and couldn't help tacking on, "And if you want to throw in one more compliment about my head, I wouldn't complain, Helga."

Helga blinked a few times, processing his request, and then curiously sat up and with a gulp turned around on the lounge chair. "Um…" she cleared her throat to respond to his request for another head compliment, now facing completely away from her beloved, "…this might sound stupid but…sometimes, especially toward the end there when I was getting a little desperate, I'd buy lemons just to look at them… I mean, they're like little versions of your head and the same color as your hair…" A small chuckle escaped her. "Once I bumped into a fruit stand of them and imagined them all turning to me and saying in your voice, 'Hey Helga, how're you doing? Looking good!' Hmm…" a little sigh, "…maybe that's why I like the lemon part of our lips gloss so much…I even used to practice kissing on lemons sometimes, you know…" She finished with one more small laugh to herself at the memories, still facing away from him.

"Lucky lemons…" Helga straightened and blushed and came instantly out of her reminisces, not just at the comment but at the fact that it had been said surprisingly right by her ear _as well as_ at the fact that Arnold's arms were suddenly around her waist suddenly hugging her close from behind. "And you know…" he beloved went on in a whisper from behind her, "I think I like the raspberry part because…well, don't tell my Grandpa, but I secretly really like raspberries as a fruit in general…Tart but also sweet…like somebody I know…Very delicious, really…" He knew he was really pouring on the charm at this point but…he figured as long as he was getting some fantasy time, Helga should get a little bit of fantasy stuff too…And from how she'd responded to certain things over the weeks he pretty much knew that getting talked to like this by him was high on her list of desirable dreams and daydreams… A low chuckle escaped him as he felt her stiffen all the more at this last comment from him…But he quickly recalled that all of this was currently eating into his last four minutes of fantasy time, and so he moved on for now. "But anyway…I guess we should get back to the fantasy, huh?" He let out a breath right near Helga's ear… his face half pressed into her lemony/raspberry hair… "...Now, Helga, just please sit here and let me do all the work again…oh and if anything hurts please just let me know, okay?"

He could practically feel the heat coming off of her face from behind. She nodded vigorously and gulped.

Arnold smiled a bit more. "Good…" he whispered…and then he shifted away a little…and brought his arms from around her…

…And a second later (a still utterly…utterly Arnold's, at this point) Helga felt her hair ribbon undoing and Arnold's hands brushing aside her hair, letting air hit the back of her neck for a moment. "Don't worry…I know what I'm doing…" she merely heard him reassure her from behind…and Helga just did her best not to pass out and fall back against him, she felt so very in-over-her-head with all of this fantasy stuff all of a sudden… Sometimes her little beloved really was so very modest on a regular basis that she really could just forget what his 'not so modest' side could put her through until it was too late…

"And hey as long as I'm doing this…" Arnold, from behind her (of course), "…Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, Helga…?"

Helga had to raise part of her brow at the strange question…

…Until her beloved leaned over and explained his meaning into her ear in a few whispers…and meanwhile the movements of his hands quickly showed her just what he had in mind for the next four minutes.

* * *

"I can't believe you're doing this."

"Oh come Helga…I thought it was fun…And hey, I haven't got much fantasy time left…Come on, say some more of them…"

Helga just sighed. "Okay, I…I'm pretty good at writing and I'm…cute, I guess…." she forced out a little, though she was obviously trying not to giggle just a little bit about the whole thing as she did so.

"You _guess_?" Arnold laughed a little. "Come on, now that we're done getting you to compliment my head, you're supposed to be complimenting _yourself_. Finish on a high note, please, my bright angel."

"Fine, I'm the greatest young poet who ever lived and a gorgeous beautiful girl, okay? AND I am an amazing, magical, exceptionally talented kisser!" She finally gave in to giggling a little.

"MUCH better." Arnold replied in satisfaction. "And all so very true…" he added in an amused whisper. "I love hearing you admit how wonderful you are, Helga…"

Helga just sighed again and rolled her eyes (blushing quite a bit though, of course). "Arnold, seriously though…" she went on, almost amazed really, "…Four minutes of fantasy girlfriend time left and you decide to…" she shook her head the tiniest bit (well, as best as she could all things considered…), "You are SO weird sometimes, Arnold—you know that?"

"This from the person who practices kissing lemons…" he quipped back without missing a beat.

"Hey!" Helga exclaimed with a chuckle (still in the position of facing away from her beloved…once again, _all things considered_), "I had to start _somewhere_ while you were off in the land of the dense! Doi!" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smirked. "Besides, I didn't hear too many complaints on the roof of the FTi building…" She heard Arnold swallow shyly…and of course not correct her… With a small laugh she then also added, rolling her gaze forward again, "And anyway at least it's better than practicing kissing using 'Lila'!"

Arnold's hands instantly froze in their actions, and he closed his eyes and shook his head and began to respond quite seriously, "Helga, I never kissed Lila! You know that…I—"

She chuckled, cutting him off. "Just checking, my hairstylist little love…No you practiced all of your kissing on…Ruth was it? Or Summer?" Her smirk picked back up.

Arnold just rolled his eyes and twisted a couple more pieces of Helga's hair and ribbon together. "Well…" he let out a breath, "…since Ruth was too busy talking about her hair clips to be quiet enough for me to try during the only date we had, and since you sabotaged every chance I had with Summer, I'll have to say no, Helga…You were my first…and only. And thanks for that, by the way…" he finished sincerely. "But keep facing forward please…" he then added with a smile, "I'm almost done back here but it won't be straight if your head's turned."

Helga just gave a small giggle and moved her eyes and head perfectly forward again. "Whatever you say, Arnold…Whatever you say…" she replied in perfect copy of his usual response…which (of course) got a small laugh out of the boy behind her.

By the way, speaking of all this 'facing forward' and 'hair' and 'hands' and 'ribbon stuff'…did we mention that Arnold had taken his last four minutes of girlfriend fantasy time to…well…well, to be blunt, to carefully braid Helga's hair…weaving her ribbon into the braiding as he went along…gently securing the blonde strands all together behind her head in one perfect rope of pink and gold.

In response to Helga's humorous and ironic reply Arnold just sighed and smiled a bit more to himself again. "Yes…all of my practicing got done on only you, Helga G. Pataki…A-And, um, you know…" Arnold's voice faltered a little and his tone got a little sheepish, to say the least, "…maybe on a pillow or two in the middle of all of this…" He cleared his throat, blushing hotly though he was still smiling nonetheless. "I-I mean…you've got quite a natural talent at kissing, Helga…It's taken me a lot of work to be able to match it."

She was silent for a moment…but then a snicker or two escaped her and then suddenly she was chuckling and giggling like crazy!

Arnold just sighed and smiled, letting her get it out of her system.

"F-F-Football Head!" she laughed out as Arnold continued to finish up with her hair. "YOU! Sitting up in your room and practicing kissing a pillow! All to get ready for me! You—Mr. Innocent, Mr. Wet Blanket, Mr. Goody Two Shoes…who's supposed to spend his free time cleaning his room and catching up on homework and running maintenance on all those gadgets of yours and doing the work of the righteous—going up there, locking the door, wrapping your arms around a pillow, and locking your lips against it to pretend its me for a little while!" She chuckled some more, feeling herself warm up completely with laughter. "I'm sorry but that whole image is just adorable, Arnold!" she finally had to just exclaim! Then she took a breath, and got herself under control for a minute…until of course a new thought on this matter popped into her head! "Ooo, Arnold!" she began brightly and with interest, "Do you just kiss it or do you practice really holding it in different ways and gently stroking its 'shoulders' and 'hair', and do you sigh and imagine it moaning and lay down with it and—"

"Helga…" Arnold started firmly though warmly, slowly coming to the end of her braid, "I'm sure whatever _you_ do when you practice like with the lemons is similar to whatever _I_ do when I practice…So there's no need for me to go into too many details…"

"No, Arnold," Helga instantly replied back with confidence. "I'm pretty sure you don't kiss the head of a shrine, dance with it around your room, collapse with it onto your bed and then snuggle and swoon with it on a regular basis…and repeat the process with a lemon or two when you can…" she quipped back.

"Well…" Arnold replied, doing his best now to get the bottom strands of the braid as snug as possible so that he could tie them off with the little tail of Helga's ribbon sticking out among them, "I'm pretty sure YOU don't cradle a pillow in your arms like it's the most precious thing in the world and—"

"You…think I'm...precious?"

Arnold blinked at the small happy question that suddenly popped out of the girl before him, interrupting his playful reply… Then he smiled more and leaned close to her ear once again that afternoon and whispered warmly into it with a nod, "Mmm hmm…The most precious thing in the whole world…just like I said… Soft and pretty and pink…I know you can take care of yourself of course, Helga, but…_I_ like the idea of taking care of you too, you know…and making sure that you feel and know that you're safe when you're in my arms…"

Arnold's own heart was just pounding away at this point and he couldn't even imagine what it must have been like for Helga, and so he pulled back and went on with the braid, giving her a minute to absorb and work through all of that, and awaiting any reply she might give.

Helga just seemed to tense up for a moment or two as she sat in front of him…and then a girlish swoon escaped her and all the tension seemed to suddenly leave her in a little tremble. "Oh…_Arnold_…" she sighed and then giggled, "Um…soft, pretty, pink me will always feel safest in your arms…okay?" she let him know coyly.

A small goofy chuckle escaped Arnold at how cute she was being…So very cute. "I'm glad, Helga…That's part of what the pillow's been for anyway…" he went on to admit, his blushing growing a little, "…practicing holding something as soft as you securely but also gently…"

Arnold paused for just a moment in his work as he heard Helga swoon again…and then he went on…kind of dreamily…kind of shyly…but loving so very much the effect he was having on her right now that he just didn't care to help himself, "A-And then I could also use the pillow for…um, practicing different kinds of kisses where I'd sit with it or stand with it or maybe, um…lay down with it…and m-maybe also, um…every once in a while…as long as I'm already pretending to kiss you, I …" he knew it was silly but, "I…pull up my own sweater just a little to imagine…how it feels…you know, when you do that to me…like those few times…" He was all done with the braid and now, having just knotted the end of it with the end of Helga's ribbon, and now the lovesick boy just let his hands drop to his lap and felt himself blush hotly and his smile go all goofy, and he finally just let it all happily consume himself. He really did love the feeling of her doing that though…slowly inching up his sweater…to hold him as close as could be. He let out another perfectly content sigh.

Arnold's hands were now out of her hair and so Helga, free to use her neck once more, instantly angled her head around to look at him, her jaw dropped. "You…" she blushed and blinked a couple of times…and then smirked though something shy still remained in her features, "You like…when precious old me…goes up under your sweater, huh?" '_He…He DOES like the physical stuff just as much as I do! Oh, Arnold…You really are perfect—The best of all that's tender and the best of all that's passionate_…" She gave an internal girlish sigh.

In response to her exclamation, Arnold just gave a small nod or two…looking down for the moment "Uh…yeah. Definitely yes." His goofy smile remained. "I…I would have asked you to do it as part of that fantasy kiss but I really did want to try us together with me doing all of the work just once…And besides it…it's nicer when you just suddenly decide to do it all on your own without any warning…. When it just comes…naturally…" He let out a sigh…and then blinked like something had just occurred to him and asked, smiling all the more... "You practice kissing on the shrine too Helga? Not just the lemons?"

Helga just had to give in to a giggle fit at the fact that it had taken this long for that revelation from her to process ('_Still the same old dense Arnold somewhere deep, deep down_…'). Getting her laughter under control after a few seconds, she just simply shrugged and gave her beloved a small nod over her shoulder. "Of course, Football Head. Part of the beauty of having a life-size one…I could just go in my closet and wrap myself around it to imagine one day actually getting to lock lips with the real you…or just take the head down and have fun with it all over my room…Whatever floated my boat…" She chuckled a little.

"Lucky shrine…" Arnold merely replied shyly, only barely glancing up at her to meet her eyes.

Helga blushed a little more. "It's okay, Arnold…" she assured him with a smile, "It's all just preparation for everything I'll end up doing with you..." She winked at him, now turning herself around on the lounge chair fully to face him, the end of the perfect braid hanging over one of her shoulders.

Arnold just swallowed and trembled a little and nodded. "Y-yeah, same here…" And then, noticing the motion of her turning around fully, he brought his eyes up to meet hers…and his instantly lit up like fireworks!

Helga looked at him with a curious smile. "Something you wanna share, my beloved?" she finally asked, a little unsure of what exactly he was suddenly so 'gone' about in regards to her _this_ time.

"Helga…you look…" he began quietly…because he was…just amazed! She looked…well, he decided he had DEFINIETLY chosen the right and best thing to do with his last four fantasy minutes. "You look…so beautiful like that…" he finally finished so very lovingly.

Arnold watched as Helga blinked and instantly blushed furiously. "O-Oh! It…it came out that good, Arnold?" she asked with a little smile.

Arnold just blinked a lot of times… How could she even ask that? She looked…It… And yet… He sighed and considered…deeply considered. '_What else is there supposed to be? What else could make Helga's hair even more perfe—' _A light bulb went off, practically exploding inside of his head! "Wait…" he told her with a happy smile, and then he got up and suddenly raced over to one of the corners of the roof and rummaged through some stuff near the gardening supplies (while up here, before straightening up the pigeon coop, Arnold and Helga had also been preparing some flower window boxes for the summer months and helping get some seeds ready for Gertie's little vegetable and fruit garden…All those raspberries had to come from somewhere after all).

Meanwhile, a rather perplexed Helga just glanced over her shoulder curiously in the direction Arnold gone, waiting for him to finish whatever little task he'd suddenly gotten it in his wide head to do…

Her beloved returned a moment late, a little smudge of soil on one of his cheeks and…a daisy in one of his hands… He quickly approached a still confused Helga, then knelt on the lounge chair before her again, leaned over, and then, to her total surprise, slipped the stem of the flower into the braiding, right over one of her ears. And then, still with a beaming smile, her love removed himself from the lounge chair and back stepped to the roof ledge right in front of it, seemed to position himself (even used his hands to judge the perspective) and then sat down…and just gazed at her. "Now…it's _perfect_…" His smile went instantly goofy and he just sighed…And she'd never seen his green eyes look warmer in her entire life.

For a moment there was just content silence as Arnold gave new meaning to the concept of 'worshipping Helga from afar'…and Helga continued to process the fact, in her continued surprise, that she was actually being…basically worshipped.

Finally though, the blonde young lady in question, still blushing, smiled a little more and gazed right back at Arnold a little bit too, letting her eyes go half lidded as his were. "Hey Arnold…Take picture, it'll last longer."

"Believe me, if we had that camera here, I would…" he just sighed out in a daze.

Helga blushed darkly but still just smiled at him with her half lidded gaze. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold...what are you trying to do here, my fantasizing little love—make me look like some kind of girly girl or something between the braid and then the flower?" she asked playfully.

Arnold's smile just went even goofier if that was possible. "You…you look like a…not even an angel, Helga…Like a goddess, like you said before, or…or a princess or something." _'I…I don't even think I imagined her looking prettier than this at our wedding in my dream…_' He sighed.

Helga almost burst into another giggle fit at that adorable little reply. "A princess? Me?" She fluttered her eyelashes a little. "Arnold, this is Helga G. Pataki you're talking about, remember? Star catcher of Gerald field, not invited to Rhonda's last all girl slumber party because she wasn't considered girly enough, hater of all things mushy and sappy and romantic…well, all things that don't have to do with you, that is…scowling all the time, spitting in the river, playing in the mud…On top of precious, you think I look like a princess, Arnold?"

Arnold nodded _a lot_! "Oh yeah…" his smile grew, "…a princess…a precious princess…" And then all of a sudden he stood up and walked over to her, and enthusiastically grabbed one of her wrists and quickly pulled her up and over to the skylight section of the roof. Then the young boy knelt over a panel and rubbed at it with his sweater sleeve to make any reflection it might give as clear as possible. "See, look!" he announced, and then stepped back and pointed to her image in the glass.

Helga blinked…and really couldn't move for a few seconds at the sight that met her eyes.

He had done a…a really good…really genuinely almost princess-like job on her! The hair was woven right from the top, the ribbon running throughout the braid, and it hung over one of her shoulders, a perfect twist of blonde and pink…And then the little flower there over her ear was actually…it really was kind of beautiful. The whole thing was just… She'd…except for that night of their anniversary at her window when Arnold had not only told her she was pretty but had specifically confirmed that he considered her prettier than any other girl he'd ever had any kind of feelings for, Helga G. Pataki had never felt more beautiful in her entire life. "A-Arnold…" she whispered in such awe… She blinked and then turned to him… "It…you're…" And suddenly her arms were around him in a tight and happy hug!

She pulled back after a few seconds and then just smiled into Arnold's face, and, giggling, could only think to say, "Well, I…I guess I really _am_ your precious princess then, my knight in shining armor Arnold…" She gave him a small punch in the shoulder—because she just wouldn't have been Helga G. Pataki if she hadn't sprinkled her affection with a little bit of 'abuse'. "But, hey," she went on, smiling like crazy, "…don't think I'm gonna be waiting around some palace for you to save me or anything, bucko. I'll be your princess but I can take care of myself!" She winked at him with a smirk and crossed her arms over her chest. "Might even end up being the one saving YOUR scrawny butt from an evil dragon or two if I feel like it, Arnoldo."

Arnold, who had felt a sensation of euphoria the likes of which he'd never felt before at her sudden strong hug, just smiled so very brightly at the precious girl before him and nodded. "Whatever you say, Helga…" And then he added, stepping close to her and looking into her eyes, his arms shyly behind his back… "Though I can't think of a single dragon who'd ever want to try and harm such a pretty princess…or who would risk certain doom by going up against you, Helga G. Pataki…especially with me fighting to protect you too…" He reached forward and lifted up one of her hands and gave it a gentle kiss.

A low chuckle escaped Helga... Always and forever, no matter how much making out they did, there would always be such a special place in her heart for Arnold just kissing her hand…It was the first contact she'd ever had with his lips…all those months ago back during Valentine's day at Chez Paris…and it was also the first contact with his lips that she'd gotten that Monday afternoon after the fiasco with his poem for her at school…when he'd finally started realizing for the first time that he was falling in love with her… "Okay, okay, Arnold…" she finally had to say though…because to be honest she wasn't sure how much more romance she could take from him on this already quite romantic afternoon without passing out or something, "This has all been heavenly but enough flirting for now… I don't know about you but that pizza we were talking about before sounds pretty good right about now…and I really am starving…especially after that kiss you put me through, my little love god…"

A still smiling Arnold blushed a little more at her reminder of that 'darker' part of his fantasy time, but then he just nodded at her words and released her hand. "I'd like some pizza too…" His grin picked up a little proudly on one side. "And see, I knew all the practicing with the pillow would pay off, Helga…." He winked.

Helga just rolled her eyes. "Lucky pillow…" she quipped. "Now come on, paste for brains, lets—" Helga began, walking past him to reach the fire escape… when suddenly she caught sight of her reflection once more in the skylight and her eyes went wide and she froze on the spot. "Oh, I…Arnold I…" She turned to him, noticing the confused expression on his face at her actions. "Arnold, I can't go out looking like this!" she elaborated. "I mean, if people see us eating pizza together that's one thing—it can get _explained_! But if they see me looking like…I mean…"

And then Helga just really couldn't say another word…because really the most painful sight in the world for Helga G. Pataki to endure was her normally bright and sunny and optimistic and happy Arnold looking at all disappointed or sad…and his eyes were just shot through with those emotions all of a sudden whether he knew it or not…It was like what had come over him the other day when they'd been about to walk to the arcade and she'd asked him to let go of her hand so that no one would see them…but about a thousand times worse.

"O-Oh…right…" Helga heard Arnold manage to say, obviously trying to sound like all of this didn't bother him that much… And in truth, Arnold had promised himself over and over not to push Helga into doing anything she didn't want to or wasn't ready to do yet in terms of expressing their love in front of others…and for better or worse he would be sticking to that plan…even if he felt…very… It was hard to describe the emotion but it hurt quite a lot…though he really was trying as hard as he could not to show it.

'_Oh, I…I made him…sad_…' Meanwhile, Helga felt like her heart was breaking…but no, that word wasn't quite… _'…disappointed._' She had made him…disappointed. '_Oh no…no, no, no, no, no…_' "Arnold…" she walked toward him, looking at him very sincerely, "I…I don't mean that I don't love it. I mean…" she smiled so very happily, "You took four minutes of time you could have used to get anything out of me and used it to fulfill a fantasy of yours of…braiding my hair…Do you have any idea how unimaginably sweet that is?" She placed a hand upon his shoulder. "It's just…if someone…I mean…" She glanced to the side.

Arnold blinked, realizing how bad he was making her feel even though he hadn't meant to! "No…I…I'm sorry, I…understand, Helga!" he quickly assured her. "It would be a lot harder to explain you looking so different than just us eating pizza together…" He did his best to smile. "Come on, um…I'll help you take it out and put the pigtails back and then we can go, okay?"

And then it was Arnold's turn to feel very hurt inside as his normally smiling and sweet and sassy Helga G. Pataki suddenly seemed almost pierced through with…practically with fear! "NO!" Her eyes went wide and she practically jerked back from him, her hand instantly leaving his shoulder and flying to cover her braid! "I don't want to take it out EVER if I can avoid it! Your loving hands wove my hair and ribbon into a beautiful braid! Every time I feel it pull a certain way or feel the braid come over my shoulder or anything like that all I can think of is you now! It's…It's heaven, Arnold! Don't undo it! Please!"

Arnold just blinked several times at her exclamation…and then felt such a warmth come over him that he had to just go forward and catch her in a quick hug and kiss!

"MMM!" Helga merely exclaimed for the few seconds that her mouth was engaged! And then she felt Arnold pull back and her surprised eyes fell upon him just smiling and blushing and looking so very happy once again!

He just kept looking at her like this and holding her close, taking a few breaths, and then he finally spoke. "S-Sorry, Helga, I just…love you and…I'm happy you love your hair like that so much…" He let out another breath and then finally released her, putting his arms behind his back and blushing with a smile. "Anyway…come on…" He took her hand and prepared to pull her off to his skylight room entrance instead of off to his fire escape, "We'll just get the pizza delivered and eat it in my room, okay? ...And then I'll even…get to have my precious princess locked up with me for a little while longer today…" he managed to find the courage in himself to tack on…with a small wink.

Arnold, of course, expected another little round of blushing and giggles from Helga at his flirtatious comment and then maybe a happy nod from her, upon which they would descend into his room, he'd order the pizza…and then maybe he'd spend the time until it got there telling her more about how pretty she looked to see just how many more blushes and giggles and little swoons and sighs he could get out of his lovely Helga Geraldine on this afternoon…Maybe she'd even be willing to compose a poem or something if the mood struck her.

However, much to Arnold's surprise, none of these things happened. At all.

In fact, Helga didn't budge an inch when he pulled her forward…forcing him to turn around and look to her very curiously.

Helga was just looking at him with her head cocked to the side kind of funny…and then she shook her head. "Arnold…" she started slowly and seriously, "…I love…everything about you, but…sometimes you really are too much of a pushover, Football Head! I mean…" she was scowling a little now, "…you put up with this secrecy thing and don't complain about it _at all_! You know, it's okay if you disagree with me about it… If you want to make an argument for why I'm being kind of a baby and why I should just freaking walk up the street with my hair in a braid next to you and inform anyone who might see us sharing a pizza that NO ONE 'lost a bet' and that 'we're just a happy couple on a date—SUE US!'…then do it! PLEASE! Besides, I KNOW it's been bugging you lately…" Her eyes welled with sincerity. "I don't want you hiding how you really feel about any of this just to please me… Okay, Arnold?"

Arnold…having really not expected this speech at all…just gave his girlfriend a blank look for several seconds… And then our football headed hero moved away from his fire escape and back right in front of her, still holding her hand. He glanced down in thought for a little bit…and then he turned his eyes back to her and spoke. "Helga…I…don't like keeping us a secret," he said simply…He didn't want to hurt her feelings but he was NOT going to directly lie to her. Ever. "I admit that…" he went on very quietly and sincerely… "Actually…to tell the truth…speaking of 'fantasies' and stuff…the majority of mine about you actually involve you and me together in, well…public: hugs and poetry and love notes to go along with the spitballs in school…getting to hold your hand when we're walking down the street with our friends…kisses in movie theatres where we don't have to be on the lookout to make sure no one we know's watching us… But…" he smiled a little bit more to himself and at her, "I like seeing you happy more than I like the idea of any of those things…and if…keeping us a secret…is what you need right now to be happy, then I understand that…Really…" he assured. "And…also, well…I know you Helga…" He looked right into her eyes, still smiling, and squeezed her hand. "And…I can just feel it, I guess…You're going to tell everyone eventually, maybe even sooner than you think. You're just…something inside of you's just waiting for the right time…but it'll come, Helga, and I can be patient for that."

A second of quiet passed …and then Arnold was surprised (and also quite…pleased) to feel one of Helga's hands come up to brush through his hair and gently cup his head. "I…" she smiled and spoke quietly, "I knew there was a reason I loved that football head of yours besides the fact that it's gorgeous…it's got a pretty clever brain inside of it too…Thanks, Arnold …" And then Helga leaned down and basically almost made Arnold collapse in love by suddenly tracing over the outline of his football head with quick, tender little kisses…all around from the base of his chin, up to one ear, over his forehead, down to his other ear, and then back around the curve of his other cheek and down to the chin again. When she was done she pulled back with a giggle. "And also I guess I still like it because of how much it just begs to be kissed…isn't that right, Arnold's head?"

Arnold was just…his smile and his eyes and… '_Oh…__wow_…' "Yeah…" he barely breathed out, his knees actually buckling underneath him for a second or two there… "M-Maybe it's not so bad having such a wide head…I mean, there's more places for you to give it kisses, right?" He spoke so airily.

Helga just chuckled at his cute little lovesick state, and then winked. "That's the spirit, Football head!" And then, feeling just about as happy as could be inside, Helga gave him a quick nudge before heading past him and starting to climb onto and descend his fire escape to the street below. "Now come on, Arnold, you can save passing out for later… For now though let's just go get this pizza before I wither way or something…" She chuckled to herself.

"Y-Yeah, let's…" Arnold started, still so very lost in the tingles going all around his head in every little spot she'd placed her pretty lips…but then suddenly what she had just said truly processed with him and Arnold instantly turned in her direction with wide eyes and came fully back to reality! "But Helga! I…I thought you wanted to order in!"

Helga, now standing upon the landing to Arnold's fire escape with her head just barely looking over the ledge of the roof up at Arnold, just rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Eh, we'll just go out and get some…." She waved him off casually with a smile. "I'm sure it'll be fine, even with the braid, and if anyone sees us I'll just…make up something on the spot… Besides I could use a little makeshift 'crazy scheme/keeping up the ruse of our 'mortal enemy-ship' ' practice." She winked. "Now let's get going before my daisy wilts, Football Head! And don't argue with me on this or get all wishy-washy or think I'm doing something that I don't want to do, okay? I am Helga Geraldine Pataki-soon-to-be-Shortman and I have spoken!" she finally announced and then shifted aside on the fire escape landing to give her beloved room to join her upon it!

Arnold's eyes instantly lit up and then without any hesitation he nodded happily and then descended to the landing to stand beside her. Now together again he smiled very sincerely (so very happy that she was really going to let them go out together like this), and just gestured forward with his arm to the ladder leading down to the street. "After you…my brave princess Helga…" he offered lovingly… '_The bravest person I know_…' He recalled his words to her that one time…in an air vent at the school…and smiled at how he knew they would always be true.

Helga giggled happily and proceeded to head over to and climb down a few rungs of the ladder…but then a curious look came to her face once more today and she couldn't help but look up at her beloved before he started his own descent and ask in slight puzzlement, "Hey Arnold?"

"Mmm hmm…?" he merely replied with a smile, looking down at her.

"Just out of curiosity…" she finished climbing down the last few rungs and shot him an amused smirk as she did so, "How in the heck did you learn how to braid hair, Arnoldo? I mean…no offense but…most guys can't do hair to save their lives!" She made it to the next landing and stepped aside, waiting for him.

"Well…" Arnold began with a smile, completing his own climb down and then quickly dropping down to stand beside her once more… "Actually, I think it was Lila…She used to let me braid that pretty red hair of hers all the time and I—Helga, calm down, I'm kidding." Arnold did his best not to burst into laughter at the look of total shock and dark scowl that had instantly come to his beloved's face at his words. He let out a sigh and told her the real reason for his skill. "Actually, when me and Gerald used to play with his sister Timberly when she was really little one of her favorite games was fairy princess, and she always wanted her hair braided but Gerald always said no, but…I didn't want her to feel bad so I always ended up doing it and I guess I just picked up on it after a while…I'm glad I started with that Lila story though…" his smile got a lot smugger, "You're cute when you're jealous, Helga…Really cute…Did you know that?"

Helga just blinked a few times, and then blushed furiously and cleared her throat and glanced away. "Oh uh, right, right…Heh…" She waved him off, looking rather sheepish to say the least… "Like I bought your Lila story for a second, Arnoldo!" She turned her eyes back to him to be met with her beloved just giving her a smile and the teeniest bit of a look…and finally she couldn't help smiling genuinely as well and just giving a shrug. "Oh alright, fine, Football Head…you got me. Good one!" She gave him a little shoulder punch, and then let out a sigh and asked, still curious about at least one more thing, "Gerald's sister make you put flowers in her hair too or was that just a stroke of genius on your part, my love?"

At that question Arnold couldn't help but blush just the tiniest bit. He shrugged. "Well, actually…that came from, um… Well, I…kind of really like the idea of flowers in your hair, Helga…I-I mean…I remember really liking it that time your Nanny made you show up in school looking like that…and then when I dreamed about me and 'Hilda' and visiting Arnie, one of the things I thought up was putting a flower in her—uh, your hair…and then of course…in that dream I had about our wedding, I…imagined you with pink flowers in your hair…" He glanced up at her and just let out a sigh. "Personally, I've decided I blame the fact that before the raspberries and lemons you used to use whatever pink, flowery shampoo that was that you mentioned to me last week at your house…I guess over the years it just…must have worked its way into my subconscious…" He chuckled a little. "So…that was, um…part of it…And…And then also, well…" his small smile grew…as did his blush… "Sometimes I kind of arrange flowers in my spare time…See, Gerald and I helped out Mrs. Vitelllo at the flower store for a couple of weeks once, and making the arrangements was my job and I…just find it kind of relaxing, I guess…." He swallowed and glanced away sheepishly, rubbing one of his arms with his hand. "Um, Helga? About the flower arranging though…would you mind not bringing that up to anyone else outside of Phoebe and Gerald? It's just, um…" he blushed a little more, "I know I don't usually care about things like this, but, um…I think the other guys would actually eat me alive if they ever found out, okay?"

Arnold looked back up at Helga, his arms now shyly behind him, only to see her smiling dreamily…and then she giggled. "_Oh Arnold_…" she cooed, suddenly taking one of his hands in both of her own and lifting it up to hold it near her heart. "You are just _so_ adorable… The only guy in the whole world probably who can do his girlfriend's hair and then treat her like she's part of some lovely, princess-like bouquet…And then you get all flustered about being afraid that the other boys'll make fun of you for being your naturally sweet and sensitive self…" She giggled again. "Don't worry Arnold, I promise your flower arranging will just stay between you and me, okay?" She just shook her head at his charming little self and his charming little 'secret' and his charming little shyness, and then gently released his hand and walked past him on the landing, and proceeded to descend the rungs of the second ladder to drop to the street. "Honestly, Arnold," she just had to comment as she finished the last leg of her journey from his rooftop, "You are completely at your cutest when you're torn between the whole boy/boyfriend thing…Not to mention…" she dropped to the street below finally and looked up to see him now halfway down the last ladder himself, "I mean, you're always going on about how creative _I_ am, Football Head, but _you're_ really creative too, you know…The room gadgets and the pigeon coop and now the flower arranging and the hairstyling…" She smiled more and more to herself as she went on.

Arnold dropped to the street and turned to her, smiling and blushing. "Really, Helga?" he asked shyly. "You…think _I'm_ creative too?"

"Yup…" she winked. "No question about it in the whole wide world, my love…" she giggled, "Or rather, _my prince_... Hmm, don't feel like I've thrown that little name out for you often enough, but as long as I'm your princess…might as well start letting you know more often that you're my prince, Arnold, right?" And then she took a very coy step over to him and continued in a low voice, arms behind her back, "My sweet prince…my knight in shining armor…my own first and only sharer of kisses…Oh Arnold, I still remember you being so very jealous when you thought so many weeks ago that I had given Brainy one of my kisses but…you must know always and forever that my lips will only truly long to yours, Arnold…Yes, all of me will only ever truly long for all of you, my fantasy-driven little Football Head…"

"_Oh Helga, I_—I…I…mean…" Arnold, who had…quite suddenly started speaking this first part of his sentence and with quite a… 'dramatic' tone in his voice and a _notably_ adoring smile on his face, suddenly stopped and blinked a few times…and then blushed and his eyes came a little back into focus. "I-I mean…" he cleared his throat and shook his head a little bit to clear it, and now spoke in a normal tone once again, "That's…wonderful to know…my Helga… A-All of it…" He was still blushing like mad at her little monologue for him. "I-I'm happy I got to be your first kiss, too…"

Helga just chuckled a little (noticing his fluster and blushing right now far more than that little quick change in his manner of speaking from the first part of his reply) and took a step back from him with a small smirk. "Yeah, I've been getting that vibe lately considering all the kissing, Arnold…" She crossed her arms over her chest and for a moment just admired her handiwork. '_Arnold's not the only one in this relationship who can sweet talk someone into a little blushing frenzy…Knew letting myself go off into a bit of a monologue would do the trick—he's a sucker for those…'_ She let out a happy sigh.

"Oh and, um…" Helga's prince suddenly went on with a smile, "Thanks again for…well, saying _I'm_ creative too, Helga… I guess I just get so distracted by how brilliant _you_ are that I never really thought about it that way, or that all the stuff I do might be kind of special…That was sweet of you…like always."

Helga just smiled and put her arms behind her back again, glancing to the side. "You're welcome, Arnold…"

Letting out a happy sigh through his nose, Arnold then gestured forward (because he felt, always and forever, that it was just plain the right thing to do with a girl on a date…and also because he recalled Phoebe's words about Helga really liking the gentleman thing more than she let on) and bowed just a little low. "Shall we then, my Helga?"

Helga just chuckled to herself a little at him like that…Not that she was giving in to the whole 'I'm the girl—he's my slave' thing, but…there really was something to be said for Arnold's little gentlemanly gestures like these and how adorably they fit his personality…and how they really could make her feel just a little special inside. "Of course, my love…" she replied. She took a step forward but then, just as she was about to exit the alley into the public eye, she recalled one more little question she had for her beloved while they could still talk freely without fear of being overheard by somebody. "Oh, but, Arnold, before we go, can I ask you one more question?" She did her best not to smirk too much…but really she was seriously curious.

Arnold just straightened up a bit, still smiling, and gave her an affirmative nod. "Of course, Helga…Anything in the whole world…" he replied, still feeling a little lovesick, all things considered.

Helga did her best not to roll her eyes at his little dramatics, and then crossed her arms over her chest and finally asked, "The 'styling my hair' fantasy…Arnold…where in the world did that come from, and…how in the heck was the desire for it strong enough that it popped into your head to use most of your fantasy time just now to do it?"

Helga watched her beloved predictably go a little wide eyed and blush a bit…but then his little smile returned, and he just swallowed, put his hands behind his back…seemed to consider for a moment…and then looked to her and shrugged. "I…I'm not exactly sure, actually. I think it was from a few things, to be honest…" His smile grew a little more. "I mean, first I…I just love touching your hair, Helga…you know, like when we kiss sometimes and it's down around your shoulder or I start to, um…pull it down a little…." He swallowed a little bashfully, but went on. "There's just…something about pulling my fingers through it… It feels like I can't get enough of it sometimes, really…" A funny thought occurred to him. "Actually, I think the best way to put it would be that…however much you really like the shape of my head…is how much I really like your hair…"

Arnold blushed a bit more…but was obviously getting a little lost in the subject at hand and so did not cease his musings. "And then of course there's how pretty it smells, Helga…and how soft it is too…And also how it's just one of your most attractive qualities in general…" His eyes went more half lidded. "So then all of that together…couldn't help but make me think sometimes about how nice it would be to just sit down near you for a few minutes and just…do whatever I wanted with it, and especially all for it's own sake instead of as only a part of a kiss…Moving and shifting and arranging all of the pieces and strands of it with my hands…" He let out a little sigh. "A-And then the braid in general I guess came from how we were talking about Shakespeare and the school play, my bright angel, and how you had it in kind of a braid when you were playing Juliet…_my_ Juliet…" His smile went its absolute goofiest for a moment—he was obviously now stuck on the love of his life actually playing the love of his life in one of the greatest love stories ever told, like some kind of cosmic sign that they were truly meant to be with each other…

"But, um…" Arnold managed to barely say a few seconds later, and then he blinked once or twice and managed to fully snap out of his daydreams to wrap things up, "Oh but, um…anyway…so that's…all of that's where the hair styling fantasy came from…and…to be honest…" He took a step toward Helga, "Now that I got the chance to do it, and play with and touch your perfect hair like that, I feel like I've got this…intimate relationship with it or something." His smile picked up just a little on one side.

Helga had been absorbing his little explanation with a lot of blushing and a lot of pride, the whole time just basking in the lovely feel of Arnold's braid upon her shoulder. As he finished with this little comment though, she couldn't help but look into his half lidded eyes with her own half lidded eyes and reply with a grin, "Hmm…an intimate relationship, huh?…I like the sound of that, Arnold…" She brushed her fingers over her ear, touching the hair he loved so much, "Well, I'll…have to keep your deep love for my hair in mind when we're together from now on, Arnold…" She gave him a wink.

"Thanks, Helga…" Arnold's grin picked up as well, and then he couldn't help but add, gazing from her eyes to her braid once more. "Plus…on top of all that stuff I mentioned, I think I'm starting to get a thing for blondes…" He reached up a little boldly and brushed over her ear with his own hand now as well. "…Well, _one_ blonde, at least… Just another fun new level of the whole being incredibly attracted to you thing, I guess, huh, Helga?"

At his sudden little touch Helga swallowed hard of course but then just rolled her eyes to the side with a smirk again today and gave a little shrug. "Hey, at least _your_ thing you're attracted to is pretty standard…You should have tried walking through a door one morning when you were three and realizing you had a serious hang up on football shaped heads!"

Arnold had to break into some serious chuckles at that little comment, and as the only thing that came close for Helga G. Pataki to how good it felt to make Arnold blush or smile was (as it had always been) how good it felt to actually make Arnold laugh, Helga chuckled quite a little herself. And then she added, taking that step past her beloved and glancing at him over her shoulder, "Oh and that flaxen hair of yours didn't help either, of course… I'm guilty of the blondes thing too, Arnold… And of course, just as _you_ love to touch _my_ hair, _I_ love to run my fingers through those gorgeous tufts of hair of _yours_ now that I finally can in my life…And it feels _so_ good, Arnold…" She shot him a blushing wink. "Now for crying out loud let's at least start on this walk to get our pizza, Football Head! Crimeny, I can practically feel my stomach growling!" Having made this announcement, she then turned back around and finally stepped out onto the sidewalk and around the corner of the building, waiting for her beloved to join

Arnold (first reaching up, in his state of intense blushing, and just touching the ends of one of those tufts of hair she'd mentioned loving to run her fingers through…and feeling all goofy inside that she really liked his hair too all that much), recalled their early dinner date right now at Helga's words and quickly came out of the alley as well to join up with her and begin their walk together.

Together now and heading up the street (after one of Helga's usual standard glances around to check to see if anyone they knew was nearby…She really couldn't help it—it was just habit), the two just walked in happy silence, smiling to themselves and just feeling…very at peace…as they always did around one another.

As they turned the corner to leave Vine Street though, Arnold couldn't help but glance to Helga and say in a quiet voice since they were indeed passing by a person or two (though no one from school or anything at the moment), "Oh, um…Helga…before I forget…About that whole thing that you like about whenever I get torn between…I guess, 'being a boy and being a boyfriend' is how you usually put it…" He smiled at the idea.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Helga glance at him with a smile. "Yes, Arnold? About that little dilemma I love to create for you sometimes for my amusement? And about how cute it is watching you squirm as you try figure your way out of it?"

Arnold just rolled his amused eyes to the side a little. "Yeah, that. Well…um…going along with that…and along with the whole 'keeping us a secret' thing…" he noticed the smile on her face falter a little, but kept his up… It wasn't anything bad, what he had to say…It might actually make her feel a little better…and also remind her that she wasn't entirely alone with maybe liking some of the 'deception'… "You know, um…" he decided to try his best to reign in the charm as he spoke since they were out on the street…though he still had to at least say what he had to say while the thought was fresh in his mind, "You know, _you're_ cute too…but when you're kind of torn between being 'Helga G. Pataki, the iron-fisted ruler of the fourth grade' and being 'Helga Geraldine Pataki…the beautiful poet who's in love with me'… Especially when we're in school…" He turned his head to look at her a little more. "I told you once before, Helga…" he spoke sincerely, recalling that final conversation of their first date before he'd left her on her stoop, "Even though I don't like keeping us a secret very much…the sneaking around _has_ kind of been growing on me…and there's something to be said for having your brilliance all to myself for just a little while…"

Arnold watched as Helga's smile widened, and she looked just about as happy as could be. "Thanks, Arnold…" she said in a quiet voice back to him…and then glanced forward happily, and just had to add to get under his skin a little. "And well, well, well…looks like I really was right not only about that little dark side of yours, but about the fact that it's got a natural aptitude at being dark…" Arnold blinked (and blushed) in a little bit of confusion at first until she further clarified (and then his blushing only got deeper, of course), "What I'm saying is…it looks like _someone_ has kind of a thing for this secret little romance of ours…Doing something a little sneaky, a little bold, a little risky…Something that the world says is wrong…but that just feels so right… You like having a girl you can pull off into the shadows to satisfy all of your deepest daydreams and fantasies—admit it, Arnold…You like having your own little private love buffet…"

With little drama or arrest (but yet, of course, no warning) this little speech from Helga lead her to being lead calmly but firmly right into the next alley by a smiling Arnold who really just couldn't take it anymore. He then proceeded to turn to her, gently place either of his hands on either one of her shoulders, and press their foreheads together, just looking into her eyes… His arms then instantly traveled down to wrap warmly around Helga's back so that he could hold hug her to himself. He just needed to hold her and touch her and be as near her as possible just for a moment…her words and so many new daydream and fantasy images suddenly dancing so very overwhelmingly in his head.

He just savored her warmth in his arms for several seconds…

And then eventually Arnold replied to Helga's accusation that there was a part of him that sincerely and deeply loved how romantic all the secrecy could be… He looked at her dazed face in the shadows and spoke in a whisper, "Yeah…I do, Helga… I…do love my own private little love buffet…" He rested his forehead against hers all the more… "But…" he went on, looking right into her eyes, "…It'll be even better one day when I can pull you _out of_ the shadows and _into_ anywhere and _in front of_ anyone and use a kiss for the first time to let THEM know instead of just YOU that I want you and only you forever…my princess Helga Geraldine…"

It didn't take Helga more than ten or fifteen…okay it actually took her a good twenty or thirty seconds to stop being numb with pleasure enough to respond. She brought her arms up and very deliberately ran the fingers of one of her hands through Arnold's hair, and felt him straighten up and saw him smile more as he did so…It also probably made him grin just a bit that she used her other hand to creep up just the tiniest bit under his sweater, resting her palm against the plaid shirt over his back. She smiled more and whispered back to him. "I…I know it'll be even better too, Arnold…And I promise you…one day…I will tell everybody…I will tell everybody that I love Arnold…Arnold Shortman." She leaned in and placed a gentle kiss upon his lips…pulling back slowly…eventually… And then she looked deeply into his eyes once more… "You have my word."

"I never ever doubted you would, Helga…" came Arnold's whispered reply from his freshly kissed…and slightly trembling…lips… Then he shut his eyes and squeezed Helga to him tightly for one final happy hug (savoring once again in his life how PERFECTLY she fit in his arms) before finally releasing his lovely girlfriend once more this day and then eventually (as soon as both of their blushings subsided a little) pulling her back out to the street to continue their walk.

"…Besides…when the wedding invitations go out one day I feel like everyone might get a clue that there's something going on between us." Arnold couldn't help adding the small joke with a smirk to Helga out of the corner of his eye as they departed from the alley. He knew he should have saved it until later because they were walking out on the open street once again and him ever being willing to _bring up_ the marriage/wedding/ 'Helga Shortman' thing always made her blush without question…but it had just popped out before he could stop himself. He just waited now, hoping Helga wouldn't be too upset with him for putting her through this comment and a possible public blush when she was already taking such a risk by just being out here walking down the street with him, beautiful braid in her hair, on her way to go have dinner together with him…

"Oh shut up, you big jerk of a lug…." Instead of an upset remark though, this comment (playfully said) met Arnold's ears and his eyes now turned to Helga fully. She was just smirking as she walked along...and also (unfortunately) blushing like crazy out here in broad daylight.

Still, though, rather than panicking and ducking into the nearest alley until the rosy hue drained from her cheeks once more…a still smirking Helga just sighed to herself and merely commented, almost shaking her head in amusement at how unbelievably hopeless her current position was if they actually did turn a corner and bump into Harold Berman or Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd or any number of people, "And now, Arnold, I am officially walking down the street in public, talking to you, smiling like crazy (heck I can even feel a giggle dying to come out of me at the next cute thing you'll say), with my hair in a braid and a flower over my ear…and now blushing on top of everything else." She glanced at Arnold fully and just shrugged. "Well, what the heck—if we're going to risk getting busted might as well go all the way, right?" And she actually even tossed in a public wink on top of it all! (Though, she did do one of her little glances around first—It was just…too engrained for her NOT to do one (for now…) ).

Arnold smiled and even laughed a little at Helga's assessment of things, happy that she was happy and okay with all of this…with spending this small piece of time being so much of her true self in public. It was like a little bonus piece of fantasy time for him… "Yeah, all we'd need is to be holding hands or something…" Arnold meant it as a joke entirely. It would have literally been another fantasy come true of course, but with everything he was getting right now and with how it had only been just a few days ago that she'd specifically point blank said that something like that was too much.

"Oh…why the heck not?"

Arnold's jaw actually fell as he processed the reply and then the fact that Helga—took his hand!

He heard a little giggle come from her beside him as she then went on in a half playful, half sarcastic voice, obviously still grinning, "But we're running up the street to get to the freaking pizza parlour, and if anyone asks you beaned me with a baseball again and I've gone all temporarily loopy once more, got it?"

Arnold just looked to her with wide eyes…and then down at her hand holding his…and then back up into her smiling blue eyes…And then he smiled wide and nodded enthusiastically. "Whatever you say, Helga!"

She just rolled her eyes at his cute little enthusiasm and then the two of them started to race up the street together!

As they rounded another corner (together for once instead of separately and slamming into one another), a grinning, blushing Arnold managed to add to Helga, in his state of total elation at his good fortune with her today, "Hey, maybe I should even say that this time around you think I'm your boyfriend or something…That would explain sharing the soda together in case anyone caught us…"

Helga, still looking forward as she ran on, visibly swallowed and blushed a bit more. "U-Um…one step at a time, Arnold..." she couldn't help but reply…because, even though it was probably a little joke, she...just in case the opportunity presented itself, she just needed to make it clear that she wasn't quite ready to hide that 'in plain sight' just yet… Still though, it was a cute thing to say, and so, as the pizza parlour came in sight, Helga did squeeze her sweet prince's hand a little and glance over her shoulder at him with a smirk and add, "But I do like the way that football headed brain of yours thinks, Arnoldo…I do like the way it thinks…"

She felt a still smiling Arnold squeeze her hand back…and she felt a lot better.

And then the two kids faced forward again and focused their attentions once more on their quest this afternoon for a half jalapeños and olives, half pineapple pizza, and a large Yahoo soda with a cherry twist…and two straws, of course!

* * *

**A/N:**

I hope you guys liked this! Like, I've been working on it like **crazy** so I really, really hope it came out alright and everything, lol! Anyway as always, your lovely reviews are appreciated and like I said I'll try and start doing updates on my other stuff and of course answering all of the messages and reviews that I'm behind on asap! ^_^

Here's the line-up for the next courtship chapter:

**DOUBLE STANDARD**

**TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AFTER SCHOOL**

**ANOTHER TOUCHING MOTHER/DAUGHTER MOMENT**

**GERALD X PHOEBE**

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER! ^_^

~Azure129 aka Jenna ;)


	16. The Courtship: Part 3 of 6

**A/N:**

Hi all! :D Okay, sorry for major delays but these chapters take FOREVER and also I've been trying to update other stuff of mine regularly too in between this fic so yeah that explains the delays, lol :) But I'll never abandon this story, of course, and I appreciate all of your patience ^w^ Anyway there'll be three more courtship chapters after this and then we get along with this story's conclusion ;) And as usual I want to thank all of my HA! Fandom friends! :D You know who you are ;)

Anywho, here are the four mini stories we have in store for this chapter:

**DOUBLE STANDARD**

**TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AFTER SCHOOL**

**ANOTHER TOUCHING MOTHER/DAUGHTER MOMENT**

**EVERYONE'S OTHER FAVORITE COUPLE **

_*In "Everyone's Other Favorite Couple", the Arnold and Helga situation was inspired by an episode of "Doug" ;) I'll go into more details in the closing A/N so that I don't give anything away ^w^_

_*Also in "Everyone's Other Favorite Couple", special thanks to my baby sister **SUPRSINGR** for helping kind of jumpstart my inspiration with that one with her awesomeness ;) :333_

Alright and away we go :D

(And please oh please oh PLEASE review! ^w^)

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 16:**

**The Courtship: Part 3/6**

* * *

**DOUBLE STANDARD**

Around ten minutes ago, a certain football headed fourth grader had finished not only his homework (which, being a very responsible young man, he had started right away upon getting home from school—and also his grandparents were currently having the hallways painted so he was kind of stuck in his room and figured he might as well start off up there with something productive) but also his daily attempt at working out a little bit of private writing focused on a certain young blonde haired, blue eyed, pink-wearing young lady as sort of an in progress surprise for the girl in question.

As a result of having accomplished these tasks (and, of course, still kind of not being able to go anywhere else in his house for at least a few more hours while the paint dried), Arnold Shortman had decided that now was as good a time as any to take care of a few necessary little chores around his room, and so, after tossing a few pieces of clothing into his hamper and placing a few empty Yahoo soda bottles into his wastebasket (but not before kind of smiling dreamily at one of them in his hand…the one that maybe someone special had drank from…the one that reminded him most of that Yahoo bottle shrine of hers up in the attic space above her closet), he'd decided to take the watering can always on a shelf near his bed and to tend to a few of the plants he always had growing on the top of his shelves, right where his skylight started so that they could get plenty of sunlight.

Climbing the wall ladder up to them and spreading a little water here and there, he smiled to himself and spoke to the plants a bit, like his grandmother had always taught him to do ever since he'd been little. "Hello, rose bush, how're you today?" He smiled a little more… Originally he'd been going to ask Mrs. Vitello for a regular, red rose plant to grow and let blossom in his little flower pot, but…since his trip to her shop for that purpose had occurred _after_ a certain love confession of his a few weeks ago, he'd changed his mind and gone for _pink_ roses instead…He'd really, really been getting a certain affection for that particular color…And happily the roses looked like they were coming in nicely…so cute and small and pink. He had to let out a lovesick sigh for just a moment but then shook his head and did his best to get back to the task at hand. _'There's plenty of time to think about her later…' _He smiled a little more to himself and turned to his next plant. "Hello ivy, you seem to be coming in nicely…" He gave the ivy some water and shifted one or two of its tendrils to allow them to wrap around a few small objects which he had placed up there beside the potted plant just for that purpose. He turned to the last plant now (the one nearest the skylight panel that actually opened up to his fire escape). "And hello, bonsai, plant…" he observed the little tree, "Hmm…I'll have to trim you a little bit later, but your color's certainly been picking up lately." Arnold smiled and watered this last plant, and then placed his watering can down on one of the nearby shelves. "Would you all like some air?" he asked with a smile, glancing at all three plants. Assuming (as he usually did) that the answer was of course 'yes' he then unlatched the entrance panel of his skylight and opened it up, letting some nice, fresh, late spring air into the room…

…Along with the faint sounds of someone speaking in the alley below.

"This is so stupid…I should not rock the boat…"

Arnold knew that voice…so very very very well…His little heart made many beats and he eagerly looked out of his window, about to call down to the little love of his little life…when his eyes fell on Helga G. Pataki down in the alley below his window…not looking in his direction at all and actually appearing a little distressed…and she was pacing (she'd just gone to the right, actually, as she'd said what she'd just said).

"Still…" she went on to herself (and Arnold chose not to interrupt her just yet…). She paced to the left now. "I mean, it's a legitimate…thing…to bring up. A-And we're not getting any younger…" She paused and seemed to consider again.

Then she shook her head and paced to the right once more. "But, come on, I have DATES WITH ARNOLD! HOW stupid would I have to be to start nitpicking about them…Crimeny, I'm selfish…"

She let out a sigh and paused once again…and then went to the left once more. "But then again…I'm a girl…and a girl's got her needs…Olga's not the only one who deserves to have the full experience…"

Arnold, meanwhile, was finding this whole self-debate absolutely adorable. At this point he was just leaning out of his window with his head resting on one of his hands and an epically dreamy smile on his face…All this back and forth…all because she cared so much about something obviously involving him…Her working things out in that 'out loud' way that she had of expressing all of her inner creativity and conflict… '_It's like watching a play or something…Oh I hope she pulls out the locket next!_' He almost had to laugh at the cute idea but did his best to still keep quiet while Helga finished her solo discussion…even though he knew deep down (just like he knew she must know deep down too) that eventually the love inside of her would bring her to him to help her with her problem…and he could wait until she came to that conclusion on her own…especially if it meant as fascinating a sight as all of this in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Helga had now turned to the right again. She shook her head to herself. "But no, no, no…HELLO! Arnold is your boyfriend and he loves you and showers you with hugs and kisses and affection…" Her look got dreamy and she let out a small sigh and indeed…reached into her jumper pocket and pulled out her little heart shaped locket. "And oh, my love…you are so ve_r_y good at all of those things and more…" She giggled and gave the center of her locket a little poke and placed it back into her jumper pocket with a smile…

But then she let out a sigh and turned to the left again. "But…then again…we're supposed to have an honest, open, modern relationship…no secrets, not anymore…If I've got something on my mind, I should share it…"

But then she moaned a little and turned to the right again. "But should I still do that even if it could mess up all the loveliness I already have! Crimeny…" She glanced back to the left, a scowl upon her face. "Oh come on, Helga, buck up! You _confessed_ to the football head already in your life—so just tell him this too!" Her head almost turned back to the right all of a sudden but then settled on just looking forward and down. "Oh for Pete's sake, I HATE moral dilemmas! Way too much indecision! And especially with this one—there're just as many reason to tell him as there are not to tell him…"

"Um…personally…if my vote matters at all…I'm with the side of you that was going left…uh, to MY left…YOUR right…you know, that side of you that wants to tell me what's on that complicated mind of yours…"

These words, accompanied by a small chuckle, met Helga's ears and caused her to freeze and her eyes to go wide…and then a very distinct blush to come to her cheeks. She blinked a few times in a slight fluster and then looked up…to see her boyfriend smiling and waving down to her, leaning out of his skylight window.

She absorbed his sudden presence for a moment and then scowled a little and rolled her eyes (though obviously she was fighting back a serious smile, and losing the battle on top of it all). "Arnold Phillip Shortman…haven't I told you time and time again that it is RUDE to eavesdrop?" She had to give in to the desire smirk just a little, recalling the time before his confession when he had secretly listened to a conversation she had been having with Phoebe in Slausens about him (and also the mention she had been sure to make of this action of his in the little note she had left him on his bed when she had returned her first pink book to him not long after that).

Arnold chuckled a little more at her comment and then just shrugged, still smiling. "Sorry…I've been picking up a lot of bad stalking habits from this girl I've been spending time with lately…Breaking into her room, listening in whenever I find her doing that adorable talking to herself/monologuing thing…"

"…Giving her kisses that would make some _high schoolers_ blush…" Helga fluttered her eyelashes a little, smirking just a bit more.

Arnold blushed just a bit at that comment but still managed to smile. He shrugged. "Yeah, that too…But hey, she started it with that kiss she gave me on top of the FTi building…"

Helga chuckled a little herself and then just shrugged. "Point taken…I _do_ hear that she is a dynamite kisser." And then she let out a sigh and just crossed her arms over her chest. "But anyway…all joking aside…I know we don't have a date planned for today, Arnold, but you wouldn't have a few minutes to give a little advice, would you, my prince?"

Arnold's smile went a little dreamier and he even gave a small, goofy laugh. "Sure, my precious princess…You always have a special, first priority place whenever you need advice." He winked down at her.

Helga giggled a little at his sweetness. "Ah, just like _you_ always have a first priority place whenever a poetry tutor's needed." She winked back at him. "Okay, sounds good to me, my love." And with that she proceeded to climb up the fire escape and to the entrance to Arnold's room.

"Be careful, Helga…" Arnold couldn't help but call out as she climbed higher, even though he knew she'd been up and down this old fire escape probably more times than HE had.

"Crimeny, Arnold, I've been up and down this thing probably more times than YOU have…I think I'll manage…" she just called with an amused smirk as she made it to the first landing and started on her way to the second one. "Still though if only I'd had my grappling hook and some rope with me though—it's a ton more fun _rappelling_ up the side of your house, Arnold, _believe me."_ Helga winked as she finally finished getting to the landing that put her face to face with her beloved. '_Ah, the good old days_…' she thought to herself nostalgically.

Arnold chuckled some more, smiling as their eyes finally became level. He raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "Whatever you say, Helga…But I still can't help worrying when you climb up here sometimes…" He blushed a ton and glanced down with a shy little smile as he went on with, "…The only thing keeping you from being a _real_ angel instead of just _my_ angel is that you can't actually fly, you know…" He let out a little sigh and just barely brought his shy little eyes up back to hers. "In fact, I…still don't know how you didn't hurt yourself falling from heaven…"

Helga, who had been about to give a little playful shove past him to start him climbing down to his bed so that she could climb down too, blinked and stopped at this (TOTALLY unexpected) little, well… 'line' was really the only word for it…from him. She blushed like crazy…and then did everything she could not to burst into flustered little giggles. "O-O-Oh…I…I'm an _angel_ now too along with being your princess, huh? How suave…" She rolled her eyes but then finally gave in to a giggle or two, always finding it so very charming when he flirted…and especially when he tried new stuff with her.

Arnold blushed a bit more at her words, still smiling a ton to himself. "Thanks…I try." And then he let out a sigh…gulped…and pushed forward to give her a small kiss upon the lips. He pulled back, his smile all the more dreamy.

Helga blinked at his action (once again, something kind of unexpected from him today), and but half smiled, obviously very pleased, and then raised part of her brow at him. "And…what, uh…what was that little treat for, my love? Not that I'm complaining, of course." She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away with a proud grin at having apparently earned a little kiss from him without even trying.

Arnold shrugged a little, blushing even more and glancing a little shyly to the side. "Oh, um…just…felt like giving you a kiss hello. Trying something else new, you know? Was that okay?" He looked to her just a little bashfully, obviously genuinely wanting her approval of his little experiment.

Helga just chuckled and rolled her eyes at his slight unsureness. "No, Arnold," she began with a lilt of sarcasm, grinning, "I'm about to run away screaming my head off about you giving me 'hello kiss' cooties or something."

Arnold's look instantly relaxed at her playful response and then he laughed a little and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, aren't GIRLS the ones who are supposed to have cooties?" he asked with a small smirk.

Helga just smirked right back and shook her head a little at him, not missing a beat. "Arnold, even if that were true…after THIS many weeks of swapping spit with me I think it's a safe bet _you'd_ have them too." She finished this counterpoint with a wink.

Arnold blushed a lot at her reasoning but then just shrugged and smiled again. "I…see your point, Helga…" He began to head a step or two down of his wall ladder, still looking at her as he started. "Anyway, come on inside…I'm pretty curious at this point about what's bothering you, you know…and, um…maybe we can even make this kind of a…surprise date." He smiled a little more. "I could use a little more poetry tutoring, to be honest, especially with our final creative writing projects coming up, and then maybe we could play a game or something and then we can walk to Slausens and buy each other ice cream if no one's around…What do you say?"

Sounds like a plan, my love. A surprise date, it is.

Something along those lines was the expected, normal response of Helga G. Pataki to this expected, normal suggestion by Arnold.

However, instead, Helga…interestingly enough…rather than agreeing with her beloved as per usual…looked at him kind of funny for a second…and then cleared her throat. "O-Oh…Yeah…Uh…we'll see…heh…" She then began to climb inside as Arnold now dropped down to his bed…and he was feeling very confused at the moment, to say the least.

'_We'll see…?'_ He'd…certainly never gotten that reaction from her to the idea of a date with him. And it made him feel…not okay…Shifting aside on his bed now to give Helga room to drop down, he did his best not to frown too much and to try and think positively. '_Maybe she just means she's really distracted by whatever's on her mind, or that she's got some family stuff to do after this…Yeah…that could be it. Besides we hang out on dates almost everyday for a little while—it's not strange that she'd come over here one day and not necessarily want to stick around for hours. No problem.' _Arnold gave a small nod at his own assuring thoughts, managing to smile a little again.

Helga now dropped to his bed then with a small plop and looked to him with a smile, bringing his attention back to her. "Uh…thanks for randomly finding me out there, by the way, Arnold. I'm still a little stubborn about asking for help with some things sometimes, you know?" She pulled her legs in, tilting them to the side, and placed her hands on either side of herself on the bed, looking a little shy for a moment as the issue on her mind obviously came to the forefront of her thoughts once more.

"It's okay, Helga…" Arnold assured her, his smile growing, "Besides, I knew that no matter how worried you might be about telling me whatever it is that's bothering you, you'd come to me eventually….Just like I'll always come to you about anything that might be bothering me, especially if it's about us." His warm green eyes brimmed with understanding and love.

Helga felt her heart warm up with happiness at his words. "I know, Arnold…" she replied quietly and with her own growing smile… "And thank you for that, my love…"

For a moment the two of them were caught up with just kind of gazing dreamily at each other with goofy smiles. And they were so close…both so very aware of how easy it would have been for Arnold to come forward to hug Helga and for Helga to hug him back…for little kisses to start…then bigger kisses…in love up here together.

Just before the compulsion became too much not to be acted on though, Helga managed to clear her throat and glance away from Arnold's eyes, breaking their locked gazes. "U-Um…about that advice I need, Arnold?" she questioned quietly.

Arnold was still just watching her dreamily though. He didn't respond. This pretty pink angel vision on his blue and green bed. Like a rose upon a warm sea. '_That's good…I should write that down…'_ he barely thought to himself as the idea of hugging her…among maybe doing other things with her… pulled at his thoughts again.

Helga, meanwhile, just smiled a tiny bit at his current daze, raising part of her brow. "Arnold…Advice, my dear? Unless this is a bad time of course…" She giggled a little. "Do you and the daydream version of me need a minute or something?"

Speaking a few full sentences to him finally made Helga's voice process with Arnold. His eyes went wide and he blinked a few times, and then cleared his throat and grinned a little sheepishly at her, putting his arms behind his back. "Oh, uh…" he gulped, "Heh…advice…r-right…S-Sorry…" He shook his head a little to clear it some more. "A-And, um, no, um…perfect timing…Me and the daydream…needing a…Heh…good one, Helga." He swallowed and cleared his throat, trying to seem calm again and finally bringing his bashful little green eyes up to meet her slightly smug looking blue ones. "A-Actually, I was just watering my plants before you came in and giving them some air. Nothing that can't wait until later." He was finally starting to move past the little awkward moment and to feel once again returned to his normal, calm, happy self around her.

"Talking to them again too, my love?" Helga couldn't help but instantly ask of him with a smirk.

Arnold blushed, his eyes going wide, and he was back in full embarrassment mode again. "H-How did you know that I—"

She just shrugged and spoke her reply in a casual voice. "Your grandma mentioned it to me that day I was helping her with the laundry." She smiled a little more and blushed. "And if you're interested, personally, I find _that_ habit plus your flower arranging abilities rather cute…" She fluttered her eyelashes a little, totally on purpose, knowing that the only thing her beloved maybe liked more than flirting with her was being flirted with BY her.

A still slightly blushing but starting to feel a little calmer once again Arnold switched his legs around now so that he was sitting cross legged and just clasped his hands together with a small smile. "Thanks, Helga."

"No problem, Football Head." She winked…but then let out a sigh. She gave a noticeable swallow. "Now, um…a-about that advice I need…" she prompted once more, coming off as very shy once again.

Arnold let out a sigh at her words, and then rested his head on his hand and just looked at her with a half grin. "Alright, my Helga…" he had to let out a small, amused sigh, unable to help himself. "What small thing have you come across _now_ that you think will put our wonderful, perfect, unstoppable relationship in jeopardy?"

Helga smiled and blushed more. "Shut up…" She rolled her eyes. "And yeah, I've got…well, I don't think it's going to break us up! It's just…something silly…" She wrung her hands a little, a slight frown/pout coming to her face.

Arnold just shook his head at her words (and tried not to focus too much on her pout…That pretty pink little lower lip of hers). "Helga, nothing important to you is silly," he quickly affirmed, putting aside the thought of her lips for now. "Now please share with me."

Helga blinked…then smiled…and then nodded, that total trust she had in him brimming in her eyes. "Yes…I'll share anything with you, my Arnold…" A little giggle escaped her and then she clasped her hands together, resting them on her knees, and finally began (looking to the side a bit shyly though still as she spoke. "Well…S-So, I was talking to Olga after school on the phone today, and we were, um…you know, just chatting about…boys…and stuff…" She blushed a bit more, still looking away from him.

Arnold glanced down and blushed a bit himself, unable to help interrupting her a little. "B-Boys, huh?" His smile grew. "Um…this might be a stupid question but…I'm guessing I fall under that heading, huh?"

"A-A little bit, yeah…" She smiled and shrugged a little, finally bringing her eyes up to glance to his again. "I-I mean, she and I weren't 'picking out china patterns for our big day' and 'planning my bachelorette party' or anything but, you know…Just a little friendly gossip…sister to sister…heh…" She let out a breath and rolled her eyes, finally looking at him fully again. "You tell anyone I participate in anything as girly as that, by the way, and I'll punch you right in the nose." She winked at him and chuckled a little.

Arnold rolled his eyes, chuckling as well. "Your 'secret's' safe with me, Helga." He winked right back at her, loving being ironic (as always). "A-Anyway, go on…" he was eager to hear more, "You were talking with your sister about…me…." Oh he really liked how it felt to think of Helga gushing about him…He always had.

Helga couldn't help but giggle a little at the obviously flattered look growing more and more on his face. "Whatever, Football Head…" She rolled her eyes in amusement, starting to feel a lot more relaxed now. "Anyway," she went on, smirking a little, "After I spent _forever_ going _on and on_ about how scrumptious you are," (she threw in a wink at Arnold's blushing face at this point just for the fun of it), "Olga started talking to me about some of her own boy experiences and stuff and…I guess it just…kind of occurred to me that…" She hesitated, obviously still wavering just a tiny bit about telling him what was on her mind, especially when they had been having such a good time just now with things just staying completely as they were.)

However…

"Occurred to you _that_…." A 'starting to come out of his lovesick stupor and back to planet Earth' Arnold prompted her kindly and understandingly.

Helga sighed and went on. She was bound to tell him sooner or later—after seven years of barely giving her beloved a peek of the real her, she no longer had it in her to keep secrets from him even if she wanted to…And, loving the openness between them, she really did not _want_ to anymore in the first place. "…It occurred to me that…we're dating…but we're not really 'dating'…" She blinked a few times, looking at Arnold unsurely.

Arnold just looked back at her…took a second to consider her words, obviously…but then just had to raise an eyebrow. "Alright, um…I've been trying to be a lot less, well…dense about things with us, Helga, but…I'm sorry. I don't understand." He spoke very sincerely.

Helga couldn't help but smile a little at his honest response. "It's okay, Arnold…I know it sounds very basketcase-like…But, um what I mean is…Not that what he have isn't…absolutely the most thrilling and wonderful thing I have ever experienced in my entire life…" She leaned in close and smiled quite a bit more at this last part, causing Arnold to lean back a little in surprise and blink a couple of times…but then to obviously instantly melt.

"Uh…me…too…" he squeaked out a little with a goofy smile. Then he blinked and managed to clear his throat and speak in a more normal and casual tone. "I mean, it's the same for me too, heh…" He looked at her sheepishly.

She giggled a little at the effect she'd had on him and leaned back to her former normal position. "Anyway…" she glanced to the side with a coy smile, "What I mean is…all of this that we've had so far is heaven, my love…us just spending time together as we want…hanging out in each other's rooms, doing homework, flirting, playing games…But Olga…" a touch of concern came to her face again, "When she's always dated a boy…well, the boy would come to her and ask her on their dates. And they'd be these official dates like out of movies and Olga would dress up every single time and the guy would dress up every single time, and the boy always came and picked her up and brought her flowers or candy or some junk like that. And also those nights were very specifically datelike! Like Olga and her boyfriends would go to big, fancy, grown-up places like restaurants or out dancing or to the opera or something. And then when the date was over, they guy would even bring Olga back home at the end of the night and leave her on our stoop with a romantic, official goodbye kiss! And I guess part of me's afraid that if the two of us just keep hanging out like friends for our dates in our rooms or grabbing an ice cream cone together like we've been doing, even though it's been romantic, maybe we're…doing something wrong…! I-I mean, I know we're young but we're still preteens and we'll be in fifth grade before you know it and then that's just a year until sixth grade which is a year until junior high and…" She let out a sigh as this rather long and involved little explanation of her current qualm started to wind down a little, suddenly seeming rather frustrated with herself. "Look, I get that it's a random problem to bring up, okay! A selfish, random, totally unappreciative of how lucky I am that you love me back problem…but…I-I mean…maybe real dates instead of all of this would be nice, okay?" she finally finished with these words and just looked at Arnold, breathing a little heavily, feeling a little desperate inside. Not that she had much of any doubt, but would he really be the kind, loving, understanding, accommodating boyfriend he had been proving to be so far and agree to try changing things to something a little more traditional, a little more official, a little more grown up? '_O-Of course he'll want to help you, Helga_,' she assured herself, almost managing to smile a little. '_He's the greatest guy and boyfriend in the whole world…why wouldn't he understand? Why wouldn't he want to try?_' She let out a small mental sigh of relief at her comforting logic.

Helga then proceeded to watch as a rather blank looking though wide eyed Arnold seemed to absorb her words for a few seconds…and then his face shifted a little for a few seconds more…and then, finally, he seemed to be trying not to smile as he said what he had to say next. "Okay…A traditional, more adult style date." He cleared his throat (still, it seemed, trying not to smile about something). "Can I ask you a question, Helga?"

Helga blinked. "Uh…yeah?" she replied in a confused tone.

Arnold's 'not yet a smile' smile grew just a little. "So…you want traditional dates where people are dressed up and get picked up at their houses and bring a present and go somewhere fancy and grown up…Can I ask why you didn't decide to just…do it _today_ and bring me an ice cream or something when you showed up here just now, and then take me out dancing or something?" (He just had to make sure of something…Something that was almost so amusing to him that he really could barely believe it).

At this very unexpected question Helga blinked quite a bit and her jaw even fell a little. She even scoffed! "Arnold! Have you SEEN a romantic movie ever? You're _my boyfriend_—you're supposed to woo me and ask me on the real date like I'm a catch or something, and preferably showing up with lots and lots of free stuff because you're all gaga over me…I-If _I_ brought _you_ stuff and escorted you on a real, official date that would just be…pathetic." Helga rubbed the back of her neck, looking rather unsure to say the least. The image of Arnold showing up at her door dressed in a suit and tie with a box of chocolates to take her out to the opera or a night club or something seemed heavenly…The image of her showing up at his door with Mr. Fudgie bars and getting down on one knee and asking him to let her 'whisk him away' as his escort to a super fancy restaurant or something just seemed…desperate and indeed a little pathetic. Olga had always had boys INSISTING on initiating official, like-in-the-movies dates with _her_…If she (Helga) was doing this girlfriend thing right…shouldn't Arnold want that with her too? "I mean, what kind of guy makes his girlfriend get down on one knee or something and beg him for a date, Arnold? Take some initiative as a boy, for Pete's sake!" She raised part of her brow and almost looked a little offended…and indeed she couldn't help but feel a little hurt, the only conclusion about all of this that she could readily draw being that maybe Arnold didn't consider her 'worthy' of such treatment or something…And that idea now, in turn, was starting to rub up against that little insecurity she'd always had about being a 'real' girl and whether or not she was 'pretty enough' or 'feminine enough'…So, needless to say, she wasn't terribly pleased with her love at the moment.

Helga watched Arnold blink a few times at her reply to him…until he then finally spoke again, a little smile finally coming to his face. "Okay…I think I understand what that problem is…"

Arnold's words snapped Helga out of any more thoughts on this subject (and why she was 'certainly' right about the whole thing) and she looked at him intently. Okay, so, he understood… Did that mean he was now going to ask her to start having official dates and then show up tonight at her doorstep all dressed up with flowers, whisk her off to something big and fancy and then drop her off at her stoop with a good night kiss, and repeat the process for the rest of their romantical lives? Oh she knew she wasn't all that into girly things but part of her couldn't help wondering how she should do her hai—

"You're being kind of a hypocrite, Helga…" Arnold even smirked a little as he suddenly made this rather interesting observation.

"Oh yes, of course, Arnold, that sounds lovely. I'll—" The fact that he wasn't asking her out then processed and Helga's jaw fell and her cooing voice went right away. "What?" came her flat, shocked reply.

Arnold shrugged and let out a sigh, half smiling. "You're being a hypocrite." He repeated simply. "You have a total double standard…" he then did his best to clarify for her.

Helga scowled now and put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to the side. "About what?" she questioned rather forcefully.

Arnold leaned back on his hands and shrugged. "Well…" his smile grew a little, "On our one week anniversary that you just brought up you yelled at me for trying to treat you like a girl and like you couldn't make your own decisions and like it was wrong for me to kiss you in your room…But now you're saying that I'm the guy and it's MY job to bring presents to dates and to officially ask you out on big, official ones all the time, but that _you_ don't have to do those things since you're the girl and that's not 'the way it works in movies' and stuff…How is that fair? I'm all for some more official dates if you'd like them, Helga. That actually sounds kind of nice, but…_you_ don't want to be treated like a girl who can't think for herself and who needs to be protected and restricted…so maybe _I _don't want to be treated like a boy who's supposed to be in charge of giving us this big, official grown up relationship and worshiping you…like I'm your slave taking you everywhere or something." He had to raise an eyebrow. "Didn't we agree this should be an equal, mutual relationship?"

Helga just looked at him…just looked at him and looked at him…blinked a few times… "Well, I…I mean…the physical stuff should still be mutual, of course, but…but…" '_But then again…_' She sighed…because the thing that annoyed her about it was that…darn it, it kind of made sense…and on top of it all he'd even had the guts to say it right to her face. '_B-But still_…' Still, part of her wanted…She sighed mentally…It was hard to describe…It was like she knew what Arnold was saying certainly had merit but she just…Her initial feelings and desires in regards to this whole thing couldn't just 'disappear in the blink of an eye' just because him and his loopy self had made some sense verbally. So for now she just settled on a sarcastic and ironic reply while she tried to think through how to put her current continued reservations into actual words. "Hmm, so you just made some big point about how we should have an equal relationship…Now what are you going to do?" She recalled that first anniversary when they had agreed on the mutual equality and give and take between them in their budding romance... "Seduce me in front of your skylight until I nearly fall out onto your fire escape and finally realize the error of my ways?" She looked at him with a smile…

Looked at him with a smile, that was, until Arnold suddenly glanced behind himself at the ladder leading to his skylight…and then glanced up at his skylight…and then crawled over and sat down so that he was now sitting in front of said ladder leading to said skylight. "Do not…tempt me, Helga…" He smiled at her just a little…a small little twinkle just catching in his eye (His heart raced and thumped, by the way.)

Oh, at this sight and these words Helga almost just rolled around on his bed in convulsions of laughter. The very idea of him even ATTEMPTING something like—oh that was rich! _'A-Arnold…SEDUCING…_' She was off into chuckles again but eventually managed to just shake her head at him with a grin, not wanting to hurt his feelings too much or anything, and then she smiled and rolled her eyes and replied slightly sarcastically, "Oh dear, whatever will I do…Take the steps downstairs to leave here by the front door perhaps?" She scooted off the bed and took a few steps toward the middle of the room, and was about to indulge in another a little chuckle, and then turn back around and ask Arnold if they could go downstairs and talk more about this so she could explain things a little better or something…

"That could work, Helga…except that my grandparents are painting the hallways today and no one can walk through there for a couple more hours…That's why I've been up here all afternoon, actually. Guess you're, um…stuck a little…huh?"

Helga blinked, still facing in the direction of his door. This was so stupid. "Arnold, ha ha, this is SO hysterical." She rolled her eyes, putting her hands on his hips as she began to turn to face him again. "But really, now can't we just both get out of here and talk about this some more, because I'm not sure if you're getting what I'm—" She stopped talking…and blushed a fiery red. Because Arnold had just kind of…

Well, what Arnold was doing was…It probably needed some context.

'_I can't believe I'm doing this…but…All's fair in love and war, I guess…_' He had smiled just a little as he'd had this thought while Helga had been facing away from him. And so now that he had made a personal decision to do something rather…well, now that he'd made the decision to, um… (Well he was really having trouble thinking the word 'seduce' so he just decided to kind of go with the concept for now and work his way up to the word), he reached up and…unbuttoned a button or two of his shirt near his collar (just a button or two because anything else he COULD NOT handle), pulling it open just a little…and then pushed up his sweater and shirt sleeves to his elbows on either side…and looked to his rather blushing girlfriend standing not to far from him in the middle of his room. "Actually, Helga…maybe you made a good point," he started. "I mean…you're special…you deserve to get treated special…You…You deserve presents when we go on dates…and more official dates than just spending time in each other's rooms…But actually…as long as we're on the subject…"

And then he shifted forward and stood up from the bed…and Helga…took a step back. Because he wasn't just saying random things that could be laughed off…he was kind of…looking at her in that way…that dominating way, right now…His eyes burning into hers…That 'April Fools dance, the confession kiss he'd given her on the couch in her living room, the way he'd looked into her eyes when he'd had her on his lounge chair up on his roof the other day for his 'fantasy time' ' way….This was odd.

His voice continued…lowering…taking on that smooth, sultry tone that always had struck her to her core and practically made her shiver, "As long as we're on the subject of…me…acting more like an official grown up boyfriend…I guess this means that…if you think about it…" and indeed he really did seem to be thinking it through, a very pensive look on his…gorgeous face (Helga's heart was in overdrive, by the way). "If you think about it…" Arnold went on again, moving closer, "Along with being the one who's supposed to ask you out to do more grown up stuff…I'm also probably supposed to be the more aggressive one of the two of us…And now all the time, I guess, huh?" He stepped forward now so that he was right in front of her…but then at the last second glanced to the side as though recalling something kind of amusing. "You remember…like at the April Fools dance, Helga…"

And then, before she could even blink, he had his arms around her and her body pulled in close, one arm right around her waist and the other around the top of her back! Their noses mashed, his eyes burning, burning, BURNING into hers again in their life! "The first time _I_ led….if you know what I mean?" His smile picked up just a smidge on one side.

'_Alright, um…heh, heh…Yeah…_' "U-Um Arnold…" Helga kind of managed to squeak out, trying to smile. "Okay, not that I'm not appreciating the closeness and a good joke but, uh…I get it…If _I _don't have to act like some helpless mushy ditz _you_ shouldn't have to be my prince charming slave…Presents and junk can be a mutual thing…A-And now we can move on…" Her heart pounded—she'd never been able to help it around Arnold and now he was holding her like this…being kind of (she gulped at the word that entered her mind for the second time in her life) 'rough' actually…and she…wasn't…okay.

'_No, sorry Helga…I have to make it stick….just like you did_.' Arnold, his eyes still smoldering into Helga's, only leaned her back a little farther at her words…tightening his hold on her all the more and VERY effectively cutting her off. "You know…" he went on in his low voice…that voice he knew she liked, "I know this isn't very fair but…I kind of like them…Those…little aggressive moments I get to have with all of this, I mean… Hmm…maybe this won't be just a joke like you said…Maybe I…really should try being the aggressive one on a regular basis. Besides I kind of like of the idea of being in charge of when, where and how we date, in charge of giving presents and kisses. I kind of like pushing back a little. Maybe I'm just kidding myself with this whole modesty thing…" He stroked up and down her spine with one hand…and it took so much for him to not let his knees quake and give out at the fact that he was doing that…He couldn't imagine what it must be like for her right now… "Maybe I've been kidding myself all along…" he finished in a sultry whisper, just barely managing to not break.

"Arnold…" He heard her voice leave her in a trembling whisper. Her blue eyes looked with fearful wonder into his own.

"No. Go with me on this…" He ended his stroking, went back to holding around her perfect waist and also gently cradling the upper part of her back. He spoke as sincerely as he could. "Maybe the modesty thing…maybe it was just part of me as a kid…And like you said, we're only getting older…we're growing up….so maybe that piece of me…that dark side you keep mentioning…maybe that's the grown up inside of me waiting to come out." They were so warm, so close…It was so very hard to keep going without giving in and just….

"No, it's…it's not, and…" he heard her voice barely start to whisper to his claim.

"Helga, I'm talking right now. It's not very ladylike to interrupt me, is it?"

He watched her eyes go absolutely wide at his statement, and he felt her start in his arms…and then tremble a little as she resettled herself against him…pressing against him…Yes, she was scared a little…but also (if the way she was letting herself melt into him was any indication) she also, well…

"You like this…." he observed in his low voice…and then smiled just a little more. "Hmm…interesting."

"Ah…" he felt her stiffen completely as she squeaked this little sound. "I…" And then she tried to shake head a little…though she still really didn't do anything to really pull back…

"_Oh but you do_…" he assured her…almost cooing really, still holding her and leaning her back in such an intimate dip…purposefully talking to her in as patronizing a tone as possible. "The way your back's arching, the little trembles going through your spine…I can feel all of them, Helga…I can feel that heart of yours beating against mine…" He pushed their noses just a little closer together, to push their hearts just a little closer together…and he really could feel the occasional thump thump between their chests…and he tried not to let this fact make him absolutely collapse in love overload or something. "This is what you've wanted all along isn't it?" He let his voice pick up in a little in dramatics. "I'll be the boy…the right kind of boy, apparently…. and you be the girl and I'll give you nice things and be the only one who starts official dates, and I'll take control like a real boyfriend in a real relationship who takes his girlfriend on real dates…I'll lead for the rest of our lives, my…well, maybe you're not my talented blue eyed love then…maybe you're just my poor, helpless girlfriend."

She tried to shake her head again. Just a little but…

Arnold just let out a breath, still allowing his eyes to burn into hers in that way that always seemed to make her stop and blush and well…like he'd said, tremble… "But…then why does your body keep arching your body more and more into mine while I'm doing this…Why do I feel so many little shakes still coming from your delicate, frail, female body…Why do I feel your heart pounding against mine…?" He lowered his voice to the lightest whisper…smiling just a little smugly. "Maybe it would calm you down a little if you…went and made me a snack or something. That's something else a girl would traditionally do, right? And while you're doing that, as long as we're trying for a real date, I'll go out and get you those chocolates or flowers or a stuffed animal or something as a present, and then I'll invite you somewhere special…And then when we're done there and I bring you back to your stoop, maybe I'll come inside and you can feed me a snack and clean up after me, maybe bring me slippers. You know, like a 'traditional' girlfriend would…. You'll never have to work or fight or think again…I'll take care of all of it; I'll never do a single sensitive thing again for as long as I live…" He took in a breath and it came out in a slight tremble…but still he kept his eyes ablaze and his smile smug and dominant. "And now I've decided you'll kiss me. I AM the one in charge…being the man and all…" Silence…only silence came from her…and her heart was beating so very fast under his own. "Good." He smiled a little more. "You're not fighting me. You're learning how to be a good, quiet girlfriend to your boyfriend already…"

Arnold leaned in, closing his eyes, to finally collapse his lips into her pink, trembling ones—an act that would have relieved the tension that had been consuming not just her but him…so very much him…all this time…

Yet his lips met…skin, though it was certainly not the skin of Helga's soft, familiar lips, though…But to be honest, he hadn't expected anything less. His eyes opened and he almost smiled (a genuine one, not some faked seductive one.)

"I said…No." He heard her voice speak, so firm now…and her scowl was back in full swing, he noticed. His same old no nonsense Helga…and he loved her like that. So strong and brilliant. "And no one can make me be quiet. Ever. Not even you!" She went on, starting to wriggle a little in his arms, actually resisting him finally. "Now let me go or as Helga G. Pataki I'll slug you and then as a girl I'll smack you right across the face!" Her blue eyes SEETHED into his…and he knew she meant it.

Still he had to be sure… '_Remember…Make it stick, Arnold…_' Although really he felt SO silly saying this…"Oh your lips say no but your body says…"

"…That it could take you and your shrimpy self down in half a second flat," she finished for him without missing a beat. "Now I don't want to hurt you. Ever. But if you don't let me go…"

'_Make sure she understands why you went and did something this silly in the first place…just like she did with you…_' Arnold willed himself to push it just that tiniest bit further. "I-I don't see why I should…This IS what you wanted…isn't it?" Those were his words yet he did loosen his grip just a little right now, and also shifted back so that now he and Helga were standing up straight…He couldn't help smiling just a little more, still looking into her eyes.

"Hey!" she announced right into his face in a VERY stern tone with her scowl back in full force (even though she still blushed a little while doing it). "First of all, as for this 'your lips say no but your body says yes' thing, it's not my fault that I can't control how I physically react to you being physically near me. Second…Second…" He'd loosened his hold enough that she really could have broken from him with little extra effort if she wanted to and suddenly he felt her indeed do so…but only to fly against him in the tightest hug he'd ever felt, practically lifting him off the ground much to his total shock and surprise! "Oh Arnold!" she suddenly started, sounding almost panicked, confusing him all the more at first, "If you lost that part of yourself that was sensitive and loving and sweet and modest and kind…I think I'd just…I-I don't even know what!…And especially if it was all because of me." His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened at this sudden small confession from her… "And third," she pulled back…and looked at him…her blue eyes so unsure…He felt a pang of guilt for what he'd just put her through. "You're…You really are kidding, right?" she went on, almost nervously…almost like she really had started to believe it all, the whole act he'd just concocted. "I-I mean, I know there's that spark of something daring in you, my beloved, but…do you really think it's who you'll grow into being just starting to shine through…? I never thought about it that way before." And she began to fret and almost pace just like in the alley before when he'd been watching her have her self-debate! "And then what if…" she went on, her eyes wide and holding one of her temples in one of her hands, "What if those times you get me all mushy and doting and shy are really _me_...really who I'LL grow into being…What if we're not bringing out good things in each other—what if we're changing each other? What if we're making each other into different people…worse people…What if we change and can never go back…and I lose you and ruin you…and the same things happen to me…forever? And I—"

Helga, legitimately nearly in mid panic at this point, stopped just then…Arnold was now suddenly holding her shoulders after all so she really couldn't help it. Her wide blue eyes met his wide green ones.

"May I kiss you please, Helga?" he asked her so softly, so gently…almost guiltily…with the most sincere and loving little smile she'd ever seen in her entire life. She nodded because she wanted him to…And then he came in slowly and with care and placed the gentlest kiss imaginable upon her lips, their eyes both closed. They lingered.

He pulled back eventually, removing his hands from her shoulders, making sure to even be gentle with that as well, she could feel…and then spoke to her in the kindest voice he had. "U-Um…Helga…M-My Helga…we don't make each other different than who we are…We only seem different and act different sometimes because…we complete each other a little, I think." He blushed but kept going, his hands shyly folded in front of himself now. His quiet, kind little voice went on. "Like you said on our anniversary…maybe we just never knew some of this stuff about ourselves until now….like how I didn't know I liked kissing…until I realized I loved you." A little smile grew on his face. "You find parts of who I really am that no one else ever has. And I hope I've done the same for you. So my aggression and your, well, submission, I guess…aren't who we really are 'deep down' or something like that. They're just those other parts that have always been there but that we suppressed a little…or a lot…shining through sometimes while we learn to balance out everything each one of us is. Helga…" He looked up…looked into her eyes…his green eyes glowing with sincerity and love. "We're better for each other than…than anybody else has ever been good for anybody else in the whole world. And even if that didn't make any sense or you're still scared or worried…" he smiled more despite his shyness at all of these things he was saying and admitting to thinking and feeling, "…C-Can't you feel how good we are together when we kiss? I can, Helga…I-I mean, sure, there's, um…there's a certain amount of it that's just, um, physical pleasure…Heh…" He blushed a lot…a WHOLE lot.

Helga had been watching him with interest and curiosity and wide eyes as he spoke…Now, however, her jaw completely fell wide open right in front of him.

Arnold glanced down VERY shyly. "Um…something wrong, Helga?" he murmured out in his quiet little voice.

"You…just said the words 'Physical Pleasure'…" This tiny laugh that she couldn't control escaped her at the back of her throat…but she knew now was not the time. "I-I'm sorry it's just…Okay, never mind for now." She cleared her throat and shook her head to clear it. "Continue please, Arnold." She was smiling now…happily again.

A VERY blushing Arnold cleared his throat and did his best to ignore the fact that she'd just gotten stuck on (or the fact that he'd actually brought up the…) 'Physical pleasure'… (He still gulped at the very notion). "Um…anyway…besides that, um…_thing_ you just said…" he shuffled on past the awkward topic, "There's other stuff that's there too when we kiss…" He was shy but looked up again, and asked with a little smile on his cute little face, "Don't you feel how beautiful it is when our loves for each other…come together? Don't you feel how we'll…" he gulped but had to say it…had to say what was in his heart, "how we'll be parts of each other for the rest of our lives…?"

He watched Helga blink, blushing…Her smile trembled, she trembled…She…And then he blinked as she came forward…placed her hands tenderly on either side of his wide head and then laid the sweetest kiss imaginable upon his lips… _'O-Oh_…' He trembled a little, blushing more and more and…He let out a sigh through his nose and closed his eyes. Oh why fight it…There was love and there was physical pleasure and he loved the whole freaking package. He melted in happiness in her grasp.

He felt her pull back after a bit (QUITE a bit) (she always did love long, lingering kisses…one of her most attractive traits, in his opinion). His eyes fluttered open only to be met with her smiling, blushing face. "Sorry, Arnold…" she said quietly, lovely, as she removed her hands from his head. "For doubting us even for a moment…and thank you for reminding me…how beautiful it feels for our loves to come together…in the most beautiful thing in the world. A kiss."

He had to laugh and then just came forward and caught her in a happy and intimate hug. "You're welcome…my lovely angel…" he sighed out in bliss.

She giggled a little in his arms…and then after a sigh and a little snuggle the two kids separated a little to look at one another with half lidded eyes and smiles. "So…" Helga started in her normal voice now, all panic or frustration or confusion gone, "All that aggressive stuff really was just a goof, right, my paste for brains little love god?" She had to ask it, just to hear the words from his mouth.

Her beloved before her chuckled and blushed a little, giving a nod and rolling his sleeves back down and redoing the button on his collar. "Of course…" finishing these actions he then rubbed the back of his neck a little bashfully. "I mean, I was channeling all of that darker side stuff you mentioned, so I guess it all _did_ come from me…but I'd hate being that intense about it all the time…" He shuddered a little, really having hated being like that for so long…among other things. "It took everything I had to keep it up for even that long…And plus I…" He looked at her very sincerely. "Helga, just like you with me, if YOU ever changed…if you ever lost all of your wit and fire and independence and stubbornness…and all because of me…I really think it would be the only thing in the whole world to ever make me want to leave you because I don't think I could live with myself knowing I'd ruined some of the best parts of the greatest person in the whole world…if that makes any sense." He smiled more.

Helga just blushed and giggled and looked down, looking so happy. "You really do like me for me, don't you, Arnold?" Her eyes came to his again.

"I always have…" he nodded, "And now that I know all the stuff I was missing out on for all those years…I do even more…and I always will…."

She let out a breath, their eyes still melting warmly together. "Good, I like you for you too…Now come on." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a small smirk. "We're gonna go to Dino Land together and screw the dating rules and tradition and me and my double standards or what the heck ever, I'M inviting, I'M escorting, and I'M paying. No strings attached. After all of that effort, I get the message: if we want 'grown up like' dates, they can be initiated by both of us, not just you to fulfill some romantic stereotype or something. And an amusement park really is kind of an official traditional date location." And then she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Besides, maybe all of Olga's boyfriends DID do all the official movie-like stuff with sweeping her off her feet, but they were all tools, I guess, come to think of it, and she's always broken up with them pretty quickly…So maybe what we've got…just hanging out but maybe sprinkling in a more official date here or there, and both of us taking turns 'leading'…maybe that's…something stronger." She winked, smiling proudly.

Arnold smiled in total agreement. "Perfect. That all sounds…perfect. Every single thing you just said…" He chuckled a little and then stepped closer to her, still smiling like crazy. "And then when we're done with our date at Dino Land maybe we can go back to your place…and _I'll_ go downstairs and makes us a snack and then bring it up there and serve it to you in your bed, Helga. Just like that one time when you had amnesia. I know it's not a very traditional 'boy' thing to do…" he rolled his eyes just a tiny bit, smirking more, "but I liked taking care of you and helping you that time…and I wouldn't mind the chance to do it again." He looked into her eyes, smiling sincerely. "I…love taking care of you whenever you want it or need it, Helga…You're so strong and brave that I hardly ever get the chance, so whenever I do get it…I like it so much…" He let out a little, happy sigh at those few precious memories he had of genuinely getting to take care of Helga.

While his reminisces completed, Helga chuckled a little at his obvious little gender role reversal with preparing the snack to balance with hers of paying for and escorting him on a more official, grown up type date. "I'm glad, Arnold…And that all sounds great…" she concurred…and then took a little step very close to him as well. "Oh but, um…" she rolled her eyes to side with a small smirk and blush, "If you wanted to get all mushy and classic boyfriend on me and win something for me by playing one of the games at Dino Land…I wouldn't complain…and it might mean just a little bit to me, Arnold." She looked at him just a little sheepishly. "There is at least a little something to be said for getting treated like 'the girl' every once in a while…Just in a nice sweet sentimental way instead of letting it define who I am or something, you know?"

Arnold blinked and smiled at her words, raising an eyebrow, and then nodded in understanding...and then blushed and rolled his own eyes to the side and had to add shyly, "And well, Helga, if _you_ wanted to let me maybe put my arm around your waist when we're sitting together on some of the bigger roller coasters at Dino Land, so that just in case you get scared…even though I know that never happens but still just in case, the first thing you'll do is cling against me…I…wouldn't mind that all that much, Helga…It's nice to get treated like 'the boy' every once in a while too, you know." He gave her a sheepish little look of his own.

"Deal, my dearest," she assured him with a giggle, her hands on her hips. "Let's go!" And with that and a beckoning wave she headed over to his bed and got on her knees on the covers to start her climb up to his skylight.

"And…um…about other people maybe seeing us…at the amusement park and everything?" Arnold just had to ask with a smile as he climbed onto the bed to follow up after her.

Helga just rolled her eyes and glanced back at him, starting her ascent up the wall ladder. She smirked a bit. "Hey, can _I_ help it if you keep randomly losing bets to me and having to cart me places?" She chuckled a little at that excuse they'd come back to more than a couple of times so far over the last couple of weeks upon seeing people they knew when they were walking around on one of their dates.

Arnold rolled eyes, following up after her on the ladder. "Hey can _I_ have won one of these 'bets' just once, Helga?" he asked playfully. "Just to be fair and equal of course." He winked and tried not to laugh.

Helga just shrugged and smiled, climbing out of his window to the top landing of his fire escape. "Oh _fine_," she started 'dramatically, smirking quite a bit at his little request, "YOU won this time and _I'm_ the one carting _you_ to Dino Land." She giggled a little as she looked down into the window at Arnold's head slowly coming up to emerge through it. "We'll say it was a doing good deeds contest and I lost…"

Arnold just rolled his eyes once again, smirking a little more as he finally emerged onto the top landing of the fire escape with her, closing the skylight window behind him. "How about it was a bet to see who could hit the most balls at the batting cages and you lost…? It's a little more believable as something we might compete at and besides if I'm finally winning one I want it to be a good one." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at her with a grin.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat." She sighed dramatically and chuckled a little, smirking as she looked into his eyes again. "Crimeny, you've got an ego, Arnoldo." Her smile grew.

Arnold's smile grew a little too and he just shook his head, always loving her humor so much. "Come on, let's just go, Helga…" He walked toward her…blushed a little. "Maybe we can even…share some more beautiful kisses when we go through dark roller coaster tunnels." Arnold, if it wasn't apparent at this point, had been getting a lot more comfortable with being just a little more forward with Helga lately…and he always seemed to enjoy the 'results' of this newfound little boldness (and was truly much MUCH more comfortable with such little bursts of modest boldness than some big constant aggressive male ego induced power trip).

Helga blinked at his little surprise request…but then oh she giggled like crazy at the very suggestion from her little love's little dark side. She gave him a big nod, putting her arms coyly behind her back. "You got it…" she swayed a little back and forth in this position, and then tacked on with a very suggestive little smile, "And all I can say is look out for yourself, Arnold." She lowered her voice just a little…looking into his eyes. "You never know what can happen alone together in the dark…."

Arnold's blushing increased, but still he held his own. His smile remained. "Neither do you, Helga…" He countered, and even winked. "Especially with my arm around you…" he added in his own little whisper.

Helga just giggled a ton more and then was about to start heading down to the lower fire escape landing, but stopped all of a sudden and looked to Arnold and then gestured forward with her arm, offering him the chance to go first. Her love blinked and for a split second he was going to insist (as usual) that she go first…but then realization came over him and his eyes brightened at her gesture and why she was doing it, and so instead he just nodded graciously and appreciatively and went to put his footing on the ladder first.

"Hmm…" However, the sound of her starting to speak made him pause from heading down for just a second…and he turned back to look at her with a smile. "You know…" she went on, still looking all coy ('_Wow she's cute like that…'_ he couldn't help but observe to himself, feeling all fluttery inside), "Since YOU just put me through one of those 'life lessons via seduction'…I guess that entitles me to one free 'cornering of you to show you how much it stuck, how much I understand'…To make you want to collapse into a puddle like you did with me that one time…"

The words were out of her and then the next thing Arnold knew she had grabbed him by the collar, whipped him across the fire escape landing and now he felt himself pinned against the rail. '_Wh-What did she just say?_' He was having a lot of trouble processing it…and even when his head really did process the individual words she'd just said as one coherent sentence, he still couldn't quite…couldn't…

His wide eyes went to her face, searching for answers…and she had this look in her eyes and it made him gulp…made him shake…this intoxicating look like she'd gotten during her confession or that she got sometimes during her more involved monologues…That look that made his knees buckle with the realization that even though they were only ten, he was all hers…and she would never let him go…and he was just fine with that whole situation. "I guess, um…all's fair in love and war, right…" It was the only thing he could squeak out in his shaky little voice…Exactly torn inside of himself between fear of what might come…and total anticipation of it all. Being a puddle didn't sound so bad, after all. It was probably a neat experience.

"Oh you…have NO idea…." She giggled EXTRA coyly…and he knew she was doing it to drive him nuts, considering how she knew full well that he loved her giggling… She still gripped his collar in her fist. "Now come on, Arnold…" her voice was low again…and she moved close…slowly pressing herself against him against the rail… He wanted to gulp again but he couldn't even manage that! "Let's have our loves come together…" '(Arnold. '_O-Oh boy…_') "Gosh I'm so happy you were kidding with all of that stuff, Arnold…"She smiled so sweetly…so close…her pretty eyes looking into his. "Really…because if I could never see your modest blushing wide eyed face as I corner you for a kiss again, it would just be unbearable…" Another giggle…and she was still pressing against him against the rail. "Now, you might feel a slight tingling, well, everywhere…Just go with it though." His breath stopped as she released his collar…only to slip those long, light, soft but so very strong arms of her around his back, pulling his practically limp little body fully tightly against hers. Her whisper went on and she smirked a little…those blue eyes still burning with passion. "And NOW who's back is arching, whose spine is tingling…whose heart is pounding, pounding, pounding away?" (Arnold. '_Wh-Why is she so good at this…?_') "As I said in a poem once, three guesses stupid: Arnold, Arnold, Arnold! And I believe the line before that was something about whose red hot lips I want to…taste…"

She'd been leaning in, tilting her head, teasing and teasing and TEASING him with it… And then suddenly now, in a forceful little press forward her lips met his in something deep and passionate and so heart pounding he was sure it was going to kill him! His senses all stopped and then were overwhelmed at once and parts of him were only just vaguely aware amid the flickers and sparks pulsing through him that she was moaning, savoring, drinking, squeezing with this kiss…Oh…he still didn't really understand how he'd gotten here to this moment on a day when they weren't even supposed to have a date but…whatever…He had NO complaints.

Helga released him eventually…though she still cradled him (probably aware of how limp he was and how obviously he needed her to help hold him up for a bit longer maybe). Arnold felt her let out a beautiful breath near his face and then speak…and she was obviously pretty 'affected' by all of this herself from the cooing, shuddery tone of her voice. "_Oh_ yeah…definitely some love combining…" She giggled like crazy at copying his words…and then… "…and also all that 'physical pleasure' you talked about before." Blushing. His smiling pink princess was blushing so much. He loved the color of her blush. Like those strawberries she couldn't eat. He almost had to chuckle at the irony. "And also…" and then his eyes came into focus enough to watch Helga press her lips together again and say quite shyly, for the first time giving words to something they were both aware of in regards to their kisses even if it was never really spoken about aloud, "There's your delicious flavor upon my mouth. The little bit of you that you always leave behind…."

"O-Oh…" Arnold just kind of slumped forward, gripping the rail of the fire escape behind him, and shivered a little with the goofiest smile EVER on his face! Oh there just weren't WORDS!

A little giggle met his ears again. "Now come on, Arnold," Arnold then heard Helga say shyly and then he blinked as he felt her flick the spot on his head between the tufts of his hair. She went on. "You take a few seconds to recoup while I climb down and get your hat," ('_O-Oh…Did she knock my hat off again? Heh…Heh, Heh…Only her…'_) "and then we'll head to the amusement park together, okay?... Arnold, youwho, Arnold?"

"Oh Helga…" he took in a deep, shuddery breath and then let it out and just said whatever came out. "We are definitely DEFINITELY good for each other…And you are especially…absolutely necessary for ME…."

He heard her swoon in happiness from just across from him, and Arnold's eyes started to come more back into focus on her again. "As you are for me…" she added so sweetly. And then she chuckled a bit more normally, and he blinked a few times, really finally starting to come back to the land of the non-dazed as she went on again in her much more normal, playful tone. "Okay, now come on, seriously, Football Head, we're burning daylight and Dino Land closes at eight! Those dark tunnels on the roller coaster rides are just going to waste!" She leaned in close to him and winked and then moved past him and started to head down the fire escape herself, just shaking her head in amusement at him. "And don't worry…" she tacked on with a wink, "To make up for _me_ going first down this thing instead of _you_ like you were supposed to do (since you're obviously a little…out of commission just this second), I'll be certain to bow as graciously as you always do, my little prince, and offer to let you leave the alley first to start on our walk to get to Dino Land." She chuckled a little more to herself as she disappeared from sight for the moment.

Arnold just let out one more deep sigh and then finally began to climb down as well (now that feeling was starting to return to his limbs again.) And he couldn't help but observe as they continued descending, "You know, I like when we have problems and then make up, Helga…It's always very…very…very… good." He laughed a bit, unable to help himself. "I almost can't wait for our first fight…" he had to add sentimentally.

He heard her drop to the lower landing below him and reply in her normal tone, "Ah, I'm a lover not a fighter when it comes to you, Head Boy. Now come on, last one to the bus stop has to pay the fare for both of us."

"Fair enough." Arnold agreed and then dropped to the lower landing as well.

Helga giggled a tiny bit. "Good! And, uh…" she looked at him just a bit coyly once more…and he felt such a tremor go through him, "On the way there maybe I can hear more about this 'deep physical pleasure' thing you brought up before..."

Arnold blushed so much…if there was one thing to top her actually bringing up the fact that there was kind of a slight natural taste of each of their mouths involved with their kisses…it was the fact that he had actually outright admitted to her the physical pleasure part of all of their love together and that she was bringing it up now to top it all off. "M-Maybe later, Helga…" he could only mumble out shyly though, for now…knowing he'd need some mental preparation before going into a discussion like that one of these days.

"Okay…" she just replied with a shrug (MUCH to his relief), "But…" she tacked on surely, "One day I think you need to find a way to tell me about it in detail." She giggled a little to herself and then slipped down the ladder to the street, blushing cutely.

Arnold blushed a little more himself and thought back to something he had been doing this afternoon before Helga had arrived…something involving poetry... '_Already planning to, Helga…Already planning to…'_ He recalled that poetic line he'd thought up before about her looking like a pink rose on the blue sea of his blankets, and reminded himself once more to write that one down later.

"Arnold, come on, I'm waiting to let you go first out of the alley! Doi, my paste for brains little love god!"

Arnold shook his head, smiling to himself, as her little shout to him brought him out of these poetic thoughts. "Coming, Helga!" he called down with a smile, and with these words he climbed down to the alley…refocusing his mind on the here and now, and getting taken out on a bigger date than they usually did together and all by his lovely Helga G. Pataki…and then getting to cook her a little something when they went back to her house later on (and all the roller coaster tunnels she'd let him hold her in and stuffed animals he'd win for her in between all of that).

He'd write more secret poetry for her later.

* * *

**TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS AFTER SCHOOL**

Walking down the sidewalk casually with her backpack slung over one of her shoulders and without really a care in the world at this particular time (which just happened to be right after school on a Thursday afternoon), a certain blonde ten-year-old young lady had her hands behind her back and was kicking a tin can along in front of her. She gave it another kick forward and it bounced off a curb and landed neatly in a trashcan. She smiled at her unintended trick. "Hey, not bad."

"Helga! Helga!"

Helga G. Pataki froze on the spot, her eyes very VERY wide.

"Helga, there you are!" The familiar voice of a certain football headed ten-year-old young man only sounded closer this time, and Helga whipped around in surprise to indeed see him suddenly running the last few feet toward her up the sidewalk, his own backpack securely on his back. Reaching her now, he put his hands on his knees for a moment and took a second to catch his breath, then straightened up and looked at her with a smile. "Where did you go—the bell rang and then I went to my locker and then I was waiting for you out on the steps in front of the school but you never came out. How did you get out of there so quickly?" He raised an eyebrow in genuine curiosity. Arnold knew that their date for today wasn't scheduled to start until a bit later this afternoon (Helga always did seem to need a couple of days during the week to take care of other things, at least until around 4 or so, and he understood that she had doctors appointments and stuff like she always told him if he ever asked…But still, he'd at least wanted to catch a glimpse of her and maybe share a small word or two today. It was hard having to stay away from someone you loved and were happiest with six hours a day (seven if there was baseball practice), and he'd just wanted a quick 'Hi and Bye' with her before she went off to take care of whatever she had to take care of for the next hour.

And so, as luck would have it, from his place on the P.S. 118 stoop, Arnold had been lucky enough to just catch a fleeting glance of a familiar shade of pink popping quickly around a street corner (and, to his interest, a street corner that was not in the direction of her house or any of the other usual hangouts of the kids), and now, to his apparently continued luck, before him stood the love of his life whom he'd quickly chased after. He smiled a little more at his good fortune.

Helga, meanwhile (and slightly to Arnold's confusion, by the way) just blinked several times at his question about how she had 'inexplicably' managed to avoid him as she had left school, and glanced around uneasily. "Uh, I uh…Heh, heh…" She did her best to laugh it off, smiling sheepishly. "Guess I'm just too quick for my own good sometimes…" '_Yeah or not quick enough! Ugh, I can't believe he caught up with me! That's it, I'm keeping my backpack pre packed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on…'_ Helga shifted nervously on her feet. So far in their relationship she had been doing a very fair job, in her opinion, of keeping her beloved in the dark about the details of her activities Tuesdays and Thursdays after school…an activity that involved a certain child psychologist, the subject of whom Helga had yet to find the 'right time' to broach. But now he'd gotten it into his head to follow her a little…and he was already making her late. '_Crimeny, how am I going to get out of this one?'_

Meanwhile, Arnold's curious look about how she had managed to slip away from P.S. 118 so quickly today only grew even more curious looking at her strange reply. "Helga, are you okay?" he had to ask, sensing from her tone and movements that something was obviously a little amiss. He hadn't seen her this jumpy since that sudden talk alone of theirs right after her confession all those months ago.

At this fresh inquiry from him, Helga blinked a few times and then, though it was certainly unmerited, couldn't help but feel her defensive nature kick in a little. She scowled and extended her arms down at her sides, gripping her hands into fists. "Yeah, I'm _fine_, you just surprised the heck out of me and now you're giving me the third degree about leaving school after the bell rang. Sheesh, I didn't think I had to 'check in' with you or anything! Correct me if I'm wrong but last time I checked we were 'dating' not 'joined at the hip', head boy!" She glared at him in that way she had throughout their entire lives.

Arnold just blinked and his eyes went a little wide at her strange outburst. "Um, Helga…" he glanced from side to side just to double check, and then brought his eyes back to the scowling image of her once more and raised an eyebrow. "You know, there's no one around here…you CAN stop acting like you hate me." He crossed his arms over his chest, genuinely unsure of how to respond to this situation or what was wrong with her…but he was getting more and more concerned as the minutes passed.

At the innocent look on his face and his obviously confused words, Helga blinked a couple of times and felt herself snap out of it. '_Okay, okay…losing my temper for no reason is not going to help the situation…Focus!' _"Um…" she cleared her throat and lost the scowl, still looking a little wide eyed and worried though (although she was doing her best to seem casual). "Sorry, Arnold I…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "I just…wasn't expecting you, and…you really did kind of surprise me." She swallowed and looked up at him, bringing her hands behind her back. "I mean I wasn't expecting to see you until we got together to do history homework with Gerald and Phoebe at the library today at 4, heh…" She then reached out and gave him a playful light punch in the shoulder with one of her hands. "You gotta quit sneaking up on me, Mr. Secret Agent Man—me and my reflexes, I'd be liable to hit you, _believe me."_ She smiled, both at her little private joke to herself about the good old days of socking Brainy and at how her little love's smile was returning…always so full of understanding and forgiveness as he was. '_Oh how can I stay mad at that face…_' she couldn't help but think and had half a mind to go forward and give it a belated little 'hello kiss'…but then she swallowed and recalled why she was acting so defensive in the first place and her thoughts changed direction. '_No, no time for that now. I've gotta get him on his way home—I've got an appointment to make for Pete's sake.' _She felt a small twinge of guilt. _'I'll tell him about Bliss later when he and I are a bit more…established… Five or ten years ought to do it, heh…'_

Arnold's smile grew a little and he just chuckled warmly as she finished her explanations. "It's okay, Helga. I guess I did kind of just pop up behind you. Anyway…" he pulled his backpack forward and reached inside and then pulled out a small pink item in the form of a book, looking to her, "Before I forget, part of the reason I wanted to find you before you left today…a-along with just getting to see you and say hi…was that, well, I know you said you really needed this pink book to copy down a poem from it for class, but I forgot to give it to you at lunch so I just wanted to make sure you had it…" A slight blush came to his cheeks and small smile to his face. "And also well…I was hoping…as long as we're together right now…and I mean you can say no if you want because I know there's a chance someone could see us and that you might be busy, but…I was kind of figuring that before the library I could maybe walk you home or walk you to get an ice cream sundae….maybe…" He looked back up at her very shyly. He couldn't help it—he knew they were about as official as any couple could be but…she was so perfect and funny and pretty and great to him that even all these weeks in he still felt butterflies about whether or not she would say yes every time he asked her out or to do something romantic together. And plus he really was trying to make the asking out on dates thing more official just like she had done the other day with Dino Land—doing that made a lot of sense, actually, and on top of everything else they had discussed about it that afternoon, it would keep them from taking dates with each other for granted and from getting into a rut, come to think of it.

Helga's annoyance at being pulled from her normal routine still pricked at her a little…but it was overcome quite a bit to say the least by the feeling of herself instantly melting at the adorable words that had just come out of her beloved's mouth and the adorable way he'd made his simple request of wanting to walk her home or to get ice cream, and the adorable shy, hopeful face he was giving her! She felt her mouth opening to say something along the lines of, 'Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes, my darling!' but quickly caught herself at the last minute and did her best to snap herself out of it. '_Focus, Helga! WHAT did I just say! Crimeny!'_ "Uh…" she began, doing her best not to hurt his feelings or make him think that there was any other place in the world she'd really rather be besides with him (and also trying to avoid pulling out that 'a lie but technically not a lie' doctor's appointment excuse yet again, as she so often did, because he was bound to start finding her going to the doctor this much fishy one of these days). She reached forward and took the pink book from him, slipping it into her own backpack (she really had needed it and really was grateful he'd decided to bring it to her.) "That really is sweet of you, Football Head…the book and the…walk…and I really would love to, but…I mean, like you said, someone would be bound to see us especially this time of day and especially if you took me to a place as crowded as Slausens, and I really would like to spend time with you but…you know…" She looked down just a little guiltily, hoping Arnold would interpret it as guilt about still being scared of having their relationship go public (which indeed she was feeling right now, sort of) instead of the greater guilt she was feeling about ditching him like this and not being honest with him.

She heard Arnold let out an obviously sad little sigh and it really almost broke her heart. She glanced up, hoping he would now be on his way with a small, understanding goodbye and maybe a hug…but to her further nervousness he instead seemed to consider for a second and suddenly his eyes lit up, meeting hers again. "Well…Well, what if I walked with you someplace our friends wouldn't be around as much? I mean, like you said, the ice cream place is always crowded and a lot of people walk the same way you do to get home but…maybe we could head in a different direction and just spend time together. I mean…I know we'll be together later with Gerald and Phoebe but…I'd like the chance to be alone with you too." He smiled just a bit more and gave her a half lidded gaze. "I really do miss you when we're in school…the real you, Helga…my Helga." A little rosy blush came to his cheeks.

'_Uh oh…_' Helga could feel her heart beating faster, feel the sparks going through her body, the unstoppable desire inside of her that she'd had for as long as she could remember whenever Arnold spoke nicely to her to hold him and coo poetry to him and wrap them together in love forever and ever…And for the first time ever she was regretting this compulsion. She felt herself smile, unable to stop it, as the temptation got to her more and more though. "Oh…Aw, Arnold…" She hesitated—no, she could not do this! She needed to make him go away…now! Before she ran off with him instead of going to her appointment with Dr. Bliss like she was supposed to, or before (she gulped) he found out about Dr. Bliss…which might make this a very unexpectedly awkward afternoon to say the least.

Arnold, still standing right before her, smiled just a bit more at how softer her tone had been when she had said his name this time plus at that little smile of her own that seemed to be coming back and growing a bit. Taking all of these things as hints that she was going for the idea, he took another little step toward her. "Why don't we walk together wherever you're walking right now? I've almost never seen anyone head in this direction to head home or anywhere after school…It…would just be you and me."

His eyes were half lidded and he was so close and there was just a lilt of suggestion in his voice, and Helga could already feel a giggle in her throat and a blush warming in her face. "Well…I guess that we _could_…" 'Wherever you're walking right now…' Helga's eyes flew open and she came back to reality like she'd just been splashed with cold water. "I MEAN…" She glanced around nervously, her eyes wide and almost fearful once more. "N-no, Arnold, I…I have a very, um…important errand to run and I'm…I'm already late! Thanks for my book though and I'll see you later with Gerald and Phoebe. Maybe we can hang out alone after studying with them!" And with this announcement she turned away from him so as not to be suckered in by his inevitably disappointed green eyes and started heading up the street at a brisk pace, trying to take deep, even breaths and soothe the pounding of her heart, which was obviously all but screaming for her to return to her love.

Arnold, meanwhile, suddenly abandoned like this, just stood there in his spot on the sidewalk in utter perplexity, totally unsure of what had just happened. '_Did I do something wrong? Or say something? Is she mad at me?'_ He shook his head and instantly raced to catch up with her, very very concerned again all of a sudden. "Wait, Helga—I can help you with your errand if you want!" he offered, unable to think of anything else to say to get to basically stop 'running away' from him so that he could figure out what the problem was.

Helga stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of him still following, nay running after, her again and blinked. Arnold had never been a persistent one: he had always been very easygoing and understanding and willing to let people do their own thing if they wanted. '_So…what's the big deal about…_' But then Helga's memories progressed a little and she also recalled that though Arnold had never been persistent or almost desperate with most people…he certainly did have the capacity to get that way with girls he liked. Spending every moment he could with that Summer girl during their spring break, always trying to get together with Lila for dates back when he'd like liked her, always making googly eyes at Ruth and trotting after her way back in the day (she did her best to keep a small flare up of jealousy at a minimum). Anyway, the point was that once Arnold was hooked on a girl…he was hooked deep…and that was just with the chicks he'd had crushes on. And apparently, when it came to her (Helga G. Pataki), he was in full blown love with her…which meant after quite a few weeks of little ditchings right after school, his poor little smitten subconscious was probably eating him alive about being ditched right now. '_Great, I think I actually just had my first regret about Arnold liking me back.' _She let out a breath and rolled her eyes at herself, and then looked at him over her shoulder as she continued on up the street with a shake of her head and he followed behind her. "No, Football Head, this…" she searched for ANYTHING that wouldn't be an all out lie but that wouldn't hurt his feelings too much or let the cat out of the bag, "This is…kind of a…well, it's kind of a 'one person' errand…" she finally explained lamely, and then almost smacked herself right in the forehead. '_Oh brother, I really am horrible at lying to him now…even small little white ones at this point…Darn it…'_

And indeed, this painfully obviously lame excuse just made Arnold raise an eyebrow at her as he followed in her wake. "A…one person errand?" He had to actually half smile. "_Helga_…" He gave her a bit of a look.

She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes to the side. "Uh…yeah…" She was going down like a lead balloon and she knew it, but still she clung to the excuse just the same, hoping it would pull her through somehow. "It, um…It's an errand that…requires special skills that…only I have?" _'I don't know what's lamer, Helga old girl—that explanation or the fact that you phrased it as a question.'_

"_Right_…" Arnold looked very amused at this point. "Skills like…what for example?" He was so obviously trying not to laugh at this point and she knew it.

"Uh…" Helga could feel the blush growing in her face. "Skills…like…n-not being a Football Head…Heh, heh…"

"Ah!" Arnold announced suddenly from beside her, much to her surprise. He feigned understanding in his tone. "Well that _does_ make sense, Helga. I mean, I know _I've_ had _plenty_ of solo errands to run lately that have required me to NOT be a pigtailed poetess…"

Helga just let out the most exasperated and defeated sigh in the universe, officially no longer able to take the guilt or how he was toying with her and how lame her whole attempt at this excuse really was getting. She stopped walking again, as did Arnold, and now just stood there, rubbing her temples with one of her hands. "Okay, look, Arnold," she opened her eyes and looked at him with a 'let's level here' scowl. "I get it—you know that I'm lying right now. But seriously…" she blushed, dropping her hand away from her head, and glanced away, "I just…have somewhere to be and it's…a…a little…well…"

Arnold, who really had meant for her to laugh rather than be upset but his humorous little replies to excuse about her 'errand', blinked at the almost sad look that had now suddenly come to his girlfriend's face. "Helga," he stepped back toward her and put a hand on one of her shoulders causing her wide eyes to look to his again. He looked at her sincerely. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right? You can tell me any secret you have in the whole world and I'll never stop caring about you."

Helga felt her heart skip a happy beat and instantly smiled as his lovely reassurance washed over her. "I…I know, Arnold…" she replied sincerely, "And thank you for that. It means more to me than…It means a lot…B-But…" She swallowed and glanced away again, pouting a little in worry. "I just don't want you to think that I'm…I mean, I know I act a little… strange sometimes and you're okay with it, but…where I'm actually going right now…I guess I'm just afraid that you'll think that I'm…" She gulped, not wanting to say the word.

"That you're what, Helga?" her love couldn't help but ask, his hand still on her shoulder and concern growing inside of his little heart. "_What_?" He had to know…not even so much because he was curious but just because…he could feel that what it was was important to her and he knew that something that big was bound to have to be a part of their love for one another sooner or later. And he wanted it to be sooner if he could help her at all with it.

"That I'm weird or crazy or something okay?" Helga announced looking at him with just a touch of hurt…and then her eyes went wide at what she'd just admitted and she blushed. Arnold's breath caught in his throat at her very VERY unexpected (and rather confusing) exclamation. But then before he could respond or even fully process it, Helga shook her head and suddenly grabbed his arm with her hand. "Never mind. It's stupid. Come on…" she began to try and head back with him in the direction from which they'd come up the sidewalk. "I don't have to go today. Let's just walk together or whatever and then head to the library."

Helga had to stop in this new course of action though at the feeling of Arnold, after a stumbling step or two forward in is surprise…just plain stopping moving, even though she was still trying to pull him. "Helga," he stated firmly from behind her.

Helga turned back to look at him (still holding his arm though her efforts to change their direction walking direction had ceased), her eyes wide again. And those blue orbs of hers stayed that way as she watched her beloved glance around all of a sudden, and then out of nowhere suddenly grab one of her arms himself and pull her a few feet ahead into an alley, upon which he looked at her, grabbed her shoulders and then without another word closed his eyes and pressed forward and up a little and (to her total surprise and confusion and shock…and also pleasure, of course) kissed her quite firmly upon her lips.

Arnold pulled back after several seconds, blushing considerably but still looking at her firmly and still holding her shoulders. He spoke sincerely as he looked into her eyes. "Helga, I really want to respect how you feel about things—you know that, but… Nothing…_Nothing_ could ever make me think you were crazy or weird. I think you're…" he smiled…and it was a dreamy one, "I think you're the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most passionate and caring person I know. Okay?"

"A-and beautiful. Don't forget beautiful…heh, heh…" she couldn't help the joke escaping her in her shock at suddenly being pulled aside and kissed and reassured by him like that. And she was smiling pretty dreamily herself at this point.

Arnold smiled a little more at her cute little addition. "Well…that almost goes with out saying, you're so pretty…" He gave a low little chuckle after saying these words in a lower, more romantic voice.

Helga giggled at being him making her feel pretty like that, and then just gazed into his sincere, caring eyes for another moment….and then lunged forward and hugged him tightly as she felt her heart completely melt. She let out a happy sigh.

"Helga?" she heard him ask in amusement at her sudden action, warm laughter under his voice as his arms came around her to hug her back.

She just hugged his adorable, supportive, understanding, loving little self even more and giggled in reply. "I…I love you, Arnold."

She felt him let out a happy sigh in her arms, and then one of his hands came up her back to touch at her hair a little. "Even if I can't help you with your errands that require the special skill of not being a football head?" came his cute little voice into one of her ears.

That question finally made Helga just laugh entirely, feeling all warm and happy all over. She released her beloved and took a step back, looking at him lovingly. She sighed and rolled her eyes to the side in reply to his inquiry. "Yeah, I GUESS…" He chuckled and it made her chuckle a little too.

And then Helga took a breath, a slight bit of worry returning to her face, and she swallowed and glanced at Arnold, her arms behind her back, having come to a decision. "Okay…Arnold…you…you can come where I'm going right now. You can't stay…but you can come…okay?"

Arnold looked a little confused at this condition, but just nodded supportively. "Okay, Helga. Whatever you say."

She smiled at him in satisfaction. "Good. Thanks, Football Head." And then she reached out and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the alley with her. "About time you found out why I always avoid dates with you right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays anyway…" She gave him a wink and then began to lead him up the street with her in the direction they had originally been going.

Arnold's eyebrow raised just a little more at her words and then he blinked as he suddenly realized that, if he thought about it, she was right about what she'd just said…Tuesdays and Thursdays always did seem to be the day when something would 'come up' and she would mysteriously disappear between the hours of 3 and 4.

* * *

"O-okay…here we are…" Helga finally announced nervously several minutes later, stopping in front of a familiar building.

Arnold stopped walking as well and looked up at the sign above the building's front entrance. '_Hillwood Medical Center.'_ He glanced at Helga, a serious amount of worry coming to his face for a moment. "Helga…are you sick or something?"

She blinked, then glanced from the sign back to Arnold. "Oh NO!" she quickly reassured him, understanding what he meant. "No, Arnold, I…well…" she rubbed the back of her neck, "In a manner of speaking maybe but…" she looked up at him firmly, "But not like dangerously ill or anything. I just…." And then she let out a sigh and grabbed his hand again. "Come on…there's someone you should probably meet…and who's actually kind of been wanting to meet you, especially for the last few weeks…And I mean, meet you _for real_. Like _personally_. You'll probably recognize her but…." She sighed again. "Let's just go inside." She half smiled as she pulled her beloved up the stoop.

The two kids entered the cool, air conditioned building, the glass doors closing behind them. Arnold just glanced around with interest. He blinked as he saw Helga go over to the front desk, say a few words to the receptionist, write her name down on a sheet and then return to him again. She let out a sigh, still obviously nervous despite her continued efforts to smile. "Okay, now or never I guess…Come on, Arnold…" And then she proceeded to head down a hallway, Arnold following diligently after her.

Eventually Helga paused at a door and knocked softly a couple of times. Then she waited. "Hey…Arnold?" she said calmly and quietly all of a sudden without turning around to him.

"Yes, Helga?" he responded supportively, an eyebrow raised.

She let out a breath, still only looking at the door…wringing her hands behind her back at the moment. "Just be honest with me, okay…you know, like usual…"

Arnold, looking more and more curious, was about to ask what she meant when the door she had knocked on suddenly opened.

A familiar woman stood before them.

"Hello, Helga…Arnold." The woman's smile grew just a bit more as she looked from her to him, and then her eyes returned to Helga once more. "The receptionist said you were bringing a guest. I must admit I was a little surprised to hear who it was, Helga."

"Dr. Bliss…?" Helga heard the general question sound from her beloved behind her, and let out a sigh as she heard him go on to add, still obviously sounding a little confused, "The psychologist who watches our class sometimes?"

Helga cleared her throat and did her best to smile up at Dr. Bliss, decided to address her first and then move on to the mess of a conversation surely waiting for her with Arnold. "Hi, Dr. Bliss… Yeah, I brought a very special, um…'guest'…" she gestured with her head back to Arnold, her smile growing a little sheepish. "Heh, you know me—spontaneous to a fault." And then she swallowed…and finally found it in her to turn around to face Arnold once more.

Her eyes met him and Arnold was just standing there with kind of a blank look on his face. Kind of a dense look actually…It took Helga a second to place it as she hadn't been seeing it much lately considering how well he'd been coming to know her and how much more of a clue he'd gotten in general ever since her confession…but then it finally processed. He just wasn't getting the exact connection here right now between herself and Dr. Bliss. And so she cleared her throat and decided to connect the dots for him. "Um…Arnold. You know Dr. Bliss…" She gestured back to the older woman with her head and felt a touch of scarlet come to her face. "I-I mean of course you know her, you recognize her obviously. Heh, heh…" She rubbed the back of her neck…then finally took a deep breath, looked him in the eye, and announced with all of her courage, "She's my…my therapist."

Arnold blinked at the admission.

Helga swallowed and continued. "I…kind of go to her after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays just to…well, it used to be to talk about how I felt about you and how angry Bob and Miriam and Olga always made me…Now though it's mostly to talk about me kind of worrying about if Bob and Miriam will ever really slip up and go back to ignoring me all the time again…and to talk about trying to work out when I'm going to have it in me to let everyone know how I feel about yo—I mean how we feel about each other…and, um…other stuff…" She cut herself off there, deciding that she had elaborated enough for now, and glanced up at him shyly, awaiting his reaction.

Arnold just looked from her to Dr. Bliss, and then again back to her and then back to the smiling doctor once more.

Then he walked past Helga…and held out his hand to Dr. Bliss with a smile. "Hi, Dr. Bliss. It's nice to see you again. I didn't know you helped kids outside of school too."

Dr. Bliss smiled down at the young man and reached forward and shook his hand. "It's nice to see you as well, Arnold. Yes, I've got a small private practice here. Sometimes…kids need help after school too." Her smile grew. "I think you know what that's like…You're sort of the giver of advice for your class, right?"

Arnold's smile grew and he nodded with a touch of a proud blush… "Yeah, something like that… I understand what you mean about kids needing extra help sometimes…" He let the psychologist's hand go…and then turned back to Helga.

She still looked at him unsurely, practically holding her breath.

"Helga G. Pataki…" a small grin on his face, he shook his head back and forth (and Helga, in her nervousness, really had no idea what to make of this, by the way…that was until he continued with), "If I wasn't so relieved I think I'd actually be angry with you." He let out a sigh, a really happy smile coming to his face. "You know you had me scared half to death with all of that build up and pulling me practically into a hospital and saying you were sick 'sort of'…" He shook his head again, and then grabbed her hand and lifted it up, squeezing it. He looked into her eyes. "Did you really think even for a moment that I wouldn't love you the same if I knew you see a therapist?" There was a touch of hurt underlying the question.

Helga blinked several times and blushed. "N-no…I mean, I…" she stuttered, and then let out a guilty sigh and finally just admitted, "I don't know, I guess I just figured that you've seen me do a lot of arguably crazy stuff and that you've heard tons of stories from me about me doing a lot of arguably crazy stuff, especially when it comes to you, and that somehow knowing about this would confirm for you that I'm not just 'playfully' off my rocker but _actually_ off my rocker and I…I…" Her eyes were wide and she just shook her head and…it was all just coming out and she felt so stupid. She just stood there, blushing in embarrassment.

"Helga, you know better than that..." Dr. Bliss suddenly interrupted kindly and supportively, squatting down to her eye level and looking at her with a caring smile. "We went over a long time ago how it's okay to express yourself as long as you're not hurting anyone, remember?"

Helga couldn't help the scoff that escaped her, though she appreciated the support nonetheless of course. "Yeah, well,_ I_ might believe that and _you_ might believe that but that doesn't mean the rest of the world is gonna bite, sister…" And then she glanced down guiltily again.

Suddenly the sound of Arnold chuckling a little met Helga's ears, and her wide, scared eyes went over to him once more. He was smiling and now shaking his head at her a little. "Is that where you got that advice, Helga?"

Helga blinked and raised part of her brow. "Huh?"

Arnold smiled a bit more and explained. "Back during our one week anniversary…when I was kind of afraid of kissing you…you told me that as long as I wasn't hurting anyone I shouldn't be afraid of how I was feeling or how I wanted to express myself…And then you said that I was the opposite of hurting you when I kissed you."

Helga blushed just slightly. "Oh…uh…I…" she blinked a few times, actually having almost forgotten all about using that piece of Dr. Bliss advice in that situation, "Yeah….I guess so."

"You see, Helga—I knew you knew better." Dr. Bliss interjected with a smile, standing up straight again and looking down at the two ten-year-olds.

"Helga…" Arnold looked down with a smile and seemed to consider for a moment, and then looked back up at her with just a touch of seriousness. "You know…I know a lot of things are a lot better for you now but…sometimes…when I think about how for so long you really didn't have me, and you and Olga weren't very close, and you were always having those problems with your parents, and you even found it hard to open up to Phoebe…it…it makes me really sad because…" A touch of hurt came to his eyes. "It…It all must have been really…really lonely…especially with all of those feelings to keep hidden…" But then he smiled again. "But it makes me really happy to know that you at least had someplace to go and someone to talk to to help you through everything, Helga." And then he went forward, opened his arms, and wrapped them around her in a tight, warm hug.

Helga genuinely thought she was going to cry. That little speech…how her being sad made him sad…how he was just relieved that she had at least found _someone_ to talk to to make the loneliness easier…and now he was hugging her of all things…safe in her Arnold's arms…

They remained like that for several seconds, Arnold holding Helga in his hug and Helga just taking it all in and feeling loved, loved, loved.

"Helga…" Dr. Bliss began quietly after a little time had passed, her smile picking up on one side. "Would you like to skip today's session…? I mean, since it seems like you and Arnold might have some talking you have to do yourselves…?"

Helga blinked from her place still in Arnold's arms, feeling the mist in her eyes pull back a little, and moved her gaze to the doctor. "Um…are…are you sure, Dr. Bliss? You…always say it's not good to start skipping sessions…"

Dr. Bliss looked at her with understanding and did her best to explain. "It's not good to start skipping because you're avoiding a problem…but if you're going to use that time to really talk to someone important to you and to be honest and open with them then it can be very good, Helga…as long as it's what you want. Otherwise we can start the session whenever you're ready and you can talk to Arnold again after."

Helga took a second to absorb this information…considered…glanced down at Arnold who was still holding her warmly…and then looked just a little unsurely at the doctor. "Could I reschedule instead? Would that be okay…? Kind of a…compromise?"

Dr. Bliss smiled a bit more (really actually trying not to giggle about the cute little sight before her of Arnold STILL hugging Helga like this.) "That would be fine, Helga. Just let the receptionist know and I'll see you whenever you come in next."

Helga smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Dr. Bliss…" Then she let out a happy sigh and glanced down, and spoke in a quiet, sweet voice to the little shrimp with his arms still clinging around her. "Arnold…Hey…Arnold? You know if you keep hugging me like that you'll get frozen that way…" She gave a small laugh.

He chuckled. "Do you really think so?" came his reply of obvious anticipation. He still didn't let her go, only burying his head against her a little more now actually.

She giggled. "Yeah, I really do…But however much I'd love to have your arms around me forever I have to say goodbye to Dr. Bliss right now, and I usually do that with a hug. So do you think you could let me go for just a second or two, my love? I promise I won't run off or anything…" she ended sarcastically, but still talking sweetly to her sweetheart.

She heard Arnold let out a little sigh and felt him squeeze her just a little harder for a moment before he then finally released her, his half lidded gaze meeting her face. "Are you sure you're really okay with making your appointment for another day, Helga?" he asked sincerely.

She just smiled at him and his concerned little inquiry and crossed her arms over her chest. "Arnold…what you just said and did made me so happy…made me so happy that I…" she could feel that teariness coming back. She let out a breath and with a smile quickly turned to the doctor and leaned over and up to give her one of her customary quick goodbye hugs. "Bye, Dr. Bliss."

The older woman smiled down at the young blonde and hugged her back warmly...feeling very happy for her little patient. "Bye, Helga."

Helga let out a happy sigh and then with a satisfied smile turned back to her beloved, stepping back over to him once more. "Come on, Arnold." She reached out and shyly took one of his hands in one of her own…a coy little grin very distinctly coming to her features.

With his own intrigued grin and an eyebrow raised slightly at her sudden change in attitude (she was blushing too on top of everything now), Arnold let out a goofy little chuckle and then managed to have it in him to turn back to the good doctor and give her a little wave with his free hand. "Bye, Dr. Bliss. It was nice seeing you again."

"Goodbye Arnold." She waved back. "I'll see you in school."

Arnold nodded and then a giggle from Helga caught his ears and he was instantly very focused on her again, especially as she was now lightly pulling him down the hall for this little spontaneous afternoon together it seemed they would now have.

As the two kids departed, Dr. Bliss just watched them go with a smile and sighed to herself. "Hmm…Helga wasn't kidding. He really does have it bad for her, doesn't he?" she remained standing in her doorway for a second…still with a grin. "I'm going to have to remember to visit the teachers lounge and have a talk with somebody, aren't I…?"

Mulling over this little reminder to herself about something involving Arnold, Helga and a certain educator at P.S. 118, she just shook her head to herself in amusement and then stretched up and headed back into her office to take a little afternoon break of her own before her next appointment…and who knew? Maybe after this week of rescheduling one appointment, Helga would eventually be able to shift into being a one-day a week patient instead of a two-day a week one… Even though Dr. Bliss of course loved talking to and spending time with Helga, as a professional and as her friend she really hoped things would work out in Helga's life where she could go down to only one therapy appointment per week, and maybe one day even none at all…and it was nice to see first hand that things really were looking up for her.

* * *

Helga, having made her next appointment with the receptionist in the lobby, pushed open the glass front doors of the Hillwood Medical Center, and now she and Arnold exited the air conditioned quiet office for the noises and temperature of an average city street in spring.

"Hey…Helga?" Arnold asked with a happy smile, enjoying that she was still holding his hand (and in public!) and pulling him along with a very pretty smile on her face.

With a half grin she turned back to him. "Mmm hmm, my love?" She made sure to specifically coo as she responded.

"Um…" he was doing his best not to dreamily chuckle at her as they reached the sidewalk, "Where are we going now?"

She giggled as they stopped at the bottom of the Medical Center stoop, and turned to him, blushing a little. "Well…" she glanced down shyly, "I feel so great right now thanks to you that I want to spend this afternoon writing a little poetry…and it's such a nice day I thought I might do it outside. There's this great ridge in the park that no one can see you under if you lay at the right angle. You wouldn't want to…maybe come with me, would you…?" She brought her half lidded eyes up to his.

"Really!" He blinked and beamed. "Outside? Together? Are you sure that's okay…?"

She just shrugged, her grin growing a little at his obvious (and SO very cute) enthusiasm. "I told you—no one'll be able to see us. We'll be all alone next to each other… in each other's arms." Her voice lowered to a soft whisper. "Maybe you could even write while I dictate my dedications to you, my perfect angel…my Arnold…"

Arnold's smile widened so much. "I…I'd love that, Helga…" he replied in a dreamy tone, squeezing her hand. "I always love watching and reading how you express yourself…It's so…beautiful…." He picked up her hand and kissed it…and added in a little whisper of his own. "Just like _you_….my…my beloved Helga…"

Helga instantly melted. She had never heard him call her that one back to her. Beloved. It made her tremble with love. "W-well…th-thank you…A-Arnold…" She swallowed, blushing, and glanced away, squeezing his hand back a little. Then, however, realizing that if she didn't put their flirting on 'pause' for the moment that they'd probably end up making out or something right here and now on these steps, she stepped back from him and lightly slipped her hand from his, clearing her throat (though she couldn't help the dreamy smile remaining on her face). "Okay well…about that little ridge I mentioned, then…since it's right after school and there's bound to be a lot of people we know swarming around the park and since we've been getting caught walking together lately enough as it is…how about you head that way and use the east entrance to get there…" she pointed forward behind Arnold, "And I'll head this way and use the west entrance to get there…" she pointed behind her with her thumb, "And let's meet at the fountain once we're both finally in the park. And then we can sneak over to where the ridge is, okay? Oh and…I think this kind of goes without saying but…I'll stop by a pay phone and call Phoebe on the way to reschedule our library double date with her and tall hair boy, okay?" She smiled at him.

Arnold nodded, smiling back at her. "Whatever you say, Helga! See you soon!" He winked and then began to eagerly walk in the direction he'd have to go in to enter the park by the way she'd suggested.

"Um…wait! Arnold?"

Arnold stopped and turned around at the sound of his beloved Helga suddenly calling his name from back in front of the stoop of the Medical Center. He smiled at her. "Yes…m-my beloved?" He blushed at the new little pet name to call her, but…it was certainly growing on him.

Arnold watched her glance down and blush a bit…and then suddenly she quickly ran forward to meet him and instantly dove against him in the tightest hug imaginable. "Y-You're…" he heard her begin in a shaky voice, squeezing around him with all of her might. "You're…You're the best friend and boyfriend and do gooder little shrimp and person I've ever met. And I just wanted you to know that…that…" He had to blink. She sounded almost in tears, but happy tears. "That just in case you ever feel like acting as ridiculous as I was just now…" he heard a small laugh manage to escape her, "Nothing…Nothing could ever make _me_ not care about or not love _you_ either. No matter what. And…And every new thing I do learn about you makes me love you even more, and I didn't even think that was possible but I do and I…"

Helga, who knew she was getting carried away but just didn't care (and was thankful that they were in a part of town that their friends and people they knew didn't tend to frequent), suddenly paused in her rant as she felt her love's warm arms come around her again on this day, hugging her back. "Hey…Helga?" he suddenly whispered up to her ear, sounding so very happy.

She let out a deep, peaceful sigh. "Mmm hmm…?"

He sighed too. "Just promise me you won't ever forget that I feel the same way, and I think we'll be okay…"

Helga had to let out a small chuckle at his sweet little advice. "Whatever you say, Arnold…my love…my sultry preteen…why must I hold you only whilst I dream…" Her eyes fluttered a few times and then she slowly pulled away from him and their hug with a smile, her eyes half lidded. "See, the poetry's just bursting out of me…" She giggled at the distinct shade of scarlet now upon Arnold's face and how his was glancing down so shyly and yet with such a happy smile at her loving words. "You know…" she then continued, her grin picking up a little on one side, "That's actually the first few lines of that poem the parrot that almost blabbed my secret to you kept reciting…I don't think I've given you the pink book with that one in it yet, but…I know that poem from memory since the darn bird said it so many times while I was trying to nab him." She glanced at him shyly. "I'd be happy to share the rest of it with you once we're at the park."

Arnold, his heart already pounding from being so close to her and also from those few lines she'd revealed so far, managed in a weak though obviously quite content and pleased voice, "Wh-whatever you say, Helga…"

Helga just giggled a ton at his cuteness. "Well…until then, Arnold…" And with this farewell accompanied by a quick wave and a wink, she turned and raced in the opposite direction to get to her entrance to the park.

Before embarking for his own park entrance, Arnold took a second to just a stand there with his arms limp at his sides and the biggest grin ever on his face, letting some things absorb to make sure his heart wouldn't fly out of his chest as he gripped his sweater over it. "I'm…I'm her…sultry preteen…" He almost gave a lovesick giggle… "Wow I'm gonna have to work really hard to find a way to top that one in my next poem for her…"

He took a deep breath, waited another moment or two until he felt the heat draining from his face and the feeling starting to return to his limbs, and then raced off like a shot down the sidewalk in the direction he was supposed to go…to encounter once more Helga and her poetry and the chance to celebrate their relationship deepening just a little more.

* * *

"_Arnold, my love, my sultry preteen,_

_Why must I hold you only whilst I dream?_

_Will I forever be enslaved by your spell?_

_Why must I worship you and never ever tell?_

_Arnold you make my girlhood tremble,_

_My senses all go wacky._

_Some day I'll tell the world my love_

_Or my name's not Helga G. Pataki…"_

"So…what do you think, Arnold?"

Alone with Helga now, laying on the grass under the little ridge at the park, Arnold melted inside, gazing into her eyes. "I think…I think…you're my favorite poet in the whole wide world."

Helga giggled. "Thanks, Arnold…it's nice to have a number one fan. And you're my favorite poetic subject, of course…my little…sultry preteen…" She'd seen the blush on his face at those words…it was darker than most blushes she got him to do…and she liked it.

His smile went all goofy. "Always happy to help, Helga…"

Her smile warmed. "And what a sweet, little help you are…"

They remained that way, under the ridge, as the sun started to set, just near each other, looking into each other's eyes in the warm spring air. They lie there and felt their love grow, not even needing to speak…They just naturally grew more and more together just by being together. Eventually, among the gentle quiet they shared, Helga sprinkled in some more poems and even wrote a few lines (or rather, dictated to Arnold a few lines) for one or two new ones in her latest pink book that she luckily had with her in her backpack…And Arnold listened and wrote and took the time they had on this afternoon to savor her precious creations, the precious fruits of her love. And they stayed there like that as long as they could just simply _because_ they could, sometimes in quiet, sometimes in poetry—the language of love between them. Arnold and Helga—crazy in love.

* * *

**ANOTHER TOUCHING MOTHER/DAUGHTER MOMENT**

Helga G. Pataki, sitting up a little, cozy under her covers, sighed happily into the phone receiver currently pressed against her ear, and then let out a giggle. "Oh stop it, Arnold…You're making me blush…" She continued to listen, reclining upon her pillows, and her smile more than continuing, as her beloved said a few more things into the phone during one of these little flirting phone calls he liked to give her every few nights when he was feeling a little bolder than usual…and then she had to giggle again. "Oh get over it, Football Head—I am not getting you a picture of me blushing! You'll see me doing it in person, I'm sure, the next time we're together so why don't you just—" She paused as something else was said into the phone, and instantly felt her heart pleasantly flutter. She let out another sigh, half grinning in amusement as this whole conversation she was in the middle of with her love. "No, Arnold, unfortunately I can't come over right now just to let you 'see my pretty, blushing face' one more time before you go to sleep. It's already nine o'clock at night and a school night and you know we have that history test tomorrow to cram for, Einstein! Just keep studying and then admire some of my poems or something until tomorrow, okay?"

All of a sudden there was a light knock on Helga's bedroom door.

"Helga…?" came the familiar voice of her mother from the other side, and then slowly the door was pushed open a tiny bit and Miriam's head appeared in the room, a smile on her face.

Helga, phone still pressed to her ear, blinked and started a little at the entrance of her mother at first…but she'd been getting used to Miriam 'knowing' for a couple of weeks now and so her shock quickly just turned into a bit of mild embarrassment. "Uh, Arnold…?" she started into the phone in a much less flirtatious voice, still glancing over at her door. "My mom needs me for something and, like I said, sadly it's getting late and we've got a test tomorrow so…I've gotta go now, okay?"

Miriam, meanwhile, from her place peeking in through the door, just watched in mild amusement as her daughter sat in silence for a moment, listening to whatever Arnold was saying on the other end…She then noticed (with interest) Helga blush just a bit darkly. "Arnold…" a slight smile came to her face, and she glanced down a little shyly. "Come on, my Mom's right here…I can't say it right now!"

Some more silence as Helga listened and Miriam tried very hard not to laugh.

"Football Head, quit sounding so desperate…" Helga then rolled her eyes, smiling a little more to herself. She even let out a small chuckle. "Crimeny, let's not forget that it wasn't too long ago when all you wanted to do was _forget_ that I'd said those three words to you on the roof of that building in the first place…"

Miriam watched, still waiting until her daughter's phone call was over before entering the room completely. A couple more seconds of silence with Arnold obviously talking on the other end of the line passed, and then finally she observed Helga sigh, swallow, blush a little more…and then finally the young girl said into the phone with a half grin, "Okay, okay…Goodnight, Arnold..." She swallowed. "I love you!" she managed to get out shyly and then she quickly hung up the phone and instantly brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing her temples and blushing in a little embarrassment.

After a second or two, Helga sighed and then finally glanced back over at her mother. "Okay, Miriam, you can come in…as long as there are no comments about what I just said to Arnold, okay?"

Miriam just let out a small chuckle behind one of her hands and finally entered Helga's room fully, closing the door behind her. "Oh but Helga…it's so sweet that you say I love you to each other before you hang up the phone…" She smiled. "When did that start?"

Helga let out a deep sigh and half rolled her eyes, almost chuckling and shaking her head to herself…seeming to be thinking about something for a moment. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you, to be honest…"

Miriam had to raise an eyebrow at this absentminded comment as she walked forward into her daughter's room…and she couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean, Helga?"

Helga blinked, suddenly brought out of the small lovesick state Arnold had just sent her into (as well as some memories in regards to that phrase 'I love you'), and realized what she'd just said aloud to her mother. "Uh…" she swallowed and sat up more in her bed, glancing to the side in just a touch of embarrassment, "Nothing…" She took a breath and did her best to move things along, looking back at her mother. "Something on your mind, Miriam?"

Miriam smiled a little more and took a step forward, trying not to chuckle at her daughter's obviously unintentional little slip. "Well…" she figured she shouldn't push it for now—she knew Helga could get very private about Arnold, "I know you have that test tomorrow, sweetie, and I was thinking that maybe I could…help you study…and maybe we could make some snacks or something and we could talk. Like we used to do when I was helping your father out with the Emporium…You remember…?" Miriam looked at her very hopefully. Actually, some serious mother/daughter bonding stuff like they had done back then had been on her mind lately and this really did seem like the perfect opportunity. She crossed her fingers that Helga would say yes.

And indeed from across the bedroom, Helga lost all look of embarrassment for a moment and just blinked…and then smiled. "Really, Mom?"

Miriam, smiling gratefully, nodded and crossed her arms over her chest. "Mmm hmm… I've got a fresh batch of cookies baking and some other snacks down in the kitchen that we could make, and some of those Yahoo sodas you kids like so much. I thought we could bring it all up here and study on your bed together in our pajamas. What do you say?"

Helga's face instantly brightened completely. "I say…uh…great!" But then a second passed and suddenly (to Miriam's initial confusion) her face fell slightly. "Oh, but actually…I'm pretty much set for the test tomorrow myself… I was just kind of trying to light a fire under Arnold by telling him we both needed to study more right now before going to sleep." She blushed a tiny bit…and then smiled sheepishly. "He can, uh…get a little distracted by me sometimes, so he needs the occasional bit of prompting to get him focused on other important things besides me, heh, heh…"

Miriam's smile fell just a little bit at this explanation but there was understanding in her face. "Oh…" Then she almost had to chuckle as she added, "Helga, I know you're different from your sister but to be honest she was sort of the same way…never needed even a little help with school work…."

"Thanks, Mom…" Helga had to smile at the comparison…It was nice to get recognized as just as academically brilliant as her older sister, especially after all of those years of her parents parading Olga's straight A report cards around and never noticing that her own grades were just as good when she felt like getting them. Still though part of her couldn't help but feel a little bummed out…Getting an offer from her Mom to spend time with her and help her…and then not needing the help, really. She considered…and then glanced up at her mother hopefully. "But, um…as long as I'm good on studying…the two of us could still…spend some time together up here…just talking or some junk...you know, if that's okay…" She swallowed, trying to seem casual, though it really was important to her. And it would even be nice to spend time together without something like 'studying' as an excuse…Just pure quality time. She awaited her mother's reply.

"Really?" Helga's ears perked up at the sound of Miriam's eager voice meeting her ears. The young girl blinked and came out of her thoughts to see her mother smiling happily.

Helga smiled happily too and then just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes playfully at Miriam's question, the grin still on her face. "Yes, _really_! Just because there's no pretext of studying doesn't mean we can't still, you know, do something together. Doi!" She then smirked a little and added, sitting up more and propping herself up on her hands (and putting the phone on her nightstand). "Besides like I'd ever turn down free snacks and the chance to stay up a little past my bedtime." She winked.

Miriam smiled warmly and then put her hands on her hips. "Alright then little lady, I'll get the food and change into my pajamas and then I'll meet you in here and we'll have our own mother daughter sleepover!"

"You got it, Mom…" Helga gave a nod of approval at this intended course of action as Miriam left to get things all ready for this evening of theirs together.

* * *

"Helga…?"

Helga finished chewing the cookie she was currently eating and swallowed, glancing up at her mother on her bed and reciprocating her smile. "Yeah, Mom?"

It was close to an hour or so after Miriam had initially walked in on Helga's phone call with Arnold, and the time in between had just been spent with Helga talking about school and her friends, thinking out loud about plans for the summer and feeling kind of in disbelief that they would all be in fifth grade soon, and Miriam listening and talking a little bit herself about what she had going on in her own life and how she was thinking of going back to work at the Emporium a little, just a few days a week in the mornings while Helga was in school, just to get out of the house a bit and add a little extra something to her days (and she'd already promised up and down about a million times to her daughter _not_ to let herself get carried away this time, much to Helga's amusement and happiness.)

But, anyway, now that they had finished talking about each other and little things and just laughing and enjoying each other's company, Miriam…was hoping that they could maybe broach another subject, as long they were here and being this open with one another.

And so, at her daughter's response, the older woman glanced down and seemed to consider for a second more, and then turned her eyes back to Helga and smiled. "I know you don't like getting asked too many questions about…Arnold…but…would it be okay if I just asked you _one_, Helga? You don't have to answer of course but…I'm just curious about something…" She looked at her hopefully.

Helga, meanwhile, still sitting propped up on her pillows and nestled under her covers, felt her stomach tie in a small knot at the sudden abrupt mention of her beloved (especially after her mother had walked in on the tail end of that intimate phone call they had just shared) and she glanced away a bit nervously, shifting in her long purple nightgown. "Um…" '_It's okay, it's okay, Helga old girl….Remember, Miriam's been really cool about everything and you don't HAVE to answer whatever it is anyway if it's really embarrassing…_' With these thoughts, Helga just did her best to seem casual as she shrugged and finished, glancing at her mother again. "Yeah, uh…sure… Ask away, heh, heh…"

"Thank you, Helga." Miriam smiled supportively at the touch of nervousness apparent in her daughter's face and voice, and continued, readjusting herself on the far end of Helga's bed so that she was now sitting cross-legged on top of the covers, facing Helga. She asked her question. "Well, sweetie…before when I came in…when I asked when you two had started saying 'I love you' to each other and you said that I wouldn't believe you if you told me…" She raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What did you mean by that?"

The color drained from Helga's face and she tensed up for a moment, her eyes wide…Finally, though, she blinked and seemed to calm just a little, allowing her eyes to refocus on Miriam again as she observed and took in the genuinely curious look on her face for a moment, and then came to a conclusion. "So…" Helga finally started, and then actually half grinned a little, "Olga really hasn't been spilling things to you on the side, has she?" she couldn't help but remark with interest (and relief). Helga had long since told her sister the specifics of her confession and her 'I love you, I've always loved you' to Arnold, and even though Olga had promised to keep things 'just between us sisters' ever since spilling the beans to Miriam about Arnold in the first place nearly three weeks ago, Helga still figured that maybe a thing or two she tended to mention to her big sister had slipped through the cracks thanks to Olga's usual bubbling enthusiasm and inability to lie, and had thus gotten through to their mother. However, it seemed Olga had indeed at least kept the truth of Helga's confession and the details of her finally getting together with Arnold under wraps. '_Thanks, Olga_…' she mentally thought to herself, smiling more.

Miriam, meanwhile, still looking at her daughter curiously, blinked in what seemed to be a tiny bit of confusion at first at Helga's words…but then it seemed to process what her daughter meant. "Oh, so you told your sister about the 'I love you' thing…" She smiled and then shook her head, her grin picking up a little on one side. "No, Helga," she assured, "Olga's very strict about not telling me anything you two talk about regarding Arnold unless you tell her to…But I really would like to know the story behind your 'I love you's'…if you'd be willing to share it with me." Miriam took another sip from the bottle of soda in her hands…really, really hoping her younger daughter would trust her and say yes. Even though she had gotten that one decent talk about her little boyfriend out of Helga during the night of their (it still made her chuckle to think about it) one week anniversary, Helga had only opened up to her about her relationship with Arnold in the smallest of ways ever since then. Miriam knew that it was something important to her though and that she felt shy about it sometimes of course so she hadn't yet pushed the subject at all…but she really was hoping that Helga would open up and share more with her about something this big in her life, and regularly…that she really would be coming to the point of trusting her that much. Miriam turned her eyes back to her daughter and eagerly awaited her answer.

Helga, still a little wide eyed, took in her mother's reassurance about Olga's secrecy, remained hesitant for a moment or two more, then looked down like she was considering something…before finally letting out a breath… '_Why not_…' she had to think to herself, and really Miriam _had_ been a sport about everything. _'She's been really good about things and being okay with Arnold and keeping Bob kind of out of the loop and away from us on our dates over here_…' (Helga almost had to roll her eyes as she recalled some of her father's lame excuses to just kind of pop in on Arnold and herself in whatever room they happened to be spending time in to 'ask the time' or to triple check about whether one of them was eating over at the other one's house or even just saying he'd forgotten the paper somewhere in there or something…though luckily, upon hearing him interrupt the kids, Miriam usually ended up calling out to Bob that she 'needed him right away for something', and that would usually distract him for a little while much to Arnold and Helga's happiness). _'And anyway_,' Helga went on to herself, '_Letting her in more about Arnold and…our love…_' Helga blushed a little, '_It'd probably help us get closer as mother and daughter…And besides_…' her grin picked up a tiny bit, '_I do love sharing stories about my beloved now that we're together._' Helga smiled to herself fully and, now set on her decision about this matter, looked up at Miriam. "Well…if it's okay for me to stay up for another half an hour or so even though it's after my bedtime already…" she shrugged casually, "Then…I think I could share…" She smirked just a little at her mother.

Miriam had to give an impressed half smile at her daughter's (eternal) shrewdness. She let out a sigh and then nodded. "Okay, sweetie…I suppose one more half hour wouldn't hurt…"

Helga shrugged. "Fair enough." She then sat up a little more and seemed to consider something…which she was… After all, how best to start presenting this…the story of her and Arnold and the phrase 'I love you'? But then as she'd shifted up she felt something familiar shift against her skin underneath her nightshirt…something cool and smooth…and heart shaped…and an idea came to her. Doing her best to ignore the blush about to flower in her face, Helga slowly reached up to her collar (to the chain just circling around the inside of her collar, specifically)…and removed her Arnold locket from around her neck/inside of her nightshirt…and now held it before herself in both hands, the glass front and her beloved's visage facing toward her. "Miriam…" she began in a quiet, kind of bland voice, just doing her best to keep going, "I'm…going to have to give you the standard threat I give to people who I let really into the loop about Arnold and me. You tell anyone else and I'll rip your tongue out and wrap it around your neck." She looked up at her mother with a small sheepish smile, knowing how childish the threat could sound. "Okay?"

And indeed Miriam had to do her best not to chuckle at the overly dramatic (and of course totally unnecessary) threat from her daughter. "Okay, little lady." She nodded and smiled back down at her. "I tell anyone and you can do just that to me." Her gaze became intrigued and now fell to the familiar object in her daughter's hands…a little object that she hadn't seen in a few weeks at this point. "Now…" she smiled more, "What does that sweet little locket of yours have to do with anything?"

Helga sighed and felt the predictable blush start to come on…and it only intensified as she now started to undo the latch of her locket. She spoke as she fumbled with it (darn thing HAD been sticking randomly ever since that jeweler had had it…and it wasn't helping that her palms were just a bit sweaty all of a sudden.) "W-Well…" she started with a shrug, still keeping her eyes very focused on her task as she worked, "If we're going into the history of the whole 'I love you' thing with me and the Football Head, then…I just figured we should start at the beginning." The clasp came undone and Helga slowly opened the locket (keeping the inscription as hidden as possible—hey, some things were just for Arnold and her eyes only) and then pulled out a small folded piece of paper, and placed the locket off to her side on the bed… "A-And this kind of has a small description of the beginning right here…" And then before her mother could question her further Helga gently unfolded the precious page before her…and read a single stanza. One of her favorites, actually.

"_I met her when we were both still little,_

_I remember something about the color pink,_

_And there was rain and she was wet,_

_And I said something to her and smiled, I think…" _

Not that Helga hadn't memorized everything in Arnold's poem for her down to the punctuation marks a long time ago, but…somehow she'd just wanted to hold it again and look at it and feel it, especially if she was going into all of this. She loved it and it gave her courage.

Finished with the few lines now, she refolded the poem carefully and placed it ever so gently back inside of her locket, closing the clasp, and then she placed the locket back over her neck and hid it inside of her shirt once more. She cleared her throat, blushing quite a bit and not making eye contact with Miriam. "That…was…um…" '_Oh boy, this is awkward…Not 'the first time she found my locket' awkward, but still…_', "That was…a stanza from…um…a poem Arnold wrote for me…about us… The only poem he's ever written for me about us, actually…" She let out a breath, still not making direct eye contact with her mother just yet. "And those, um…those lines I read kind of describe…the day we met…" she went on to say, and then took another breath. "It was, um, the first day of preschool…and…" She closed her eyes and just said it. "That was the first time I ever said to myself I loved him. I…was three…"

Several seconds of silence passed.

Helga, feeling a little frustrated with herself for genuinely not having the courage right now to just open her eyes and look up and see just how freaked out Miriam probably was, and also frustrated with the fact that Miriam wasn't making a sound to let her know what was up, finally couldn't help scowling and opening her eyes a little (though they were directed down at her blankets) and suddenly speaking just to fill the room with SOME sound. "Look, okay, I KNOW that sounds crazy and that someone who's three (heck someone who's TEN) should _not_ be able to know what love is but they're MY feelings and even if they're not normal I'm NOT just going to sugar coat them or pretend they don't exist, and in my defense anyway that's the first memory I have and the FIRST part of it involves you and Bob and Olga ignoring me all morning until I had to walk to school alone in the rain and have my lunch stolen by a stupid dog and then…" she could feel tears forming at the back of her eyes but tried to push past it as she continued, "And then I end up at the stupid school and I feel horrible and suddenly…suddenly this little voice behind me says hi and the rain goes away because he shares his stupid little umbrella with me and then he tells me he likes my bow because it's pink like my pants and smiles at me and cares about me and I—"

Helga G. Pataki stopped and her eyes went wide as she suddenly felt hands gripping her shoulders. She felt herself coming out of rant mode and instantly looked up to see her mother looking at her…with her own tears in her own eyes. "Helga…"

Helga took in a very deep breath and let it out. "What?" She couldn't think of anything else to ask or say.

And then Miriam took in a deep breath and suddenly went forward and hugged her daughter as tightly as possible. "I'm sorry…" Helga heard her whisper into her ear.

Helga's eyes went wide at first but then…she just closed her eyes and let the hug and the apology wash some of the anger at the bad parts of her memories out of her. And then she let out a sigh… "I know…" she whispered back.

Mother and daughter remained like that for several seconds.

Helga let out a breath and did her best to smile a little again and lighten the mood. "So…you… _don't_ think I'm a complete nutbag for falling in love at first sight when I was three years old all because some little shrimp let me borrow half of his umbrella and complimented my fashion sense?"

Miriam chuckled at the question and gave her daughter one final squeeze in their hug before letting her go and pulling back, smiling down into her eyes. "No, sweetie, I don't think you're a 'complete nutbag' for falling in love with someone who made you happy when you were sad, and all just because he liked you and he's a good person."

Helga smiled at her words and glanced down. "Um…thanks, Mom…" she replied warmly.

A moment of silence passed.

Then Helga let out a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck, glancing up at her mother again. "Uh…and I…didn't mean to blow up like that just now, Miriam…I just naturally get defensive when I start talking to people about Arnold and—"

"Helga…" Miriam cut her off, looking at her firmly. "You have a right to blow up about something like that…_Especially_ about something like that…" She frowned a little. "And we all really are sorry. Really."

Helga swallowed and half smiled. "I know…and I forgive you…" she tried to smile more and make things more casual again, "Heh, didn't I already tell you, Miriam, no more apologizing—just doing better from here on out?" She grinned more and Miriam gave another little chuckle, and Helga felt a bit more comfortable again…which she needed to feel if she was going to go into the next part of the story about herself and Arnold and 'I love you.' "Well, um…" she cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, "A-Anyway…getting away from the past and closer to the present again…like I said, that first day of preschool was the first time I ever said to myself that I loved him…As for the first time I ever said it to _him_ though…now there's a tale, heh…" She half smiled, then looked up at Miriam again. "So, um…you remember that whole Sheck/destroying the neighborhood thing, right, Miriam? Bob convinced he was going to get rich…Nick screwing him over…Me maybe…missing for a day or two…." She rolled her eyes innocently to the side a little.

Miriam blinked at this unexpected new direction which the conversation was now taking…and then she raised an eyebrow at the fact that certainly the first two parts of that incident Helga was now bringing up were familiar but…had her daughter really been gone for two entire days?

Helga just rolled her eyes at her mother's apparent surprise and confusion, still half smiling. "You didn't notice, huh?" She shook her head to herself in amusement. "Actually, that time might have been a little understandable since I had Phoebe cover for me in advance by saying I was sleeping over there for the weekend…" She came back to the point of the memory at hand. "Anyway, what I was _actually_ doing that weekend was, um…" Helga swallowed and then glanced to the side sheepishly. "Uh, Miriam? There's no…retroactive grounding allowed…right? I mean, if I did something that might have been a little dangerous in the past, I can't get in trouble for it now, right?"

Miriam blinked again at her daughter…then half smiled and gave her a nod. "You're safe, Helga. I promise. So, what did you really do and how does it relate to you telling Arnold you loved him?" She smiled more and took another sip of her soda, very intrigued at this point.

Helga let out a breath, blushed at the direct question and then finally admitted, "Well…you see, Arnold was trying his best to work things out with Sheck and save the neighborhood but…" she looked up at her mother and just shook her head, "Miriam, the boy is a very nice person and his heart is always in the right place but for the love of humanity he cannot do cunning and sneaky to save his life!" She rolled her eyes and then gestured to herself. "So _I _had to go and follow him around all disguised…you know, sneaking after him here and there, giving him quick pointers and ways out and stuff…" She looked up at her mother hesitantly (now that she was coming to the 'big finish') but Miriam was still just smiling happily and that made Helga happy, and so she just swallowed and continued, summing up the rest of her courage. "Anyway…I've, uh…done a few things in the past that had almost let him find out how I felt about him but with a ton of luck and cunning on my part the little shrimp never busted me once during the six years between when we met and that whole FTi thing…but then he goes and stumbles across me on the roof of the FTi building in the middle of trying to find him a way out of there before Sheck's guards caught him, and he starts asking and asking why I'd bother helping him, and I was a little completely in shock to say the least so I could only come up with lame excuses but of course he picked that day of all days to not just believe me and go with it!" She rolled her eyes again at the whole insane thing…and then just swallowed and went on as causally and briskly as she could. "So I just…told him that I did it all all because I loved him…kind of screamed it at him actually, heh…And um…and then to prove to him that I was telling the truth I…kissed him." Her face felt fiery at this point. "I mean…" she began to ramble a little, "He's a bit…COMPLETELY dense about things sometimes and it was the only thing I could think of to do to prove to him I was telling the truth…" She almost smiled as she added, the memory recurring to her, "Heck, though, even after that kiss he still asked me if I 'really had just said I loved him', like he wasn't quite sure if he'd 'heard right' or something…" She let out a sigh and shook her head at her beloved's whole ridiculous reaction. "And then, um…well, we kind of avoided each other for a few weeks until Mr. Simmons made me his poetry tutor…and then all the time we had to spend together for that plus a bunch of other stuff kind of got to him I guess because Olga invited him over here for our 'surprise' first date," she made air quotes around the word, "And that was when he told me for the first time that he was falling in love with me…and…kissed me to kind of prove it too." She finished with a blush and a smiling shrug, letting the whole lovely thing just wash over her.

"That's a very sweet story, Helga." Her mother's kind voice came to her ears and Helga turned her slightly lovesick eyes back to her to see the older woman smiling at her and the tale she'd just told. "You know…I know it must feel a little awkward for you sometimes with your sister finding out about your feelings and then me and even your father seeing you and Arnold spending so much time together but…we really are all happy that things are working out between you two, and also that you…actually want to bring him around and have him have dinner with us. It's nice getting close to both of you, Helga."

Helga's smile warmed even more. "Thanks, Mom. I…yeah, it can feel a little, um…a-awkward…" she played with her hands in her lap a little, "But I…really like the two of us being a little more open with you guys too. It's nice. Oh, and, um…" Helga blushed a lot more, "Thank you, um…A LOT for…for understanding about Arnold and I maybe needing a little privacy sometimes when we're over here on dates, and for, you know, knocking whenever we're up here and you come up here…We appreciate it…Especially Arnold…Heh…" she laughed to herself just a tiny bit, "Silly thing's shy enough when it's just the two of us alone kissing, but anyone else comes close to walking in and…" she laughed a little more, "Although, I guess I shouldn't complain—I nearly jumped out of my skin when his family caught us together the other week at the top of his room steps." She shook her head to herself at the memory. '_Ah, who are we kidding—at this point we're BOTH certifiable basketcases about all of this physical stuff…Me because part of me's still in denial that it's all really real and happening, and Arnold because part of him's still 'shocked and appalled' that he has a dark, daring, passionate streak deep within him…_' She almost chuckled at the whole cute, funny thing, and even at the fact that it…didn't feel too bad gossiping with Miriam like this a little like she did with Olga. Her sister still being in Alaska for another couple of weeks until summer started, it was nice to have someone live and in person to chat with. _'Heh, wonders never cease…'_

"Helga…um…just how much kissing do you and Arnold do, exactly?"

That VERY VERY VERY unexpected question instantly got the smile off of Helga's face and made her swallow and look in shock and embarrassment at Miriam…who was still just sitting there with her legs crossed…with a look that was kind of just pleasantly interested…but also maybe a little concerned…the overall effect of which was to leave Helga a little unsure about how to field this one, to say the least, though somewhere at the back of her mind part of her had known ever since Miriam had busted her about her one week anniversary with Arnold following his little surprise visit to her room that something like this was bound to come up sooner or later. '_Arnold's so lucky—Phil and Gertie were just like us when they were little so the two of them GET that two ten-year-old kids sharing the occasional…o-or frequent…deep passionate kiss isn't the weirdest thing in the world…_' But Miriam had been used to Olga: Olga who hadn't even gotten her first kiss until she was twelve, Olga who had grown up dating a little here and a little there, Olga who had taken until high school until she'd tried getting boys in her room…Olga who had not been one of the random people lucky enough in life to turn around one day as a child…and know the person their eyes had suddenly fallen upon and could not look away from…was the person they were meant to be with for the rest of their lives.

'_Alright Helga old girl,_' the pensive fourth grader thought to herself, _'Play this one close to the vest._' She took a breath and replied simply to her mother, her eyes still a bit wide, "Miriam…I think that's…private. You're asking me how often I kiss my boyfriend. That's…between me and Arnold." She let out a breath. "And if you don't mind my asking…why do you want to know?" She eyed the older woman just a little curiously…Miriam's motivations about this particular topic interesting her quite a bit.

Her mother continued to give her a mixed look at first. Then she let out a breath and looked to her daughter sincerely. "I'm sorry, Helga. You're right…" She nodded. "That's a private question and I shouldn't pry. But…you're still only ten Helga." She looked into her eyes. "I just…want to make sure you and Arnold are taking things…slowly." She smiled. "You're so young, you've got your whole lives ahead of you. I just want to make sure you two are enjoying being kids just as much as you're enjoying being a couple. I know having your first relationship can be very exciting but…I just want to make sure you don't get too carried away. It seems like you care really deeply about Arnold and I know he cares deeply about you too. With something like that…going slow can work a little better, okay?" She smiled a little more and shrugged. "I'm sorry, Helga…Even though I want us to be friends I'm still your mom first…Asking things like this is part of my job."

Helga was blushing. A lot. She was now officially MUCH more than a little uncomfortable with the direction in which this conversation was going. Talking about 'going slow' and 'what she and Arnold did as a couple in private'…the two of them getting 'carried away'…"Uh…Miriam…" she started slowly, trying not to let herself give in to nausea or total and complete 'hiding under the covers' blushing, "Listen, I, uh…" she tugged at her collar, "I understand the concept of…g-going slow, and believe me, Football Head and I are both aware of how young we are. But…" her voice firmed, "I'm in love with him and he's in love with me. And we're together. And we kiss and it doesn't hurt anybody and it's how I express myself and how he expresses himself, and we both only do what feels right and comfortable and of course we do other things besides, um, intimate stuff together, believe me—Arnold's very determined to make sure that we take breaks and bond as friends too, a-and I like that too because the only thing he's even close to being better at than being a boyfriend is being a friend..." She smiled to herself at how true that statement was…How Arnold had always brought her such comfort as a friend over the years, and now he could bring her that and a world more of things since he had begun to love her back. Realizing she was getting a little dazed though and that now was NOT the time, Helga shook her head and came back to the point at hand, deciding to wrap things up. "But the point is, Mom…no one tells Helga G. Pataki what to do or how to live her life. I call my own shots and as long as Arnold's okay with what we're doing together since he's just as much a part of it all as I am…we'll do whatever's right for us. And so far, I've gotta say…we're really, really happy having a relationship like that. Do you…understand, Mom?" She looked at her mother seriously.

Miriam just looked back at Helga a little unreadably…but then sighed and closed her eyes, bringing a hand to one of her temples. And then she almost seemed to chuckle (confusing and worrying Helga all the more, by the way). "Helga…" she merely started, now shaking her head and then opening her eyes and just smiling at her daughter. "Do you have any idea how much easier it would have been raising your sister if she knew half the stuff you seem to already know? I mean, there are women _my_ age who aren't even close to as self-aware or full of conviction as you are, Helga."

Helga blinked and blushed a little brightly. "Oh! Um…thanks, Mom…" She really wasn't sure what else to say, how else to respond to this compliment/observation.

Miriam just let out a sigh and smiled and looked at Helga. "Helga…you really are happy having whatever kind of relationship it is you're having with Arnold, aren't you?"

Helga didn't have to think twice. She nodded, her eyes still wide and still blushing a little. "I've been in love with him since I was three…I finally told him and he fell in love with me back." She gave a small smile, almost unconsciously. "And now we spend time together and help each other and support each other care about each other and…kiss each other…" she gulped and blushed and went on, her smile only growing as she spoke. "It's all part of a wonderful package…this wonderful life we have together now when we're with each other. We're like best friends but deeper than that…Like parts of each other…We make something good when we're together…" Helga realized she'd been getting a little dazed again as she was speaking at this point, and so now she stopped and swallowed and glanced up at her mother unsurely to see her reaction.

Miriam was still smiling warmly…and actually seemed to have a tear in her eye again tonight. "Helga…that's…very beautiful…That's a very beautiful way to put it. And Arnold…feels the same way?"

Helga nodded up at her mother, smiling again. "Yeah. He…actually he's the one who said that to me first…about us being like parts of each other…being something good when we're together." Her grin grew and picked up a little on one side. "Sappy little thing sometimes, isn't he?"

Miriam actually chuckled at that and then leaned down and caught her daughter in a quick hug before sitting back up again. "Helga…from one woman to another I've got to say…you'd be surprised at the shortage of boys in the world who are available and also good and nice and really caring. And Arnold is…Arnold is all of those things. And you could see that…right from the moment you met him…when you were three…" She just...looked at her with an amazed smile. "Olga's right. You're an excellent judge of character, Helga. And probably the most mature ten-year-old girl in the whole world."

Helga blushed a lot, never used to getting too many compliments from her parents, and now suddenly she was being almost bombarded with them by her mother tonight. "Oh, I, uh…th-thanks, Mom…Olga…really said that?" She raised part of her brow.

Miriam nodded. "Uh huh. Actually sometimes she feels likes _she's_ the baby sister and _you're_ the big sister…I think that's why she likes helping you with this Arnold stuff and talking to you about starting out dating and trying to find makeup for you and stuff—it lets her feel like _she's_ the one teaching _you_ something for once."

Helga smiled even more at this cute piece of information. "Aw…that's…kind of sweet, really." She chuckled a little then let out a sigh and shook her head in amusement. "Olga...always putting things so sickeningly sweetly and adorably." She looked back to her mother, feeling like some hump of awkwardness had finally been gotten over, making the conversation between them now a lot more fun and enjoyable. "But, uh…I really like getting to bond with Olga over this stuff too. It's…been kind of fun for me, actually…gossiping about boys and stuff…" She blushed a little and smiled to herself, and then stretched up and looked to her mother with a slight smirk. "Of course, you repeat what I just said that to anyone and that whole ripping your tongue out and wrapping it around your neck thing still stands." She winked.

Miriam chuckled and smirked a little back at her. "Mums the word." Taking in her daughter's tired stretch up, she glanced over at the alarm clock by her bed and noticed that by now it was indeed well past even the most mature and exceptional ten-year-old girl's normal bedtime. Her eyes went back to Helga. "Now…it's getting late..." Miriam stood up from the bed. "And it's time for you to get to sleep…Even girls in love need their rest. Can't live on kisses alone." She winked.

Helga giggled a little and blushed, but then yawned and lay back in her bed a little. She really was getting tired. Being a fourth grader was hard enough—being one in love required two or three times the work, at least! "Actually I hear you, Miriam." She snuggled in, smirking a little to herself. "Gotta get all rested up for another day of bugging Football Head at school and then cuddling with him after the bell rings."

Miriam blinked at this small joke of her daughter's and looked at her curiously as she leaned down to tuck her in a little. "What do you mean, Helga?"

Helga blinked a couple of times and brought her sleepy eyes back to Miriam, giving another yawn. "Oh…" she realized what might need explaining, "Well, you see, it's taking me a little while to get used to going completely public with the fact that I'm dating someone, so for now Arnold's okay with me still picking on him a little when we're around our friends and then only dating in private. Don't worry though, it's all just harmless stuff I do to him at school, and…more like secret flirting between us really…And anyway I promised him I'd tell soon and he's okay with that. We've had talks about it. Just like we always do…" another yawn escaped her, "…about everything." She blinked a few more times, preparing for sleep.

Her mother watched her and smiled as she straightened up now that Helga was all cozy and tucked in. "Talks about everything…That's a very good thing too, Helga. And it's nice that he understands and only wants to do things when you're ready…" She leaned down once more and gave Helga a small kiss goodnight on her forehead.

Helga's eyes were closed and she was fading fast. "Yeah…If anyone knows about going slow and 'waiting until you're ready', it's him…A whole month just to tell me he loves me back after I confessed…" She chuckled a little to herself, her voice starting to quiet a little. "We talk about everything…kiss about…everything…say I love you about…everything…And one day I'll tell everyone that I'm in love with Arnold Phillip Shortman. I gave him my word…and a Pataki…never goes back on her…word…" She let out a sigh… "Arnold…" It came out of her as a whisper as she prepared to begin to dream.

Miriam stood, observed the happy sight of her soon-to-be-slumbering daughter for a moment longer, and then quietly leaned over to shut out the light on her nightstand.

"Um…Mom?"

The older woman paused though at the sudden address from her daughter. Miriam glanced down to see Helga's eyes having blinked open…and a small crimson blush upon her cheeks…

"Yes, Helga?" she asked with a small smile.

The ten-year-old blonde seemed to consider…and then said, pulling her blanket around her a little more tightly for the feeling of comfort and support it gave, "Um…remember back during our 'anniversary'…when I asked you not to go in my closet because there was some, um…Arnold stuff in there…?"

Miriam looked at her daughter curiously and nodded.

Helga went on. "Well, what's in there…A-and…you won't go snooping, will you?" She looked up at her desperately.

Miriam looked at her seriously and gave her another nod.

Helga shifted…but went on. "Well, I-I, um…m-make these kind of sculpture…shrine things inspired by him sometimes…to express myself…and I hide them in there. Heh, you've actually thrown a couple of them out over the years because sometimes they really do tend to look like just a pile of random junk and stuff I guess...A-Anyway, along with that I, um...keep my p-poetry books in there too…those little pink ones th-that Arnold always seems to have and that I keep near my bed sometimes…because I write love poems about him. Oh and um…" She reached under her pillow and pulled out a small, folded, red and yellow plaid item, and then unfolded it a little and snuggled against it. "I…He gave me one of his shirts and…I like to sleep with it near me." She looked a little scared about admitting all of this… "Um…A-Arnold thinks it's all cute, heh…" But she really did want to try getting close, very close, to her family, to her mother…even about this most sensitive subject…even about the details of it. She bit her lower lip, awaiting her mother's reaction.

"I think it's very cute too, Helga…And very creative…And I'm happy you shared with me."

The words met Helga's ears and she instantly let out a sigh of relief and then smiled and looked up at Miriam happily. "Thanks Mom…" her mother was just smiling warmly and supportively down at her now and it made Helga feel just…good…Really really good… "Goodnight." She closed her eyes again, snuggling comfortably in her blankets (and now with her Arnold shirt) to finally fall asleep.

"Goodnight, sweetie…" With these words Miriam finally reached over and turned out the light and then walked across the room quietly, leaving Helga there and happy and with a smile in her bed. And the older woman was feeling very good about this whole night and especially the end of her conversation with her daughter. Helga knew what she was doing. She would be okay. Arnold would be okay. They would be okay. All of this really was good for Helga. And Miriam instantly trusted Arnold just as much as Helga did. And… wouldn't it be nice to see Helga happy and married one day with a family of her own…and maybe even with Arnold…whom she loved so much and who loved her so much, in their own, young but still very special way… '_Helga's wedding…_' It was a cute idea…Miriam shook her head though as she exited the room, lightly shutting the door behind her as she entered the dim hall. '_It's so far off though…But…still…_' her thoughts went on as she walked to her and her husband's bedroom. Helga was already in love…already becoming not such a little lady. Her wedding day would probably come in the blink of an eye. Miriam let out a sigh and smiled to herself. '_And you know…even though they're only ten…if she actually does end up marrying Arnold…it wouldn't surprise me in the least_.'

Yawning she reached her own bedroom door now and did her best not to giggle about the image of her little Helga in a wedding dress and walking down the aisle with a tall, football headed Arnold while herself and Bob and Olga watched from the pews in the church. As for actually sharing the cute concept with either one of those two other members of the Pataki family though, certainly Miriam would probably mention it to Olga the next time they talked but as for B it would probably be better to 'ease' him into the idea… Miriam recalled the incident with Olga and her fiancée not too many months ago, and how that escapade plus Bob's natural disinclination for seeing his daughters getting very close to boys probably would not bode well for him finding the idea of Helga and Arnold's wedding as charming as she herself did, at least not right away. '_Yes. Definitely better to ease him into things…'_

Miriam yawned once more and then entered and closed her bedroom door behind her, very thankful for another close mother/daughter chat with Helga…as well as for the fact that since this was the second time it had happened recently, perhaps that meant it really could become a regular thing in their lives and in her and Helga's relationship. Yes, maybe she and Bob really hadn't been too late with trying to connect with their younger daughter, with helping her grow up, especially at this crucial time in her life. Not that Helga seemed to need too much parental guidance, of course…but it was wonderful just to be there for her when she needed it and to be a part of her life in general just the same. And maybe she did need them more than they realized, just like Miriam and Bob hadn't quite realized just how much they needed a real relationship with her until it had been really brought to their attentions… and just like how Helga and Arnold seemed to need each other more than Arnold had realized before this whole 'confessions' thing…

Miriam chuckled to herself as she prepared to begin getting ready for bed. Helga, in love with a little boy who would grow up one day to marry her and love her forever and ever. '_Helga and Arnold_…' It really did have a nice ring to it. She couldn't help chuckling a little more though she did her best to keep it as quiet as possible so as not to wake her sleeping husband, already in their bed. '_Better ease B into that idea too…Oh, and I'll have to remember to put a little note in Helga's lunch box wishing her good luck on that history test of hers tomorrow…_' She gave a small nod to herself at the plan, and then crawled into bed and went to sleep with a smile…and did her best not to giggle, as she did so, at the idea that Helga might be spending the next eight hours dreaming about Arnold, if the way she had whispered his name before almost falling asleep that first time (or the fact that she slept with his shirt pretty regularly) had been any indication of what topic her sleeping thoughts usually focused on.

* * *

**EVERYONE'S OTHER FAVORITE COUPLE**

"Hup! Hya!"

"Whoa!"

"And…HIT!"

"Okay, okay, I give! Phoebe, you're lethal!"

"Arigatoo gozaimasu, Gerald."

A chuckling (and still slightly disbelieving) Gerald Johanssen finally put down his practice saber and took off his fencing helmet. He smiled at his girlfriend and shook his head. "Heh…and I was worried for all those years about you holding your own around Helga…She might be able to throw a punch but I'm pretty sure sword fighting on top of the martial arts trumps that by a long shot!"

Phoebe giggled a little and pulled off her own fencing helmet to reveal her now slightly blushing face. "Oh…well, um…I try, Gerald." She shrugged…and then shyly put her hands behind her back. "Oh and, um…sorry if I got a little aggressive with the fencing…It's just something I tend to use to relieve pent up energy and I can get a little carried away at times…" She looked at him just a little unsurely…She hadn't meant to show him up or anything at this activity she had picked for their date together this afternoon—she'd just been trying her best at something she loved.

Gerald only smiled all the more at her question though and raised an eyebrow. "Babe, you know I love your aggressive side. We've been over this…" He blushed a little, his arms going behind his back shyly for a second. "I mean, as long as _you_ don't mind that, when you get right down to it, all my coordination is wrapped up in dance moves, heh…" He rubbed the back of his neck.

A giggle from Phoebe met his ears. "Well, um…" And then she'd slid closer to him and he blinked and looked now at her smiling face, "If you'll promise to take me dancing at some point in time so that I can see firsthand these dance moves you keep referring to…then of course I don't mind, Gerald." She gave him a small wink.

Gerald blushed quite a bit at this point…and then a grin consumed his face. "Sure thing, babe!"

The two shared a small chuckle/giggle…and then they cleared their throats and quickly moved forward to share a little peck on the lips, before pulling back awkwardly and blushing all the more (though they were smiling, of course). They were still getting used to kissing (and especially the mutual 'kissing at the same time') being part of their relationship…but they were both definitely warming up to the action.

"U-Um…anyway…" Gerald cleared his throat now, looking down, hoping to move things along a little before he could think too much about the fact that once again in his life he had just kissed Phoebe Heyerdahl's lips and get all goofy and dazed because of it, "Um…could we do a snack break now, babe? My arm's starting to get a little tired and I could use a breather anyway."

"Of course, Gerald," Phoebe replied brightly (happy as well to be moving things along from their little kiss), and then she took his helmet along with hers as well as both of their swords and walked them over to the equipment area in her house's fencing room, and then she gestured across the room to the tray she'd brought in here with them, which was set upon a large pillow on the floor. "We have Yahoo sodas, carrot sticks, and some fresh chocolate chip cookies."

"Ah, the three basic food groups." Gerald chuckled and looked back to his girlfriend (they…were warming up to the terms 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' right along with the kissing lately) with an appreciative smile. "You're the best, Babe." He winked at her and she just rolled her eyes and giggled at his little joke as the two walked over and sat down next to each other to share their small repast together.

"Itedokímas!" Gerald announced with a smile as he reached for a cookie.

Phoebe smiled and lowered the carrot stick she was about to take a bite of for a moment. "I-ta-da-ki-ma-su, Gerald."

"Oh, right…" Gerald blushed a little and then said it slowly as she had. "I-ta-da-ki-ma-su…" He looked to her hopefully.

Phoebe nodded in approval. "Yes, correct, Gerald. The traditional Japanese saying before commencing to eat." She glanced back to her carrot stick and took a small bite and swallowed…then let out a little sigh, sitting beside her boyfriend. "Um…Gerald?" She looked at him unsurely. "A-Are you sure you don't find learning the occasional bit of Japanese a little…boring?" She had to ask. After all, Helga had always seemed on the fence about getting Japanese words thrown at her and Phoebe really didn't want Gerald doing anything he didn't like or want to do just to impress or please her or something.

"Hey…if I'm going to be, um…you know, d-dating the smartest girl in the whole world…I consider it an honor that she's letting some of that smartness rub off on me…"

Phoebe blinked and blushed at the response and then looked to Gerald. He was smiling and blushing a little and kind of shyly taking a bite of a cookie. "Plus, I like learning about things you like, Phoebe. That's the point of dating, right?" He brought his eyes up to her and smiled.

Phoebe's smile blossomed and bloomed. "Y-Yes, Gerald…I suppose you're right."

Gerald let out a sigh and looked at her lovingly. "Besides, _you_ get new experiences from hanging out with _me_ too, so that kind of evens us out…even if the stuff _I_ have to share isn't nearly as brilliant as your Japanese and fencing and stuff." He glanced down a little sheepishly.

"No, Gerald…" he quickly heard her add though sincerely and happily, "The poetry readings and the urban legends and the video games are some of the most fun I've ever encountered…"

Gerald's smile instantly perked and he looked right back up at her. "Thanks, Babe…I'm happy you've been enjoying yourself so much."

Phoebe nodded, glancing at him as she took a cookie now herself. "Yes. It's been very nice to get out a little more…Usually I've just always gone to school, perhaps attended one of our baseball games and then come back here to study…except of course for occasionally helping Helga out with one of her former Arnold schemes." Phoebe almost rolled her eyes at the memories before going on. "It's been rather…exhilarating to have so many new experiences…and not ones involving grappling hooks or burnt cork…and um, also ones with someone whom I care…very much about…" Her cheeks pinkened a little, and she swallowed a bite of her cookie.

"E-Exactly," Gerald stuttered out a little in agreement, finishing a tiny bite of carrot. "It's nice getting to share things and learn more about who we are…and to have a special relationship….You know, besides just being friends like we were…" He rolled his eyes to the side innocently and then slid a little close to her…and put one of his hands on top of one of hers on the floor.

"Y-Yes…" Phoebe let her hand melt against his, shifting a little closer herself. "I…like us better this way too. As a…a couple instead of as just friends." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "No more slight glances and shy, embarrassed attempts at walking together places..." She had to smirk just a little.

"Yeah…" Gerald smirked a little back, "And no more worrying about the other person finding out how each of us felt about each other…" he added and then chuckled and continued, "And no more trying to keep our best friends around whenever we were together to make it seem like we weren't some kind of unofficial couple or something."

"Agreed, Gerald." Phoebe chuckled herself, "I like just admitting that I like you like you…and getting to know that you like me like me. Especially after all those years of learning to like each other more and more from afar." She smiled shyly.

Gerald laughed a little, finishing up his carrot stick (and so happy to have his hand on hers and to have her hand snuggling his a little back). Then his eyes lit up as he recalled something. "Hey, remember that time in second grade when we both kept pretending we were at the school carnival by ourselves but we kept managing to 'accidentally' sit or stand right next to each other at all the games, and to end up right behind one another on the lines of all the rides?"

Phoebe giggled a lot at the memory and nodded. "Of course, Gerald…." Her own eyes lit up (and she let her fingers play with his fingers a little). "Oh, and remember that month at the start of third grade, before all of our friends put our baseball team together and practices got in the way, when we both started coming to Slausens separately right after school, only to order the same thing every single time and glance at each other from our stools at opposite ends of the counter."

Gerald laughed. "Yeah! Or hey in first grade when I made sure to always come to YOU whenever I needed extra paste in art class, even though Arnold was sitting right next to me and always had some!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yes, and I always begged Helga to give me some extra of her paste if I ever saw you coming over and didn't have anymore myself…"

"Really?" Gerald raised an eyebrow and smirked a little, this information being news to him. "Hmm…I'll have to thank Pataki for that later."

Phoebe giggled, and smiled at her boyfriend. "Oh yes, Gerald…however much I helped out Helga with Arnold, _she_ certainly always helped out _me_ when I asked her for assistance with you…and she was kind enough to never bring it up too much too." Phoebe smiled a little more to herself, making a mental note to really thank Helga for that help later.

Gerald nodded. "Yeah, same with Arnold…he was always willing to help out and never brought it up much either, come to think about it." He smiled more to himself at this sudden realization. "Huh…pretty cool of the two of them…Hmm…" He shook his head in amusement, then focused back on Phoebe again. "And then of course they both made us finally come clean with each other…probably the coolest thing they ever did." He winked at his girlfriend.

Phoebe nodded and gave a little wink back. "Yes, very cool. Phoebe and Gerald…It does have a nice ring to it…" She blushed so much, smiling all the more.

"I always thought so…" The warm reply met her ears and she was so happy.

For a minute or two, the two children just sat next to each other, hands resting together, enjoying their snack and each other's company here on their date.

"Um, Gerald…Thanks for, um…agreeing to have dinner here with my mother and father this weekend. I'm very happy they're going to meet you." Phoebe spoke the words suddenly and quietly and with a small smile…She knew a family dinner was a big step and this would of course be her first time bringing home a boy to her parents and also she couldn't imagine how stressful the prospect must have seemed to Gerald…but he'd said yes and she was so happy about it!

"No problem, Phoebe." His reply brought her thoughts back to the here and now and she looked at him as he went on. "I'm…kind of honored actually…You asking me to officially meet your folks and everything…" He blushed and smiled to himself. "It's…pretty cool…getting asked to really meet a girl's parents…"

Phoebe smiled and blushed a little more herself, glancing down shyly. "I'm happy you're comfortable and happy about it, Gerald. And yes it's…a rather big thing for me too, but…I think it'll be nice."

Her boyfriend nodded and let out a sigh. "Yeah…and um, listen…I-I should have said this before but…the only reason I didn't invite you over to my house for dinner right after you invited me over here is because…" He looked at her with a great deal of concern. "Phoebe, I just plain care about you too much…"

Phoebe looked at him kind of strangely.

Gerald sighed and explained, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Phoebe…Yeah, dinner here with your parents might be a little awkward or tense but for the most part I know it's going to be great…and it'll be especially good because you'll be with me." He smiled and Phoebe blushed…but then he frowned a little, going on. "But, um…Phoebe? At my house…there's Timberly and Jamieo…Timberly, who will immediately inform you out loud in front of everyone that you are pretty and ask you if you're my girlfriend and Jamieo who will…make every joke he possibly can about, um…dating and hugging and touching and um…that, uh, kissing thing…heh…" He smiled a tiny bit and then cleared his throat and glanced up, trying to move along and lighten the mood a little. "A-And then, you see, I'd have to sock him one for bothering my lady and, well, he's a lot bigger than me so I could probably get off that first initial hit but then he'd cream me right on the spot and…I do not want to put you through the experience of seeing your boyfriend given a wedgie and having his head shoved into a bowl of mashed potatoes so…" He shrugged and grinned. "So, that's why I…hesitated on giving you an invite to a family dinner at my house after you gave me an invite to dinner at yours. Because when we're out on dates and it's just us it's calm and I can feel like I'm coming off as 'cool' and like things are going good…but with my family… I guess I'm just scared that I'll come off as a total dork or something and the whole thing'll be really embarrassing. I-I'm sorry, Babe…" He looked at her with a touch of concern, hoping she'd understand and not be too upset or anything.

Phoebe just looked at him…and then her mouth trembled…and then she burst into such laughter!

…The sound of which made Gerald blink in confusion at first. "Uh…Phoebe?" He was almost laughing a little himself as he then asked, "You okay, Babe?"

"Y-Yes, Gerald, I…" She laughed some more, holding her sides. "It's just…Oh Gerald…" She sighed and just looked at him with a smile and shook her head a little. "You will never 'not be cool' to me—that I can certainly promise you…No matter how many wedgies your older brother might give you or what embarrassing things your little sister might say…As long as I'm with you at the dinner, I'll have a great time." She smiled at him sincerely.

Gerald just looked at her…and then let out a sigh and shook his head, a happy grin on his face. "Phoebe…you are some kind of groovy chick…You have a death wish…but you are still some kind of groovy chick…"

She just blushed and giggled a ton at being called that… a 'groovy chick'. "And…you're a…groovy dude, Gerald…" she reciprocated shyly.

Gerald's eyes went wide and his jaw fell a little.

Phoebe just shrugged at the reaction. "If you're learning Japanese, then _I_ can pick up some new vernacular as well, Gerald." She winked.

There was silence and then the two of them just shared a happy laugh and smiles.

Next they separated their hands for the moment and grabbed and opened their soda bottles, then sipped their drinks and ate some more.

Eventually (a few minutes later) Gerald turned to Phoebe again. "So…" he grinned a little, "Dinner next weekend at my place maybe? As long as you're really prepared for the chaos…"

"I would be honored Gerald," Phoebe assured him with a smile.

Gerald smiled a little more at her response. Then he let out a sigh. "Hey, um…Phoebe?"

"Yes, Gerald?" she asked sincerely, taking another sip of her soda and then placing it down upon the floor.

"Um…I…know this might sound a little random but…I've just been…curious, I guess…" hey, now was as good a time as any to ask it, especially since they had just gotten all of that 'family dinner' stuff out in the open, "Are, um…Are we supposed to be acting like we're, you know… 'in like with each other' …in public or something?" He gulped and blushed, gripping his soda bottle with both of his hands very tightly. "I-I mean, I know Arnold and Helga don't act like they're together in public but they've got that whole 'Helga's reputation' thing to think of and also…they are the STRANGEST ten-year-olds on the planet…as we have both agreed." He tacked on the last part again to try and lighten the mood.

Which worked, since the two shared another laugh at his comment…

And then Phoebe considered for a moment, looking down…and then she shrugged and looked back up at Gerald and spoke carefully and sincerely (and to be honest this topic had been…slightly on her own mind as well). "Well…I don't think we have to hide our relationship, personally, Gerald, but…I like the idea of us just keeping things a bit…low key. What I mean is…when Arnold and Helga finally decide to tell the truth about their feelings to everyone…" she sighed and rolled her eyes to the side with a grin, "It's probably going to involve some epic confession, possibly a passionate kiss, the two of them going on and on and on about one another…" She smiled at Gerald again. "But I like us just being who we are, keeping our more…intimate experiences private not because we're afraid to tell the truth but just because they're intimate experiences and private and ours. And…maybe later we can try and incorporate some more milder experiences into our public lives as we get more comfortable but, for now…I like us like this. Just the way we are. Casually together. Is…Is that okay, Gerald?" She looked at him a little unsurely, hoping she'd expressed herself well and that his feelings on the matter wouldn't be too different. What if he DID want things to be seriously upped publically though? The thought made her cringe a little…She was just a private, shy girl, and she needed time to ease into—

"Oh THANK YOU! YES! We're on the same page!"

These words of relief met Phoebe's ears and she looked at Gerald with wide eyes. "Huh?"

Gerald just laughed and let out the happiest sigh ever, smiling at her so very gratefully. "Thank you…" he repeated, now going for her hand again and this time actually picking it up and giving it a squeeze. "I'm really, really, really happy you like taking things slow like this, Phoebe…I was starting to get worried that now that we've been together a few weeks you might be getting a little…I-I don't know, bored with me and my, uh…shyness about all of this," he blushed a little, "…a-and that you might be wanting something more intense and public and stuff, but…" He looked at her with a happy smile. "You really want to just keep going slow and steady and low key too? Because that would be…perfect with me…" His eyes became a little half lidded. He loved how in tune they could be sometimes. In tune with the most brilliant girl on the planet…It made his heart spark a little and he was really, really starting to like that feeling.

Phoebe's smile beamed in front of him. "Gerald Martin Johanssen …" Her grin grew. "I do believe this is the start of a very…compatible first relationship for the both of us."

Gerald's grin grew as well…and he picked up her hand a little higher. "I…do believe you're right…Phoebe Kyoko Heyerdahl," he said smoothly…and then with a blush went forward and kissed the back of her hand.

Phoebe's breath caught on her throat at the sudden action and she blushed…but then melted into a smile and a giggle. "Oh…_Gerald_..." She giggled a little more. Ever since they're first date, sometimes when they were alone and close he'd do that 'kissing her hand' thing and she loved the feeling. It was so sweet and romantic.

Gerald was feeling shy, of course, (as he usually did with intimate things like this between them) but he summed up more courage and shifted a little closer and looked into her eyes. "You have the cutest laugh, Babe…" He took a breath and lowered his voice a little, doing his best to keep his blushing at bay and to keep his courage up. "Um…you know, um…I-I've been looking up some Japanese vocabulary in my spare time and…um, correct me if I'm wrong, but…I think kireina is a good word for you…" He gave another little kiss to the back of her hand, doing his best to maintain (and also to not get too freaked out by the fact that a…little shudder had just passed through him…and it felt kind of…good.)

"Gerald, I…" Phoebe was blushing like mad and looking shyly down…and dealing with her own little shudder at the moment. She…really really liked whenever Gerald took a little initiative with things like this. And now he was complimenting her of all things.

Another very tiny little kiss came to the back of her hand, and it caused her breath to catch in her throat and her eyes to dart back to his. "Dai kireina desu…" His grin became a little prouder now as he saw how saying this sentence deepened the blush on Phoebe's face. "Ah, so it looks like I got the meaning of the word right with how much you're blushing, Babe…" A small laugh escaped him and then Gerald shifted closer…and managed to place a tiny kiss just a little farther up her hand…almost making it to the beginning of her wrist and arm. He'd been…getting some tips from Arnold and what girls might like, which included things like compliments on how cute they were and the occasional bit of spontaneous romantic flirting…and…he was more happy to try them out (now that he'd given himself a couple of weeks to psych himself up a little and make sure he WOULDN'T have a panic attack from trying to be more romantic with Phoebe, though, of course)…

"Gerald wa kawaii shonen desyo…" Gerald heard this rather unexpected sentence from the girl so very close to him, and his eyes widened and went to hers just as she giggled and looked back at him...actually fluttering her eyelashes a tiny bit whether she knew it or not. ('_Whoa…Th-This is actually working… Neat!'_ he couldn't help but think to himself, his heart starting to pound just a little). "The means…sort of what you just said to me…but for a boy…A-And you really are rather, um…cute, Gerald…" Phoebe managed before her blushing consumed her face entirely…He was so close…She could have easily taken her hand away, grabbed his head and just… Needless to say, she had also been getting some dating advice lately (though hers was from Helga, of course)…Though naturally roughly ninety percent of Helga's suggestions for what to do with a boy on a date made her blush like mad just hearing about them…let alone trying to actually do them herself with Gerald! But…But still…Something about this moment, right here and now, just… Her breath caught in her throat again. _'I-I really need to let Helga's courage in love rub off on me more…'_ It just…felt like something could maybe happen. That was the only way that it felt right to put it.

They were still close and neither of them was showing any signs of moving away…kind of locked into each other's eyes…nervous and blushing.

Gerald gulped and somehow, though he had NO idea where it came from…he managed to lean down and kiss her hand (this time actually on her wrist) again. He heard her giggle. He did his best not to collapse in shock at his actions and…reached up and shifted back Phoebe's sweater sleeve a tiny bit, letting his next kiss move onto her actual arm. He'd NEVER done anything this bold before, and he waited to see if she'd be upset, his eyes closed…but she just giggled a little more, and the sound made his heart flutter a little…and…as long as they were caught up in the moment…he pushed up the sweater sleeve a tiny bit more again and gave another kiss…though this one he let linger a bit…working up to something…maybe…something that would eventually involve not just _his_ lips…maybe…

_DING DONG_

The doorbell.

They ignored it. Hey, if it was Phoebe's parents they wouldn't have rang the bell and anyone else…could, um…wait…

_DING DONG, KNOCK KNOCK_

"Mmm…" Gerald groaned a little and could already feel his nerve slipping away. He lowered Phoebe's hand a bit. "I swear, if that's Harvey trying to deliver a package or something, I'm gonna…"

"Gerald, ignore it." His eyes kind of popped open a little—he'd never heard Phoebe sound so…forceful…and now that he really listened she was almost breathing a little shallowly… "Hmm…" she giggled a little again…and it felt like she even shuddered a little too. His eyes snapped to hers to see the most content look he'd ever seen on her face ever. "I-I mean," she went on, her eyes actually half lidded, "I-It's probably nothing…Just, um…someone selling something maybe…And anyway…" her voice went to the lightest whisper of a shy squeak, "You were…heading in a certain direction, I-I believe…" She pushed her hand up a little…moved forward so that their noses were almost together…Gerald was blushing a lot.

But then he just smiled. "Well then…" and his own eyes went a little half lidded, "Who, um…Who am I to deny the foxiest girl on the planet…?" And then he had her hand, her whole arm, and with a gulp he was kissing her hand/arm again (slowly but maybe…gaining speed), pulling her in a little and pushing up her sweater sleeve as little lingering kiss followed little lingering kiss… working up all the courage he had. And Phoebe just let him do whatever this was he'd had an impulse to do, and her heart was fluttering and she was feeling more and more of that bold loving sprit of her best friend channeling into her to just let herself loosen up a little with the boy she cared out and…and maybe…maybe—

"Hey, for crying out loud, we KNOW you and tall hair boy are in there, Phoebe—his bike's outside! Now open up, it's an emergency!"

"Helga, they're probably in the middle of their date…"

"Arnold, it's a Gerald and Phoebe date…that means Gerald's negotiating whether he's bold enough to hold her hand and Phoebe's trying not to die from blushing because they're finally dating…It's not like us where people would walk in to see, well…_you know_…"

"Helga!"

"What, no one's standing around out here besides us! Who's gonna hear about how anyone who walks in on us is very likely to find…"

"Helga, Gerald and Phoebe can…probably hear you from inside and…"

"Ah, let 'em hear!"

"_Helga_…"

"Oh calm down, I'm only kidding, let me just try the bell again and then if that still doesn't work we can head in through the wind—"

The door opened…and a wide eyed Arnold and Helga (who were also…handcuffed together?) were met with a blushing Phoebe and a blushing Gerald both giving them slightly frustrated though smirking looks.

Gerald spoke first, and VERY firmly. "Guys, this had BETTER be a good on—" His eyes then fell on the handcuffs. He stopped. And blinked. "Huh…Wow, this _is_ a good one…I stand corrected…"

Phoebe glanced at Gerald curiously at his response at first, but then looked back at Arnold and Helga and…really noticed now that they were indeed…handcuffed together.

Her jaw fell and she just kind of looked at them.

Helga G. Pataki just grinned at her two fellow fourth grade friends and gave a small wave with her non-cuffed hand. "Uh, hey guys. Sorry, we know you're on a date but…we have a small emergency and Phoebe's probably the only one who can help us…or at least the only one _we trust_ who can help us…" Now she lifted up the cuffed wrists of herself and a VERY sheepishly smiling Arnold. "As you can see, uh…me and the Football Head are handcuffed together and, before you ask, the key is long gone. Any ideas for how to unhook us, Pheebs?" She sighed and looked to her best friend, grinning like crazy of course at this whole freaking thing.

Phoebe just… she took in Helga's question, upon which she remained with her jaw dropped for another second or two…and then, seeing Helga raise part of her brow and about to prompt her for a response, the young dark haired girl closed her mouth and actually held up a singly finger in a 'just a moment' motion…and then stepped back inside of her house, away from the doorway and out of sight. Along with Arnold and Helga, Gerald as well even looked kind of confused at this course of action from her…until exactly one more second later when not terribly far from the door an unbelievable bout of laughter met their ears (after, of course, the sound of the aforementioned young dark haired girl in question falling to the floor in said fit of giggles).

Arnold and Helga sighed but still grinned. Yeah, they were being laughed at technically but…really…_handcuffed_? Even Helga had to chuckle a little too now at this fact, and Arnold as well had to laugh a tiny bit, both well aware of the amusing sight they must be making.

From his place still standing in the doorway, Gerald just smiled to himself and sighed and shook his head in amusement, and then looked to the blonde couple still standing before him. "Alright, alright…while my lady's getting it together…and I CANNOT blame her for needing a minute…Arnold, Helga…I KNOW I'm going to regret this but…How did you get handcuffed together? And the rated G version if you don't mind." He rolled his eyes and couldn't help but blush just a little at some of the (indeed potentially very intimate) possibilities for what might have happened between them to result in their current situation. '_Only those two_…' he couldn't help but think to himself with another amused sigh.

Gerald watched in amusement as Helga just blushed even more at his question…and then her smile grew a little and she just rolled her eyes to the side with a slight scoff. "Oh come on, Gerald, not EVERY wacky situation me and Arnold get into is the result of our uncontrollable urge to kiss each other. Actually…" she glanced at her football headed companion a little coyly, "What happened was we were just on a date in Arnold's room and he was trying to impress me with a few little magic tricks leftover from that whole adorable Great Arnoldini thing…"

Gerald now watched as Arnold beside Helga blushed quite a bit more and swayed a little shyly. "Helga, I…I was just, um…" But then he just smiled a little and let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Okay, yeah, I was…trying to impress you a little. Continue."

Helga just giggled at his cute little interruption. "Anyway," she went on, now turning back to Gerald to finish her explanations. "The cuffs stuck in the middle of the trick. And then when Arnold finally gave up and decided to get the key from the box to let us out, I…" she blushed a little more and glanced shyly and coyly to the side with a grin. "I…might have mentioned something about how his top hat was really cute…and wondered out loud how hard I'd have to kiss him to get something like THAT to pop off of his head like I usually end up doing to his regular hat during our kisses…" She cleared her throat, blushing all the more and now and doing her best to move on. "A-Anyway, then he tripped and the key slipped out of his hands and went right down the heating vent. We went through a few wacky but cliché hijinks trying to get it, and then just decided to head over here since you two are the only ones who would understand and who could maybe help us and also who would NOT mock and ridicule and tease us for the rest of our lives." She let out a sigh as she finished, just looking at Gerald with a shrug and a predictably sheepish smile.

Phoebe suddenly reentered the scene now, holding onto the doorframe a little as she returned, smiling to herself and obviously having only just regained even some of her composure. "A-And um…" she managed to get out, still only barely maintaining, "Might I ask how you two walked here like that without attracting attention?"

Helga full on scoffed at that question, flipping her free hand forward. "Oh, no, we attracted TONS of attention, ran into a bunch of people we know, the whole nine yards, but I just scowled and said the loopy Football head was trying to put on another magic show and that I knew he was a fraud so I challenged him to pull off a trick using me, he bungled it, and now we're STUCK like this until we get help." She smirked and held up her free hand, looking at her nails with a smug grin. "Not a bad one, if I do say so myself."

"Hmm," Phoebe replied, looking at her best friend with interest and crossing her arms over her chest, "I'm surprised, Helga…Why didn't you just wait until nightfall to come over? That way you wouldn't have had to make any excuses and also…you would have prolonged being handcuffed to Arnold of course." She giggled a little.

Arnold, beside Helga, blushed A LOT.

And Gerald beside Phoebe just raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend in a bit of surprise. A scheming romantic idea coming from his sweet innocent little Phoebe's mouth? _'Man…women are kind of secretly sneaky, aren't they? It isn't just Helga, is it?'_

Helga just laughed a bit at Phoebe's latest question. "Oh believe me, Phoebe, I already explained to Arnold that we can stay like this FOREVER but, uh…" She cleared her throat, blushed a bit more again and jerked the thumb of her free hand in his direction. "_Somebody_ needs to use the little boys room apparently, and, well…"

"Helga…." came Arnold's level, shy voice…though it was obvious he was trying not to smile at how hilarious and awkward this whole thing really was.

Helga just giggled a bunch more. "Yeah, he's 'all in a fluster' about that." She sighed and rolled her eyes and then turned her sights back to Phoebe. "So, um, since you're always really smart and handy…could you, Phoebe?" With a sheepish grin, she offered her and Arnold's handcuffed hands forward.

Phoebe just chuckled a little, nodding her head in amusement. "Of course, Helga. I'm sure I can untrip the lock. And if worse comes to worse, I could always use one of the fencing swords to cut it off." She gave her friend a humorous wink.

"Ha ha, very funny, Pheebs…" Helga smiled even more. "Alright, come on, Arnold…" she glanced at her boyfriend. "Let's get this over with before that football shaped bladder of yours bursts…"

Gerald just sighed and rolled his eyes, moving out of the doorway to let the blonde couple pass. "Oh brother…Although I guess I should be thankful you two showed up handcuffed and not to show off Helga's new 'engagement ring' or something." He smirked a little.

Helga just smiled like crazy and blushed all pink and this low little giggle/chuckle escaped her as she walked inside…. "Heh…good one, Johanssen …" Some more giggles then came from her at the very idea of showing up at the doors of their friends to show off an engagement ring from her beloved Arnold one of these days.

As for Arnold, he just blushed red and went wide-eyed and looked forward…not saying a word, though he did give a small gulp.

So the four kids headed into Phoebe's house to unlatch Arnold and Helga from one another (the first of many times to come in their crazy, love filled lives that they would be participating in helping out their friends with a silly, romantic task such as this one…)

* * *

"Well," a finally free (and no longer having to 'use the little boy's room') Arnold sighed out as he turned to his girlfriend who was sitting beside him on a loveseat in the Heyerdahl living room with a sheepish grin, "I guess no more magic tricks from me for a little bit, huh, Helga?"

Helga just smirked a little at her boyfriend and shook her head at him, stretching up and crossing her legs. "Hey, I already told you…You and me handcuffed together forever is aces in my book, Football Head…" She winked. "We could eat together and walk everywhere together, live together…wake up together each morning in your cozy, cozy bed…" She blushed tons but smiled all the more.

Arnold's cheeks burned with rosiness too. "W-Well, um…n-not that that doesn't sound…v-very n-nice, Helga…" He heard her giggle at his stuttering and that adorable sound didn't help improve either his blushing or tonguetied-ness. Still he did his best to go on. "B-But, um…even though I liked the little bit of time we had today stuck together, I still wish I could have done the trick better for you…" And really he felt so sheepish—Helga was so very impressive to him with her creativity and brilliance and the shrines and poetry and schemes and all of her talents and…he'd really been hoping today to impress HER a little with something about himself. He knew she loved him tons but…to see her eyes go wide and to see her smile and to see her be genuinely surprised and delighted with him…He sighed at the idea. (The last time he'd gotten that look from her had been the other week when she'd found out after his escape from behind his couch that he'd wired his own room all by himself…and he'd been secretly craving getting that impressed gaze from her again ever since).

"Ah, it's okay, Football Head." Helga just waved him off with an understanding smile. "You did your best, and besides the card trick and that thing with the rings beforehand were pretty cool." She shrugged and smiled at him, trying to be supportive…even though those two tricks had been kind of shaky too (his nervous little palms had been so sweaty that the cards had fallen to the floor, and the rings had taken a ton of excess pulling to pull apart). But still she could sense that this little 'magic show date' idea of his had been very important to him, and that he'd really wanted her to have a good time. And she had, of course, even though it hadn't been some big mindblowing thing! "You're a good little magician, my Arnoldini." She leaned over and hugged him and then pulled back, smiling at him again.

Arnold smiled back at her. She was trying to be supportive and he knew it…and it was sweet…but still… With a sigh, he glanced down and considered, and then smiled a little more to himself. At first he'd thought doing a certain something at this point might be silly, but… _'I guess it couldn't hurt…_'

"Something on your magical mind, Arnoldo?"

The question brought Arnold's eyes back up to Helga's and he chuckled a little. "Well…one thing, actually…I know it might seem a little silly now but…it's been a long day and I'd like to try it if I could…Sort of a finale to all of this." He gave her one of those full smiles of his that showed his teeth and went from ear to ear across his wide head.

Helga blushed at that smile (she really liked that smile…) but then she remembered where they were and glanced across the room at Gerald and Phoebe who were in sight and actually smiling and chatting a little together not all that far away on the couch with one another (definitely within hearing distance and of course absolutely within seeing distance). "Um…Arnold…" she turned back to her beloved and blushed quite a bit, her smile growing, "Maybe we should save whatever you've got on your mind until we're alone again…"

Arnold raised an eyebrow at her suggestion at first but then it clicked what she meant and he blushed but then just chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Helga, not THAT kind of a finale…" He lowered his voice to a whisper to make sure only they would hear. "At least…not _yet_…" He winked at her, causing her blue eyes to go wide and then her to break into a little bout of giggles.

Arnold kind of trembled all over at that pretty sound and then let out a sigh and hoped, hoped, hoped that this would work! "Alright, my precious Helga…Um…" He cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "Nothing up my sleeves…" He tugged at each of the wrists of his sweater. "And…." And then he lifted up his little blue cap and with a flick of his wrist…suddenly had a little bouquet of pink paper flowers in one of his hands, which he presented forward. "For, um…for my charming assistant…heh…"

Helga looked at the flowers with suddenly wide eyes, and then she blinked a bunch of times, and then raised part of her brow… "How did…?" She glanced back up at his hat again ('_So small…_') and then down at the flowers again ( '_So…__not__ small_…') and then finally she looked back to Arnold's eyes in total perplexity. "Arnold…how did you do that?" She just HAD to ask!

His smile grew and he just shrugged. "A magician never reveals his secrets, Helga…"

She still looked so confused…but then smiled a little and even giggled, and batted her eyelashes at him. "Not even to his…charming assistant?" She winked.

Arnold just sighed and shook his head with a grin. "No, sadly not even to her…It would spoil the magic…and maybe she's so magical all on her own to everyone around her that she deserves someone _giving_ her some magic in her life for once." He winked right back.

"Hey, do we need to get you two a room or something? For crying out loud, we can hear you guys, you know, and you're giving us cavities over here!" Gerald suddenly announced from the other side of the room with a smirk.

Helga rolled her eyes and looked over at him. "Gerald, we're flirting. Focus on your OWN date right now." She turned back to her love and then finally took his flowers in her hand and smiled sincerely. "Arnold, seriously, that really was an…amazing finish…I didn't see it coming at all…You really do still have a trick or two up your sleeve that I don't know about, don't you, Football Head?" She grinned.

He just shrugged, feeling SO very happy that this had worked out and that he'd actually managed to impress her a little like this! "I think I'll _have_ to have a few secret things if I'm going to keep up with you, Helga."

She just smiled at him. "Oh Arnold…you're just…" And then she sighed and glanced across the room with a small eye roll. "Hey Geraldo, fair warning! What I'm gonna do right now might set off that 'hurl alert' of yours!"

Gerald just rolled his eyes at her again, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay, I'm prepared. Do whatever you've gotta do. Just, please, nothing that's gonna set off any smoke detectors and no 'making his hat pop off his head' or whatever it was you were talking about before." Gerald faked a grossed out shudder and Phoebe giggled beside him at the joke.

Helga just rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Nah…I'll save all that stuff for later." She turned back to Arnold and cooed as she spoke, letting it out. "Oh Arnold you're just the most adorable, cutest, most charming boy in the whole entire world." And suddenly she dove at him in a hug, still holding her paper bouquet in one hand. "Flowers…Now you know why I would have stayed handcuffed to you forever if you wanted. I really am very impressed…I didn't see that coming at all…my creative and talented and impressive little love…."

Arnold hugged her back in happiness, that extra wide grin returning to his face. "Happy you liked the finale, Helga…"

The two of them just remained like that for a little bit (and Arnold was very VERY happy that Helga had actually felt comfortable enough to do something this intimate and prolonged in front of other people.)

* * *

As Arnold and Helga sat together hugging like this and then eventually pulled apart to just talk with and smile at each other some more…Gerald and Phoebe were talking on their own right across the room from the happy blonde couple.

"Good job with the lock, babe. Didn't know you knew how to pick one of those…and with a hair pin and a can opener no less…" Gerald raised an eyebrow giving her an impressed look, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, thank you…" Phoebe shrugged modestly, resting her hands on her knees. "I suppose that reading as much as I do and also having been involved in as many schemes as I've been with Helga has left me with some rather…unusual skills, Gerald." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and blushed. "Incidentally, I believe I could also hotwire a car if pressed."

Gerald was silent and just blinked…and then he smirked at her a little. "Okay, it's official: you are a genius, Babe. No question." He grinned and gave her a wink.

She giggled at his response, blushing a tiny bit more. "Thank you, Gerald…But…" she glanced down shyly, "Just being able to turn on a car like that isn't nearly as cool to me as apparently being able to drive one…like the bus you drove to help Arnold save the neighborhood…That was rather impressive, Gerald…" Her eyes traveled back up to his, "…and very brave."

"O-Oh…" Gerald blushed a lot and gulped, and then rubbed the back of his neck, grinning a little. "W-Well, I mean…half of it was those two nuts across the room working the pedals…" Gerald glanced over to see Arnold and Helga smiling at each other still and now he that his attention was focused on them he could overhear them sharing some joke about Helga putting her flowers in water (he tried not to roll his eyes at the corniness overload). "B-But thanks…" he turned his attention back to the girl beside him, a tinge of red still in his cheeks and his eyes going a little half lidded. "When, uh…When I actually have a license someday maybe you could hotwire my brother's car and I could, uh…drive you somewhere."

"That would be quite…cool, Gerald. It's a date." She smiled more at him.

Gerald's heart kind of filled up with something and his eyes glowed. "Really?" He looked at her almost in disbelief. "E-Even though it's…years from now?" he gulped and had to ask.

Phoebe blinked and raised an eyebrow, both at him asking and at the answer she was just now fully processing that she had given in the first place to his basically asking her out for six years from now. But then she just put aside the logic or the probability of being able to make a date for six years in the future…and just really thought about her feelings. And then she sighed and looked into his eyes with a smile. She nodded. "Really. I like you, Gerald…very very much…I'd like to think that we'll have dates…even years from now." She glanced down shyly.

"Me too, babe…Wow I guess we really are on the same page, huh?"

Her heart skipped a beat at his reply. "It would seem that way, Gerald." She looked up again, smiling as he was smiling.

They looked into each other's eyes.

The sound of Helga giggling all of a sudden brought them out of their small mesmerization with one another, though, and the two blinked and on instinct looked over to see Arnold and Helga still on the loveseat together, and Arnold currently whispering stuff into Helga's ear, obviously flirting with her right now as whatever he was saying was only eliciting more and more giggles from his delighted female companion.

A sigh from Gerald caused Phoebe to turn to him. He was smiling to himself and shaking his head, still looking in Arnold and Helga's direction. "Besides, Babe…I think we'll kind of have to stay together anyway to keep America's cutest kiddie couple over there from disappearing into each other or something…You know, to even them out—give them an example to look at of NORMAL ten-year-olds dating." He turned to Phoebe with a smile.

She smiled right back and chuckled quite a bit at his joke. "Indeed, Gerald," she had to agree with the smart observation with a nod. "Otherwise Helga really MIGHT have an engagement ring to show off before the fifth grade." She smirked a little at the memory of her boyfriend's well-placed joke from before.

"Good one, babe." He chuckled and she giggled…and then the sounds of Helga giggling like crazy yet again caused them to turn their attentions back to the goo goo eyed couple across the room and finally they both had to roll their eyes and stand up and go forward.

"Alright, alright you two," Gerald started, shaking his head and smirking, as he now came within a few feet of their 'in love' friends. "Seriously, save it for the honeymoon…"

Arnold instantly stopped his whispering in his love's ear at the sound of his best friend's voice suddenly so close and the words he had just said, and Helga instantly glanced away shyly at the sight of Gerald and Phoebe suddenly before them, both blondes blushing and smiling to themselves. Arnold cleared his throat and did his best to smile up at Gerald casually, though it was obvious he was still a little gone. "We were just…talking, Gerald…"

"_Mmm hmm_…." Gerald replied skeptically, and then he grinned wryly and crossed his arms over his chest. "Talking about goo goo eyes and making out and 'Oh Helga, I never realized before but your blonde hair is so blonde' and 'Oh Arnold, I never realized before either but your football head is so footbally'." He went into a small fit of chuckles and Phoebe couldn't help but joining him a tiny bit, bringing a hand to her mouth to try and cover it up.

Helga just let out a sigh and grinned at their new little audience. "Tall hair boy, you have gotten entirely too comfortable with teasing me lately…But I'll forgive you since you're my best friend's boyfriend and my best guy's best friend." She smirked at him. "And also, I guess, because you're a fellow chocolate turtle hater and know the pain and humiliation of trying to date someone when you have an older sibling butting in to make comments all the time." She winked.

"Whatever, Helga…" Gerald just replied back with his own friendly smile (trying not to chuckle so that he wouldn't encourage her since, well…he sort of wanted to get back to his own private date this afternoon, and as soon as possible). "Anyway, since you two are no longer attached at the wrist, can you maybe get back to your own strange 'in love' date and leave me and Phoebe to finish up our own afternoon together of acting like normal ten-year-olds who like like each other?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Helga let out a sigh and just shook her head in amusement but stood up her cushion on the loveseat nonetheless. "Okay, okay…I get the picture—two's a date, four's just awkward when it's unannounced." She turned to Arnold as he was standing up as well and grinned. "Meanwhile, isn't it just precious that they're still using the 'like like you' thing, Arnold? Especially when you know they'll be throwing out 'the big L word' just like we do soon enough…"

Arnold raised an eyebrow at Helga's observation and then couldn't help but just chuckle a little. It really was kind of a cute idea when you thought about it after all.

Meanwhile, Gerald and Phoebe were both right now bright scarlet…standing there…jaws dropped.

"Aw, Arnold…" Helga glanced at the 'in shock' other couple before them with feigned pity. "I think we embarrassed them a little…" She chuckled a little more.

"Helga, leave them alone…We're the ones who interrupted their date in the first place. We shouldn't make things worse…" Arnold chided…though he was making no effort to hide his own continuing smile at this whole thing.

"Hey, I just call 'em like I see 'em, Football Head…And besides…" Helga smirked a little more and gestured in her best friend's direction with her head. "Didn't you notice how Phoebe's one sleeve's pulled up?" (it still was in that condition, by the way, Phoebe having forgotten to readjust it from earlier). "…Or how much Gerald was blushing when he answered the door? …And of course how _long_ it took them in the first place…?" She smiled proudly, eyeing P.S. 118's future second most popular couple. "I think some, uh…love related things might have been going on before we got here…" She chuckled and swung her fist through the air playfully at the two (still in shock) kids. "Go get 'em, tigers!" She finished with a wink and then gave into a ton of laughter.

That did it.

"Alright, well, um, I do believe it's getting rather late, Helga…" And suddenly Phoebe was behind Helga and pushing her toward the front door. "Yes, indeed, rather late…I'm certain you and Arnold have to be getting along now." At this point Helga was right in front of the door with an eager Phoebe right behind her.

Helga just laughed a little more now. "Okay, okay, yikes, don't have a cow, Pheebs." She looked over her shoulder back across the living room to her love. "Come on, Arnold…I think I crossed some kind of line. Let's leave them to their blushing."

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes in amusement. He looked to his best friend. "Sorry, Gerald…" He then walked across the room to come beside Helga. "We'll get going now. Thanks again, guys." He waved back at Gerald and Phoebe.

"Yup, thanks a bunch you two." Helga gave them a little salute with her hand not holding her bouquet. "And hey, just make sure you both look in one piece before Phoebe's parents get home." She winked.

"Okay, that's enough Helga…" Arnold smiled as he opened the door.

Helga just shrugged as she stepped out onto the stoop. "Ah, you know you thought it was funny, Arnoldini…"

Arnold chuckled. "Maybe a little…" He closed the door behind them, cutting off their conversation from entering the Heyerdahl house.

Gerald and Phoebe were just left in the living room in silence.

'_O-Okay…how to move past this moment…_' Gerald gulped but his mind remained a blank. This really was awkward…especially since, considering how much Arnold and Helga's relationship kind of shoved the concept of it in their faces, it was kind of an 'elephant in the room' with him and Phoebe… The big L word, as Helga had just called it. Arnold and Helga were dating just like he and Phoebe were dating…but Arnold and Helga were in love. How would…Would he and Phoebe even…Did that mean that… Needless to say it had all been too much for the two of them to ever even begin to talk about openly with each other just yet. "Uh…" Gerald settled on just kind of standing there with his mouth agape saying this syllable until something better could come to mind.

"Um…Gerald?"

"Lo—Huh, what?" He blinked and jumped, coming out of his thoughts only to see now that Phoebe was standing before him, an eyebrow raised…and still blushing. And she still had her sweater sleeve pulled up revealing some of the skin of her arm…The arm he had been…

He gulped and shook his head, banishing those thoughts and the feelings they made happen inside of him for the moment. "Uh…y-yes?" he kind of squeaked out. '_Smooth, Gerald, very smooth.'_ He could have kicked himself.

Phoebe shrugged and glanced down…and then her eyes obviously went to her still wrinkled and out of place sweater sleeve and she quickly restraightened the garment and then looked back up at him (trying not to blush too much) and spoke. "Uh…" and then she smiled a little. "If you're game for it…would you care to get a little revenge on Arnold and Helga for interrupting our date…among other things…" She shrugged again. "I sort of have a plan."

At this unexpected information/suggestion, Gerald blinked and then raised an eyebrow. "Really?" was all he could say.

She nodded.

Gerald smiled. "Uh…sounds good to me, babe. Let's do it."

Her eyes lit up and she smiled back more. "Excellent. Oh but I'm afraid we have to wait ten minutes…"

"Why?" Gerald asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Just trust me, Gerald." She winked. "Come on, I have to bring the snack plates from the fencing room into the kitchen anyway, and then I was thinking of making a pot of green tea. I always like some of that after I've fenced a little. Would you care for some, Gerald?" She walked past him to enter the hallway and then the fencing room.

Gerald turned in her direction, a very curious expression still on his face, though it was accompanied by a smile. "Uh…sounds good to me, babe. I've never tried green tea before but…new experiences, right?" He headed over to the entrance to the hallway to assist her with the dishes and soda bottles from their earlier snack.

"Yes Gerald, new experiences…" she agreed as the two of them exited the living room together.

* * *

"So…why have we had to wait ten minutes?" Gerald took the first sip of his tea (he and Phoebe were sitting on stools in Phoebe's kitchen with a teapot between them on the counter…and the phone receiver right there as well), looked at the cup kind of funny for a second, considered the flavor and then smiled. "Hey…this stuff's pretty good, by the way." He took a bigger sip and smiled more.

"I'm happy you like it, Gerald." Phoebe sipped some of her own tea and smiled. "And as for the waiting before commencing our revenge, well…" she then began to explain in answer to his question, picking up the phone as she did so. "I figured five minutes for Arnold and Helga to return to Arnold's house, one minute for them to get past Arnold's family and up to his room again, approximately two minutes of foreplay…and now two minutes for them to be really comfortable and involved in whatever they may be doing together..." She grinned to herself just a little more and now started to dial a certain number…a certain cell phone number. "So, now should be the ideal time to interrupt them…" she finished as the phone rang.

Gerald grinned and sipped his tea some more. "Babe…you're the greatest."

"Arigatoo gozaimasu, Gerald…" Phoebe upped the volume on the receiver as the phone rang so that both she and Gerald would be able to hear.

The other end of the line clicked. "Bob, I am in the middle of, uh…studying with Arnold. What is it?"

Phoebe's smile grew. "Oh, hello, Helga. Sorry, it's just me Phoebe…" She dramatically opened her eyes and feigned sincerity in her voice, "Oh you were returning to Arnold's house to continue your date when you left here, weren't you? How silly of me not to realize…I do hope I'm not interrupting, Helga…" She tried not to giggle and watched as Gerald tried not to chuckle.

"U-Uh…" Helga's voice could be heard to say shakily, "Phoebe, um…if the line's busy when I'm out… OUT out… you know, with Arnold…Bob tends to get a little peeved…like as in 'get home right now, little missy' peeved…And um, actually, I've got my mouth on a very tasty banana split right now, so…"

"Helga…" Arnold's voice could be faintly heard, "What are you talking about?"

"Oh…" It sounded like Helga leaned away from her phone a bit (though her voice could still be made out), "Uh, ice cream was a code name for you between me and Phoebe back in the day…and well, your head IS shaped like a banana split, so…" She giggled a little.

"Ice cream, huh?" Arnold. "Hmm…I feel like there's some kind of 'a la mode' joke I should make right now…."

There were SEVERAL seconds of 'silence.'

"ARNOLD!" Helga finally squeaked in amusement. "Not now, Phoebe's still on the…O-Oh…." giggles… "U-Uh, Ph-Phoebe, I really REALLY have to go…I've got to open up the line just in case with Bob and also the…the ice cream's melting" a ton more giggles, "…a-and it's melting _me_ a little too…"

Phoebe let out a casual sigh. "Oh, I don't know…maybe I'll just stay connected. Helga. I can wait until you're done…Of course, you could always hang up I suppose but then I guess I'll just call back and call back…which would also block the line, if I'm not mistaken."

"Ph-Phoebe, come on…I'm not kidding—if Bob tries to get through and it's busy my date with Arnold is OVER the second he does get through and it's…getting to be a REALLY good date…."

Phoebe smiled. "Oh, fine, Helga. I SUPPOSE I'll let you go…But of course I'm not promising that I won't, oh, I don't know…" she spoke very deliberately, still smiling, "Show up at Arnold's bedroom door right in the middle of this very good date you're having…you know, Helga…similar to something that happened only about ten minutes ago at _my_ house…"

"Mmm…" Helga moaned a little from whatever was going on in that room. "Phoebe…I…_Oh_!" And indeed it now sounded like something had finally clicked in Helga G. Pataki's brain. She let out an 'I get it now' sigh. "I get it…We interrupted you and Gerald, and…Okay, Arnold and I won't do that anymore…p-promise…Now PLEASE let me go! No not _you_, Arnold…You keep going…" more giggles…" And please tell me more cute little flirtatious things about how irresistible I am, my love…"

Phoebe just sighed and shook her head, but couldn't help giggling a little as well at how romantic and charming the whole little Helga/Arnold thing really was. "Bye Helga…Enjoy your date."

"Bye, Pheebs…You too." Another bout of giggles as it sounded like the phone was being removed from near Helga's head as she prepared to hang it up. "I think I like being 'a la mode'…."

_CLICK_

Phoebe put down the phone on the counter and smiled at Gerald. "Well, that was fun…and I do believe the message got through." She chuckled and picked up her cup of tea again.

Gerald laughed along with her, taking another swig of his own tea. "Yeah, they deserved that and you gave it to them good, Phoebe." He winked.

"Thank you, Gerald…" Phoebe blushed just a tiny bit at the compliment…then she smirked and offered the phone in his direction. "And do you…think they might _also_ deserve _you_ calling the boarding house in another two minutes after they've had a chance to get cozy again and asking Arnold's grandpa to call him downstairs because you 'really, really' need to talk to him?"

Gerald instantly burst into laughter at the suggestion, putting down his tea mug. "Absolutely! I'll pour us some more tea and then we'll do it." He winked, and then picked up the teapot and poured refills for Phoebe's mug and his own…and then went for the phone, looked at the clock until two full minutes at passed, and then dialed his best friend's number.

"Oh, hey Phil!" he suddenly announced brightly into the receiver as it was picked up on the other end. "It's Gerald…Listen, I know Arnold's, uh…doing homework with Helga but could you call up to him and ask him to come down and talk to me. It's _really _important…Oh but, uh…don't tell him it's me calling, please." He winked at Phoebe who giggled. "I want to surprise him about something…Thanks, Phil."

Gerald and Phoebe tried to control their laughter as they could just hear Arnold's grandpa now indeed moving his own phone receiver away from his face and calling Arnold to come downstairs 'right away, please' for 'something very important'. Gerald turned up the volume on the phone again so that both he and his girlfriend could enjoy yet another good laugh together today.

* * *

It was a little while later and now Gerald and Phoebe were just finishing off their second pot of tea and laughing a little at their small (and totally successful) first AND second revenge against Arnold and Helga.

"Phoebe, that was great. We need to start doing stuff like that to them more often just to keep them on their toes or something." Gerald smiled and took another swig of tea.

Phoebe nodded, refilling her own tea mug yet again. "I concur, Gerald. They could use at least a small challenge every now and then like that."

"Exactly!" He winked. "And then of course there's also the fact that they have _got_ to learn and understand that they can't just walk in on our dates. They should be thankful we just did the phone call this time—they know darn well that if we really did just walk in on one of _their_ dates, they'd be mortified." He rolled his eyes and then cringed. "Ugh, I hope I never do that though…What was she saying about ice cream and 'a la mode'?" He looked at Phoebe curiously, feigning total gross out.

Phoebe chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Oh…well, before Helga told Arnold her feelings, whenever she and I used to talk about him together, Helga never really liked to say his name directly even though we were both aware she was referring to Arnold…I suppose she was shy about it…"

Gerald let out a sigh and shook his head. "I'll never get over the idea of the existence of a 'shy' Helga Pataki."

Phoebe laughed a little in agreement and went on. "Anyway, since she was shy, over the last few months we've started referring to him as ice cream…" Phoebe glanced down with a bit of a blush now... "And since 'a la mode' refers to a style of eating in which something is topped with ice cream…" She sighed and cleared her throat, letting the obvious end to the sentence hang.

Gerald cut her off, waving a hand and cringing. "Say no more. I just got a REALLY bad mental picture and it might scar me for life if we keep talking about it."

"I concur Gerald." Phoebe smiled. "The two of them are cute together but…they can be a little intense sometimes…." She blushed a little more…After all, it really was rather difficult sometimes to keep her relationship with Gerald casual when…well, when their 'in love' beset friends were constantly kind of throwing make out sessions and passionate dates and practically being ready to marry one another into their faces, whether they meant to or not. It was just…so _much_ sometimes…and then Helga talking about her and Gerald… 'L wording' each other one day… Phoebe blushed all the more…a brief flash of her and Gerald behaving like Arnold and Helga entering her mind before she quickly dismissed it like she usually did…though little flashes like that had been happening more frequently lately, she had to admit to herself.

"Yeah…them and their 'love' stuff…"

The comment made Phoebe blink and brought her out of her thoughts. Her eyes fell to Gerald who was just sitting there beside her on his stool, facing away from the counter with his elbows resting back upon it, sipping from his mug...blushing a little…

Phoebe cleared her throat and sat similarly now beside him, blushing as well as she sipped her own tea. "Yes…Love…A very powerful thing…I-I suppose…"

"Hey, um…Ph-Phoebe?" Gerald raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her.

She nodded and glanced over at him. "Um, yes, Gerald?"

"U-Um…just out of curiosity…" He rubbed the back of his neck, obviously trying to sound more casual than he was feeling. "How did Helga know she was…in love…with Arnold?"

Phoebe blinked at the question and glanced down with a blush. "Oh…um…love at first sight." She sipped her tea again.

Gerald swallowed. "Oh, um…okay."

Phoebe glanced at him. "Gerald…how did Arnold know that he, um…was in love with Helga?"

Gerald swallowed. "Oh, um…he figured out that's he's been falling for her all along that deep. Kind of like a 'slow acting' love at first sight, I guess."

"Oh…" Phoebe took another sip of her tea.

"Um…Phoebe?"

"Mmm hmm…"

Gerald turned to her so that his body was fully facing her now...still trying to sound casual…still doing poorly at it and blushing. "Um…since you're smart I was just wondering…I mean, putting Arnold and Helga aside for a sec because they're kind of weird, heh…" He chuckled a little nervously and then went on. "How old are people usually when they…fall in love with other people?"

Phoebe's eyes went rather wide. "Oh! Well, um…" She spoke the truest thing she could come up with, too stunned to try and find something vague and safe to say. "I-I only know what I've seen in fictional novels and television shows and movies…but usually people are depicted as falling in love in their late teens at earliest…But, um…in real life there are…many exceptions, I suppose…It just depends on the situation…" She swallowed and awaited his reply.

Gerald looked pensive for a moment…and then he nodded. "Uh, yeah…that makes sense…Usually when you're closer to being a grown up but also…exceptions…" He blushed a lot and glanced down. "Um, Phoebe, listen…about what happened before, um…before Arnold and Helga showed up…" He took a rather large swig of his tea now and then went on, blushing more than Phoebe had ever seen him do in their entire lives. "U-U-Um, we just got, um…I mean, we were alone and then things…I mean..." He didn't know what he wanted to say or even really why he was bringing this up when he'd actually gotten the miracle of Arnold and Helga's arrival and this whole revenge prank thing to distract from it, but…he just felt like he had to say _something_! '_I mean, what if she's secretly upset with me about it or what if I shouldn't have done that or what if we were both wrong or…I_…'

"We got a little…carried away?" Phoebe suggested then, her light voice suddenly meeting his ears and causing him to snap from his thoughts and his eyes to snap to hers. She was glancing down and blushing and…smiling to herself…

Gerald smiled at that little smile of hers…and at the fact that she seemed to be kind of…not angry and maybe even giving them both a bit of a free pass on the whole thing for now as just something random that had happened. "Uh yeah…heh…c-carried away…" was all he could come up with in TOTAL relief.

"And, uh…" Phoebe then went on, bringing her eyes back up to his a little. "Who really knows where we were going with all of that, right?" She shrugged a little and smiled more.

"Uh…right!" Gerald's smile grew and he felt like he could breathe easy again!

"A-After all, many things can happen in the heat of the moment…right?" she added, seeming almost relieved herself right now.

"Right!" Gerald could have just hugged her, he felt so good. She wasn't ignoring things or saying she hadn't liked things or putting him too much on the spot about getting carried away with her like that—she was just accepting it and letting him know (with the most minimal amount of humiliation possible) that it was okay. It was…fantastic!

"You had every good intention of just kissing my hand and then I went a bit further and then you went a bit further and before we knew it…heh…But you actually had only the simplest intentions of course." She summed up the situation so neatly and perfectly.

"Exactly!" His smile was ear to ear. "Babe, couldn't have put it better myself!" Gerald chugged down the last of his mug of tea and then the clock in the kitchen chimed five. Gerald looked over at it. "Oh, uh…I guess I better get home. I've gotta help my mom with dinner tonight." He turned back to his girlfriend. "And I'll have to start planning a menu with her for this weekend when you come over, Babe." He winked.

Phoebe giggled and stood up, putting down her mug on the counter. "Of course Gerald. I'll show you to the door. And maybe after we're through with dinner at your house I can stay for a little while and listen to some more of your blues records with you like the last time I was over."

Gerald smiled as he and Phoebe now walked across the kitchen to head for the door. "Sounds good to me, Phoebe."

The two of them now headed through the hall to the foyer (feeling a LOAD more relieved about all of this awkward…love…and kissing…stuff…by the way) and in a few seconds they were at the Heyerdahl front door.

Gerald turned to Phoebe. "Well, you have a good evening, Phoebe. Um…" he blushed and looked down with a shy little smile, "Before dinner at your place this weekend, do you maybe wanna get together another time too? Maybe we could do something Friday or something after school…?"

Phoebe smiled and blushed and nodded. "I'd enjoy that very much, Gerald. They've got a limited time exhibit of narwhals down at the city aquarium that I've been wanting to see."

Gerald grinned. "Sounds cool, Babe."

There was a tiny awkward pause (as there usually was during their goodbyes) and then (also as usual, although sometimes it was Phoebe who took the initiative) Gerald went forward and gave her a small peck on the lips.

He pulled back with a blush, and she was blushing too.

They were close and looking into each other's eyes, smiling.

And…no one was opening the door to have Gerald leave.

Gerald's arm went forward to pick up Phoebe's hand then. He brought it to his lips, as he'd done earlier, and gave it a little kiss (though this time he was exceptionally gentle as he usually was, instead of a tiny bit…passionate…as he'd been before.)

Phoebe gulped and tried not to tremble, unable to help recalling his more passionate kiss to her hand before despite his gentle kiss now…and he was still holding said hand, by the way…not letting it go.

She went forward, on an impulse, and gave a little kiss to Gerald's cheek all of a sudden, pulling back shyly (though not so very far back…which meant their faces still remained pretty close…both of their blushing faces…and Gerald still held up Phoebe's soft little hand).

There was a lot of tension right now.

They looked into each other's eyes.

They smiled.

"It's a…It's a good thing we're not nuts like Arnold and Helga, huh…" Gerald.

"Yeah…a good thing we're much more…normal…" Phoebe.

"Yeah…could you imagine how messy all that love stuff probably is…All that touching and slobbering over each other and stuff…"

"Yeah…a lot of deep, complicated things…probably rather difficult to keep up with."

Silence.

Gerald moved forward, his eyes…going a little half lidded.

At the last second though, rather than doing what he was thinking of doing (and what Phoebe was obviously aware he was thinking of doing…and what she was thinking of doing herself as well)…Gerald instead brought up Phoebe's knuckles of the hand he was holding and placed the deep, lingering, rather passionate and arguably heated kiss his lips had been dying to give upon _it_ instead of upon…well…another certain set of lips.

When it was over (several SEVERAL seconds later) he let out a sigh and then finally dropped her hand. "W-Well, um… bye!" He smiled sheepishly, gave a small wave and then opened the door.

"Uh…." Phoebe blinked a bunch of times, "Bye, Gerald!" She gave him a little wave as well.

The door quickly closed behind him.

* * *

Out on the stoop Gerald let out a very deep breath and almost slid down the length of the outside of Phoebe's door, his back to it and the temple of his head in one of his hands. "Okay…I need to go to Slausens _right now_ and get a rootbeer float. A double…a TRIPLE…" He shook his head as he managed to stand better, and then headed down Phoebe's stoop and began to walk down the street…trying to ignore the pounding of his heart. _'This is so stupid…And it's just the result of too much Arnold and Helga exposure…Ten-year-olds in love._' He rolled his eyes. "Insane…Absolutely insane…"

Needless to say, his tone was more than a little shaky and unsure as he said these last few words to himself, heading around the corner away from Phoebe's house while he went to cool himself off with some ice cream and soda.

* * *

Back inside the Heyerdahl house Phoebe let out a very deep breath and almost slid down the length of the _inside_ of her door herself. "I…I should practice some more fencing…a-a lot more fencing…" The idea of the physical activity to look forward to in order to distract herself gave her the strength to stand up.

She rubbed her temples as she walked down the hall…trying to ignore that electric feeling still going through her body, making it feel all sparky. "I…am ten-years-old…and I like like Gerald, like I always have…a-and nothing has to change…." She nodded. "I'm just letting Arnold and Helga get to me again. It's fine. It's all perfectly fine."

Phoebe really did know better though and she wasn't about to deny it as she headed down her hall to work out some things with a little fencing…She knew how easy it would be to…and how inevitable Arnold and Helga's situation was for a couple, especially a long term one…

But she did her best to put that aside for now and just let the chips fall where they may…

Though a little piece of her couldn't help but recall that last, deep kiss her boyfriend had given her just now upon her hand…and how it might have felt if it had been on her…on her…

She made it to the fencing room and managed to put the idea away for the time being.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the boarding house…in a certain attic room…

As usual, Arnold was flirting away with Helga and Helga was getting all giggly…he was stealing little kisses, she was stealing little kisses…they were laughing and playing together. There were even some ice cream bowls (they'd really been quite taken by all of that 'a la mode' stuff and had decided to have themselves a little treat at this point in their date—especially since a very sheepish feeling Arnold had already been downstairs near the kitchen anyway thanks to that revenge call from Gerald).

In short, they were ten and in love.

It was possible to be ten and in love.

So maybe the overall situation here for these four children was not that it was 'strange' to be ten and in love or 'insane' to be ten and in love or 'a fluke or an exception' to be ten and in love…but rather that it was just as perfectly good and reasonable and possible as anything else in the world to be ten and in love…even if only _one_ couple in this little piece of the world had found and accepted and then embraced that fact…

…For now, at least.

* * *

**A/N:**

YAY :D Half way through the courtship chapters, lol! Oh okay and to explain some stuff, the Arnold/Helga stuff in the last mini story came from that ep of Doug when Doug tried to do that magic show for Patty and got them stuck and then he dropped the key and he REFUSED to go to the magic shop because he was all shy and then by the time he caved it was closed XDXDXD Aw they were such a cute couple, lol ^w^ Oh and with Phoebe's middle name, I just did the female form of her Dad's name (Kyo) :) And 'Kawaii' just means like cute (Gerald wa kawaii shonen desu=Gerald is a cute boy (unless anyone wants to correct me because, seriously, I'm going on my love of anime and a couple of semesters of intro Japanese XD)) and 'Kireina' means like 'clean, pretty, neat' and is used often for girls ( Dai kireina desu=Very pretty).

Anyway, I really hope you guys liked this and here's the list of the stories for the next chapter ;)

**SICK DAYS**

**HARD TO GET**

**OLDER WOMEN/USED GUM**

**BRAINY'S GIRL WHO'S A FRIEND**

Love you guys! Please review! 3

AXH FOREVER!

HAPPY READING!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	17. The Courtship: Part 4 of 6

**A/N:**

Hi guys :D Alright, lol, due to some last minute switching of things around I'm actually getting this updated a little earlier than I anticipated so YAY! ^w^ I hope you guys like this chapter! Oh and recently KasuKAPL did a surprise fanart for me for this story and it's SO beautiful and just how I imagined Helga looking :D:D:D:D (Thanks, sis! 333) Please check it out! Here's the link, just take out the spaces ;) (based on the mini story "Flashbacks and Fantasies" from chapter 15 :) ) :

http : / kasukapl. deviantart. com /#/ d39gznn

Okay, now, as for the lineup of mini stories for this chapter, I had to switch some things around between this chapter and the next chapter so the contents for this chapter are as follows:

**HARD TO GET**

**SICK DAYS**

**ROUND 2**

**OLDER WOMEN/USED GUM**

I hope you guys like them! And please review! Thank you all! 333 :D

* * *

**HARD TO GET**

"I do, I do, I do….Oh, _I do_…"

"Helga? Are…you okay?"

"I do, I…"

And then this playful question along with the familiar voice that had stated it with a small chuckle suddenly broke through the half-sleep of Helga G. Pataki and finally fully processed with her… And then the girl in question felt a lurch in her stomach as the awareness that she had just been having a very particular dream…and that that dream had been interrupted by the very person she had been dreaming about…slowly started to hit her.

Her eyes instantly flew open now and she sat up, breathing heavily, her eyes darting around to take in her surroundings. '_Where the…_' With a gulp, she soon recognized the familiar shades of blue and green around her and the transparent skylight above displaying the dark blue, cloud-dotted sky, and to top it off the light sounds of jazz music playing around her… '_Uh_…'

"Helga?"

That voice again.

Helga's breath instantly caught in her throat as she realized, in addition to the fact that it was Arnold's voice talking to her, that it was coming from right by her left ear.

Her head instantly whipped around…and she realized that his voice sounded so close because it's owner was indeed quite close to her…his head was right beside her own, as a matter of fact…and she was sitting right next to him propped up on some pillows on his bed…and one of his arms was around her.

"Arnold!" she instantly exclaimed in surprise and almost lurched away…but then the reality of the situation that she was indeed his girlfriend at this point in her life and that it was perfectly normal for her to be in his room sunk in, and she took a deep breath and let it out, calming down a bit. '_Sheesh, it's been HOW many weeks and I'm still waking up sometimes and not believing it? I've gotta talk to Bliss—maybe some hypnotherapy or something could help with this?_'

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her beloved chuckling and smiling warmly right beside her. "Hi, Helga…Did you enjoy your nap?" There was obviously a fair amount of laughter underlying his voice, though he was trying to hide it.

Helga blinked… '_I must have…we must have been studying and I must have fallen asleep…_' And then a dreamy (and almost sly) smile began to come to her face as she fully recalled the circumstances of that time studying together…How, with the end of the school year coming up, there was a lot of homework to finish and a lot of tests to cram for, and so they'd had a 'study double date' planned with Gerald and Phoebe…until Gerald and Phoebe had both come up with 'completely plausible reasons' for why the two of them needed to study alone at Phoebe's house…Something about feng shui and Gerald needing to avoid his 'hurl alert' if he was going to pass math (though of course Helga had seen through those cheap excuses in a second…The new little near-lovebirds had been making a point of spending more and more time alone lately and Helga was only too happy to encourage this development in their relationship, of course.) So the end result had been that Helga and Arnold would be left to each other today to start reviewing from their fourth grade math textbook to start preparing for their final exam as early as possible.

Oh yes, a much more coherent now (and still currently nestled against her beloved on his bed) Helga smiled more to herself as the memories came flooding back even more. How she'd entered the room not more than an hour ago with her backpack and Arnold had gestured, with an innocent enough smile, for her to have a seat on his bed… And how, then, much to his slight disappointment (as she had, with interest, seen in his eyes) she had seated herself on the opposite end of said bed with her math book, as far from him as possible, as she started to work and look things over ( '_Hey_,' she had figured to herself, very understandingly, '_He wants this to be a completely professional day, I understand that, and that's what I'll give him. But he knows the best way to keep things professional with us is to not let us get too close to each other. Simple as that_.')

But of course, Helga hadn't been able to help a smile or two in Arnold's direction as the minutes had passed with the two of them working with their own textbooks and notebooks at opposite ends of his bed (he was gorgeous in her eyes, after all, and it was hard not to look at him at least some of the time when he was right here with her)… And she also recalled now how eventually he'd finally noticed her looks out of the corner of his eye and had started glancing back at her, first just with his own polite dreamy smile…but then with an intrigued grin (that had actually made her giggle a tiny bit upon seeing it)…until he'd suddenly let out a breath and then 'casually' suggested that they listen to some music while they were studying…He had then had proceeded to crawl toward the head of his bed (and 'conveniently' toward Helga) to turn on the stereo by hand (even though the remote had been within reach from where he'd originally been sitting)… And then he had decided to just sit next to her once this task was complete (though he still hadn't directly admitted what was now probably on both of their minds, of course)…

Helga in the present smiled more to herself as her memory progressed…How, eventually, after a few amusing minutes of working right beside each other (and just as it had looked like Arnold had been about to go for holding her hand, as a matter of fact) she'd decided to play just a little hard to get once again today and had yawned and announced she was a 'little tired' and it would be more comfortable for her to lay back against his pillows if that was okay (all the while still doing her best to seem very interested in her math book)...She had then proceeded to do so, propping herself up comfortably against his light blue and oceans and spice smelling pillows, and it had taken him a few minutes of hesitation for him to sum up his courage (Helga had known it would—she knew how stuck on that 'lying down with her' thing he could be…how much he wanted it and how awkward it could make him feel…) but eventually Arnold had suddenly piped up that he agreed with her and that he was a little tired too…and had then crawled over to the other side of her and reclined next to her on those pillows (still managing to make no motion to just give in and kiss her already, though, darn him)…and he had even suggested that maybe it would be easier to just share her math book between them as long as they were going to be right next to each other (to which she had just agreed with a casual shrug, the whole time trying not to smirk like crazy at this whole freaking cute thing and where it was bound to lead…and at the same time finding all of this subtlety and pretending and the little chase on both of their parts very interesting and a little exciting to say the least).

And then at some point, while they had been working on problems in their individual notebooks from that same math textbook open in front of them, Helga in the present recalled how Arnold had then gotten the courage to fake a yawn and put his arm he now had around her around her, pulling her a little closer…and how she'd almost broken and caved and been the one to ask for a kiss first as she had felt almost a full spasm pass through her at the surprise feeling of his arm holding her so close by the waist…so warmly and so comfortably nestled against her beloved… (_'Ugh—remind me why we decided to start playing this little 'flirting/hard to get' game…We could be kissing right now if we weren't so stubborn!_')

…And that lead her back to the present moment now. '_I must have dozed off then or something…a-and started dreaming about our wedding again…'_ (A dream Helga had basically every night at this point in her and Arnold's relationship.)

"Helga…?" The underlying laughter in her beloved's voice was even more apparent this time around with calling her name, and it caused Helga to blink and instantly come out of her dreamy-smile inducing reverie. She nearly felt another one of those full spasms go through her body as her smiling beloved pulled her just a bit closer now, and this action on his part caused her eyes to turn to him and a quick blush came to her features. "OH…!" she squeaked out, and then cleared her throat to resume her normal tone (and to get back in the 'game'). "Uh…sorry, Football Head. Guess I really was a little tired…Heh, heh…"

It was then that it fully hit Helga again that along with dreaming about her future marriage to Arnold just now…she was pretty sure she'd been saying part of the end of it out loud when Arnold's actual voice had interrupted her from it. Her eyes went a bit wider and she swallowed hard. _'Darn it! Well, __that__ probably just shot my credibility with this 'hard to get' thing to heck!'_ She swallowed again, blinking a few times, her head still turned in Arnold's direction. "Uh, Football Head?" She had to ask, just to get her bearings and to see where she stood.

Arnold was just glancing at the math book still before them…a half lidded gaze on his face and seeming to be trying to suppress a grin. "Um…yes, Helga?" he asked casually enough.

She took a deep breath. _'Might as well take the plunge...not that it's looking all that good for me though considering that smug little smile on his face and how fairly certain I am that I was saying…THAT…__out loud__!'_ "Uh…just out of completely curiosity…how much of what I think you heard from my dream did you actually hear from my dream?"

She watched as Arnold let out a breath and then, in as controlled a voice as he could manage, though the smile was still winning out on his face, replied, flipping a page in the textbook causally, "Oh, you know…I heard you say my name every once in a while…there was maybe a laugh or two…And then you broke into a chorus of 'I do, I do…' of course…" Finally he couldn't take it any more and he burst into a small chuckle fit. "I-I'm sorry, Helga…" He turned his head to look at her again now, smiling warmly. "I didn't mean to laugh or to wake you up, but…well, it was starting to get a little intense and I guess it just surprised me so much that I couldn't help but ask if you were okay…" He laughed a little once more, and then added, a light little blush settling upon his adorable face, "You really are pretty set on marrying me, aren't you?"

Helga felt herself turn a bright scarlet. It didn't help that Arnold's arm was still around her body, holding her close, or that there faces were within mere inches of each other. Finally she just let out a sigh and did her best to roll her eyes and reply with as much sarcasm as she could muster, "Great, now I've gotta start carrying that thermos of coffee from that whole sleepwalking thing around with me on our dates so I don't make a lovesick fool of myself anymore with my ridiculous dreams."

Arnold just chuckled some more at the response and shook his head. "No, don't, Helga. I already told you, I don't mind some of the more extreme stuff you come up with. And besides, I…never had anyone fall asleep next to me or in my arms before and it was really nice…One minute you were laughing every once in a while and snuggling your head against my shoulder…Even though you kept 'saying' it was just so you could get a better view of the math book…" He gave her a bit of a look, confirming for Helga once again that he was more than aware of the little game they were currently playing…But then his smile grew just a bit dreamier as he added, "…And then your breathing got really slow and your head just started resting there and I looked down…and your eyes were closed and you were smiling…And, well, I didn't want to interrupt you, of course, so…I just figured we should stay like that until you woke up…" He gulped and his eyes went shyly down for a second as he finished, "…or until I fell asleep too maybe…" The blushing in his face was growing stronger and stronger, a fact NOT lost on Helga…and then he shifted his eyes back to hers once more and ended with a little laugh, "Actually, I think that's part of why I woke you up by asking if you were okay…I was kind of starting to drift off to sleep too but then I heard your voice and it surprised me a little…Sorry again, Helga…"

Helga, meanwhile, was currently in the process of keeping her heart from beating out of her chest!_ 'We…I fell asleep next to him in his arms and then he almost fell asleep too and we were almost asleep next to each other! With his arm around me! In his room! And we're in love and dating!' _She gave a girlish internal swoon.

"Helga?" A warm chuckle accompanied the address yet again.

Helga blinked again, realizing she'd been about to go off into a daydream complete with goofy smile and half lidded gaze ( _'Checking out on him twice in a row…just perfect. Yeah, I'm not coming off as the complete basketcase I am!' Crimeny!'_). She cleared her throat. "Oh! Uh…sorry again, Football Head. I…" She fished for an excuse… "I…think I'm still a little drowsy…you know, from my nap, heh, heh…" And again she found herself looking to his eyes…and again swallowing hard at how close they were…and at the feeling of his arm still wrapped around her back and part of her waist. "A-And I guess…" she fished once more for anything to say to keep from getting lost in her romantic thoughts, "I guess I was just really comfortable being on your bed…that's why I feel asleep in the first place..."

"Oh…" his half lidded gaze and smile continued, "Okay, Helga…" She felt him shift her just a bit closer and her breath caught in her throat. "_Well then_…"

She closed her eyes, prepared to pucker, and instantly she was prepared for anything… _'He's going to break! Finally!'_

"…I guess we should get back to the math homework, huh?"

Helga opened her eyes to see Arnold's face turned back to the math textbook…a strange smile on his little visage and the blush still apparent on his cheeks…but all of his attentions instantly focused once more on the stupid textbook resting half on each of their laps, like it was the most natural thing in the world or something to be doing so.

Helga had to raise part of her brow for a moment at his action…but then finally managed to reply shakily, letting that little tremor of anticipation that had gone through her just now die down… "Oh uh, yeah, Arnold…back to the math…" And then, after what he was doing really had a second to sink in, a mischievous smile came to Helga's face. _'Okay, fine then, Football Head. Two can keep playing at this game…Besides, we've both got A's in math…_' "Although…" she suddenly added, faking a yawn, "If you don't mind, Football Head, I might go back to taking a quick catnap right now and then finish up reviewing and stuff later back at my house…"

That comment made Arnold's eyes blink for a second, she noticed, before he responded with a swallow. "Oh, uh…sure, Helga…Wh-Whatever makes you more comfortable…" Though it was obvious he was trying to hide it, Helga could tell that the idea of her falling asleep next to him like this again was making him just a little nervous to say the least…Yes, her cute little Arnold who, just as much as he could no longer deny liking the 'physical pleasure' of their relationship, also could never escape how much a genuine modesty and shyness would always and forever be part of his perfect little nature.

'_Having a mini little heart attack about me sleeping on here with him again, huh? Oh boy, well then is HE in for a treat!'_ Helga thought to herself with a smirk. "Good. Thanks, Arnold…" And then instantly, before she could lose her courage, Helga grabbed the hand of her beloved's arm that was around her waist to bring it with her, used her other arm to push the math book off of their laps and towards the wall…and then turned and flipped herself so that she was all but on top of him with her opposite arm wrapped around his body and with his arm around her now holding her in place in this position! She continued. "Well, then, I think it's a little more comfortable for me to sleep like this, Football Head, but let me know if I'm bothering you at all…" And with these words a grinning Helga snuggled her head against Arnold's chest…and became very aware of how much his body had stiffened at her sudden action…and (thanks to her ear pressed against the part of his sweater just under his collar on the left side) just how quickly his heart was now thumping away. '_Oh man, I am so about to win this 'hard to get' thing_…' She savored the feel of that quick pulsing of his little beating heart as she had this proud and confident thought.

Arnold, meanwhile…just sat there…at first completely frozen in shock, his eyes wide and his jaw slightly dropped, at this unexpected new position she'd chosen for herself. At the feeling of her then snuggling her head against him, though, he just plain gulped in panic and the pen he'd been writing with instantly dropped from his free hand to land on his bed. '_Uh….'_ "Uh…s-sure, He-Helga…" He managed to get out in a cracked voice, his breathing obviously starting to pick up. "Whatever makes you more…c-comfortable."

Helga giggled at his response, her head still snuggled into him. "Mmm…thanks, Arnold. You know, you really are just so warm and soft and nice to cuddle against…"

She felt him swallow hard…and speak in that strange, slightly high-pitched voice again. "OH…uh…th-thank you, Helga...I-I mean…"

She giggled one again, and then let out a light sigh, burying her face into the warm fabric of his sweater all the more. "Yeah…so nice to snuggle against…and yet such a strong, firm, masculine feeling chest… You haven't been working out or something just to impress little old me, have you, Football Head?"

Helga had to stop herself from breaking into serious laughter as THAT comment instantly made Arnold's breathing cease entirely (she could no longer feel his little chest moving up and down beneath her). "I…I…I…"

'_Wow I must be really getting to him—could his voice sound any shakier?_' She let out one final sigh and ended with, hugging him just a bit closer to her, "You know, I know I said I was just going to take a nap, but…I could just spend _all night_ like this actually if you'd let me, my Arnold…" And it was then that she finally shifted her gaze up and looked up into his eyes, smiling sweetly…only to see them as wide as could be and a distinct and sharp scarlet present throughout her beloved's entire face, his cute little jaw agape. "Unless…" she suddenly began again, her voice going a bit low and sweet, doing everything she could at this point to get to him. She lifted herself up a bit so that her and Arnold were at equal eye level. "…Unless you're finally ready to admit that there's _something else_ you'd rather be doing right now…or even for the whole night…Your call, Arnoldo…." She reached her finger up and twirled a small piece of his hair on it, her eyes still locked onto his shocked and fearful and panicked and yet…obviously intrigued ones. "What, no response from those soft, perfect little lips of yours, Football Head?" And in truth Arnold was just looking at her with his jaw only having dropped all the more, and totally paralyzed in the heat of this moment. His blush then became even stronger, if that was possible, as Helga then removed her fingers from his hair…and slowly proceeded to trace one of them over his lips. "Hmm…Well, we'll have to do what we can do to fix that…" she continued, and then removed her hand and leaned just a bit closer to him…a very sly (and very determined) look in her eyes, only whispering at this point… "Maybe those lips of yours are just…lonely… But, hey, my lips are free… Maybe mine should come over and play with yours, Arnold…You just have to say the word, you know…you just have to ask to play…"

And that did it. Game over. Helga: One—Arnold: Zero. The poor little guy could almost imagine how it would feel to suddenly wrap both of his arms tightly around her waist, look her in the eye, tell her the there was nothing to 'fix' because he was more than ready to admit that he couldn't think of a single thing he wanted more at this moment than to kiss her, and oh yes, yes, _yes_, her soft, pink, perfect, powerful lips could come over and play with his…Heck they could come over and MARRY and live happily ever after with his if they felt like it! And then to pull her in, crushing their sets of lips together until he felt her melt warmly against his 'snuggly yet strong' chest with a moan, holding herself against him like he loved so much…

"Oh Helga, I—" he quickly began!

_KNOCK KNOCK  
_

"Hey Shortman, just wanted to see if Helga was going to stick around for din…ner?" Phil tried to stifle a laugh at the sight before him now that he had opened the door and entered his grandson's room. Arnold was just sitting up on his bed, blushing furiously and breathing heavily, a hand gripping his sweater over his heart…and Helga was sitting on the floor with her back leaning against the bed and her legs crossed, looking up casually and whistling to herself, a blush more than apparent on her face as well.

Still stifling chuckles, Phil walked a little farther into the room and gave the kids a sly look. "Sorry you two—was I interrupting something?"

The old man watched in amusement as Arnold's wide eyes turned to him and the young boy continued staring him in shocked silence for a second or two, still breathing heavily. Then the ten-year-old boy turned his gaze to Helga, almost like he was looking to her for how he should respond to this simple question.

It took a few more seconds of her hearing silence for Helga to blink and turn to Arnold in surprise at him not even trying to say a single word to his grandfather in explanation. Phil just tried his best not to laugh as he watched Helga's jaw drop slightly as she obviously realized that Arnold was actually looking to her in a bit of panic as to how to deal with this (actually not that big of a deal when you thought about it) situation.

Finally Helga let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes, and then stood up from the floor. "Oh for Pete's sake…" She looked to Phil, hands on her hips. "Since SOMEONE'S too in shock to come up with a coherent sentence, I'll just say it myself." She cleared her throat, and spoke with a precocious smirk. "No, you weren't interrupting anything, Phil. We were just 'studying'." She made air quotes around the word, not even trying to begin to hide what they had obviously really been doing. "And as for why Arnold looks like he's about to have a heart attack—search me?" She shrugged, feigning innocence.

"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil burst into good-natured laughter at this response. "Oh Arnold…" he turned back to his grandson, wiping a tear from his eye, "You've really got to bring her by to spend more time with me and your Grandma. I know it might get in the way of you two 'studying' but she's a riot! Heh, heh…"

Helga smiled proudly. "Thank you…" She then turned back to a still barely breathing Arnold with a smug smile. "So, Football Head…ready to 'hit the books' again?" And before Arnold could even begin to try and respond she'd suddenly dove back on the bed on top of him and wrapped her arms around him once more with a giggle, cuddling and snuggling deeply against his chest and entire stomach like he was her own private plushy stuffed animal or something that she was getting ready to curl up asleep with!

"He-He-Helga…!" Arnold felt his heart start pounding like crazy once again at the return of her touch so suddenly and fully like this! He had figured, as his brain had slowly come back into working functioning order just now, that with his grandpa here, it would have kept her at bay and given him a few seconds more to recover a little from her sudden intensity of diving on him before in the first place…but apparently she really was getting a whole lot more comfortable with being a little intimate around their families and close friends: good for Helga's self-confidence, not so good for Arnold's ability to keep conscious when all of this blushing and touching and lying down together was going on in front of others. He gave a huge nervous gulp…

"Oh, well, it looks like you kids have a lot of stuff to take care of so I'll just leave you to it then…" a grinning Phil replied now with a wink before beginning to approach the door to leave them to their time together.

"Grandpa!" Arnold instantly called out in panic, looking over at him desperately! Not that he didn't like being near Helga, or spending time with Helga, or kissing Helga, but…it was pretty obvious that she had something a bit more intense than usual on her mind right now and that she was eager for it…a-and wanted _him_ to be the one to start it of all things! And he really felt like he needed a few minutes to take in the situation before being suddenly left alone with her again_! 'If she's being like this again __in front of__ Grandpa…who knows what she'll do when he __leaves__? No, I…I need a minute…just a minute to, um…I-I mean, I'm sure I'll like whatever happens next v-very much, but I just…I don't know!' _And then on top of all of these doubts and worries, with her near him in this particular fashion, going back to that little 'hard to get' game they'd been silently playing together, any resolve he'd had to make her be the first one to ask to kiss was absolutely gone. No question. And so was any resolve not to get lost in how she was making him feel and give in a little…or a lot…to that dark side of his that she liked so much…and which he had been trying to learn to control and regulate just a little better…though all that self control and practice at it was nowhere to be found, at the moment. He gulped again…

"Oh, relax, Shortman!" Phil just waved him off with a smile, already half way out the door. "I'm sure you can handle a little more 'homework' before dinner with Helga to help you." He began to descend the ladder, but stopped and turned once more back to the kids. "Oh and Helga, about dinner?"

Helga opened her eyes from snuggling against her beloved and looked to the old man. "Oh sure, I'll stick around!" She winked.

"Heh, heh…well, have fun kids!" And with that, Phil left, closing the door…and leaving the little blonde boy and the little blonde girl to each other again.

Eventually, Arnold's eyes, still wide with fear and uncertainty, shifted to Helga's…

"Looks like we're alone again, Arnold…" She spoke the second their eyes locked together…still using that cooing romantic tone… It wasn't fair! Her having a voice like that…what it did to him…how it shook him inside. And then to add to it all she pulled herself even closer to him, allowing their noses to touch…the warmths of their mouths to mingle… "Now…was there something you wanted to say to me…and specifically to say to me _first_…" The tips of her fingers slowly came up and touched the tip his lower lip, "My…lonely lipped little love…"

"Helga, um…" Arnold, with a swallow and breaths growing ever more shallow, did his best to get out now in his still squeaking voice, trying to scowl or just look anything but desperate and at the end of his rope like he was…but knowing deep down he was not succeeding very well at this task… "You're um…" he went on, "Y-You're a little c-close and you're starting to make me a little nervous and I…Well, you're kind of on top of me and it's getting a little hard to not, um…I just…I mean…I just think there might be a difference between me just saying what you might want me to say right now and…and me kind of losing it a little here…if, um…if you know what I mean…" He felt so mortified at having to actually admit that he really wasn't sure if he could control himself at all and in any capacity anymore with her right now…But at the same time there was a part of him that really…really wasn't sure whether he wanted her to stop and give him a moment to collect his feelings and handle all of this sanely…or whether he wanted her to do everything in her power to snap him like a little in love twig and let the chips fall where they may! _'H-Having a dark side…is __really__ hard to get used to…'_

Helga just let out a sigh, still smiling…

…And then pushed herself up and away from him.

"Oh relax, Arnoldo, I was just kidding!" She rolled her eyes and then proceeded to remove her body from his entirely. She then stood up from his bed and walked across his room to seat herself casually on his couch. '_I am about to drive him more nuts than I ever have in my entire life!'_ She shrugged, just smiling casually at him. "The mood's kind of been ruined and honestly I was just trying to get you back a little for all that 'pulling me closer and teasing me about my dream' stuff before, but you're right—games are fun and everything but I really should quit distracting you and let you finish your math homework, so I'll just take a nap over here and you can wake me for dinner, okay?" She started to lay down but then stopped and removed her hair ribbon, ran her fingers through her pigtails a few times until her hair was completely down, and then retied the ribbon atop her head. "Oh. I've been sleeping with my hair down a lot lately and actually it's a lot more comfortable that way…" she explained quickly and simply. And then finally with a nod she lay down on her stomach upon the couch, brought her arms under her head to use as a pillow, stretched out and closed her eyes (making sure to feel that her hair was gently framing her face and laying long and smooth down her back…All part of letting Arnold really see what he was missing out on right now by being so darn stubborn…)

Helga, all cozy in this position, just heard several seconds of silence in response from Arnold at first, followed by (a noticeably more disappointed than relieved sounding) "Oh…" from her beloved. "Okay, Helga…" he continued from across the room, still a bit shakily, "I'll…I'll just wake you up later then…"

She opened one eye slightly and glanced over at him, a small sly smile on her face. "Thanks, Football Head. " She then settled back in, closing her eyes once more. Another few seconds passed…

"Um…_Helga_?"

Helga opened one eye again, the smile returning to her face at the sound of this slightly desperate address from her beloved. She sighed and glanced at him. "Yes, Arnold?"

Arnold swallowed hard, a strong blush coming to his face. He tried to keep his voice casual as he then asked…with that tone of disappointment (and even some disbelief) underlying his voice again, "_Really_?"

It took Helga a second to get what he meant by that, but when she did she smiled even more and nodded. "Yes, Arnold—really. No cuddle/make out session on your bed. I'm cutting you a break. You seemed a little flustered after all of that stuff just now so no more uncomfortable, awkward 'me clinging to you' moments for the rest of the evening. I'm just going to take a nap on the other side of your room, have a little dinner and then head home." She faked a little yawn and tacked on, just to stir the pot more, "Besides, you know, I'm half starting to think that Gerald and Phoebe are right and that we really DO kiss too much…I mean, it can't be normal for ten-year-olds to me making out every twenty four hours, right?"

Arnold, from his place still sitting upon his bed, swallowed hard and glanced down at these words from her. "Oh…I, um…" She watched him close his eyes and take in and let out a deep breath and then just barely manage to finish, a look of frustration evident on his blushing face. "That…That makes sense…and, um…thanks, I guess…" She continued to watch with interest as he then seemed to try and resettle himself on the bed and get back to looking at the math book…all the while with his obvious frustration and blush growing more and more apparent in his features. She then observed in amusement as he finally let out a deep breath once more, closed and put the textbook to the side again, and proceeded to crawl over toward the ladder to his skylight. "Um, Helga," he called to her over his shoulder as he climbed, "I know you're trying to sleep but would you mind if I opened one of the window panes?"

That unexpected question made Helga blink and sit up a bit, both of her eyes opening. "Uh…sure, Football Head…You feeling okay?"

He swallowed hard, finished opening the pane and then climbed back down to his bed…and did his best to reply casually (though he was avoiding the point blank truth about the situation quite a bit). "Um…yeah, I'm fine. I just…thought a little cool air might be nice to, um…to cool us off with…I mean, it's getting a little stuffy in here…heh…."

For a moment, Helga didn't quite get this strange sudden desire of her beloved's…but then recalling that slightly frustrated look still on his features as he sat back down and did his best to casually grab and open the math book again made a smile of realization come to her face. "_Oh_. I see…You're just feeling a little 'hot', huh?" She emphasized the penultimate word and chuckled to herself as doing so made Arnold close his eyes for a moment and let out a sigh, his blush growing just a bit stronger. "No problem, Arnoldo..." she went on, "I'm good with anything, basically…See you for dinner!" And with that she nestled herself back against his couch, closing her own eyes once more. '_Hmph…serves him right for pulling me close like that before and then just going back to a math problem…If Arnold thinks he's ever going to beat me at playing hard to get and flirting, he is sadly mistaken! Helga G. Pataki NEVER folds first…_' Her little private smirk to herself grew as she took a few moments to rest during this little lull in their game.

Though Helga actually wouldn't have minded going back to sleep and back to her dream of marrying her beloved for a little while before dinner (as long as no actual kissing seemed immediately on the horizon at the moment)…she couldn't resist sneaking a quick glance at him again now (though she feigned slumbering, of course, only opening one of her eyes just a tiny bit)…and was more than a little intrigued, to say the least, at the sight that met her eyes…

Arnold was still on his bed, still with the math book and his notebook on his legs…but he was just tapping the bottom of his pen against his notebook over and over again rather than actually writing anything. And that slightly frustrated look and slight blush were still on his face too… And then, all of a sudden, he appeared to glance over at her as though to confirm that she did appear to be sleeping… The young boy then put aside his math supplies once more today, took a deep breath in and out again…and then suddenly reached his arms around his body and removed his green sweater. Helga continued to watch with interest as he tossed the sweater to the floor and then rolled up his shirt sleeves…and she couldn't help but note (with a light blush that she was thankful her hair was hiding) that this look on him—with just his jeans and his plaid shirt like that—was kind of cute, to say the least…

Finally, with one more glance over at Helga as though reconfirming that she was indeed out completely, he then laid back on his pillows and closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh…and slowly the blushing seemed to ebb from his face.

And then finally, much to Helga's further interest (and confirming for her that he indeed thought he was the only one of them conscious at the moment) Arnold started to speak quietly to himself. "I knew I should have just kissed her when I had the chance…I should just give up on playing games with her—she always wins…But…" a tiny frown came to his mouth, "Maybe she's right though—maybe we do kiss too much…" And yet it didn't take a second for that frown to melt back into a dreamy smile, "But…she doesn't exactly make it easy to _not_ kiss her though…She's so warm and nice and funny…and then when she's near me…and she smiles…and she looks at me with those eyes…and holds me in her arms…and all I can think about is her…her and me…" His warm smile grew even more as he recalled her cuddling against him before and gazing into his eyes...and saying everything she'd said…her breath meeting and mixing with his…everything meeting and mixing…

"Yeah, I do enjoy driving you nuts with the fact that you love me back, Arnold…"

"Helga!" Arnold's eyes flew open and he practically jumped up at the sound of Helga's voice sounding out right near him…and at the sight of her now standing right by the edge of his bed with a smile.

He just breathed heavily for several seconds, looking at her wide eyed, unsure of what to say or do.

She just giggled and leaned in closer to him, giving him a once over with a smirk. "Wow, I didn't think that some flirting and playing 'hard to get' right back at you would go and make you actually have to open a window AND take off your sweater, Football Head! Score one for me! Should I throw a glass of cold water on you too or something?" She watched searing scarlet come to his features again and just giggled more at the sight, now sitting herself on the edge of his bed right near him. "And meanwhile, sheesh, if you wanted me to kiss you THAT bad you just had to wave the white flag already and ask, Arnoldo."

"Oh!" Arnold blushed again and swallowed hard. "I…I…" and then he blinked as his surprise finished ebbing and things started processing. '_All I had to do was…ask…_' "Wait…really? You mean, it's not too late? And…you're really not worried that we're doing it too much?" He suddenly smiled brightly and eagerly at her, his grin going from ear to ear.

Helga just sighed and shook her head, still smiling at his cuteness. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold—let me make one thing perfectly clear, my darling. No matter how much I might ever try and fake you out or act stubborn about it, it will _never_ be too late for you to cave and be the first to ask to kiss." She gave him a little playful punch in the shoulder for his silliness and then rolled her eyes. "And sheesh, as for doing it too much, do you think I CARE if other people our age don't kiss as much as we do? I was just messing with you. We're attracted to each other and we're in love, and we're not hurting anybody and so we kiss. Plain and simple." And then with a giggle and a light blush she leaned her body over his once more, gazing into his eyes. "And, um…on a side note…speaking of that whole 'attracted to each other thing'…you know, I'm kind of digging this 'plaid shirt only' look on you, Arnold…" She reached up one of her hands to play with his collar a little, and that little top button that he'd popped open on it the other day when he'd nailed her on that whole 'double standard' thing. "If I'm going to do the wearing my hair down thing for you sometimes, can you do this for me a little more often… Something about it's just a…little rugged…" She blushed and smiled even more. "Kind of like the ultimate version of me going up your sweater, you know…?" She winked.

Arnold's eyes opened wide at the compliment, and a distinct, deep rosiness came to his cheeks once more… He gulped. _'R-R-Rugged? U-U-Ultimate version of…_' But then, rather than getting all panicky again like before and wasting even more precious time on this afternoon…Arnold just smiled, his eyes going half lidded. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

He then reached up and began to play with a loose piece of Helga's hair. And then Helga's breath caught in her throat in shock as he suddenly wrapped his free arm around her body and pulled her not only entirely on top of him but nose to nose again! She melted against him instantly, her heart racing. It was different and fun getting close to him without his sweater on…She could feel so much more warmth coming from his body now…could feel their hearts pounding against one another so much more distinctly. "Helga…" he sighed out in a quiet voice, still slowly twirling and twirling that piece of hair as he looked and looked into her eyes, "You know it really wasn't very fair of you to wrap yourself around me like that before and then just leave me all alone over here…"

Helga did her best not to swoon. "W-Well…" she got herself together and spoke in a that cooing, low, romantic tone he loved, now playing with a piece of his hair herself, and likewise staring dreamily into his eyes with a smile, "It wasn't very fair of _you_ to tease me about my dream of our wedding and pull me close and then focus all of your attention on a math book, Football Head…"

He nodded and sighed. "Sorry, Helga… No more hard to get, okay?"

She nodded and giggled. "No more hard to get…unless it's really really fun…" She winked.

He chuckled and winked back. "Deal…"

"And…" she continued with a grin, "You're really sure that you're okay with being this close and with today maybe being a little more…intense than usual, Mr. Modest? Even if it means that you might get a little lost in some things…" Their lips were so close…She knew the warmth and softness and taste that was to come…And speaking of 'taste'… (a little memory was jogged in Helga's mind and she was very VERY grateful for it!)

Arnold just smiled more, still lost in her eyes…still lost in this new feeling of her against him without his sweater as an added barrier. It was very very…very…nice. There were a few more words that echoed at the back of his mind to be applied to it but he blushed at them and did his best to stick with handling the here and now. "Oh I'll just have to 'get through it', I guess…" he replied with a chuckle to himself…and then he spoke sincerely. "Actually, to be honest, Helga…no matter what I might say later when this is over and I'm blushing and apologizing and trying not to look you in the eye…I think one of my favorite things about being with you is that you let me kind of have a break from always being shy and quiet and modest…You let me try something new…" he had to blush as he also admitted, firming up his hold on her a little more, "And…_fun_…"

Helga's eyes lit up and then went half lidded again and she opened her mouth slightly to reply…when her eyes suddenly went wide and she felt her heart start fluttering wildly at the feeling and sight of Arnold suddenly reaching up and touching her lips with the tips of his fingers. '_H-His fingers…my lips…_' It was taking everything she had not to quiver and moan. She felt completely in his power.

Arnold just gave a slight laugh at her reaction to his action, feeling her cling all the more to him at his sudden bold move. "Just getting you back for doing it to me before…" he explained… Then he finally stopped caressing her mouth for a moment…and sighed… and a familiar (and fun) look came into his eyes… "You know, I-I know we said it should only be for special occasions but…I wish we had some of that lip gloss here…" He remembered that day when they had picked it out…all of that glittery pink sweetness and tartness and loveliness flooding his senses… Certainly kissing Helga's mouth just as it was wasn't something to complain about—it was the single greatest experience he'd ever had in his entire life…over and over and over again. But today and after all of this and now finally just more than willing to go with whatever would happen between them on this afternoon he was feeling a little…daring. And he wouldn't have minded something new and exciting and delicious to spice things up even more. "I mean, with or without it, of course…I love your lips more than I've ever loved anything about any person in the entire world…but…"

"Shh…"

Arnold's words stopped and he blinked a few times. One of her fingers was pressed lightly against his mouth, silencing him.

He watched with awe and interest as Helga's lips smiled, and then she sat up a tiny bit, reached into her jumper pocket, and produced a single familiar pink tube. "No need to say more, my prince…" she whispered to him, blushing…and Arnold could feel her heart pounding like crazy. He gulped…She was in one of those 'monologuing states' again… He felt both concerned…and strangely more attracted to her at the same time. She went on… "I've decided to start carrying our gloss with me along with my locket and pink books. I've missed the tang and spark it makes for us as well, my darling. And Arnold…" she gave a small swoon, still whispering, "I love your lips most too…" She let hers get close enough for just a second that if either one of them had spoken or puckered, they would have been kissing…but then pulled back again, opened and applied the raspberry lemonade gloss to her mouth, and ended by popping the tube back into her pocket and pressing her lips together to make sure everything was evenly coated. Now done with this task, she brought her arms to his shoulders to resituate herself again and to gaze at him adoringly.

All Arnold could see were Helga G. Pataki ('_Shortman_')'s lips, coated in glittering pink…Their scent filled his lungs…teasing with their inevitable flavor…and he needed this so much.

"So…are you ready to officially cry uncle, Arnoldo?" Helga then asked with a little bit of a smirk, letting their noses touch once more and letting her stubbornness pull her just a tiny bit out of her monologuing for a moment, "Because, you know, you're not getting _anything_ from me and my raspberry lemonade lips until you do…You'd be surprised how strong my resolve can be…" Meanwhile, inside of Helga's head: '_Oh please just let him cave already because I NEED to kiss him! I __NEED__ TO! I NEED that feeling of the gloss smearing and his own taste and scent mixing with it, and the knowledge that when I pull back his lips will be marked by mine! So beautiful… Oh ARNOLD, how wonderful it feels to be held against you like this…And how wonderful it will feel to make out with you!_' She gave a girlish internal sigh.

Arnold, meanwhile, just sighed and chuckled at her silly little stubborn request. She never had been one for losing, even at something as small as this. "Oh, fine, Helga, I'll be the bigger person…" He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, and addressed her simply and with a smile, still holding her close and on top of him. "Helga, I know we said we were just getting together today to study… But…well, really, we both have A's in math…which probably should have been our first clue that something else was bound to happen." He chuckled more. "Anyway…the point is, I want to kiss. So…will you kiss me, Helga?"

He watched as for a moment she closed her eyes, a perfectly serene smile on her face. "Can you just…say that again, Arnold?" she asked in a light, airy voice.

He had to raise an eyebrow at the strange request, the smile still on his face, though. He repeated his request. "I want to kiss, Helga. Will you kiss me?"

She let out a perfectly happy sigh and then leaned down and snuggled her head under his chin for a moment. "One more time, please, my lovely little Football Head?"

Arnold just smiled and brought an arm up behind her head, stroking her hair. He was getting a sense of déjà vous from all of this…Her needing him to say something over and over and over again…like on a certain first date several weeks ago. "You always have to hear me say the important stuff over again, don't you, Helga Geraldine Pataki?" He continued to lightly pull his fingers through her long golden strands.

Helga just giggled and he felt her nod a little against his chest. "It'd be nice, Arnold Phillip Shortman… And besides, if _you'd_ been dreaming about a certain someone saying things like that to you for almost your whole life…" she let out a girlish sigh and he felt the fingers of her hands hug more against the fabric of his shirt, "…Then _you'd_ like to hear it as many times as possible too…"

Arnold chuckled once more, and just rested his hand upon her long hair now, ending the stroking. "Okay…" he let out a sigh…and then brought his hand not behind her head to her chin and lifted it up so that he could look at her face again… Her eyes fluttered open in a tiny bit of blushing surprise. He looked deeply into them and spoke. "I, Arnold Shortman, would like more than anything else in the whole world to kiss right now. So, please, please, please, my funny, interesting, passionate, beautiful, attractive, wonderful, creative, intelligent, interesting, Helga Pataki…will you just kiss me already before one of us melts…or my Grandpa walks in again?"

She let out a purely pleasurable sigh…and then rolled her eyes to the side with a little smile. "Oh…I _guess_…" She smirked a tiny bit more.

The two kids just pressed their foreheads together and shared a small laugh.

And now they were finally good to go with everything.

Helga sighed once more though before the inevitable period of endless kisses. "You make me so happy, Arnold…" she whispered, nose to nose with him again.

Arnold felt a warmth come over him. He leaned a bit closer…and now their lips were almost touching…Her breath and his breath were one. "And Helga…" he began to whisper back, "…You're…You make me feel...so…"

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Oh, Shortman, I just wanted to see if you kids would prefer spaghetti or meatloaf for…dinner?" Phil, once again in the attic room of Arnold, stopped mid sentence today and just did his best not to burst into laughter yet again today at the sight before him of his grandson laying on his back on his bed again (his sweater off this time, though), and breathing even more heavily than he had been the first time he'd decided to pay Arnold and Helga a visit…and Helga on the floor once more but this time with her eyes wide and her hair down, and breathing and blushing heavily herself.

"Oh sorry, kids…You know me—my memories goin' down the tubes. Now was I interrupting something again?" He looked at them a bit wryly.

A second didn't even pass before the two still practically panting kids looked to Phil and then looked to each other and then looked back to Phil. And then suddenly, Helga stood up from the floor and grabbed Arnold by the wrist. "Um…you know what?" She addressed the old man, speaking quickly and faking a smile. "I…just forgot that Arnold promised to have dinner at _my_ house tonight and my parents are expecting us pretty soon so we're just going to head out now…! Bye, Phil!" And with that she scrambled for the skylight exit, pulling a confused Arnold in tow.

"Oh okay, kids. Have a nice walk over there! Say hi to your parents from me, Helga!" Phil hollered to them with a smile.

"Can do!" Helga merely called back, already out on the roof and with Arnold half pulled out there with her.

"Heh, heh, heh, I'm such a wily old coot!" Phil just laughed to himself before shaking his head, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye and then departing Arnold's room.

* * *

Finally out on the roof with her beloved, the first thing Helga did was to make sure from the view of the skylight down into Arnold's room that Phil had indeed left (the whole time still breathing very heavily from being surprised at the most inconvenient moment EVER with her love!)

"Helga?"

Arnold's confused voice came to her ears and she knew he was going to ask her what she meant by 'dinner at her house' and why they were now on the roof instead of going down the fire escape if that's where they were going… _'Him and his adorably dense self…' _She decided to cut out the middle man, not exactly having much patience at the moment for humoring him, and so instead of taking a few minutes to explain herself, instantly grabbed her love and pulled him over to the lounge chairs, and then flung him down into one! "Crimeny, we have to start finding places where it's okay to lock doors behind us to kiss in! I HATE getting interrupted!" Then, before he could proceed to try questioning her again, Helga reached into her jumper pocket and reapplied her lip gloss once more, and then put it away, turned and finally just flung herself down in the lounge chair right on top of Arnold, one hand pressing against the back of the chair around either side of his wide head. Her big blue eyes looked desperately into his, no longer showing any capacity for anymore fooling around. "Okay, you know what, Arnold, I lied!" she admitted dramatically! "I _have_ no resolve when it comes to you, and if you hadn't broken back there and asked for it I would NOT have just walked away again! Now just kiss me already, Arnold, PLEASE! Because I won't melt without it—I'll _explode_!"

"Uh…" a smile came to her beloved's surprised face…and then a happy grin of understanding! "Oka—MMM!" was all he managed to get out before Helga beat him to it, diving at him hungrily.

* * *

Several minutes later, a practically panting Helga came up for a brief bit of air (and also for a lip gloss refreshening since what had been on her lips before was now smeared all over Arnold's mouth and all over her mouth and all over Arnold's blushing cheeks which she had been coating with kisses too). She shifted off of Arnold and to the side on the lounge chair for a moment, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Oh hey…before your Grandpa interrupted back there us you were about to say how I make you feel…" She smiled, pulling out the pink tube, applying more to her mouth, pressing her lips together, and then popping the tube back in her pocket. "Spill, Football Head!"

There was just the sound of Arnold's shallow panting at first…He lay there on his back, his dazed and half lidded eyes just looking up at the sky, dewy and wide and happy… "I…" finally came out of his mouth. He took several deep breaths more, his fingers clenching against the bottom of the lounge chair…but then finally he managed to sit up just a little...and his face was a collage of red blushing and pink gloss prints. "I-I'm sorry, Helga, just…just give me a minute…" He did his best now to recall through the haze of making out the situation before they'd started kissing. "Oh…" he remembered now…trying to tell her before how she made him feel… "I…I think I was going to say something like 'happy' or 'amazing' or 'magical' or 'wonderfully perfect in every way'…" He laughed to himself and looked over into her eyes. "Helga, if I ask for it again can we _please_ keep kissing? I…_Wow_…"

Helga giggled a ton at all of this…and especially at his face looking like it did right now, all full of lip prints and blushes—she might as well have used that lip gloss tube to write 'Property of Helga G. Pataki—All other girls, shove off!' right across his wide head. She'd never seen a more beautiful sight. "I'll take that as a request, Football Head," she replied, snuggling a little close to him in their lounge chair. Then she gave him a loving smirk. "You really do stink at seeing through with this 'playing hard to get' thing, you know that, Arnoldo?"

"Yup!" It didn't take a grinning from ear to ear Arnold a second to respond to her. "And I'm proud of it!" he announced with a mischievous smirk of his own before then suddenly wrapping his arms fully around her once more and pulling her back against him to continue their kissing, much to her surprise…and delight.

'_Oh Arnold, I…Oh __Arnold…__!_' She felt her lips pull into a smile as her love eagerly (and very expertly, in her blushing opinion) took care of removing her fresh coat of gloss and making sure she'd need another in due time!

* * *

In a certain boarding house dining room about a half an hour later…(though both Arnold and Helga had lost track of the passage of time quite a while ago…)

…Phil Shortman finished placing down the last plate on the boarding house dining room table. "Let's see, looks like everything's set up for dinner so I guess I'll just call down the boarders and…" Suddenly, Phil caught sight of a certain short someone (with his only slightly taller lady friend with whom he was giggling and whispering and smiling a little) entering the room and he turned to his grandson (and the girl who was basically his granddaughter-in-law at this point) with a wry smile. "Oh, Arnold, Helga—you two still here?" he asked casually. "I thought you were going to eat at Helga's place tonight?" Phil tried not to laugh at the memory of that little story Helga had come up with…or at how much the two kids jumped at suddenly hearing his voice…or at how said two kids looked right now (though it was really REALLY hard all things considered).

Arnold had had a very content smile on his face (though now he seemed surprised and flustered), his hair was significantly tousled, and his shirt was tucked in and untucked in varying places…his sweater had still not returned…and his lips seemed smudged with something pink and a little sparkly, to say nothing of the obvious pink little lip prints all over his cheeks and chin and nose and forehead. "Uh…" the ten-year-old boy began in a shy voice as he finished processing his grandfather's unexpected presence in the room. He took a little step forward as he did his best to respond to him "A-Actually, Grandpa, we, uh…we remembered that I promised to eat dinner over there TOMORROW night so…um…we figured we should, um…come down and maybe help you and Grandma now that we remembered that. Heh…Uh…" He turned to his love (who was standing a little behind him at the moment, though now, as she stepped forward, Phil could see that Arnold and Helga were holding hands on top of everything else). "Right, Helga?" the football headed blushing boy prompted.

Helga, to go along with Arnold's appearance, had her hair down and it didn't look 'messy' exactly but just very… 'worked over'. Her jumper looked a little more wrinkled than the last time Phil had seen them and also her lips were rather flushed along with her cheeks (though the former were also a tiny bit glittery as well…and not surprisingly it was very similar to the way Arnold's mouth and cheeks were glittery). "Um…" she started shyly and with a nod, trying to sound casual. "Yes. We, uh…remembered we're sticking around here tonight s-so, um…I-I'm just gonna go help Gertie get the food ready." She gave Phil a polite smile, though it was obvious she was feeling very shy right now…mostly because she knew, probably a lot better than Arnold, that what they had just finished doing together and how intense they had been about it all was obvious…Very, very, obvious.

(In fact, the two kids had actually been heading down here just now to wash off the gloss and straighten their hair and stuff in the kitchen, not realizing how long they had been up on the roof together or how close to dinnertime it really was (they had considered going into the bathroom upstairs to take care of getting themselves cleaned up, but…were in no mood to explain to any of the boarders, if they saw them, why there were walking out of a bathroom together or why one of them was waiting for the other one outside of the door of the bathroom looking sort of ravaged). Then they had figured maybe they could each relax with a cold soda from the fridge as long as they were down here, and then Arnold had been planning to maybe grab another one of his sweaters from the laundry room if there had been time…and so by the time Arnold's grandparents and the boarders would have come down to eat the two of them would have been looking and feeling perfectly normal and casual. So, in short, Arnold and Helga HADN'T expected to run into Arnold's grandparents so quickly and in such a state as they were…but now that they had Helga really just wanted to duck into the kitchen, get cleaned up, just be with another girl for a few minutes, and then she'd be fine. She was getting more used to cozying up to Arnold in front of others but…this situation right now was pushing it even for her.)

"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil just chuckled good-naturedly at Helga's suggestion about helping his wife with the meal, and nodded at her idea, realizing she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. "Well, that's great that you can stick around tonight. Always a pleasure to have you, Helga. And yup, Pookie's right in the kitchen and I'm sure she'd love an extra set of hands and a few minutes to talk with you and to help you get cleaned up for dinner while Shortman sets you a place." He smiled at nervous blonde girl.

Helga just gave him a grateful smile and nod back for not teasing her. "Thanks, Phil…" She turned to Arnold, blushed a tiny bit more and squeezed his hand, and then quickly went off into the kitchen.

Arnold just watched her go with a dreamy smile…and even kept staring after her once the door to the kitchen had closed behind her…chuckling to himself randomly every once in a while.

"You who? Shortman?" Phil eventually cut in, waving a hand in front of Arnold's face.

Arnold instantly blinked and blushed fully again and then turned to the old man, coming back to reality. "Oh! Uh…yes, Grandpa?" He looked to the side sheepishly, his arms behind his back.

"First of all," Phil started, "I'll get Helga's chair if you'll get her place setting…" Then he grinned more… "And second of all," he walked over and put a hand on his grandson's shoulder, and spoke plainly as long as they were alone now and his little girlfriend couldn't get embarrassed, "If you don't want the boarders giving you the razzing of your life, you might want to fix the hair and the shirt a bit before they come down while Helga's getting herself fixed up in the kitchen…Oh and your face—COVERED with lip gloss. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" He reeled back in hearty laughter

Arnold blinked and his eyes went wide, and then he was just blushing like mad and instantly using the back of his hand and the base of his palm to remove as much of the pink raspberry lemony substance from his face as possible, having forgotten all about it for the moment! "Oh! I…" he squeaked sheepishly, "Um, we were just…and there was …" he started trying to right his shirt and hair now, "…There was a lot of, um, wind on the roof and, um…" Finally he just let out a sigh, giving up on any lame excuses. He smiled in sheepish defeat at his grandfather. "Thanks, Grandpa…" he finally just said appreciatively.

Phil just chuckled to himself as he grabbed an extra chair from the corner and put it next to Arnold's usual chair at the table. "Helga pulled you out to the roof to end your date with bang, I take it?"

Arnold, now in the middle of placing Helga's silverware beside her plate, swallowed hard at the blunt question…and then glanced down shyly as he finished folding her napkin. "Um…something like that…heh…" he managed with a blush and a little smile.

Phil just nodded, taking his seat at the head of the table. "Mmm hmm…your grandma used to pull me into the basement for stuff like that—guess it was a sentimental thing since that's where she confessed—but to each her own, heh, heh…!"

Arnold, taking his seat as well, just let out a sigh and tried not to laugh or blush too much. "Good one, Grandpa…A sentimental thing…" Arnold smiled more, propping up his head on one of his hands. "Maybe it's kind of the same with Helga since she told me how she felt on a rooftop."

Phil nodded. "There you go!" He finished his chuckles and then gave his son a quick elbow over the table. "Oh and hey, sorry for the interruptions before, Shortman, but you know me—after how hilarious that accidental first one was I couldn't resist an encore. But I'll knock and wait for you to say it's okay next time before I come in. Promise." He winked.

Arnold smiled gratefully. "Thanks…but it's okay, Grandpa…It all worked out for, um…the best…." His cheeks became rosier. "I-I mean…Helga and I would never have gone to the roof if you hadn't walked in those few times, and, um…" He glanced down shyly but with a proud little smile…"…rooftops really have been lucky for us…"

"Heh, heh…" Phil laughed some more, shaking his head. "Oh Shortman…you really are growing up, aren't you…?" He let out a sigh and then his eyes lit up. "Hey, you two talked about picking out the names of the kids yet like I suggested?" He grinned wryly.

"Grandpa!" Arnold blushed even more and rolled his eyes to the side. "Um…we're just…focusing on our one month dating anniversary for now…"

Phil rolled his eyes to the side and was about to say something else when…

"B-Besides…As long as the kids are happy and healthy…the names aren't all that important…right?" Arnold's face was cherry red as he added this little observation. He was just glancing down at the tabletop with a smile now, his hands folded shyly in his lap.

Phil's jaw dropped a little and then he broke into the warmest smile and laugh ever and he gave his grandson a happy slap on the back. "Now you're getting it, Arnold! I knew you had it in you. A regular lady killer just like your old grandpa!"

Arnold just let out a sigh and laughed as well, trying to learn how to be calmer about talking about and getting teased all of this and to just go with it. "Thanks, Grandpa…Helga's happy so…" he shrugged modestly, "I guess I must be doing something right."

"Yessir," Phil swung his fist through the air and nodded, "That's the old Shortman charm shining through!"

"Yes, learning how to stop being terrified by love and to start just going with it…That about sums up that 'charm' you were talking about, General!"

Phil nearly jumped out of his seat at the sound of Gertie adding this observation in a smug sounding voice as she suddenly walked into the dining room now, carrying a large tray of meatloaf for dinner (with Helga following behind her with a bowl of mashed potatoes). The old woman laughed to herself and shook her head then looked to her husband as she placed the tray on the table. "Now, General, were you really interrupting and teasing Kimba and Eleanor again? And then filling Kimba's head with wild stories about you sweeping me off my feet when we were young?" She smirked a little at Phil. From behind her Helga (her hair looking much neater, her face no longer flushed and her lips no longer red and pink, and her clothes looking a lot more normal) giggled and placed down the bowl of potatoes (making sure to give Arnold a little wink upon seeing him again).

Phil just rolled his eyes at his wife with a smirk. "Oh yeah like YOU remember what was what from back then…crazy old bird…Sure the confession might have been choppy for me but I got a second wind and you know it!"

"All I _remember_…" Gertie responded with her own smirk, sitting down as well, "…was needing a full summer and most of the beginning of fifth grade to break you in to the level Arnold's already let himself get to with Helga…" She grinned proudly. "I'd like to think that's _my_ genes in him shining through…"

Phil cleared his throat and waved her off, though he did blush a little. "Uh…SURE…Whatever you say, Pookie…" Still, eventually he couldn't help chuckling a little and giving her a bit of a half lidded look, remembering some memories.

Gertie chuckled as well, her own eyes going a little half lidded for a moment as she remembered some things herself...but then of course she recalled their meal that was getting cold. "Well, anyway," she looked at the kids (Helga had taken her usual seat next to Arnold and of course they were holding hands under the table), "Phil, you call the other boarders and you can let them know that we're having mashed potatoes and meatloaf tonight for dinner…and for dessert a raspberry pie! Ha ha ha ha ha!" She laughed maniacally.

"Ooo Pookie, raspberry pie's the worst for me!" Phil clutched at his stomach which was instantly making gurgling noises at the very idea of raspberries in this form! He turned to his grandson. "Arnold, I beg you, if raspberries ever start doing to you what they do to me, don't ever let Helga know! You'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Arnold's smile went the tiniest bit dreamier (and he squeezed Helga's hand a little). "Um…th-that's okay, Grandpa…I don't think raspberry _anything _will ever give me any trouble…"

Helga couldn't help giggling a tiny bit from beside him. "Uh, yeah…" she added, "A-And besides, I've got plenty of other ways to torture old Football Head. And raspberries really don't seem to bug him all that much, anyway, like he said…" She blushed a little and glanced at her love.

Arnold glanced back at her…and then summed up his courage and asked casually of Gertie, "Um…hey, Grandma…If it's okay, with the raspberry pie tonight…can we have lemonade…? I'd like that."

A serious little chuckle and near snort escaped Helga and she instantly blushed when she realized the sound she'd just made. "U-U-Um…s-sorry… L-Lemonade's good with me too, please…" she added shyly with a private little grin.

Gertie blinked at first at both kids and their unusual request…but then smiled and looked at her husband (who smiled back at her), and then she turned back to the kids with a grin, figuring it was probably a little private, romantic joke between them. And what was the harm in humoring it? She nodded. "Of course, Kimba, Eleanor…Lemonade and raspberries it is…"

Arnold and Helga smiled at her gratefully.

"Thanks, Grandma…"

"Yeah, thanks, Gertie…"

Gertie nodded to the children and then turned back to her husband. "Oh and don't worry, Popsicle Chin…As for torturing Arnold, I'm sure if it's not raspberries Helga'll find something else special to make him to eat every day…But there's plenty of time for that…" Her eyes fell to Arnold and she grinned more. "Like you were saying, Kimba, you haven't even picked out the children's names or celebrated your one month anniversary yet…Not that the children's names matter all that much though since what's most important is that they're happy and healthy." She couldn't help grinning even more at her grandson's sweet answer.

Helga just blushed and smiled a ton, looking down at her plate shyly.

Arnold, meanwhile, upon now hearing and processing that his grandma and his love had overheard what he'd said to his grandfather, at first turned deep crimson and his eyes went wide… But then, just accepting that it had happened and feeling thankful that at least the boarders hadn't been in here to hear him too, just let out a breath and couldn't help smiling to himself while his grandparents shared a hearty laugh. "Very funny, Grandma, Grandpa…" He squeezed Helga's hand a little more, feeling too shy to look at her again for now. "A-And yeah," he went on, trying to lighten the mood, "I'm sure if there's a food or something that she can torture me with…Helga'll find it one day."

His grandparents shared another small laugh and Arnold just laughed along with them and Helga even joined him with her light, lovely giggle. The two decided to glance at each other at the exact same time, which only made their blushes and smiles grow when they did so. There was another little hand squeeze and then their eyes traveled over to Arnold's grandparents…watching them…and Arnold thinking a little more to himself with a little blush about…really getting to be like his grandparents one day with Helga…playing games and 'torturing' with food and teasing with old stories from the past…marrying his Helga with pink flowers in her hair and getting to love her forever and ever right here in this house, and getting to tease their own kid or grandkid about their first little crush…

He liked that idea. A lot.

And from the way she snuggled her head now against his shoulder while they still held and squeezed hands until Phil did call the boarders to come down once his warm laughter tapered off…Arnold figured Helga was thinking similar things…and liked the idea a lot too (naturally).

* * *

**SICK DAYS**

_KNOCK KNOCK  
_

"Helga…are you awake?" The door of Helga G. Pataki's bedroom creaked slightly as Arnold pushed it gently open to peek inside of his girlfriend's room, a smile on his face…and several items in his hands…

He blinked and then almost chuckled in confused amusement at the sound of Helga suddenly starting abruptly in her bed and at the sight of her wide eyes looking over at him for only a split second before she pulled her pink covers totally over her head and body and turned away from her beloved.

Arnold just let out a sigh, still smiling to himself, and then stepped into the room completely and pushed the door shut behind him. "Helga, relax…it's just me. I just…wanted to see how you were feeling." He took a few more steps toward her bed. "You've already been out of school for two days and we haven't been able to talk on the phone because of your throat and…I've missed you…." he added sweetly and shyly, placing the items he'd brought with him upon the floor and now just gazing at the shape of the slightly ill ten-year-old girl still wrapped tightly under her pink covers.

Suddenly he had to raise an eyebrow at the sight of some rustling under the covers…several seconds of this passed and then just as he was about to question this action of hers, one of Helga's hands flew out from under the covers…and it was proffering a piece of fresh notebook paper to him. Arnold blinked curiously, unmoving and unsure of what to make of this, until Helga shook the paper in her hand a little and it finally clicked with him that she wanted him to take it. He took a few more steps toward her bed, reached forward, grabbed the paper, and read what appeared to be a message written on it in purple ink…an amused smile forming on his face as he did so.

_Football Head! I told my Mom and Phoebe to tell you __not__ to come over until I was better enough to tell you not to come over __myself__! I freaking have laryngitis! You could get sick! I love you so LEAVE! NOW!_

Arnold had to cave into quite a few chuckles as he finished reading her note. "Oh come on, Helga…" He placed the note down on her nightstand and then turned around and picked up one of the items he'd brought with him, "It's been a few days and your mom says the doctor says you're not nearly as contagious as you were before…otherwise I would have come a lot sooner, and believe me!" He let out a sigh, finishing putting around his neck the winter scarf he'd brought with him and pulling it up near his mouth. "And just in case, I brought this scarf to cover my mouth if it'll make you feel more comfortable." He crossed his arms over his chest with a determined smile. "Anyway the point is I'm not going anywhere so you might as well just come out and let me visit with you and make you feel better with the other stuff I've brought you, okay?" He laughed a little more. "Besides," he began jokingly, looking just a little smug, "How often do I get the chance to spend time with you when _I'm_ the one doing all the talking?"

Finishing this small speech, he heard a very weak frustrated groan come from Helga under the covers, saw her form hesitate, and then saw that rustling again like she was writing something out once more in place of speaking. Several seconds later, another note flew out of the covers which Arnold eagerly grabbed and read.

_First of all, __hilarious__ joke about the fact that I cannot speak. You are so amusing, Arnoldo. Second…come on, Arnold, I really don't want you to get sick too so please just come back in a few days when I really am all better!_

Arnold let out another sigh, placing down this note on her nightstand as well. "Helga…" he started again beseechingly, "I really want to stay. Please! And besides…" he shyly dug one of his feet into her carpet, arms behind his back, "…if you're going to kick me out for my health, can't you come out from under the covers and at least let me see you and say goodbye in person?" He couldn't help but smile a bit more and blush slightly as he added, "I haven't gotten a chance to even see you for over two whole days, and it's…" He raised an eyebrow and considered, and then looked to the pink lump of Helga's concealed form again and did his best to express himself as accurately as possible, "Well…before we were together…when _I_ used to go away for a few days or was out sick sometimes, did it ever make you feel kind of…a little disappointed…and maybe frustrated…and even a little sad…?" He let out a small sigh, recalling what the last few days had been like for him… "Because that's kind of how it's been making _me_ feel without _you_ around…" He had to smile sheepishly as he added, "It's not very fun…Sorry if I ever did it to you without realizing it, Helga…"

At this admission from him there was just silence from Helga at first…and then, finally, several seconds later another slight moan (this one much sadder sounding)…and then finally some more rustling (this rustling going on for a bit longer than the other times) and another note. It was offered to him by that one extended arm of his beloved again, and Arnold took it gently and read it to himself.

_Okay, okay, Football Head, I'll level with you…Crimeny, enough 'guilt trip', alright? Telling me how sad it's been making you feel all just because I haven't been around in a couple of days and then apologizing for if __I __ever felt that way about __you__…I'd burst into sappy, romantic tears and throw you on the floor in a hug and tell you that you're the sweetest guy on the planet if I didn't still feel so shaky. But, anyway, just hear me out…_

_Alright, slight confession time: yes, I'd rather stay hidden under these blankets and have you leave because I really don't want to get you sick…but also I'd kind like you to come back in a few days instead of visiting right now because…Arnold, for Pete's sake, I've been in bed with a fever and a raw throat for three days—I look like a train wreck! I'm not exactly 'Cecile' right now, if you know what I mean. So I'd really like at least another day or two to regain my strength and get myself cleaned up a bit! If you really want to see me though I'll…I guess I could come out for a second if you're __really__ feeling as bad as you say you're feeling without me…which, again, was really sweet, Football Head._

"Helga," Arnold lowered the note from his face, grinning so much at her cute (and of course totally unnecessary) little insecurity, "I want you to do whatever makes you comfortable…even though I really do want to see you." He placed this note down with the others, then took another step toward Helga's bed and added quietly and with a blush and a little smile, "And also…as for how you might look right now…" he just shook his head in amusement and reached forward and put a hand on the covers over her shoulder, "You know that doesn't matter to me… and even if it did I'll always think you're beautiful no matter what, anyway. I'm just happy to get to spend some time with you again…" he then let out a little 'forlorn' sigh for dramatic effect and added 'mysteriously', drawing his hand away from her now, "…And, you know, I really did have a whole afternoon planned for us here…After all this _is_ the biggest opportunity I've ever gotten to really take care of you and I'm not about to pass it up…"

Silence, then some rustling, and then another note shot out from the little hill of pink, which Arnold read to himself again.

_Okay…I'll come out…but you stay at least __five feet__ away just in case! I WON'T let you get sick! And…And thanks for all of that…about how I look…and me always being beautiful to you. And also, well, now I basically __have__ to come out because now you've got me curious—you've got plans for us when I'm sick?_

Arnold chuckled and placed this note down as well on the ever growing little pile on her nightstand. "You're welcome, Helga…and thanks for agreeing to see me. And yes I do have some things here to share with you…" His grinned happily to himself and stepped back so that he was blocking sight of the other things he'd brought over today besides his scarf, all of which were still on Helga's floor (he wanted everything to be as much of a surprise as possible).

There was one more second of hesitation, and then Arnold heard Helga let out a slightly shakier than usual sigh…and then the pink lump sat up a bit, she removed the covers from over her head, and finally Arnold's Helga G. Pataki turned and looked at him for the first time in a couple of days (though to Arnold it had felt like _forever_).

She gulped, wide eyed and feeling so very self-conscious no matter how much she knew Arnold's love and attraction were unconditional. '_Crimeny, I at least wish Miriam had given me some warning so that I could have brushed my hair or something…I must look like a nightmare…'_

And yet, of course, when Helga did finally manage to pluck up the courage (and energy—she was still a little woozy even though the worst period of her sickness was behind her) to bring her eyes to her beloved's…she was met with the (very much missed) sight of Arnold just smiling happily at her with his eternally lovely half lidded gaze. Her own little smile grew and that self-conscious feeling ebbed. She reached up one of her hands and gave him a coy little wave. 'Hi…' she mouthed.

A warm, goofy chuckle escaped Arnold at her doing that, (and actually ever since she had come out of the covers he'd been doing his best keep even more such amused chuckles at bay.) '_She always exaggerates so much_…' And indeed, Arnold found it so very charming that she had been talking about herself like she would pop out of her covers as some kind of 'horror movie monster' when in fact she was merely sitting here before him now certainly a little paler than usual, her eyes a little droopier with tiredness, her face a little flushed, and her hair a little messed and limp, but basically she was just the same old Helga…His same old beautiful, cute, adorable, lovely… He took a breath and cleared his throat and blushed a little as he realized he had almost let his attraction to her get the better of his thoughts (which was something that actually happened several times a day in general but especially over the last couple of days since she'd been so very absent from his world). He made himself get back to the point. She was still his same old perfect Helga…just…a little sick. _'I'll help with that though…hopefully_…' he thought to himself with a grin.

Helga just raised part of her brow at her beloved, meanwhile, since he wasn't saying anything and was just staring and staring and looking goofier and goofier (she couldn't really conceive of the fact that, even if he didn't find her 'ugly' right now, he would be able to get all dazed and lovesick just by looking at her). She grabbed her notebook from under the covers and her purple pen as well, and wrote a new note for him, showing it to him from her bed with a grin and an eye roll.

_There you go, Football Head. Disheveled old me… _

Then she smiled just a little more and pulled the notebook back and wrote something else, and then showed the addition to Arnold with a light pink blush mixing with the slight reddishness of her still slightly feverish face.

_But…coming out to see you made you smile and helped with you feeling all sad and lonely, according to you, so…it's worth it I guess. _

Helga brought her notebook back to her lap and turned the now full page to go on to the next fresh one. She took a second to write something new and then showed it to Arnold, scowling this time (and with everything written in big, bold, underlined letters).

_**But I meant what I said about the five-foot distance—I don't want you to get sick! PERIOD!**_

Arnold, finally not drowning in his own goofiness anymore, laughed to himself at this stern little warning, and made a show of pulling up his scarf a little closer to his mouth. "Okay, okay, Helga…" he said without resistance, taking two steps further back from her bed (and making sure not to bump into and to still conceal the items behind him, "Five foot minimum distance and I'll use the scarf as long as you'll let me stay…and continue looking at the prettiest girl in the whole world….who's so pretty that even when she's sick, she's lovely." He blushed and smiled more.

Helga blinked and blushed a lot at the unexpected extra compliment…but then she just giggled and smiled approvingly at him and nodded, affirming that she was caving and that he could indeed stay as long as his little heart desired. '_Little charmer…always knows just what to say and do to make me putty in his hands…_' Memories of actually being in his hands washed over her for a second, making her very aware once again of how many hours it had been since she'd felt her love's full kiss and touch and embrace, but she did her best not to focus on that right now and to just enjoy his company. '_The best way to make sure he stays well is to stay away from him, and besides it's only for another day, maybe two…_' She nodded to herself at this reassuring thought and then just went right back to smiling at Arnold.

Arnold, meanwhile, very happy that Helga was officially on board with his little visit, grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "Okay…Well, let's get started then…" He gave her now slightly confused looking face a wink…and then stepped aside to reveal what he had brought to her room today besides just himself, his love and a scarf. "First…" he reached down and then stood up again…this time with a long, insulated canister in one hand (which had been beside, Helga now noticed, a bowl and spoon upon the floor). "…I asked Phoebe and she said your favorite soup when you're sick was chicken noodle with crackers…so me and my Grandma made you some…" He now opened the container and poured some of it's warm, steaming contents into the bowl with the spoon in it, then removed a few packets of saltine crackers from his pocket, opened them, and placed them atop the soup. He then put down the canister, picked up the bowl of soup, and carefully approached Helga's bed. "Here…Just be careful holding the bowl though—it feels a little hot…" He smiled with his half lidded gaze at her as he placed the soup on her nightstand so she could get to it but so he could keep five feet away from her as she'd asked.

Waiting happily now with his arms behind his back and a blush on his face (and hoping she'd like the soup), Arnold watched with interest as Helga's reaction to his first surprise for this afternoon wasn't a smiling 'thank you' like he had imagined it would be, but rather an initial look of total shock and confusion complete with a dropped jaw…and then a touch more pink came to her face (which meant, he realized, that she was blushing so much at the moment that it was able to shine through the flushed effect to her face of her fever…and that meant a LOT of blushing, which made him blush even more too). He continued to watch as her wide eyes then went from himself to the soup and then repeated the process once or twice more (much to his continued interest and amusement)

…Finally Helga G. Pataki seemed to come out of her blushing shock, and shook her head to clear it and then scribbled something on the next fresh page of the notebook. She shyly held it up for him to read when she was finished.

_You…made me homemade soup because I was sick? You and your Grandma? _

It wasn't that Helga really needed him to say it again. It was just…him doing something like this for her had been a pretty standard daydream of hers throughout her entire life—him running to her bedside in her time of need and tending to her lovingly. And…here he was, actually doing it and entirely of his own idea and because he really wanted to. There had been quite a few instances so far in their relationship where he had done something she considered the single sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her ever but…this might top them all, in her opinion.

Arnold (still at his five foot minimum distance, of course) raised an eyebrow at first at her needing that information reconfirmed, but then of course nodded in the affirmative with a smile. "Of course, Helga…You're sick. I…" he glanced down and put his arms behind his back again, "I just wanted to make sure you got better as soon as possible…" He looked up again at the sound of something being moved only to see with delight Helga now sitting up more in her bed, the bowl of soup resting on top of the covers on her lap…and now she was lifting up a spoonful of the soup, closing her eyes…and then she placed it in her mouth and obviously savored it in that perfect way she had of loving and savoring everything that truly meant something to her in her life.

When she was done with the bite, she opened her eyes and a dreamy look was now on her face. She turned to Arnold and opened her mouth almost as though to talk, but then her eyes went wide as no sound came out and she recalled the situation of her illness. She reached for her notebook again, turned to a fresh page, wrote for a few seconds, and then showed it to her beloved once more.

_I wish I could hug you right now more than anything else in the whole world. Thank you, my darling. This is one of the most wonderful things you or anyone else has ever done for me. And it's delicious. I'll never forget this for my entire life._

One of those ear to ear smiles instantly came to Arnold's face and his eyes brightened (and he almost had to chuckle at the fact that she'd almost written in that way she usually monologued—so dramatically and passionately and romantically. It made him sigh inside…He missed hearing her talk like that so very much…) "Really? You like it that much? Thanks, Helga!" he exclaimed happily…And then he blushed slightly and added with a little grin, "Oh and I…I wish I could hug you too…"

Both kids just glanced down with blushes for several seconds, smiling happily at their thoughts…

But then Arnold, once again reminding himself that he could daydream about Helga later when he went home but right now was for trying to make her feel better, cleared his throat and looked back to his beloved once more. "Oh, and, um…I have some other stuff here too…"

Helga blinked at the information and looked back at him as well, raising part of her brow. She was as happy as she could be? How in the world could he have anything else to bestow upon her?

Arnold stepped back to the soup canister and leaned down again (and now Helga noticed a small white paper bag upon the floor that he had apparently carried up here as well). Now with this item in hand, he came toward her nightstand again, reached inside of the bag…and pulled out a small Styrofoam cup with a plastic dome lid on it and a little plastic spoon. He placed these two items near her bedside as well, and then took a step back and explained simply and with a humble shrug, "I figured that since your throat hurts you might like something cold to help with it so I brought you a cup of your favorite ice cream from Slausens…banana chocolate chunk, right?" He blushed a ton and added with a gulp. "I-I mean, your favorite ice cream _besides me_, of course…" Ever since he'd found out about her old code name for him, Helga had been saying that to him every single time they got or ate ice cream together…Sort of a way of getting to him for the occasional 'a la mode' joke he would make to get to her. He liked the whole little game A LOT, to say the least.

Helga, from her bed, just giggled and quirked her mouth to the side in a little grin at the joke (and Arnold just gulped and tried not to think about how, along with missing its owner, he had missed that cute little mouth itself quite a bit. He could see her and be near her now and that did worlds to relieve his loneliness but still…he missed the intimacy too. Getting closer to each other than with any other person in the world…It would be heaven when they got that part of their relationship back soon.) Arnold could feel himself getting pulled down the path of daydreams but he was quickly (and thankfully) distracted from such thoughts though by the sight of Helga now rubbing her hands together greedily with a grin at the sight of the treat he had gotten her. She then grabbed the notebook and wrote in it once more and showed it to Arnold.

_Aw, thanks, Football Head—all Miriam's gotten me are popsicles and I'm getting sick to death of those. Finally, something with a real sugar content! Oh and also…thanks for being great enough to think so much about what might make me feel better, my favorite little flavor of ice cream…my little instigator of all things a la mode… ;) You're the best person on the planet, you know that, my little love god?'_

Arnold blushed and chuckled and had to glance down again shyly, kicking one of his feet forward a little in bashfulness. "Oh, Helga…I'm happy you like the soup and ice cream so much but I-I'm really just Arnold, a-and all of this was just something I wanted to do because I love you…"

He looked at her with a meaningful glance and smile and blush, and she looked back at him with the same. Arnold, so very happy with how happy he had made her, and Helga so very happy that her love loved her so.

Eventually Helga let out a sigh, realizing that the soup was going to get cold and the ice cream was going to get warm (and that she was going to find it difficult to control her urge to smother Arnold with loving and grateful coos and hugs and kisses) if she didn't break from looking at him like that. And so now she glanced down and took another few bites of soup, and then put it on her nightstand for a moment and snagged the ice cream to try a bite of that as well (savoring and enjoying it as she had done with the first bite of soup, much to Arnold's ever growing happiness). She turned to him after swallowing. 'Delicious,' she mouthed. 'Thank you.'

Arnold gave a little nod. "You're welcome…my bright angel…" He threw in the little pet name just because he felt like it, and then glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck, as he recalled that there was still one more part to this little 'getter well soon' scheme he'd put together. "A-Anyway…um, I'm happy you're enjoying the food, Helga, but along with the food, since your mom said you don't have any TV up here and that you're getting kind of bored listening to music, I also wanted to bring something to read to you to help you feel better, but…" he smiled a bit more sheepishly and looked up at her again, "…I know you're not exactly a fan of Purdy Boy books…and then Phoebe and your Mom said you have a lot of stuff you like to read right here in your room actually, so…I thought I might just let you pick from your own books what you'd like me to read for you…okay?" He looked to her hopefully.

Helga, who had just put the lid back on her ice cream and was going for some more soup again, froze and blinked in the middle of being about to raise a spoonful to her mouth…Her eyes went wide, and a slight blush returned to her face once more. Her big blue eyes turned to him in pleasant surprise. 'Really?' she managed to mouth again with the happiest smile he'd ever seen on her face.

Arnold just smiled warmly and happily back at her and nodded. "Really, Helga…" His half lidded gaze was in full force.

Helga's eyes went quite a bit half lidded themselves now and as she glanced down and gave a giggle. After a second or two of reflection on how she seriously had the most adorable and considerate boyfriend on the planet she then looked up at her beloved and gestured with her head to the side of her room opposite her bead.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at first, a little unsure about this gesture, until Helga, with even more of a grin, rolled her eyes and then scribbled down in the notebook quickly, showing it to her beloved,

_Books, my dense little love! Right over there…_

(And then there was arrow pointing in the direction to which her head had just gestured.)

Arnold blushed, smiling sheepishly to himself. "Oh, okay…sorry, Helga…" He shook his head to himself in amusement as he walked over to Helga's few little shelves of literature. Before kneeling down though to inspect the titles, he stopped and turned back to her for a moment. "So, anything in particular you'd like me to read to you or should I just pick whatever looks good, Helga?"

Helga scribbled some more in her notebook and then showed him a sheet as she shrugged with a half smile on her face.

_Surprise me, love!_

He smiled and nodded and then turned back and bent down, glancing at the book titles…and after about five seconds he had to blink at some of them…and at how large some of these books looked. "Helga…" he commented over his shoulder, "A lot of these books look kind of long and grown up…like novels…Did you really read all of these?"

A second later he was answered with a paper ball hitting him in the back of the head. He picked it up and unfolded it, reading it to himself.

_NO, they're in my room for __show__, Football Head. Heh, seriously, though, I've told you before that we have different tastes in literature…And also when I was growing up and Olga went off to college these were a lot of her old high school books and I guess they kind of grew on me…the classics, at least. And especially the Romantics… A little mushy sometimes but also really fun…and there's always a good love story, my beloved…What can I say—when you get right down to it I'm a bit softie, Arnold!_

Arnold just smiled to himself a little more and then looked over his shoulder again at Helga with just a bit of amazement and observed with interest and sincerity, "You're really smart, aren't you, Helga? I mean, like really, _really_ smart…"

Helga raised part of her brow at this strange and unexpected comment, and then wrote something once more and showed it to Arnold.

_Uh…Football Head? I think you're confusing me with Phoebe. __She's__ the brain. I'm just random and a little loony…I mean, I can hold my own with grades and especially at writing but otherwise I think I'm pretty average._

Arnold blinked and then shook his head at her mistaken interpretation of his words, still smiling. "No, Helga, that's not what I…Well, what I meant was that…yeah, Phoebe gets great grades and everything, but…you're really insightful and wise and observant and mature…you're very refined and cultured and intelligent…and a lot more than most ten-year-old girls, aren't you, Helga?"

That extra pink and rosy color (signifying, once again, a significant blush if it was shining through her fever) came back to Helga's features at this observation from her beloved. Processing it she just swallowed and then glanced down shyly and twiddled her thumbs for a few seconds, not writing anything back she was so flustered and flattered all of a sudden. He really thought she was that deep of a person…She had no idea what to say to all of that, and all of it so sudden!

Arnold, though, completely in tune with her and her feelings and responses to things at this point, and just let out a sigh and replied knowingly to her silent gratitude, "You're welcome, Helga…"

She glanced at him upon hearing those words and then gave a small, quiet laugh and mouthed back with a nod, 'Thank you Arnold…'

Arnold just let out a sigh, allowing himself to lovingly observe the girl he loved for a moment longer before then turning back to the books before him. "Okay, Helga…" he called over his shoulder, "Let's see…" he scanned things a little more and then suddenly his eyes fell upon a certain volume and he grabbed it up. "Oh, hey…Shakespeare's Greatest Works…" He couldn't help his grin picking up a little on one side as he turned back to Helga again. "You didn't happen to use this to rehearse for the school play, did you, Helga?"

Helga just rolled her eyes with a smirk from her bed and then beckoned him forward with an arm wave and an approving smile of the selection he'd made.

Arnold nodded and then stood up and went back over to her and seated himself on the floor (several feet from her bed of course). He set the rather large volume in his lap and then opened it to the table of contents. He looked up at her, resting his head on one of his hands. "Any particular play you'd like me to read from, Helga? The balcony scene from 'Romeo & Juliet' maybe…?" His half lidded gaze returned. "Or that last scene…in the tomb…alone…together…?"

Arnold watched with delight and amusement as once again a distinguishable blush crept into Helga's only slightly feverish cheeks and her eyes went wide for a second and she even gulped a little, obviously caught a little off guard by his sudden suggestive tone and the memory of the first time their lips had met. '_Lips_…' He sighed—great, now he was thinking of her lips again. He tried to ignore it but it was so hard…so hard not to start imagining standing and approaching her and giving his real life little Juliet a 'get well soon' kiss to finish things up here…He was half moving forward to sit up without even realizing it…

However, he became aware of his actions and managed to stop them at the sight of Helga blinking as she obviously came out of her slight romantic shock, and now letting out a slightly frustrated sounding sigh, rolling her eyes, and writing something on a fresh page of her notebook, which she showed a curious Arnold a few seconds later.

_Okay, I never thought I'd say…er, __write__ this ever and I sincerely hope I never have to do it again but, just for the record, 'Romeo', you are __not__ to kiss me right now under __any__ circumstances! Capiche? And __stop__ playing with the idea because it's not exactly easy for me to turn you down…If anything would spread germs it's mouth to mouth contact, Football Head! Doi! _

Finishing reading her announcement to himself, Arnold couldn't help blushing more and chuckling a little sheepishly and shaking his head to rid it yet again of his attraction-based thoughts. "O-Of course. Sorry, Helga…I guess I just couldn't help it…thinking of that scene…and how it was our 'first time'…even if it was just supposed to be 'acting'…" He blushed a lot more, doing his best to look busy inspecting the table of contents, though he couldn't help going on with what he was saying, barely realizing it he was so caught up in memories. "It's just…every time I think about that play it makes me smile…Maybe if I…Maybe if I'd been 'alive' in that scene, I could have…and _we_ could have…" His thoughts wandered and he wasn't even trying to look like he was reading the table of contents anymore.

He was snapped out of his reverie a second later by the feeling of another paper ball hitting him right in the head. He blinked and opened it up and read the new note.

_Crimeny—earth to Arnold! Sheesh, Head boy, I know being in love can take some getting used to but you've been turning into an even bigger sap than me lately at the drop of a hat! Now forget the play and our first liplock for a minute and just turn to the sonnets. That's all I'd really like to hear for now. Me and poetry Arnold—always inseparable!_

Arnold smiled and then looked back up to Helga who was just sitting there with a grin and her arms folded over her chest, and the cup of ice cream now in her lap again. "Okay, Helga," he nodded, "I'll stop thinking about kissing you and read you some poetry…" His eyes went a little half lidded again as he went to turn to the right page. "But I think I'll still like _your_ poetry a lot better…the subject matter aside, as usual…"

Just as he got the book open to the right page, a final little paper ball hit him in the head for him to open and read.

_Arnold, I'm a ten-year-old lovesick kid and this is Shakespeare…I think he might be a __little__ more skilled than me. But I guess to each his own, my loopy little Football Head!_

Arnold looked up at her to see Helga giggle once more and wink at his compliment despite the modesty of her note.

His smile just grew a bit more and he merely replied to her assertion, "_Maybe_, Helga. But…Shakespeare was a kid once too…and probably in love at some point if you like what he writes…so who's to say you aren't just as much of a genius as he was…" He winked and Helga giggled a little more this time and shrugged shyly at the compliment, and then put both soup and ice cream aside for the moment and settled back into her bed, gazing at her beloved lovingly and waiting for him to start reading to her.

Arnold, seeing her now settled in, cleared his throat, looked down to the first page of sonnets, and with a smile began to read to Helga…

* * *

"Sonnet XVI…" It was about a half hour later and suddenly Arnold couldn't help but yawn slightly to himself—it had been a long afternoon planning all of this 'get well soon' stuff and getting it ready after all. He took advantage of the natural pause from reading to his love to look up at her bed for a moment, a small smile still on his face. "Helga, did you want anymore soup or something to drink before I start the next…poem?"

Arnold's slight pause in speaking (and the sudden growth of his smile) was due to the fact that his eyes had come to unexpectedly rest upon the sight of Helga laying back against her pillows, her eyes closed and a very content smile on her face…her breathing slower than normal and only slowing all the more…the breathing of a person drifting off into peaceful slumber. (And he also noticed with much happiness that after all of this reading and two bowls of soup and the rest of her ice cream, the color in Helga's cheeks looked a lot better now, and she didn't seem nearly as weak looking as before.)

She gave a faint, "Mmm hmm…" now as a very delayed response to his address to her. That confirmed it for Arnold: yes, she was fading fast and in a few minutes she would be in a peaceful, deep, comfortable sleep.

With a smile, our young football headed hero took all of this as his cue and stood up from his place on the floor, making sure to quietly close Helga's book and then to gently place it on the lower shelf of her nightstand (in case she might want to do any reading later herself whenever she woke up next). '_And I'll just leave the canister of hot soup near her bed too in case she wants to pour herself more later…It should stay warm for at least a couple more hours…'_

Unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and mouth now and just letting it hang over his shoulders (the use of it had really been more for show to convince Helga that he indeed wouldn't get sick from her than from any real confidence in its protection) he let out a sigh and then approached her bed, slightly breaking her 'five foot' rule just to get one more good look at her happy sleeping face before he left her to drift off into sleep. _'I'm happy I made her feel better…_' he thought to himself warmly. '_And I really hope all of this helps her get well soon…_' He almost had to laugh as he thought about all of her fears and warnings before when he'd shown up. He shook his head a little. '_Like I'd ever think she looks horrible…She looks happy and nice and like herself…and I like her like that…'_

He let out a breath, savoring the sight of her for at least one more moment before his departure. '_At least she's falling asleep so she can't yell at me for risking getting sick anymore by getting close to her…I don't care if there's a chance I might get a sore throat for a few days being near her… I just like to be near her…I miss her…_' He swallowed…and then with a slight blush leaned down and gave her a small, gentle kiss to Helga's forehead…and as he pulled back, had a thought he couldn't help… '_Maybe…Maybe just one on her lips…just a peck before she falls asleep and I have to leave…_' His eyes traveled downward a little, so very shyly…and her flushed little lips that he hadn't seen let alone kissed in a few days beckoned to him.

Yes, just one to tide him over…A kiss goodbye and get well for his princess…And who knew—maybe it would even make her a bit better, his love for her seemed to bring so much joy and hope to her life…

And besides, if you thought about it, as Juliet she had insisted upon giving him as Romeo a final kiss despite the poison possibly on his lips in that play...so him in real life giving her a kiss despite the germs possibly on her lips could be seen as a little form of returning the favor. He smiled, sure that even if she found out later what he'd done, she would find the whole thing more romantic than anything else, especially when thought of in that way.

Her lips continued to beckon…and his would answer.

* * *

"Okay, Sonnet XVI…" Helga, her eyes closed happily as she reclined back on her pillows in her bed, heard Arnold yawn at this point in his reading, and she wasn't surprised considering that he had been going on for close to half an hour. "Helga, did you want me to pour you anymore soup before I start the next…poem?"

Helga heard the considerate question but right now she was very comfortable, she felt like her fever had finally broken completely, her stomach was full of warm homemade soup and yummy ice cream, and to top it all off she was perfectly between drifting off into much needed sleep and half hearing her beloved lovingly reading to her a book she knew well enough anyway… An "Mmm hmm…" managed to escape her but really overall she had no energy or desire to change her current situation or position. She was at peace and happy and surrounded by love…and she wanted to savor her last few waking moments of this total blissful state.

Helga just heard silence now and then something like Arnold maybe moving, though she was fading fast…slow breaths going in and out… '_Oh Arnold…I'm so happy…You're taking care of me! Oh my love…_' Such a perfect sleep was coming and she knew when she woke up that she really would be all but healed of her annoying laryngitis.

There was more silence for a while…

…And then, like a shot, Helga instantly felt electricity pass through her body as lips she could never forget suddenly gently met her forehead and brought her back to full awareness and wakefulness…and then a familiar warm sweet but minty breath found it's way to right before her lips…and then Arnold's gentle lips were upon her own.

For the first second, her heart danced as it always did when they kissed, and all she wanted to do was pull him into this bed with her and never let go (pretty much the standard reaction to being kissed by Arnold in one of their bedrooms).

But then her greater concern for him instantly shut down that lovely (though selfish) desire…and _'NO!'_ was the only thought that could process in her mind!

* * *

Arnold, now finished with his small farewell/get well kiss, had just been about to gently pull his lips back from Helga's, whisper to her 'goodnight', and then finally and quietly take his leave…when his now open eyes met with Helga's now suddenly open eyes…and remained locked there for a moment as those two blue orbs before him seemed to communicate not just surprise but also fear!

Then the scowl came, and that's when Arnold finally pulled his lips apart from his girlfriend's. He straightened up and stepped back now, an eyebrow raised in confusion as he was unsure of what to make of her looking as she did right now. "Helga?"

At the sound of her name the eyes of the blonde girl before him went from scowling to practically seething and she instantly wrote something furiously in her notebook which she them promptly showed him.

_Get out! I told you five-foot distance and you just had to go and start trying to kiss me and now who knows if you'll get sick and it'll be all my fault! Crimeny, Arnoldo, you've gotta quit putting everybody before yourself! You'll get yourself killed doing that one of these days! LEAVE! NOW! You've had enough unnecessary exposure to potentially deadly diseases for one day!_

Arnold just continued to look surprised for a few seconds as he processed this note from her… and then (much to Helga's further annoyance) his half lidded gaze returned and he smiled and shook his head and opened his mouth to speak (and she KNEW it was going to be him assuring her that he was fine and insisting on staying and then apologizing for breaking her rule but explaining that he was sure nothing bad would happen, etcetera, etcetera, but she did NOT want to hear it! And especially if it meant an even longer amount of time with him standing right by her bedside and exposed to her laryngitis!) '_And on top of preserving his own health, doesn't the dense little thing realize that if __he__ gets sick now we're going to have to be apart for even longer? __Crimeny__!' _Still, though, despite the blustery-ness of her thoughts, Helga did know that Arnold's little heart had been in the right place and she couldn't really be full on 'mad' at him. But…no, enough was enough and the bottom line was that she would NOT let him get made sick by ANYTHING and especially not on her account and especially not after all the trouble he'd gone through with this whole little set up all for her on this afternoon! And so Helga G. Pataki came to an executive decision and, to Arnold's confusion as she could see in his face, cut him off from speaking by raising one of her hands up in a silencing motion and using the other to snatch up a little bell from the back of her nightstand and start ringing it very loudly several times. Finishing, she put down the bell and looked at her still perplexed beloved with a continuing scowl and a determined "Hmph!", crossing her arms over her chest.

Several seconds later the sound of footsteps on the stairs leading up to the hallway was heard, and then Helga's bedroom was opened partially with a slight creak, causing Arnold's head to turn in that direction. "Helga?" Miriam peeked in with a smile. "Did you need anything? Is Arnold still…Oh hello, Arnold!" she said brightly, opening the door fully and coming in all the way now.

Arnold smiled at Helga's mom and gave her a small wave (and he was starting to get now maybe why Helga had rung her bell). "Hi again, Mrs. Pataki."

Miriam smiled and chuckled a little, crossing her arms over her chest. "Arnold, I told you, you can call me 'Miriam' if you want…"

Arnold blushed and swallowed, looking down modestly, his arms behind his back. "Um…I know…and thanks. It's just…probably going to take me a little while to get used to that…M-Miriam…"

Both mother and daughter had to try really hard not to laugh at his little shy stutter. So very typical—Helga had been throwing out the names 'Phil' and 'Gertie' for weeks and heck she'd called Miriam 'Miriam' half the time for most of her life, but Arnold just couldn't get past calling his girlfriend's mother by her first name without looking like he was stealing a cookie from the cookie jar or something. (Helga just did her best to not let how precious he could really be sometimes weaken her resolve in regards to why she'd called Miriam up here in the first place.)

"It's okay, Arnold," Miriam just assured Arnold with an understanding smile. "Whenever you're comfortable…Anyway, did Helga like everything you brought over?"

Arnold let out a breath, happy they were moving on to something else (part of him really did feel so silly for being so shy just about calling his girlfriend's parents (and potential future in-laws) by their first name after all…). "U-Um, yeah, I think she liked it…" he replied with a smile, which only grew as he turned back in Helga's direction and recalled what had just passed between them, "I just think she might be a little angry with me now though because she told me not to get too close to her so that I wouldn't get sick too, but…" he blushed a little deeply, though he did his best to hide it, "I guess I got a little too close when I was saying goodbye…"

Helga rolled her eyes at his way of putting it and scribbled something furiously once again on a fresh page of her notebook, this time showing the message to her mother.

_Yes, and that's why I want him out of here, Miriam. NOW! I am not letting him catch this! Period! He just doesn't get how to look out for himself so send him back to the boarding house and __do __not__ let him up here again under any circumstances for the next two days! Got it?_

Finishing reading this command, Miriam just chuckled and then rested her elbow in the palm of her opposite arm, putting her hand to mouth and chin as she smiled even more. "Oh but Helga I think it's kind of sweet that he came over here like this to make you feel better and that he wants to spend time with you so much…Besides the doctor said it's not airborne anymore…That's why I let him up, sweetie…"

Helga still looked firm (though she blushed a bit now at the 'airborne' comment considering Arnold's small kiss upon her forehead just now…and of course his kiss to her lips, which she was SO annoyed that she hadn't been able to savor since she'd had to put all energies and thoughts into stopping their swapping of germ infested spit.) She shook her head, coming back to the task at hand, and then wrote quickly and firmly for her mother to read,

_I don't care! Kick him out, Miriam! That's that! Besides, you shouldn't have let him up here in the first place! I told you I looked hideous and didn't want to see anyone! Sheesh!_

Miriam just let out a sigh and couldn't help rolling her eyes a little at this message. "Oh Helga, I told you, you look fine…and I know Arnold thinks so too." Still, her daughter shook her head and looked stubborn and resolute. And so Miriam finally just sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright, Helga…" she turned her attentions back to the ten-year-old boy beside her who was trying to do his best not to chuckle warmly at his girlfriend's overprotectiveness. "I'm sorry, Arnold…she seems pretty determined…Would you mind letting her rest for another day or two before visiting again?"

Arnold smiled up at the older woman, understanding. "Sure, Mrs. Pata—uh…M-Miriam. No problem. Have a good night." He turned back to Helga and reached up his hand in a little wave. "Bye Helga…if you want more soup it's by your bed, and feel better soon. I'll miss you! And I love you…" He winked and then started to step backward toward the bedroom door (wanting to take in the sight of his love for as long as possible since he was to be cut off from her for another twenty four hours at least).

He watched Helga just roll her eyes at his goodbye and then write one more thing in her notebook, which she showed to him as he made it to the doorframe.

_Quit sucking up and get your butt out of this germ-infested room, Arnold, before I get up and toss you out! Crimeny, I'm surrounded!_

With a laugh at the final command, Arnold stopped for a moment in his backtracking and replied, holding up his hands defensively from just outside of her open door, "Okay, okay, I'm going…See you in a few days, Helga!" Shyly, since Miriam was watching them, he placed his palm to his lips and blew her a quick kiss, and then with that he headed out into and down the hall, laughing slightly to himself…though he had to cough once or twice as the chuckles eventually started to tickle his throat. '_Probably just from inhaling through that wool scarf for so long…' _he thought to himself and then shook off the incident as he headed down the steps to leave and head for home (where he would do his best to distract himself with Helga's poetry books and eating raspberry desserts with a tall glass of lemonade and practicing kissing on his pillow until he could be near his love again).

* * *

_A few days later…_

"Well, well, _well_…" A certain blonde haired, blue eyed, pink wearing, pigtailed (and now healthy once more) someone opened up and dropped in to Arnold's room via his fire escape entrance (and she was carrying a basket of several things with her as she did so), " 'I'll see you in a few days…' " she announced in a mocking voice, scowling and shaking her head as she did her best to hop over the bed in which her sheepish beloved was currently lying to get her two feet standing upon his floor. "And how did I know…" she continued sarcastically, scowling at him all the more, her hands on her hips, "That it would be with ME visiting YOU sick in bed, Football Head, and all because you had to give sick old me a little kiss because you _always_ have to put others and our love before yourself! _Crimeny_!" She knelt down and began taking out items from her basket now, mumbling loudly to herself in a show of anger as she did so. "Most ridiculous, reckless, head in the clouds, do-gooder, unnecessary, risk taking… Have half a mind to give you a good sock right in the nose just to knock some sense into you!" She shook her head more vigorously and let out a frustrated sigh.

"H-Helga…" Arnold (indeed looking much like Helga had not two days ago—pale, flushed cheeks, a little weak as he lay there under his covers and propped up on some pillows in his familiar light blue pajamas) suddenly began in a very weak voice, trying to address her concerns.

Helga's complaints instantly ceased at the sound of him trying to say her name and her eyes went wide and met his in fear and panic! She suddenly snatched a notebook and a pen from her basket, stood and shoved both items into his hands! "Football Head, don't TALK! For Pete's sake, if you use that weak little voice you have left you'll never get it back! Just write like I was doing to you the other day!"

Now holding the notebook and pen in his hands, Arnold took a second to process their presences and Helga's advice, and then he nodded to her. He opened the notebook, considered what he wanted to say for a second in response to how upset she seemed about the fact that he'd caught her laryngitis, and then finally composed his message and held up the page for her to read a few seconds later, smiling at her and hoping it would calm her a little (she had every right to be upset with him, he knew, but he also figured she was probably angry with herself for 'getting him sick' even though it had been his fault entirely with that kiss, and he didn't want her beating herself up with guilt about him being sick AT ALL!).

_Helga, me getting sick is just something that happened…kids catch things from each other all the time. It's okay. I'll be fine in a couple more days just like you were. But you should go—I don't want to keep the cycle going and for you to get it again!_

Reading this message, Helga just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sheesh, Football Head, don't you pay attention in science class? Haven't you ever heard of antibodies? I got sick to start with and then got better so I'm practically immune now. _You,_ on the other hand…" and now she leaned down to the floor, took her basket and held it up with a smile, "…need help…" She winked. "And that's where I come in, head boy!" Her smile couldn't help but grow a bit more as she added, coming closer to the bed and preparing to unload her goodies. "I've always wanted to openly be there for you and to take care of you if you needed it, Arnold, and now I've got the chance! Besides…" she blushed a bit and glanced down shyly, placing her basket down between herself and Arnold on the edge of his bed. "You remember that little talk we had the other day in my room about it not being fun for you when I'm not around…? Well, as you pointed out then, the situation's the same for _me_. And between me being sick and now you being sick, I'm tired of feeling like I never see your face anymore, Arnoldo! It grows on you after seven years, you know? Even if you do look like a 'nightmare' instead of my normal dashing little do-gooder prince…" She winked and chuckled and he rolled his eyes but of course smiled warmly and joined her in a laugh at the joke as well. "Just kidding, Arnold…" she added with a smirk (and a serious little blush), "Of course, even bedridden, the mere sight of you still sets my soul aflame…" Arnold blushed quite a bit along with her and even felt his heart pound…and after such a long stretch of time without having her nearby to induce that fantastic, familiar pounding sensation it was _so_ nice to feel.

Helga smiled more and glanced away coyly at how obviously her compliment had affected her little love, deciding to give him a minute to recoup before commencing her explanations about her plans for the two of them for this afternoon.

And eventually Arnold indeed regained control of his senses and finally just let out a happy, totally in love sigh…He was about to ask her about her basket when all of a sudden it seemed (to Helga, at least) that something occurred to him…and indeed now he blinked and a touch of concern came into his eyes. He jotted something else down now on the page before him and quickly showed it to Helga.

_But Helga, today's Tuesday…Don't you have an appointment with Dr. Bliss to go to?_

Helga blinked at the question but then just smiled at his adorable little concern for disrupting her schedule. "Changed it to Wednesday," she casually explained. "And besides…" she shrugged, still smiling and so very happy to be with him right now, "…I'm thinking of cutting her down to one day a week on a regular basis anyway—I've become surprisingly well adjusted lately…Bob and Miriam are doing better at their jobs, Olga's not driving me entirely mad, I'm getting closer with Phoebe and now even Gerald…and you fill my life with the light of a thousand suns of course…" She had to smile a bit more at successfully sending another scarlet blush into her beloved's only slightly ( '_Thankfully_,' she thought to herself) flushed face.

Recovering from this latest bout of fluster after a few seconds, Arnold wrote down something else now and showed it to her with an appreciative smile.

_Well…okay. As long as I'm really not bothering you…_

Helga just rolled her eyes and laughed, putting her hands on her hips. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…you see this is what I'm talking about with putting others before yourself too much…Just take the pampering from your girlfriend, okay, Football Head!" She smirked at him a little.

He just smiled sheepishly and nodded his assent.

"Alright, we can get going then!" And now her eyes lit up and she rubbed her hands together in anticipation…and began to address the items she'd brought with her today… "Now," she started, smiling happily, "I talked to your grandparents and Gerald and they both said you're not really a soup person, but that you'd never turn down some wheat toast with a little jam or jelly when you're sick…and they also said that strawberry's your favorite kind of jam so…" She reached into the basket and removed a plastic knife and a small plate covered in plastic with several pieces of still warm toast upon it and rested it in his lap. She then leaned down to the basket again, and this time pulled out a small glass jar (though this item she only held with her thumb and index finger and she kept it as far away from her body as possible as though not wanting to come in much contact with it). She placed this item gently on his lap along with the toast. "Here you go!" She smiled to herself and brushed her hands together, then crossed her arms over her chest and added with a grin, "And, meanwhile, Football Head, way to pick the one jam flavor that would make my life the most difficult!" She smirked and shook her head. "I mean, the toast was pretty straightforward—even _I _can make that. And I managed to get a recipe for homemade jam from Olga and it wasn't the HARDEST thing in the world to get right, but I had to wear gloves and wash my hands like crazy every time I got near those stupid strawberries! It's okay though," she finished playfully, smiling at him in amusement, "Like I've said many times before I'm more than used to you complicating my life at this point!" She winked.

Helga, who had been expecting one of her love's cute little eternally grateful and looks in response to the little treat she had prepared him, was very much surprised to instead be met with a totally shocked and almost fearful look on her beloved's face! And then, still rather alarmed-looking, he instantly scribbled something in a fresh page of his notebook and showed it to her!

_Helga! You shouldn't have made the strawberry jam yourself like that—or if you were going to make it yourself you should have picked a different flavor! I don't care what my 'favorite' is! You could have had an allergic reaction and gone to the hospital or something if anything had gone wrong! That was really, really dangerous!  
_

Helga, finished reading his note and now understanding his look of worry, couldn't help a flutter in her heart at his concern for her welfare, but then she just looked to him and smiled and shrugged and waved him off. "Oh, relax, my love! Strawberries just give me hives—they don't make me go into anaphylactic shock! And it's really mostly only when I eat them, anyway. Besides, like I said, I was careful…" She looked at him warmly and finished with a happy smile and blush, "But it's really sweet of you to care so much, Arnold…"

It took a second or two but the look of surprise and fear eventually kind of melted from Arnold's face at her closing words…and was replaced with a bit of a dreamy smile. He let out a sigh and then wrote her a new note. He blushed a lot as she read it.

_Of course I care so much…I love you, my beloved Helga. And thank you for my toast and jam…my angel…_

Helga just giggled a ton at his sweet response. "You're welcome, my beloved Arnold…" She grinned (and blushed) even more. "And it's so cute that you've taken to using the term 'beloved' with me, by the way…" She cleared her throat, not wanting to get too lovey dovey and sappy (at least…not just _yet_…) '_There'll be time for that after he's eaten and had the benefit of everything else I've come here to give him_…' "And of course you're welcome for the toast and jam…" she went on, "But I'm afraid _you're_ the one who's going to have to have to combine the two of them of course…darn those pesky strawberries." She chuckled and winked at him.

Arnold gave a little chuckle as well as he nodded and then opened the small jam jar, unwrapped the toast, and used the little knife to spread the contents of the former upon the latter. Having done this, he took several bites of this snack now, chewing slowly…and smiling at how good it tasted…and at how good it felt to eat something she had made for him like this and all to make him feel better… '_This must be what she felt like when she was eating the soup…_' It felt really great, to say the least… His smile went all goofy (as usual).

"Oh!" Helga's eyes suddenly opened a bit as she came out of the trance of just watching her love eat and enjoy himself, and recalled something now. "And of course I brought you some ice cream!" She went for the contents of the basket again. "Actually, Geraldo mentioned how much you've been craving a lemon-lime snow cone from the Jollie Ollie man so I had him put one in a cup just now…" She lifted the greenish/yellowish substance in a small cup with a lid from her basket and brought it to her beloved with a plastic spoon, resting it on his nightstand. She then went to her basket, digging inside of it once more and finally pulling out a familiar item. "Oh and I also cleaned out that soup thing you brought over the other day and filled it with hot green tea—your grandma says you've always liked that when you're sick." To go with the canister Helga had also snagged a styrofoam cup from the basket along with a yellow squeeze jar of something and now brought all three items over to the head of Arnold's bed to begin to prepare him his tea. "And I got some honey for it too…Gertie says you like that to sweeten your tea better than sugar…" she explained, squirting some of the contents of the squeeze jar into the cup upon filling it with steaming green tea. Now she placed the cup on his nightstand beside the snow cone, put the canister and honey on the floor, and then crossed her arms over her chest with a smile and looked to her beloved. "Now, before I move onto the last thing, is there anything else you need or want and whatever it is just name it because even though what you did for me the other day to help me feel better was reckless and unnecessary you made me really happy by doing it and I want to take care of you just as well as you took care of me!" The smile remained but a touch of definite worry and fear came into Helga's eyes as she added, glancing down, "I don't like seeing you sick or hurt, Arnold…ever…And especially all on my account…"

Helga raised her eyes back to Arnold and the look of love she found in his half lidded gaze almost made her melt. And then he glanced down and slowly wrote something, and then showed it to her.

_All I'd like is for you to promise me you'll never try and make something with strawberries again no matter how much you hear I might like it…and I wish I was better now too and hadn't just eaten something with strawberries in it so that I could kiss you because you're such a wonderful person Helga…my lovely Helga. Thank you._

The most delighted smile imaginable came to Helga G. Pataki's face at these words. She blushed and giggled, feeling so very special and cared for. "Oh…Oh Arnold…" She gazed in his direction dreamily for several seconds, lost in her thoughts…just looking and looking at her lovely Arnold sitting up at the head of his lovely blue and green bed.

…And then Helga G. Pataki had to blink as something that was an unusual color for something in Arnold's room caught her eye. "Arnold?" she began in amused curiosity as she looked closely now, observing a rather interesting sight on one of the lower wall shelves right by where his pillows were. "Are those all of my pink books in a little stack by your bed?" One or two to look at and glance through she could understand but…there were five or six right there. There was something…very cute about it.

Arnold blinked at the sudden question and then instantly a bright blush came to his face. He glanced at the small stack he'd grown so accustomed to having there whenever he was sleeping (and, being bedridden for the last two days, he'd just settled on keeping them there constantly), and then he looked down in obvious embarrassment, and then almost opened his mouth to speak, though the slight pain he instantly felt in his throat at trying to do so made him go for the notebook. It took him a few seconds and a few crossouts to finally show her a message in explanation.

_Oh, well…yeah. I…might as well let you know, I guess. I just…kind of like having them near me when I sleep…and waking up and seeing them…They're pretty and pink and comforting, just like you. That sounds really stupid, doesn't it, Helga…Sorry…_

Helga absorbed the message, a serious chuckle and nearly a scoff and a snort escaped her, and then she just let out a sigh and shook her head at her beloved with a smile. "Football Head…_seriously_…you're talking to the originator of the Arnold shrine…No, what you do with my pink books when I'm not looking doesn't sound 'stupid'. Adorable, yes, unimaginably sweet, yes, cute, yes, but not stupid. Okay? I've actually been thinking that as long as I've got your shirt to play with when you're not around, you should have something of mine to remind you of me too…and look at that, the problem just solved itself." She winked, and then dramatically rolled her eyes as she went on with, "And why in the world are you apologizing?" she had to laugh to herself a little at him adding 'sorry' like that to his message in his shyness. "Apologizing for having a mini poetry shrine near your bed when I've got an attic that's all about you…" She let out a sigh and shook her head in amusement. "It's official—the fever has made you completely loopy. Time to drink your tea and eat more toast and jam to get all better." She smirked and winked.

In response to all of that love-filled supportiveness, Arnold just let out a small, quiet (and grateful) laugh and then mouthed lovingly to his girlfriend, 'Thanks, Helga.'

Helga just let out a breath and waved her boyfriend off. "You're welcome and, okay, _enough_ mushiness. Now, the next thing on this day of pampering you is that _I'm_ going to read to _you_ this time around…" She began to lean over his bed and scan the books on his shelf. "So let's find the least painful Purdy Boy novel and go for i—"

Helga was abruptly (and much to her surprise) cut off in mid-sentence by the feeling of Arnold pulling on her jumper all of a sudden. She turned to him with part of her brow raised, one of her knees already on the edge of the bed so she could lean across and grab whatever volume he wanted to hear. "Something up, my strong but silent type as of now little love god?" she asked with a curious half smile.

Arnold blushed at the compliment but shook it off quickly and wrote something in a fresh page of the notebook and showed it to her.

_Get away from the bed, please, Helga. The jam's still here and it's on the plate. You might have a reaction. I'll toss you a book, okay?_

Helga just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, and went to go for his books again, "Arnold, I told you, as long as I don't touch the strawberries directly or eat them, I'll be fi—"

Another firm pull at her jumper and this time when she turned around she wasn't met with a message but rather a scowling and very determined looking Arnold, his arms crossed over his chest. She actually gulped: it was rare for him to look so uncompromising about anything, and Helga knew in an instant that right now he was just as serious about all of this as she had been about keeping him safe from her germs a couple of days ago. Understanding now, she let out a breath, gave her love a nod and a small, appreciative smile and then removed herself from his bed and even took a few steps back from it to make him even more comfortable about the whole 'strawberry jam' thing. "Okay, okay, you win…No need to get all angry eyes on me…" She chuckled warmly and shook her head at her determined and protective little love. "I'll just sit right here on the floor and read to you. Now toss me your favorite, Football Head!" She smiled eagerly at him.

And yet her face had to take on a look of confusion yet again as this assurance from her only made a touch of concern instantly come into Arnold's formerly scowling eyes. He quickly wrote something else on a fresh sheet and then showed it to her.

_Helga, at least sit on the couch—it's more comfortable. I just want to make sure you're okay about the strawberries and that, even if there's almost no chance, you don't catch the laryngitis again, okay?_

Helga gave him a slight scowl (though of course she was still smiling) as she replied. "Hey, I'm respecting the thing about the bed and the strawberries but I still want to be as close to you as possible so I'm staying right here on the floor just like you did for me in my room. Capiche? Now toss me one of those random mystery books already, Football Face!" She gave him a loving smirk.

At this reasoning from her Arnold had to lose all concern or seriousness from his face and just smile and shake his head in amusement at her. He wrote her a new note, this time about a different topic.

_You'd really read me a Purdy Boy novel, Helga?_

Helga had to laugh at the cute question. "Just as quickly as you read me Shakespearian sonnets, my love!" she assured him with a nod and a loving smile.

Arnold gave a silent chuckle and then put his toast and jam aside for a moment and sat up a bit in his bed. He turned to his shelves and searched through their contents for a few seconds, and finally grabbed one of the familiar volumes and turned and gently tossed it to her (making sure to use his hand that _hadn't_ spread the jam on the toast, of course, just in case). '_I don't care what she says about the reaction not being that bad—I'm not taking any chances!' _he thought to himself with love and determination.

Helga caught the book in two hands from her place on the floor and observed the cover with a smirk. "The Purdy Boys and the Mystery of the Macabre Mothership…" She let out a deep sigh, unable to help her growing grin, and dragged a hand down her face. "Oh brother…tell me this is where you and tall hair boy got the idea for the details behind that obnoxious Halloween prank last year, Football Head?"

Arnold just shrugged and mouthed a simple, 'Maybe…'

Helga chuckled warmly, shaking her head, and opened the book. "Alright, alright, let's get this over with!" She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat, and began to read to her sick boyfriend. "Chapter One…The Macabre Mothership Mystery Begins…"

* * *

"…And so the Purdy Boys solved another mystery…_For now!_ The End!" Helga let out a breath and closed the book with an interested, observing the cover for a moment. "Well, it's not classic literature but it actually was kind of interesting, I'll give you and tall hair boy that!" She looked to her beloved, who was still sitting up happily in his bed, just looking at her with such warmth for having read to him like that.

He took a sip from his cup of tea (which had been refreshed a few times during the course of Helga's narration to him) and then wrote something down, yawning as he did so.

_Thank you, Helga. I really enjoyed that… _

He had to pause in writing his next message on a new fresh page as he yawned again.

_You're a really good person…and a great girlfriend… _

He blinked a few times after showing her these word, the yawns having reminded him of how tired he really was at this point…and the warm tea and toast and jam hadn't been helping much either with keeping his ever growing feelings of sleepiness at bay.

Helga, meanwhile, smiled at the written compliment from her beloved and finally stood up from the floor. "Thank you, Arnold…" She chuckled. "But if I'd sneak around the city all night in a trench coat spying on people just to make sure you found a stupid Tomato Document, you had to know I'd make you a snack and read you a book to help your throat feel better in a heartbeat."

Sleepy Arnold smiled just a bit more at the joke.

Helga stretched up now, yawning herself courtesy of all of Arnold's yawns. "Well, I think it's high time we started wrapping this up so you can get some sleep, Football Head…after all, along with tea and toast you need your rest if you're going to get better." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a smug yet sentimental look. "After all, if I don't throw a few good spit balls a the back of your head in class pretty soon I'm going to get out of practice."

Arnold quietly laughed at the joke…though he had to finish on a sigh, knowing he'd be sad to see her go…At the same time though he knew she was right—he had been fading in and out quite a bit there during the last couple of chapters of the book and he really did feel ready for a nice refreshing nap now. And sleep really was one of the best things for you when you were sick.

These thoughts on his mind, on an instinct as he snuggled into his covers to prepare for sleep, Arnold reached up to the stack of Helga's pink books to grab one…but then quickly frowned and pulled back again, shaking his head to himself.

Helga, naturally, saw this whole little thing and had to raise part of her brow and question his confusing action. "Arnold, what was that just about?"

Arnold blinked, recalling her presence, and instantly blushed a little. He grabbed the notebook and quickly wrote on a new page and showed it to her.

_What was what about?_

Helga quirked her mouth to the side and looked at him with just a touch of suspicion now at this little note of denial, obviously aware that he knew perfectly well what she was talking about. "Uh…the going for one of my poetry books randomly, the hesitation, the look, the shaking your head…What's up with _that_?"

His message came quickly.

_Nothing, Helga. I'm fine. I'll go to sleep now! See you later! :) _

Helga blinked at the message, and then of course gave him a completely 'not buying it look'. "Arnold…" she pressed.

Her beloved swallowed, twiddling his thumbs. He then picked up the pen and wrote quickly (really, really not wanting to have to explain himself…and especially not right now and in his current state),

_Helga…I'm tired and I wasn't thinking…It's okay. I promise._

"Arnold," his girlfriend began again in a very firm tone, rolling her eyes (and totally hooked at this point), "Just spill already because you know I'll get it out of you one way or another…"

Arnold hesitated a second longer…but then sighed, realizing how futile it was trying to keep things from her. He grudgingly grabbed the notebook and pen again and reluctantly wrote something down. He showed her the first part of his small confession (the part that was most embarrassing to him).

_Sometimes…to fall asleep I…kind of like to sleep holding one of your pink books. It makes me…happy…And it makes me feel like I'm with you…And that's what I was reaching over to do just now: grab one to hug as I fell asleep. _

Arnold looked to her sheepishly, his natural modest and shyness fully kicking in right now.

He watched as his love just looked at him with wide, interested eyes for a moment…and then she said the first words to come to mind. "Wow, you really took that time I said to 'just soothe yourself with one of my pink books for the rest of the night' seriously, didn't you?" Arnold, feeling even more sheepish for a moment, was about to say something to try and smooth over his little eccentricity of his, but paused as over the next few seconds a distinct blush crept into Helga's cheeks and she smiled. Her arms then went behind her back and she dug one of her feet into his carpet. "You…You really like my poems that much, Arnold…?"

Arnold blinked at the question, and then blushed and smiled himself and nodded shyly…and wrote very simply to her,

_They make me feel…loved. And they're beautiful. Just like their creator... I can't think of a single reason not to want them by my side when I sleep each night and have to be apart from you until the next day. _

He was very shy about writing all of that but he knew knowing it would make her feel good and besides…it was the truth of course.

Helga blushed a lot right along with him at reading all of that…However, she decided to save the swoons and the monologues and the poems it was sure to bring on until later, and for now to just focus on the situation at hand (especially since it was almost time to let her beloved have his rest). She looked at him shyly but curiously and shrugged. "O-Okay, so…what's the problem...? I-I mean, why didn't you grab one just now and why did you look kind of sad?"

Arnold sighed (a little bit of that frown he'd had returning) and wrote a new note, explaining the rest of his little confession.

_I haven't been able to sleep with one for the last two nights because I didn't want to get them full of germs…and now even though I'm a little better I still have germs and also I've been near strawberries… and I never want anything bad to happen to any of them…or to you if you touched them after I touch them now._

Helga just looked at him after reading his explanation, her face a mix of surprise and happiness…And then without another word she went forward, leaned over him, grabbed the top pink book from the pile and shoved it into his hands. His eyes went wide and he almost dropped the book but she pushed it more firmly between his palms. "Arnold," she explained simply and with a smile, "Nothing you ever did could ever ruin anything of mine. And anyway you're getting better, like you said, and even if you do still have some germs I already explained that I'm practically immune now, and as for touching the strawberries and then touching my pink books…" She had to raise part of her brow in amusement and smirk a little, "Well, darn it, I guess that means I can't munch on a volume of my love poems anytime soon."

Arnold smiled…he had to smile. She was so funny and clever and brilliant and good at making him happy that he really could not help it. And then a little idea came to him and he took the pink book she'd given him, pulled back his covers, laid it down on his bed and then placed part of his sheet over it so that he could still cuddle with it, but it would at least have a little barrier of protection just to keep his conscience from worrying about it too much. He looked back at an intrigued looking Helga and mouthed one word to explain his actions now. 'Compromise?'

Helga chuckled warmly at his solution and nodded her approval. "Okay…you sleep next to my pink book like you want to, but keep it under a sheet just in case…" She gazed at him, her eyes half lidded, and took another step toward the bed…rather excited actually that this little afternoon together was coming to it's close…(after all, who said that just because they'd done the snack and the book…meant that's all she had in store for this technical date). "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your rest, my love…" But then, rather than giving Arnold a little wave goodbye (as he had expected and had been prepared to reciprocate)…she instead leaned as far over him as she possibly could now…with a very distinct smile and half lidded look…all of which caused the slightly sick ten-year-old boy in question to swallow. Hard. She cooed her words in a romantic whisper (happy that he'd eaten all the jam out of the jar so that he could have NO problem now with her getting this close to his bed). "Yes, I'll leave you to your rest…but not before I…give you a much deserved goodnight kiss, of course…just as you gave me…only since no one can get sick anymore…I figured we could make it a goodnight 'make out' instead? What do you say?" She winked, looking down at her love as coyly and flirtatiously as possible. Yes indeed, Helga, was _very_ happy that they could finally really be intimate again with no risk to either of them (she was immune and Arnold was already sick so what could be the problem?) '_Oh my darling…finally once more we can express our love not just in words and looks…but with passion and touch as well…_' Her eyes were closed and she was slowly leaning in more and more and…

But sadly all of Helga's effort and hopes were only to result in her eager little mouth meeting something firm and cool that was _definitely_ not the lips she so craved! A confused (and disappointed) Helga G. Pataki opened her eyes to see a wall of familiar pink and realized, with a blink, that she was kissing the back of her pink book? She pulled back, a bit wide eyed to say the least, only to see the pink book (currently being held up in front of his mouth by both hands of her beloved, actually) now dropped to the bed upon which Arnold wrote a single word on a new piece of paper and showed it to her…that firm, stubborn look returning to his eye yet again this afternoon.

_Strawberries._

It took her a second to figure out what it meant…but when it did (after she saw Arnold's firm eyes travel in the direction of the empty toast plate and empty jam jar) Helga's jaw instantly dropped and she let out a flabbergasted sigh and rolled her eyes, sitting up and putting her hands on her hips. "Oh come on, you CAN'T be serious, Arnold! You won't let me kiss you because you ate some strawberry jam? Crimeny, we haven't had a passionate lip lock in like FOUR DAYS—I'm dying here, Arnold!" She smiled just a bit dreamily again, doing her best to pour on the charm and flirting once more. "I miss your arm around me and our hands in each other's hair and all those sighs and trying to catch our breaths and how it's like our lips are two puzzle pieces that fit only each other…Don't _you_?" She batted her eyelashes just a little for fun. "Don't you miss…things like what we did on your roof last week, Arnold?" She even threw in a little giggle for effect.

Helga's hopes rose at first as she saw a touch of a blush come up into her love's face…but then her hopes were quickly dashed as he swallowed hard but he still looked at her firmly, and this time shook his head to boot.

Helga felt such a wave of frustration pass through herself! She really almost wanted to scowl, yell "FINE! GET BETTER SOON! BYE!" and storm out of there all ticked off…but…but she knew that response wasn't called for or appropriate or fair…She knew he was kind of right, at least about the strawberries thing even if the germs didn't matter anymore. And the last thing she needed was the embarrassing experience of explaining to her mother (who knew she had been making strawberry jam for Arnold and who also knew that she had been very careful with going about it) why _she_ was coming home covered in hives if _Arnold_ had been the only one of the two of them eating the jam in question…and why the hives were all over her lips. So, yes, Arnold was just looking out for her and loving her and trying to keep her safe right now…just like she had been doing for him in her room the other day with her insistence that he not get too close for fear of getting him sick.

And so in the end, accepting all of this, Helga finally nodded in defeat at Arnold and let out an understanding sigh. "Oh, alright, Arnold…No making out…I get it…and thanks for caring that much." She looked at him with a sincere smile. "Your conscience really is one of your cutest traits, my darling…" She let out another sigh, this one a bit more girlish. Yes, she could wait…she could always wait just like she had waited during those six years of friendship/bullying for the first taste of his lips, she remembered now, as long as her beloved was with her in the end. And they could still hang out and be together and close, and that was the most important thing even if they couldn't slobber all over each other with kisses or something just yet.

Arnold smiled at her understanding and acceptance of the situation (and felt very very VERY grateful that she hadn't pressed for things too much more…After all, turning down a flirting Helga G. Pataki who had her lips puckered wasn't exactly a skill of his.)

But then just a tiny bit of her playful smirk returned to Helga G. Pataki's face, and she shifted from her place on the edge of Arnold's bed to hovering over him once more. He managed to maintain the firm gaze…though a nervous gulp of course couldn't help but escape him. She spoke (and with that coy little grin that he knew was trouble). "Well then…as long as I'm still here and we've been missing each other, could you and I maybe 'compromise' by letting me do _other things_ with you as long as we have some alone time again…?" She reached out and delicately walked her fingertips up one of his arms… leaning in closer and lowering her voice to a whisper. "You know I love _anything_ that involves you and me touching, Arnold…even if it can't include our lips…or at least _your_ lips, my little strawberry jam lover…Luckily _mine_ can still play a role though…" Finishing her fingertips' little stroll up his arm and shoulder and practically neck she then leaned down the rest of the way and gently finished in a coo… "I'll just have to be…_creative_…" before just brushing her lips softly against his ear.

Helga pulled back a little to admire her flirting handiwork and had to try very VERY hard not to burst into laughter at the sight of how wide Arnold's eyes were at the moment and how scarlet with blushing his face was. His little jaw was even dropped and he was gripping his blankets in his little fists so tightly that his knuckles were almost white. _'Got him…_' was all she could think to herself triumphantly, _'Got him SO bad…_' She smirked...and crossed her fingers that he would give her a go ahead sign…

And indeed, images and feelings and daydreams were currently flying through Arnold's head of his eager Helga suddenly flooding him with her doting affections… He wanted it very much. VERY much.

But he gulped once more…and slowly his reasoning and conscience came back into control. '_B-B-But…_' his considerate and caring little mind managed to hold out with, '_Still…the laryngitis…and then if she went for my lips anyway…'_ He let out a breath and decided to be firm at ALL costs. '_No. Her safety…is a LOT more important than kissing…W-We can kiss and stuff again later when I'm better. But not now…For now I'm just happy she's here…and that she's better. And that's enough for me.' _

Helga, meanwhile, was still just sitting there waiting for a little nod or high sign from Arnold to let her know that it was okay to start peppering his entire head with doting kisses…until, with interest, she watched as he suddenly closed his eyes and with an obviously pained expression went for his notebook and pen again and scribbled down really quickly for her,

_Helga…Nice try but you know and I know that something like that would probably lead to actual kissing…on each other's lips…which could make you sick again either from the strawberries or the laryngitis—there's always a chance. And even if it was just you kissing me and only using __your__ mouth, there's still a small chance of you kissing part of my face where the jam touched and definitely still a chance of you getting my germs. So please…and I promise I'll never say or write this ever again but __please__ don't touch me right now…It's getting really REALLY hard to keep putting your safety first…if you know what I mean. _

He was blushing, once again in his life, about having to admit that he was actually having trouble controlling his romantic desires with her but if it would keep her safe and get the job done, it was worth the slightly embarrassing admission.

Arnold looked to Helga…who looked back at him at this point with a rather impressed look. And then she smiled and let out a sigh and stood up from his bed. "Arnold, you have some serious will power…and a serious moral conscience." She smiled more. "And even though part of me is finding that PAINFULLY frustrating right now…I accept it. And…thanks for having it, my love. As long as I've gotten to spend time with you today and made you feel a little better, I'm happy." She let out a little happy sigh. "Anyway, I'll get going now so that you really can take a nap and finish your tea and get better."

She then stood and scooped up her basket…but stopped once more before departing, put a hand on her hip and gave him as smirk as she announced, "But so help me, Football Head, when you're well again those lips of yours and the whole rest of your handsome, dashing, caring self had better look out!" She winked and then before Arnold could respond she hopped onto the bed, went forward and kissed him gently on the forehead, and then used this position to climb over him to get to the skylight once more, her now empty basket still in hand. She turned back to him as she started to climb up, anticipating his potential objections to what she'd just done. "And hey if _you_ got to kiss _me_ on the forehead the other day, then_ I_ at least get to do that much to _you_ now to tide me over—See you in a few days, my beloved!" And with that and a wave she climbed out entirely, leaving Arnold alone.

…Yes, Arnold…who remained just sitting up in his bed, still blushing and wide eyed (and with a literally POUNDING heart) for several seconds more at all she'd just said…about what would happen when he really was better again…

And now an ear-to-ear grin exploded onto his face and then he chugged down the last of his tea, at the last few slushy bites of his snow cone and then collapsed deep into his covers with a dreamy sigh, closing his eyes tightly. '_She's right, I need my sleep…I have to get better __as soon as possible!' _Luckily the fact that he spent the better part of the night dreaming about getting to touch and hold and kiss her as part of their relationship again plus his happy thoughts and memories about what she'd done for him today were more than enough to tide him over for now.

* * *

**ROUND 2**

"_Mmm…" _The sound of this feminine moan prolonged over a few seconds._  
_

Then the sound of a very familiar sigh through a very familiar football headed person's nose.

And then the delicate sound of lips separating.

The two ten-year-olds who were the sources of the sound effects in question took a few heavy and happy breaths and then proceeded to release their varying grips from around each other's bodies (Arnold having had one arm firmly around Helga's waist and the other gently around her upper back, and Helga having had one hand on Arnold's shoulder and the other pulling through one side of his hair)…and then both shifted just a little to either side on a certain red couch, smiling in utter contentment.

"Football Head…" Helga finally managed after a second or two more, collapsing back against his couch and feeling herself practically shivering in happiness, her hands upon her knees. "I think I might be starting to love the intentional make out sessions even more than the spontaneous ones…especially when some stupid germs make us hold out on each other a little for a few days…" She looked to him, a giggle escaping her, and her heart still fluttering like mad from the last ten or fifteen or twenty minutes…or a hundred minutes…a thousand minutes… (time kind of got irrelevant when she was kissing Arnold) of the two of them just coming up here for their first official date after being sick, sitting on the couch next to each other…fully realizing that they were finally free to be as intimate as they pleased yet again in their lives…and then with barely any pretense taking the initiative to move right along to leaning close to each other and holding each other and kissing tenderly at first…and then maybe with a bit more fervor as time had gone on (that was when the hands had really started to come into play)…and then going back to the tender with small kisses even though their lips never really stopped touching…and then something passionate happening again…and then just now just holding each other close with one last perfect piece of their current kiss until they had pulled apart so gently…just in need of a few full breaths of air and the chance for their pounding, racing, bursting hearts to calm down a little before they exploded in utter delight.

The two of them had never had a date so far in their relationship that was entirely just kissing. They usually kissed at the end of their dates and sometimes kissing happened during their dates spontaneously but never until now had they gone up to Arnold's room, sat down together, and suddenly embarked on their afternoon with the sole intention of just making out until it was time for dinner. But with the little intimacy gap in their relationship from their bout of shared illness…when the idea had struck them here and now…it had been, of course, far too appealing to pass up…

* * *

_About a half an hour ago…_

_TAP TAP TAP_

Arnold Shortman, reading a Purdy Boys book on his bed, glanced up at the light tapping sound coming from overhead...and a smile came to his face at the sight of the a very familiar figure who was currently giving him small smirk and a friendly little wave hello through his skylight.

Said skylight was quickly opened by the other party in question while Arnold shifted aside to give her space to climb down to his bed, and so Helga G. Pataki now began to descend into Arnold's room in her usual way (and, Arnold noticed, she was looking just as well as the last time they'd had a real date (when he had been sick), and thankfully just as well as he himself felt now too).

"Hiya, Football Head!" she called down over her shoulder as she went down the steps of the ladder to his bed. "All psyched for our date?" She was still grinning at him over her shoulder (taking in that endlessly pleasurable sight of seeing his face light up at the mere entrance of her presence into wherever he might be) which explained why, on the second to last step, her foot just missed where it should have landed, causing her to slip and a little squeak of surprise to escape her mouth as she suddenly fell back upon his mattress and blankets with a plop. "OOF!" She sat up, blinking a few times and trying to act nonchalant about her little faux pas. "Heh, heh…" she smiled sheepishly at him and shrugged. "Not exactly my smoothest landing, was it? Oh well…At least I did it _now_ and not last month or something when we were just starting out—it feels much less dorkier when you're part of an established couple with a one month anniversary on the way, you know?" She stood up, still half smiling and blushing just a little in her slight embarrassment and winked at him (and indeed Arnold and Helga's one month anniversary was coming up fast…and since this time around Helga knew she wouldn't have to blow the first couple of hours of it on convincing Arnold that he wasn't going to 'destroy her by kissing her or something', she was rather excited about what that magical night together would have in store for them).

Meanwhile, Arnold's smile quickly went from happy to goofy as he stood up as well and took a step or two toward her…finding her little footing error just now very adorable to say the least. "Hi, Helga…" he replied warmly, "Yes, I'm 'psyched' for our date." He chuckled a little. "Been looking forward to it all day, actually…just as much as I'm looking forward to our one month anniversary too of course…" He put his arms behind his back shyly and added, looking at her with his half lidded gaze…. "It's those things that make every spitball and water fountain squirt and insult in school everyday all completely worth it, after all." He winked and then reached out and took one of her hands, raising it to his lips to give the back of it a lingering peck 'hello'…and also mentally swearing to himself for about the billionth time ever since eating her jam that he would never, never, NEVER eat strawberries ever again! No fruit was worth not being able to touch her with his lips…_Nothing_ was worth _that_ consequence.

Helga just gave a small giggle at his gesture, and gazed at him lovingly. "Thanks for the little 'hello' peck…And glad to hear you're still looking on the bright side about all of this pretend bullying, paste for brains…or, since we're off the clock, my perfect little love god."

She noticed a blush come to his goofily smiling features as he gently ended his kiss and released her hand and stood up straight again, giving a small, dazed chuckle at her little pet name/insult joke. "Uh…" he did his best to find a coherent train of thought again after how lost in small daydreams the idea of being the 'love god' of the most incredible girl in the world always made him get. "W-Well, um, have a seat Helga..." He cleared his throat and finally managed to recall and gesture over to his familiar red couch…upon the end tables around which were a plate of cookies and some Yahoo sodas.

Helga's eyes traveled over in the direction indicated and then brightened at the sight of the little snack he'd made up for them today. "Mmm! Wow, Football Head, those all look really yummy. Heh, yay for getting to eat solid foods and soda again, right? Thanks, my love!" She winked and tapped his nose lightly with her index finger and then went over and sat herself upon one end of the couch, taking and quickly eating a warm chocolate chip cookie (all the while daydreaming of her love baking it for her earlier… Of course, in her head he was wearing a 'Kiss the Cook' apron and putting special ingredients into the batter like 'one cup of love!' but, hey, she could dream couldn't she?)

Arnold, meanwhile, still across the room at his bedside, just let out a slightly lovesick sigh as he watched her sitting there one his couch right where she belonged, smiling and eating one of the cookies he and Gertie had baked earlier that afternoon. "Good one, Helga…solid foods and soda…" He gave a warm little chuckle at her always adorable sense of humor and then finally walked across his room as well, sitting himself on the opposite end of his couch and taking a small sip from a Yahoo soda. He was happy that Helga liked the snack he'd prepared them…and also just really happy she was here in general. It was nice to be together again without being afraid of possibly hurting each other either with germs or strawberries…Certainly, they'd snuck in a few intimate moments over the last day or so that they had both been in school again (a quick passionate kiss behind the dumpster at recess, Arnold pretending to have dropped his fork on the floor in the cafeteria and crawling under Helga's table right next to his and giving her hand a surprise kiss, Helga insisting on slamming into (and thus falling on top of) him as shortstop whenever she was running from second to third base in baseball practice, etcetera, etcetera), but this was the first actual solid, one-on-one date they had had time for ever since the laryngitis thing. And between that fact and the general feelings of anticipation that usually built up within Arnold between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm five days a week due to Helga acting like she couldn't stand to be near him and him having to patiently ignore her antics as per usual…he had been secretly extra eager for this afternoon together today…Yes, something about having to tone things down between them in their private lives for a few days (when their public lives were already enough of a romance-free obligation), and now having complete freedom to tone them right back up…something about it couldn't help but pique Arnold's interest. There was something very…very, well…he had to mentally admit the word 'attractive'… about the whole thing, really…

Both kids were now just kind of smiling to themselves and blushing a little on the red couch, Arnold now finished sipping soda and Helga done with her cookie…the two of them just enjoying the warm, content, loving silence between them.

Arnold was the one to gulp a little and speak first (making sure to scooch just the tiniest bit closer to his girlfriend as he did so, of course…) He looked to Helga out of the corner of his eye. "So, Helga, u-um…a-as for our date today…my grandparents are probably going to be in and out running some errands until dinnertime so we can't listen to any more stories from them or hang out with them today…a-and, um…I know Gerald and Phoebe have stuff with their families all afternoon…a-and the boarders are always busy with their own things…A-And, um…I didn't get a chance to make any specific plans for us, so…" he gulped again, and then finally asked her, "…since it's just us here today, what do _you_ think we should do together…?" Even though, being a gentleman, he didn't want the question to sound suggestive or forward, Arnold couldn't help feeling like it had nonetheless, which made him blush…(though he had to admit to himself at the back of his mind that part of that blush was also because…thinking about it now…he kind of like the idea of what such a potentially suggestive comment might be suggesting.)

Helga, who had been absorbing her love's words very carefully from her end of the couch, just blinked at him asking her that simple question…and tried not to blush completely at the intimate images that tended to flood her mind in regards to the idea of what she and her beloved could do together. She cleared her throat a tiny bit, feeling a familiar rosy heat starting to build in her cheeks, and responded shyly, just glancing at him as well and now crossing her legs and resting her hands together upon one of her knees. "Well, um…the possibilities really are endless, I suppose…Guess, considering the situation…us being kind of on our own today…we could do…anything we wanted, really…" She looked to him just a little more…and shifted herself just a smidge closer to him.

Arnold glanced a little more back…shifting a bit closer to her yet again. "O-Oh…right…Anything, really…I mean…" he tried not to smile too much, "…We could do homework or listen to music…"

Helga nodded, scooching in nearer to him again. "Yeah…or watch a movie or just talk…" Her eyes were getting more half lidded and her grin was picking up more and more on one side… '…_Or just wrap ourselves around each other and never let go…_' She gave a girlish internal swoon at the idea.

"Y-yeah…" Arnold managed, feeling his heart pounding a thousand miles an hour at this point. "Or, um…" he racked his brain for other things to do besides the (at this point obviously) inevitable…but brief memories of that feeling of her soft lips passionately and tenderly engaging his own that he hadn't really felt in so many days…flashed through his mind…. '_I really…really really want to_…' "…Or read some poetry or play a game…." he managed to tack on further, still more wrapped up in his daydreams and fantasies about the girl beside him than anything else. He gave a small, happy, lovesick sigh. '_It's really great having a girlfriend, isn't it?…_' He shifted even closer, not even trying to make it subtle anymore.

Helga giggled in response to that lovesick look upon his features and nodded, continuing the game…and shifting distinctly closer too (they were hip to hip now). "…Or tell some stories about the good old pre-confession days or…Aw heck, Arnold…" the ruse was getting ridiculous at this point, "What're some other thing we always do to distract ourselves from what we always…really want to do…and especially when we…really haven't gotten a chance to fully indulge in it in so many long days…?" She leaned in close, gazing into his eyes, her voice falling to a seductive whisper as she finished speaking.

Arnold felt a shiver of anticipation go through him at her confirmation that she saw where they were headed just as clearly as he did… He swallowed, taking in her proximity. "Oh, uh…I guess go to Dino Land might be another one…" he managed to come up with, with a dazed smile…and then went on, leaning in a little himself…trying to make his goofy voice go just a little sultry and deep for her as he added, "But, uh…if you wanted to skip the distractions, c-considering the situation, a-and go right to, uh…the…uh…" He felt almost at a loss for words…so close to her…the most perfect girl in the world…She'd taken care of him and he'd taken care of her and now…this was like their reward or something. A really really _good_ reward.

"Right to the main event, hot stuff?" Helga's voice broke through his thoughts…as did the fact that she had shifted her body as close to his as possible now so that they were almost nose-to-nose.

Arnold blushed like crazy at how she'd chosen to finish his sentence...but just decided to go with it! '_Hot stuff_…' Oh yes, he could live with that. He swallowed again and then summed up his courage, giving her a coy half smile and moving forward the last little sliver so that their noses really were pressing together now. He raised an eyebrow playfully and asked 'innocently', "Are you talking about us deciding to have a date that's just…just me maybe holding you and you maybe holding me, and us…the whole time…doing…_you know_…?"

"Say 'kissing' Arnold…" she smirked and giggled, her half lidded eyes locked onto his half lidded eyes, "For crying out loud we're ten and also we've already done it about a million—"

"I-I was going to say 'making out', actually…" Arnold didn't flinch at all despite how blunt his observation was, though his blush did grow rosier. "B-but, if that's too much…I mean…um…" his conscience of course had to add quickly, "I just want to make sure I…well, you know even though I want to respect your feelings and your d-desires, Helga, I still want to be a gentleman a little bit and—"

Helga, meanwhile, had taken a wide-eyed breath at his unexpected forwardness…but then she just grinned eagerly, instantly cutting him off. "Finally, you get it, Football Head! A kiss—_please_!" She rolled her eyes to the side, their noses still pushed together. "What we manage to do together when we try is about a million times better..." She then gently brought up one of her hands and rested it behind his head, and proceeded to slowly and artfully run her fingers up through his hair here and there…watching his back arch and feeling and savoring every slight twitch and tremor that went through him at her touch. She let out a lovesick sigh right by his lips as she finished, just letting her hand rest buried in his cornflower locks. "Sheesh, you are one smooth talker, Arnold…Barely five minutes and you've got me on a couch and raring to go." A low laugh escaped her. "Ah, what a dream boat. The perfect guy…My Arnold…"

Arnold gave her a small smirk (now finally just barely coming out of the slight euphoria that feeling of her fingers pulling through his hair like that just now had given him), and then hesitantly, shyly, he brought his arms up and around Helga's body, pulling her in flush against him (and making her spin in delight inside). "Helga," their lips were close enough to feel the inviting warmth radiating from each of their mouths, "…are you going to keep telling me I'm perfect or just pin me down and kiss me already?" he asked in a quiet voice…making sure to include just a touch of that roughness and aggression buried deep under his mild-mannered surface. He did know what she liked, after all.

Helga's eyes lit up at the wonderful question and she didn't think twice. She brought her other arm around his shoulders and neck and went forward and kissed his soft mouth, and felt him instantly start to kiss her back, holding her as tightly as he ever had in those hundreds of random hugs he'd given her throughout their lives…the two of them just kissing each other for however long they wanted on this lovely afternoon.

'_Could anything ever be more perfectly blissful than this…?'_ was Helga's last thought before she no longer had much capacity to think…

* * *

_Still in the flashback…perhaps ten minutes ago from the present…_

Not that these small little kisses they'd taken to after first just kissing each other lightly and then increasing the pressure of their mouths against each other until their lips had been almost numb (but certainly not in need of a break from the current action in which they were employed) weren't fun, but Helga, her eyes still closed just as her beloved's were, could feel herself pulling back a little toward the strategy of one continuous kiss and she could feel Arnold doing the same. She firmed up her hold around his head and shoulders and eased into just pressing her lips against his permanently again. She felt just a bit of hesitation come from him at the sudden change at first…so for once she consciously let herself moan a little…the only way she could think of to assure him that the shift was okay and to ease him into it without separating their mouths… "_Mmm_…mmm…"

An involuntary shudder then went through Helga as she processed Arnold's response to her making that sound she knew he found so appealing: his hold on her had tightened and then suddenly he had pushed his mouth against hers with quite a bit more force than he had so far in this little make out session. And for a moment now her heart just oscillated in bliss as it processed with her fully once more in her life that her Arnold…the one boy she'd always loved…wasn't just kissing her, but kissing her like this…like grown ups kissed, like people completely in love for life kissed…and obviously loving it if his enthusiasm was any indic—

And then suddenly Helga became aware of the fact that while Arnold's grip around her waist had tightened considerably, his grip around her upper back was actually loosening a bit…creating a kind of fulcrum…making it so that he was actually leaning her back on the couch…and now, to top it off, he was moving forward to lean himself over her...and maybe eventually on top of her… '_Well, well, well_…' she thought to herself with a mental little smirk, _'Looks like the idea of 'laying down with me' is still going strong in his mind's dark little subconscious, isn't it?_' She completely let him keep going with what he was doing to her…After all, being held in his perfect arms was a heavenly enough experience…and the few times so far in their relationship that he had really started to get all over her while they kissed were wonderful beyond compare…but having him become so consumed by passion that he had to actually climb on top of her (just like that time he'd dove at her on her couch during their first date)…now that just ranked as total emotional and physical ecstasy in Helga G. Pataki's book.

Helga felt herself shifted past the half way point of being laid down by her beloved so that now, rather than being able to support the majority of her weight, Arnold had to do it…and his hands were already starting to press into the arch of her back as she felt herself go more and more vertical…

But then, there was a sudden and very distinct hesitation on his part, to say the least…and actually for a moment the pressure and movement of his lips stopped and a rather confused Helga seriously thought he was going to break the kiss. She was about to open her eyes to see what was up…

…When his kiss returned (though noticeably much gentler and shyer this time) and she felt him slowly pull her back upright and now go back to the way they had started out kissing…lovingly and tenderly but not at all 'insanely'.

Arnold was the only one doing the kissing though for a good ten or fifteen seconds as that was how long it took Helga to stop feeling torn between confusion at his strange action hesitation and just feeling like limp, lovesick putty in his arms at nearly having Arnold on top of her for a kiss for the first time since that deep passionate one he'd given her in her room after admitting his whole desire to lie down with her in the first place. Eventually though she did get it together and refirm her grip around his neck and shoulders, angling her head in tune with the way he was angling his.

(Needless to say, this whole little scene from their making out more than answered Helga's initial question about what could be more blissful than just the simple opportunity of kissing Arnold).

* * *

_Back to the present…_

Helga came out of her reminisces at the sound of Arnold chuckling at her observation about the intentional versus the spontaneous make out sessions, his arms crossed over his chest and just half grinning to himself in amusement. "I…like the intentional ones a lot myself, Helga…" He was blushing furiously (darn modesty streak still having that effect on him as always) but regardless he was making eye contact with her and even almost talking to her with a casual tone right now despite admitting something so intimate. He continued, shyly placing his hand atop hers on the couch between them and squeezing it a little, playing with her fingers… "…I-I mean…knowing that we're going to and that we want to, and then just…doing it…f-forever…" He let out a very deep breath and looked at her so lovingly for a moment that she thought she was going to melt right on the spot… He blinked then like he'd just realized something and suddenly his hand came up to the top his head. "Oh, do you see my hat anywh—" Arnold stopped as the object in question met his eyes courtesy of Helga having picked it up off the floor with her free hand…and smirking quite a bit at him.

"Here you go, lover boy," she announced, popping it back upon his head. She let out a sigh, marveling at him in happiness for a moment. "I do love how nothing can get that thing off your head but one of my kisses, Football Head…Though, sheesh, I don't even remember when it happened this time…" She giggled and blushed a little at the admission.

Arnold blushed and smiled more too, and then just gave a shy little shrug. "Well, it makes sense that it ends up on the ground half the time…and that we don't even realize it until later…Those kisses of ours can get a little crazy sometimes…" He squeezed her hand a little more, unable to look her in the eye for his shyness and modesty and yet still smiling and smiling, going on and on... "I-I mean, you just grab my whole head and pull it into yours until my lips are almost numb, and then I keep slowly forgetting the whole gentleman thing you're not a fan of anyway, and just…I—"

Helga was preparing to say something cute and flirtatious back as soon as he was finished with his little description of their physical expressions of love…that was, until Arnold suddenly hesitated in speaking at this point. She looked at him a little curiously and noticed a slight look of worry come to her beloved's features. "Oh but…um…I…" his tone changed considerably, back to that of his shyer self, "…S-Speaking of some of the stuff that can happen with us when we kiss…I didn't h-hurt you or anything when I…" the blush grew stronger and he had to glance even more downward now, Helga more than noticed in her curiosity, "Well…I didn't hurt you or anything when I started to get a little carried away and almost, um…pushed you back on the couch…did I?" He managed to bring his eyes up and over to hers now, a genuinely concerned look on his face. '_I didn't mean to even do that! Laying her down on the…a-and almost laying down on top of…I-It's just…she's…and then when we kiss I…_' the worry behind his thoughts started to melt into feelings of love… '_And then I…I love that feeling of our hearts beating against each other whenever we do end up pressed together…how she warms up when I hold her… And she's so soft to lay on…_' He mentally sighed, realizing with full force how strange all of these thoughts in regards to Helga G. Pataki would have seemed to him a few months ago, or even a few weeks ago. _'I…am seriously learning some new things about myself lately, aren't I?_' he couldn't help but observe to himself in amusement.

Helga, meanwhile, just blinked once at her love's concerned little question about his small aggressive moment in their making out…and then smiled. '_Hurt me?'_ She mentally scoffed. _'Oh yeah—pure ecstasy is just 'torture_.' "Hmm…did you hurt me?" she asked out loud with a grin…a plan already laid out in her head. "Well, Football Head, let me answer that question in the following way…"

And then before Arnold could raise an eyebrow at this strange reply…she had suddenly gone forward, grabbed him by the shoulders and playfully pushed him back on the couch, resting herself on top of him with a smile. "You, uh…feel at all 'hurt' right now, Arnold?" She traced a single finger gently along the side of his wide-eyed head, finishing by twirling a single lock of his hair around a single one of her fingers…and then she topped it off with one of the giggles he liked of course.

Arnold just looked up into her eyes in panic for a moment more…

But then of course he smiled too and let out a deep, shuddery sigh, closing his eyes for a second as he savored sensation of that touch she had just given him. "No, I, uh…I feel…" he let out a happy breath, "Well, I definitely don't feel hurt, Helga…" His eyes fluttered open, gazing up at her.

"Thought not…" She chuckled, gazing down at him in return.

Arnold laughed as well, and just let himself get lost in looking at her for a moment and how doing so made his heart thump and thump and thump…And she was just admiring him as well. And then finally he just had to say something before all the feelings and joy inside of him caused him to burst and overflow with his love. "Helga…" his voice was airy and dreamy, "Did anyone ever tell you you've got the most…the most beautiful eyes in the whole world? They're like dark water or like…like the sky or something…but deeper…" He let out another shuddery sigh, at a loss for words…those eyes so wide and loving and close to his own. "They're just perfect…" he had to finish with.

Helga felt everything inside of herself flip and tingle and bubble at the compliment. Her smile just grew and grew and she looked down at her love god extra lovingly now…bodies and hearts pressed together. "Thank you, my beloved…" she replied with a blush, and then giggled again and added playfully and sweetly, "But, nah, _your_ eyes are _way_ better, Football Head…" She let out a sigh, taking in those perfect orbs before her. "The perfect shade of ocean green…like…like…" He was actually making her tongue tied at this point with his sweetness and closeness—a rarity for Helga G. Pataki.

"Like two green jelly beans…" Arnold began almost automatically from beneath her, recalling a line of hers from a poem in that first pink book, "Pools you want to…to, um…" He'd become more and more aware of his specific words as he had gone on speaking…and now he couldn't help but be a little stuck on that last part of the line, all things considered…

"Pools I…want to bathe in…" Helga finished in a whisper, blushing as hotly as Arnold was now and not making direct eye contact…a little, private smile on her face. "Sheesh, Football Head," she managed quietly in a joking tone, hoping to lighten the sudden awkward moment (made all the more awkward by the fact that their bodies were still in full contact). "Thanks for that fresh little bit of embarrassment…I think I've gotta be blushing as much as _you_…which is saying something considering how much more embarrassed and shy you get all the time than me. See what you do to me, my darling…" And then, to show him rather than just letting him continue to look at her rosy face and observe her apparent blushing himself (and also simply because she had decided that she wanted to), Helga closed her eyes and leaned down and gently rested her cheek against Arnold's…

…And Arnold's jellybean eyes went wider than they had ever gone (even wider than on FTi) at the sudden action…and at the fact that he really could feel a burning heat passing between their faces at the contact…Actually sharing a blush between them… He had to clutch at the fabric of his couch just a little, it was all so overwhelming…

"…And I really could, you know…just…just bathe in them…and let their color consume all of me…" she finished in the lightest whisper imaginable right near his ear then.

Arnold trembled…and then he felt…well, to be honest he felt, um…Well, lately, every once in a while, when something rather 'intense' was said or done between himself and Helga, this very weird, very intense, very hot squirm had been going through him and…not that it was a bad thing but it was something he'd never felt or even imagined feeling in his entire life. And, well, the idea of her…the color of his eyes…bathing…consuming….yeah, all of that was certainly doing the trick. He did his best to just swallow though and take a breath and do his best to handle this moment of poetic whispers and cheek touching and heat…and to avoid giving in to whatever that squirm was (or passing out from it). '_Just…deep breaths in and out…It'll be fine…'_

And so with Helga very content and Arnold very paralyzed, the two children remained in their current position for several minutes, just resting against each other peacefully in the silence of the room, hearts racing.

Indeed Helga was so at peace she almost started to feel herself drift off into sleep…until she felt Arnold gently start to stroke her head and hair, that was.

Her eyes fluttered open and she lifted up her head a little. Her gaze turned to his with interest.

Her love was smiling up at her warmly (and feeling a lot calmer now…at peace, really, just like she was…). And, to help keep himself calm and at peace like he liked, he had decided to bring their love around to a more innocent topic again. He spoke quietly…still stroking through her pigtails a little (which were pretty limp at this point in their afternoon together). "Also…did I mention also how soft your hair is, Helga…and how it's the color of sunshine…" he connected some things, "…against your eyes like the sky…and the pink makes it all…" He seemed to be trying really hard to articulate himself correctly here. "Makes it all like…" he chuckled as something finally came to him, "…Like a sunset or something…You're like a sunset, Helga…"

Helga G. Pataki let the perfectly poetic compliment wash over herself for a second…let it thoroughly seep into and touch her heart and every part of her being…and then with the biggest smile ever she suddenly leaned her head against Arnold's chest, pushed her arms underneath him and with a happy giggle hugged him as tightly as she could!

Arnold blinked at her sudden and unexpected response to his compliment…but then just smiled again too and brought his arms around Helga to hug her back, snuggling his chin against the top of her head a little.

"Arnold…you're just…" her heard her begin, almost giddily. "You're just…the best!" She squeezed him a little more.

Arnold chuckled and gave her a little extra squeeze too, and was about to just let her know that she and her sunset-ness were welcome and to thank her for her own compliment back to him…but then he considered for a second, and then his eyes lit up with a better idea. "Actually, Helga…I think that 'we're' the best… Arnold and Helga…" He let out a sigh. '_Arnold and Helga…_' Even their names sounded good together. If that wasn't a sign, then what was?

He heard her let out a goofy little giggle and sigh, and then finally she loosened her grip on him just a tiny bit and pushed herself up a little so that she could look into his eyes again. "Hey Arnold?" This was impulsive and silly and she knew it, but she was going to do it anyway.

He nodded, smiling back up at her. "Uh huh?"

She took a breath…

"Will you marry me?" she asked perfectly, simply.

Arnold's rosy face turned perfectly and completely bright crimson! Yes, there was part of his brain that of course knew that this proposal ('_I just got proposed to…O-Okay, don't panic…heh_…') was just something cute that she was throwing out there…But part of his brain was also very aware that if he did say yes to her and there was a way…that Helga G. Pataki would, as quickly as possible and with no hesitation, take them both down to the chapel (or rather the nearest justice of the peace they could find who could be bribed to wed two fourth graders) and become his…his w-wi…his wif—… his bride (needless to say Arnold, being only ten and also a guy, was still having a little trouble with the 'w' word sometimes) in a heartbeat. Not that that would a _bad_ thing though…He'd more than admitted that to himself already… (heck he'd even been 'accidentally on purpose' adding his last name to her name half the time when he thought about her…not to mention the little side jokes about 'their kids' and pretty constant comments about them being 'together forever.') So…not that it would be bad if…if he said yes and…and they actually could get married (actually, ironically enough, he'd picked up something just the other week that would probably come in handy for something like that)…It was just a little intense.

But anyway the problem for him right now was that she had just asked a yes or no question. Will you marry me? And he couldn't say yes because even though it wouldn't be a bad thing, marrying her was of course something he could only see himself doing when he was older. But…to say no to her. That just felt wrong in so many ways.

Arnold let another second pass, thinking this problem over…and then smiled as the response came to him…the perfect response to her proposal. It was true, it felt right…He smiled even more and looked into her eyes as he addressed her (and he'd done so just in time as he could see a very small touch of hurt starting to come into her eyes, obviously due to his look of shock and severe hesitation in response to her asking for his hand). "Helga…my pretty Helga…don't you think that's a little unrealistic?"

Helga, taking in Arnold's reply, felt a small twinge of pain in her heart at how he'd chosen to respond to her question…though she kept smiling and of course couldn't find it in herself to be mad or upset with him. After all, it wasn't like she really had expected him to say yes and whisk her away to the docs to get hitched by Sheena's Uncle Earl for a quarter (hey, he was a boat captain, he often did things for the kids for a small fee…it could work! Or at least, that's what Helga always liked to assure herself whenever she was feeling particularly in the 'I do, I do, Oh I do…!' mood) Still, though, Helga couldn't help but feel a tiny bit sad since she _was_ technically getting turned down by Arnold to have him be her husband forever at the moment. She let out an understanding sigh though nonetheless of course. '_As usual, my love has a point…getting married at ten-years-old and after barely being together for a month is pretty unrealistic and out there, even for me.'_ She almost smiled at how silly it all really did sound now that she thought about it, and was about to open her mouth and agree with him…when…

"I-I mean, I know you don't like me being too old fashioned about things, Helga, but…as a guy, before I say yes to something like that… I'd like to at least have enough money to get you a ring…And not just one of those 'fifty cent ones from a machine'…" he added with a chuckle and a wink, remembering one of the first times they'd ever talked about marriage (on her phone the night of their one week anniversary) and how she'd joked about him showing up at her door with one of those after he'd told her about his grandparents falling in love just like he and she had. He smiled more, waiting to see how she'd respond and hoping she'd be happy with his reply.

'Happy' did not even begin to adequately describe it. Helga felt everything inside of herself instantly swell in joy as his explanation of his initial response washed over her. The idea that he wasn't turning her down because he didn't want to be with her as much and as quickly as she wanted to be with him…but that it was just some silly bit of tradition and a concern for her holding him back…What a sweet way to…She let out a small chuckle and rolled her eyes, and then stretched her arms forward and crossed them over Arnold's chest, resting her head upon them. "Very funny, Chuckles…Okay, I guess we don't have to walk down the aisle right now…and I also guess I can't exactly get upset with you for wanting only the best for me, Football Head." Her tone became a bit more sincere. "You've really gotten me thinking lately that I really am worth it, you know…" She winked back at him.

Both children just smiled at one another, and the two of them remained like that in happy quiet for a second or two more…just savoring their togetherness.

Finally, breaking the silence yet again, Arnold let out a sigh, just looking up into Helga's eyes once more (and blushing a little at prompting things along). "So, um, Helga…we've still got quite a bit of time until dinner… What should we do next on our date?" He had a feeling of what she'd suggest but…no harm being a gentleman and making sure of course.

Helga let out a sigh and smirked a little, looking up in feigned thought, her arms still crossed over Arnold's chest. "Hmm…lets see…what should two preteens in love and on top of each other do…. Well, we already made out in varying ways, reconfirmed that we're attracted to each other, you waxed poetic for a minute, I proposed…" She looked into his eyes, still smirking a bit. "Did I mention we're in love and still on top of each other?"

Arnold took in the response, trying not to laugh the whole time. "More planned making out, Helga?" he finally asked with a pleased grin.

Helga shrugged, grinning right back at him. "Well, as long as you have no objections…I wouldn't mind a round two myself, Arnoldo…" She grinned at him playfully. "As long as you're up for it, of course."

Then she proceeded, not waiting for his answer, to reach up and grip his shoulders (which made Arnold gulp as he realized that meant that she was planning to stay on top of him as they made out this time_… 'Interesting…heh…_' ). "S-Sounds good to me, Helga…" he managed to stutter out as casually as he could (though he was blushing like mad the entire time of course…) Then he chuckled a little as he added, a joking glint in his eye, "But…if we're going to be going for almost half an hour again this time…can you try and kiss just a little less absolutely perfectly, Helga…? I'm just not sure how much more my heart can take, to be honest…and then if you're going to…stay on top of me…I'm worried that it might just explode." He glanced down with a shy little blush and grin.

Helga just blinked in amused surprised at this comment from him at first…and then smirked again. "Eh, tell your heart to suck it up, paste for brains… Besides, a little cardio never hurt anyone!" She chuckled at his cuteness…and at how she really could feel his heart fluttering away under her own. '_And all for me_…' She gave a girlish internal swoon.

And though he was blushing like crazy yet again this afternoon, Arnold he had to let out a laugh as well as he looked up happily into her sunset face and replied sheepishly, "Yes, Mam."

Helga just let herself burst into a little bout of warm laughter at that response from him, and then when she was finally done she leaned in so that they were nose to nose and announced with an eager grin, "Ah, just pucker up, you big…" as she prepared to go in for the kill…

But then though, Helga hesitated…a thought seemed to occur to her…and then she glanced away from her beloved and just past him across the room now. "Oh, wait a second…" she looked back at him with a touch of concern and her mouth quirked to the side a little in worry, "Um…this might sound stupid and embarrassing but…should we maybe go downstairs for a second and let everyone know that we don't want to be interrupted…or go out to the roof again or something? I-I mean, just to prevent a repeat of what happened last time with your grandpa—whoo boy, heh…" The idea of another walk-in audience (and the sudden realization that had just come over her that it could have happened while they had been making out the first time just now) was very disconcerting to Helga, to say the least. She could handle the running gag that seemed to like to pop up in their relationship of occasionally getting caught by accident and surprise by someone they knew but she could NOT handle having the chance of someone bursting through the door dangling over her head the entire time she and Arnold were doing things together (it was bad enough worrying about her dad coming home sometimes when she and Arnold kissed in _her_ room, but at least he followed a set schedule and Miriam usually came up the stairs before him to give the kids some warning (and Miriam herself always knocked, which was nice)…But to have to worry about one of the many members of Arnold's extended family popping up here at any moment in time? A total of six people who could see her intimately kissing and caressing her beloved? The very idea made her blush and gulp in total shyness. She opened her mouth again. "M-Maybe we really should move up to the roof or someth—" Helga had been about to push herself off of Arnold so that they could indeed relocate for their next make out session…but was stopped by the unexpected feeling of him catching her by the elbow. She looked back down at him with a blink. "Uh…what's up, Arnold?"

He was blushing…and smiling a little nervously…and looking away. "M..de…a...d…turb…sign…"

She blinked at his mumbles, not being able to make them out at all. "U-Um, sorry, Arnold…You'll have to speak up a little. I can't quite make that ou—"

"I…talked to my grandpa and made a…Do Not Disturb sign for my door…And I hung it up before you got here…" he finally admitted, avoiding looking at her eyes.

Helga's jaw dropped a little.

She remained quiet.

She blushed.

And then she went right back to resting fully comfortably upon her beloved Arnold…and smirked quite a bit smugly as she snuggled back into her comfortable position atop him. "Well, well, _well_…" she giggled, "…you've just got yourself quite a little preplanned agenda when it comes to me, don't you now, Football Head?"

Arnold felt a blush of embarrassment flower in his face. He spoke in a quiet voice, his small grin still there, knowing she'd never let something like this go but…it was worth having told her about the sign if it meant that she wouldn't have to get off of him even for a minute. "Helga…"

"Yes sir…" she just continued on with her grin, pushing her face closer so that they were nose to nose once more and she could look right at his shy, green little eyes as she went on, "It's official: I have fully corrupted you. All of Arnold's innocence, completely out the window. Gone, bye bye, so long. Nothing but raw, untapped, no holds barred, dark and bold passion remains!"

"Helga…!" That small smile of his was growing a little (right along with his blush), though he was obviously trying to fight both.

"Mmm hmm, TOTAL romantic deviant. A bad boy living on the edge…" She lifted her nose from his and brought up one of her hands to gently cup his chin, giving her the best access to his 'still trying to avoid her own' eyes as possible.

At her latest comment and action, Arnold just brought a hand to his temple and sighed.

Helga had one more up her sleeve and couldn't resist. "Parents, lock up your daughters…"

"Helga!" Now Arnold's eyes flew to hers freely and he couldn't control his smile anymore. The blush had long since consumed him by this point.

She just laughed warmly at him being all flustered like that, having known that last one would completely get him! "Hey," she started both defensively and playfully, "…_you're_ the one who went and put a 'Keep Out, Everyone: I'm kissing Helga' sign on your door…and then practically tossed me back on the couch…" She moved her hand down to play with his collar a bit. "One could easily draw the conclusion that your intentions with me are growing just a little impure, Arnold..."

"Helga…" she heard him start to reply quietly though at least slightly less nervously than before. And then he brought up one of his hands to take the one of hers that was gently fumbling with the top button of his shirt (all the while trying not to think of how her doing that was probably a sign that she wanted him to take off his sweater again maybe…which he was willing to do, maybe, but he'd need a little more time to get used to the intimate act actually becoming a regular part of their time together…Hmm…maybe they'd even bring out the lip gloss again…He'd just let things develop naturally though for their second make out session…See where they went…After all, wherever it was, he knew he'd like it.). "M-My intentions with you are always completely pure…" He squeezed her hand and then looked up into her eyes with a loving smile, and finished sincerely and sweetly… "I would never take advantage of a lady…"

A flustered Helga blushed and giggled at being called that out of the blue. A lady. "N-No," she came back playfully, "…y-you'll just entrap _me_ into taking advantage of _you_…shut up in here together, you and all of your cuteness…rejecting me last time because of those stupid strawberries. Crimeny, you're practically delicious sometimes, Arnold! I could just…" a daze came over her…She giggled more. "And then you called me a lady…" She felt all melty thinking about that…She'd called him her gentleman before but he had never called her his lady. She swooned a little.

Arnold just smiled more at her…and at her being so happy about what he'd called her. "Well, it's true you know…that you're a lady…" He spoke quietly, blushing more, still holding her hand. "A-And, I mean…" he shrugged, "…the other girls we know are nice but…I've never really known a real lady…and especially one as wonderful as you…" His heart fluttered more and more. "You're charming and strong and sophisticated and brave and creative and funny…loving and sensitive….um, playful…" He blushed a lot. "You're the best of everything, Helga, and you've never let anyone take that away from you…" He lifted up her hand… "A lady…" and he gave it a gentle kiss before releasing it. "And as for my door and the sign, well…" his loving smile/smirk returned, "Who could help but want the honor of kissing a lady…and kissing her _in private_…? I could only hope to be that lucky…"

His lovely Helga giggled and swooned again. He was doing that thing…that 'pouring on the charm' thing…And the things he said…If she hadn't already been doing so she would have collapsed on him in a lovely daze. "The 'honor' of kissing me…?" she managed to coo out… "Your lady…your princess…your love…?" She fluttered her eyelashes, gazing into his jellybean green orbs of warmth and eternal love.

"My _precious, amazing and magical_ lady and princess and love…" he corrected her with a wink, talking to her romantically, and bringing up his other hand now to twirl the end of one of her pigtails around her fingers… "The only woman for me…." He meant it with all of his heart.

Helga's eyes lit up and her heart instantly fluttered, and she blushed a little self-consciously as she took in that continuation of his flirting. "Ooo, not just a girl or a lady anymore, am I?...I'm a _woman_ now, huh?" she asked playfully (loving that feeling of him holding her hand and at the same time and playing with her hair…while she was on top of him…it was all so good). "You've got a real, secret hang-up on me as that, don't you, Arnoldo?" she went on, referring to all those little references he'd made to her as a woman that time on his roof a couple weeks ago when he'd recounted for her his thoughts and feelings during their first date.

Arnold just chuckled and blushed and didn't care about being embarrassed…never when he was with her…not anymore. "Helga…you completely stopped just being a girl in my head a long time ago…And just like with how I've never met a real lady before you…I never met a real woman either…or at least not a woman as…as womanly you…" He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a breath and just savored that perfect feeling of her gentle, long, light body still warming his own…right where it belonged. He brought his arms around her waist and back to hold her now, almost on instinct, eyes still shut. "I think it's because you're not just some…some schoolboy crush for me…You're the first grown up relationship I've ever had, and—"

"The 'first'?" Her playful interruption made his eyes flutter open to see her smirking, blushing, sunset face still hovering over his own. "Are you implying that there will be _more_—"

Arnold just held her a little more firmly before she could even finish posing the ridiculous question, pressing his hands against her back. "Hey, let me finish…" he joked playfully, and then went on. "You're the first grown up relationship I've ever head…and that makes me very happy because I can't think of anything more wonderful than actually turning out to be meant to be with the first person you've ever really loved and who's ever loved you…And so of course all of that makes you a woman to me...the only woman in the whole world to me…" He blushed a little more and added in his lower, more enticing tone of voice, bringing one of his hands up the length of her spine to rest it on the back of her neck."…And of course it adds to the whole woman effect the fact that…well…you're the most attractive female creature I've ever had the honor of laying my eyes on…"

"Arnold!" Helga squeaked out in surprise and fluster and practically jubilation at this point, only getting more and more blushy and giggling like crazy! "Stop the flirting or I'm just going to…I'll just…I'll…" She was all tongue tied yet again…and he was the only boy who could do it to her.

"Shh…" Suddenly a finger from that hand touching her neck was now upon her lips, and her love was still speaking in that tender voice, still looking at her so endearingly, "You don't have to say anything, Helga…Why don't we just…show each other how we feel instead, okay? Because, um…even though I'll always be a gentleman to a lady and a princess and a woman, my, um…my d-darker side has been waiting for and wanting a kiss for a little while now…. Think you're up to it, my beloved Helga?" Helga had never seen his eyes look so sultry.

She chuckled, cuddling her body into his so very happily while she blushed and blushed and blushed away. "Oh yes, _of course_… My prince, my knight in shining armor, my gentleman…the hunkiest most attractive male creature my eyes have ever feasted upon needs a little liplock fix…and the sign on your door _does_ read Do Not Disturb…" She grinned down at him and grabbed him by his collar playfully. "So be an ange—er, my dark little romantic deviant and pucker up already, you big lug!"

Arnold, being a very accommodating young man, did as his guest desired without hesitation, of course.

And then with that Round 2 of Arnold and Helga's making out commenced.

(And if there was one thing that was better, Arnold decided, than almost laying on top of Helga again in his life as he kissed her, it was of course having her _actually_ lay on top of him again in his life as _she_ kissed _him_!)

* * *

**OLDER WOMEN/USED GUM**

"Hey Arnold?"

'_M-Maybe I should just ask her if she wants to kiss…Or maybe I should just wait until it happens naturally…Or maybe I should just surprise her…'_

"Arnold?"

Helga's voice broke through Arnold's lovesick little thoughts at her second address to him and now he glanced up and over at her from his couch (which he had been reclining upon) toward his bed (which Helga had been reclining upon), using his remote to turn down the music which they had been listening to a little so that he could hear his girlfriend (who had been here with him just hanging out and spending time together today) better. "Yes, Helga?" he asked with a smile

He heard Helga let out an average sigh and for a moment let drop the pen she had been using to write in a pink book. She shifted on his pillows and glanced at him with a grin. "Just out of curiosity…what's your deal with older women?"

Silence reigned for many many seconds.

"Uh…Arnold?" Helga went on, still grinning and smirking (and now completely putting aside her poetry writing and also very happy that she'd chosen to throw out to him this particular inquiry to spice up this relaxing afternoon they were having together). "You who—last I checked I asked you a question. You in there, Football Head?" She tried not to laugh.

And she had to _keep_ trying not to laugh as her solicitation only brought a distinct and sudden blush to her beloved's already dumbstruck looking face. '_Wow, I did NOT think he'd freak out this much…Okay, I definitely picked a fun topic of conversation…_' "Arnold…" she went on, still smiling, and now sitting up entirely on his bed. "Not that the blushing isn't cute but…can you at least _try_ and speak? Last thing you want is for your face to freeze like that." She turned to face him entirely now and had to let out a small chuckle. "Besides it was a simple question… I just want to know what your deal was over the years with always going for older chicks?" She blushed and grinned more. "I mean, is it just some kind of guy thing or…"

"Helga…"

Helga had to let a few more chuckles escape her at the back of her throat at the flat way he announced her name…and at how he looked now laying back on his couch with his eyes closed, rubbing his temples. He continued, letting out a deep sigh to start. "Do you specifically TRY and come up with things to say that'll embarrass me like crazy or do they just come to you naturally?"

Helga had to roll her eyes and laugh at his dramatics. She crossed her legs, letting her palms rest on the top of Arnold's blankets on his bed. "Eh, it's a little bit of both…" she admitted with a proud smirk, but then looked at him and spoke seriously again. "But really though, Arnold, you have to admit, if you think about it…except for Lila, Ruth was older and Summer was older and, uh…" She rolled her eyes up and to the side innocently. "That day or two you were sick I might have spent with our best friends going to one of Gerald's poetry readings, and after it was over we all got to talking and joking around and he…might have mentioned to me about that crush you had on our substitute teacher, Ms. Felter, which got me to thinking about this in the first place….So, just wondering what the deal is, my darling? Why do insist on having your cradle robbed?" She laughed some more to herself and brought her eyes back to him.

"Oh…" her love began calmly enough, his eyes still shut as he still lay there on his couch, "So that's where this is coming from…Gerald told you about Ms. Felter…" Arnold sighed again and then Helga watched with interest as he finally opened his eyes, just looking up at the sky through the ceiling though instead of over at her. "Okay…" He was silent for a second or two more during which he seemed to consider some things and then she watched a half smile come to his face. "Helga, remind me to kill Gerald later, okay?" '_Great_,' his thoughts went on, half in awkwardness, half in amusement, _'If they were talking about my past crushes, that probably means he also told her about…'_

Helga just laughed at his cute little joke and shrugged, and cut off his thoughts. "Okay, Arnold, but either way I'm still curious about the answer? Call it a small fascination of mine—I'm not gonna force you to tell me or anything but if you wouldn't mind satisfying my curiosity…exactly how did you manage to get hooked on two almost teenage girls and someone who was probably practically 30?" She chuckled even more to herself for a moment, shaking her head at another piece of information she'd come to learn about recently. "I mean, I guess you balanced out the Ms. Felter thing by, uh, courting Gerald's little sister last month apparently (though I guess I should be grateful for that one since Gerald says it put the final nail in the coffin with your crush on Lila), but really, Arnold, I—"

"_Two_ almost teenage girls?"

The sudden, curious question from Arnold cut off Helga and caused her to blink and then glance over at him with a mildly confused look. He was just sitting up fully on his couch now, his eyes a bit wide, and obviously anticipating an answer from her to his sudden little exclamation. She uncrossed her legs and crossed her arms over her chest now. "Uh, yeah…Ruth and Summer, just like I said…Two almost teenage girls. What, did you lose count or something?" She smiled and smirked a little bit again, letting out a nostalgic sigh. "Eh but even though you got crushes on them I guess I'm just lucky neither one of them was willing to put the moves back on your cute little self, huh? But you should know by now, Football head, that I decided a long time ago that no one's lips but mine were ever going to get anywhere near you if I had anything to say about it, and no girl was ever really going to snag you as her dating buddy but me!" A frustrated scowl came to her face for a moment and she even clenched her fists a little as she added, "Ugh, with Summer kissing your cheek at the beach being the _only_ exception to all of that! Grr…I swear I could have wrung BOTH of your necks when I saw her grab you and do that from behind that beach umbrella!" She closed her eyes and let out a calming breath though, and when she opened them again her smile had at least returned somewhat. "But…that's all in the past. And after all I guess we're even since Brainy kissed me on the cheek that one time, and then of course there's the happy fact that I won your heart in the end, so we can move on!" She giggled and smiled warmly. "And that's part of why I love our relationship so much, my love—we've known each other our whole lives, so we know everything each other has been through. You know every detail of my love for you, and I know every detail of your love for me. We have a perfectly honest relationship, Arnold. And I love you so much for helping give that to us." She finished her announcement with the proudest and happiest look imaginable (and expected her love to smile and blush and agree with her of course…and maybe she'd even get some kisses!).

…But then her satisfied expression instantly deflated as her eyes were met with Arnold's face now bearing a look she had come to know all too well during a certain one week anniversary…and it gave her a sick lurch in her stomach. He looked…guilty. "Arnold…" she began in a hesitant voice, concern definitely overpowering her now. "Is there something you…have on your mind?" she asked cautiously.

Arnold, nervous, fully upright, and totally alert upon the edge of his couch, blinked at her question and felt a warm little twist of guilt go through him…about something he'd kind of been meaning to mention at the back of his mind but…had been putting off a tiny bit at how innocent it really was and how well things had been going between himself and Helga and how much he didn't want to rock the boat or make her upset under any circumstances if possible. But he cleared his throat and looked over at her, ready to tell her _now_. '_I might as well get it over with as long as the she brought up the topic…_' "Um…Helga?"

"Yes?" the interested and wary girl across the room from him was obviously trying to keep her tone even.

He gulped, glancing shyly at her, and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to work out the best way in his head of putting this (since it always made him feel really shy and awkward talking about other girls to Helga, even if she never seemed to mind it too much and even if it really was such a tiny thing he was going to be bringing up). "If I…tell you something…will you promise not to do anything…extreme?"

Okay, now Helga was hooked. "Extreme?" She eyed him, not liking that word at all or what he might be getting at. "Extreme as in 'kiss you like crazy because I'll be really happy with you' or extreme as in 'dangle you off your roof ledge because I'll be really angry with you'?" She was half joking and half serious with this question, to be honest. In her defense though he was kind of concerning her here…and about…dating…being kissed? What if she really hadn't been his first kiss? Or date? She knew that shouldn't matter so much now of course since they were together and happy, and she had already long ago accepted that he'd had romantic feelings about other people before herself, but…still…something about the mystery and the unexpectedness of all of this was unsettling nonetheless. She…really did NOT like the idea of some other girl in the past having secretly been all over her beloved…or that Arnold had neglected to tell her about it. Not at all.

Arnold let out another breath, trying to take things seriously and not smile at her humor since he could tell by her tone and look that she really was not in the mood right now. "U-Um…probably…maybe the second one of those choices…but I'm more afraid you'll do it to someone else than to me, to be honest...heh…" He looked at her with a sheepish grin.

And now Helga was full blown, 'move it, bucko', 'out of my way, geekbait', 'I hate you, you stupid Football Head' scowling at him (which made Arnold gulp again…just as it had always had made him gulp over the years whenever she would turn that fiery, angry look upon him…Though he also noted, at the back of his mind, that along with the fearful gulp his heart started to pound a little faster at the idea of all of her anger…all that passionate anger just under her surface… He shook this strange feeling off though as Helga finally spoke again.) "Arnold…" she started patiently and simply, "What happened?"

Arnold took a deep breath…and then just went for it, doing his best to make it not sound like a big deal since it really wasn't…The bigger thing for him was that he hadn't told her about it yet…_her_, the woman he loved! Another twist of guilt went through him as his words commenced. "Well…you know I've been meaning to kind of mention this to you for a while but I've still been getting used to the idea of bringing up other people I've like-liked over the years around you, b-but…I don't feel comfortable _not_ telling you, of course, so…" He finally spit it out, his eyes looking down. "At the beginning of the school year me and Gerald…were kind of talking to these two sixth grade girls one day…and we ended up being their dates to the sixth grade dance…so, um…we went and danced with them a-and then when it was over my date might have, um…k-kissed me…on the cheek, of course! But I-I haven't even talked to her since then so, um, this really shouldn't matter at all, heh…" he added firmly, wanting to make that point about that date being a strictly one time thing very clear. "And I'm sorry I took so long to tell you about it. I was just nervous, I guess…Sorry." And now, done with his little 'confession', young Arnold looked over at his Helga more than a bit sheepishly and with a ton of anticipation, waiting for her response.

Helga just looked at him in surprise for several seconds…several, several seconds of very thick silence. She couldn't be angry with him…right? And then Arnold watched in continued anticipation as Helga's first movement was that her eyes shifted down and to the side just slightly. "Name?" was the first and only word to come out of her mouth.

Arnold just blinked at that. "Huh?"

Helga sighed and shrugged a little. "Name, Football Head?" she repeated, now bringing her dull looking eyes to his. "I'd…like to know her name…The name of this girl you went on your first date with and who kissed your cheek and who you decided not to tell me about until now." Her glance fell to the side a bit again. "After all, she must have been pretty special to you for you to have kept her under wraps for so long."

Arnold absorbed the explanation…and then what it might mean…Why she'd be so curious about her name… '_Oh boy_…' "Helga…" he started slowly, carefully, knowing how her temper could be, "Didn't I ask you to promise not to do anything extreme? And that includes to her just as much to me… Besides, she's not 'special' to me—it was just a stupid thing Gerald and I did once, and—"

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything 'extreme', Arnold!" Helga instantly cut him off with an eye roll. Then she brought her gaze back to his and elaborated on her plans. "I'm just going to kill her. Simple, quick, neat. That's all. I'm just going to put all of my scheming skills into taking out the girl who had the nerve to take you to a dance before our first time at a dance, and then on top of it all to put her lips on your face. Easy."

Arnold had to just give her a look and a slight smile. At least she was going back to sarcasm—that was a good sign. "Helga…" he began sympathetically.

Helga just gave an exasperated sigh and looked at him in annoyance. "Crimeny, THREE teenage girls!" She couldn't help but smile at him in confused amazement. "Really, _what is it_ with you and older women, Arnold? I mean, really, from _my_ standpoint over all of these years do you know how difficult it is to compete with chicks who are already wearing training bras?" She let out a breath and just shook her head, still with a slight grin on her face, despite her slight anger, at her beloved's strangeness. "Oh well, here's hoping the next few years are as good to me as the last few were to those three, you know?" And with that she casually reclined back on Arnold's bed again…thoroughly enjoying how brightly Arnold was blushing all of a sudden. '_Good—it'll get the little shrimp back for holding out on me as long as he did about this whole thing...'_ she thought to herself with a small smirk. Of course she wasn't seriously mad at him for some stupid sixth grade girl escapade…but no one said she couldn't make him sweat a little while she was working on expressing her forgiveness about him keeping it a bit of a secret all this time.

Satisfied with her chosen method of handling all of this, Helga stretched up and let out a refreshed sigh as she rested her hands behind her head and waited with a smile for Arnold to reply… After quite a while of looking at him and the hilarious (and blush soaked) expression of shock on his face though she had to raise part of her brow and prompt him a little yet again today. "Arnold…seriously…your face looks like you just slipped and fell into a pile of cherry snow cone. Speak, my love…You must have SOMETHING going on right now in that wide mind of yours…" She tried really hard not to laugh as she added casually, crossing her legs and looking at him a bit half-liddedly, "You…thinking about _me_ older or something?"

That question made her love's frozen jaw drop just a little. It quickly closed though and then Arnold put his hands, folded together, upon his knees, moved his eyes away from Helga's and said very quietly and quickly (and obviously with the hope of moving their conversation along to ANYTHING else)… "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Helga."

Helga had to let out a warm laugh at that response. She sat up again on his bed. "_Oh yeah_…" she insisted, loving teasing him and his modest little self about this, "Right now you're thinking about me older and with legs and a bombshell figure and finally being able to pull off a dress like the one Ruth wore last Valentine's Day…or maybe a little beach outfit like the one Summer had…"

"Helga?" came the simple, quiet call of her name from her still quite embarrassed and distressed looking beloved.

"Mmm hmm, Arnold?" she merely asked back with a smile.

He sighed, seemed to consider, and then spoke again. "If I, um…admit something to you, can we move on to something else…_anything_ else…Please?" He still wasn't making eye contact.

Helga just shrugged, intrigued enough to want to see where he was going with this. And besides she really had no desire to bug him _too_ much. "Whatever floats your boat…" She smiled. "Admit away, Football Head!"

Her shy looking little Arnold let out a breath, and then spoke steadily and calmly (with an every brightening blush as his words went on). "Okay, um…t-to be honest…I've…tried it before…thinking about how you might actually look…in the future…a-as a grown up. B-But, um...actually, it's always really hard for me to think of you as older because…" A little smile unconsciously picked up on his face… "…B-Because…you're already so perfect to me like this…so pretty and wonderful and perfect…that it's almost too much to think of the idea of you just getting even more perfect as we get older." His unconscious smile became a little dreamier, and his voice became tender and loving as he finished… "To be honest I could see you growing into one of the most beautiful women in the whole world…"

After saying these last words, Arnold remained lost in a daydream or two for several seconds, but then suddenly recalled himself and Helga's presence (as well as having just admitted to her that he thought about her as a gorgeous grown up woman sometimes) and then he quickly blinked and blushed and glanced away shyly and nervously, waiting for what she might say to all of that.

There was silence for several seconds.

And then Arnold heard Helga speak from across his room…and to his surprise it almost sounded like she had tears in her eyes. "Arnold…I…" His eyes quickly flew over to hers in concern and he watched with interest as Helga, still sitting in her place on the edge of his bed, just shut her eyes…and this strange smile came to her face. Then she tried speaking again. "Arnold…I…" a small, purely happy laugh escaped her and she almost shook her head a little in just plain amazement at what he'd just said…That she'd grow up to be…She felt so beautiful again in her life and all because of him. She went on, her smile only growing. "…I really wish you'd start giving me some warning before you go and say something that makes me feel like I'm just… Just your simple admirer, Oscillating in bliss, Your words the hands that hold my heart, The second lips of each perfect kiss…"

"Slow down a little please, Helga—I can't write that fast." A chuckle.

Helga's eyes flew open and her already fluttering heart went into overdrive at the sight of Arnold suddenly sitting beside her on the edge of his bed, smiling happily as he now took dictation into the pink book she'd been writing in before.

She smiled and giggled at the sight, barely having been aware while it had been going on that she had slipped into a poem just now. "Thanks, Football head. Sometimes I get so carried away that I almost forget about writing my odes to you down." Then she leaned over and gave her love a gentle, lingering a kiss upon the cheek…causing Arnold's smile to pick up considerably, she noticed when she pulled back.

"Uh…no problem, Helga…No problem at all…" he assured with his satisfied grin, and then he happily went back to writing the last bits of the lines she'd just come up with…

…When suddenly to his surprise Arnold noticed Helga move out of the corner of his eye…and then he felt her head and her upper back now lying in his lap. "Hey…Arnold?"

"U-Um…" he swallowed, nervousness getting the better of him…She'd never done this before. "Y-Yes, Helga?" he finished with the book and placed it aside, and now just looked down with a blush at her face looking directly up into his.

"You know, you still didn't answer my question…about the older women and why you're drawn to them like a football headed fly to football headed fly honey…" she finished with a chuckle and a smirk (and liking her new position that she was trying out right now.)

Arnold let out a breath…and then just smiled (already getting enough used to her lying in his lap to find it enjoyable). He proceeded to play with one of her pigtails a little as he spoke. "I don't know, Helga…I guess those older girls just seemed…more mature than most girls our age…But _you're_ the most mature, complicated, interesting person I've ever met. No question. And I guess also, maybe at the back of my mind I realized that if they were older it'd be much less likely that they'd like me back, so I could chase them and have feelings for them but never really have to get involved in an actual relationship that probably wouldn't work out anyway because of the age thing… Hmm…maybe that was some kind of subconscious way of keeping myself free for you, huh?" He chuckled at the idea and so did she…and then he added with a sigh, "And also…you know, Helga, part of me liking those older girls probably WAS a superficial guy thing…" He blushed more but went on. "We've gone over this, Helga…We're both real people and we have flaws…and one of _mine_ might be that when I find a pretty, mature girl I like I kind of…go a little nuts about it." And then before she could make any kind of a comment he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and made one himself. "Which is why I love that you're the whole package. You're pretty and smart and funny and wise and passionate and sweet and loving and independent and real and… You're just everything, Helga Geraldine Pataki…_my_ Helga Geraldine Pataki." He looked down at her with all the love in the world.

Arnold tried not to laugh as he felt Helga's form stiffen a little in his lap at his words…and then she let out a girlish sigh. Then she looked up into his eyes with just as much love as he looked down at her with. "Arnold…?" she cooed.

He nodded, smiling and loving and happily waiting for whatever she might say nex—

"OW!" A blinking and confused Arnold suddenly found himself rubbing his very sore feeling nose (which, he now realized, Helga had just reached up and flicked).

He heard Helga laugh and then he looked down at her again questioningly. "_That_…" she began to explain with a smirk, "…was for being so freaking dense for those six years…Honestly, like one of those dime a dozen pretty faced bimbos would ever be good enough for you, Arnold." She chuckled warmly. "I mean, if you were going to try and end up with someone who wasn't me, you could have at least made it someone good enough for you. Lila MIGHT have been close but even still…you need more of a..._challenge_…" She winked…and then a light blush settled on her cheeks. "And _this_…"And then instantly Arnold's heart was pounding at the feeling of her suddenly sitting up and wrapping her arms around him and kissing him tenderly, firmly, lovingly, pulling herself completely against him and pulling him in as much as possible! And as usual it was like her kiss was some kind of direct connection to everything she was feeling…because he could swear he was feeling it all too. And also…it always felt so very very VERY good to have her impress her lips to his so perfectly, savoring the different ways she had of doing so by shifting her head just a bit or a whole lot, or by changing the pressure she was putting on different parts of his mouth. And then Arnold almost smiled as he thought to himself, finally letting out one of those sighs through his nose that he always did and melting in her grasp, '_Aw who needs some stupid kiss on the cheek at a sixth grade dance…I already have the greatest kisser and the greatest date and the greatest girl in the whole city right here…and if I hadn't been so dense I would have realized a long time ago that she was right under my nose the whole time!'_

Helga pulled back with a dramatic lip-smacking sound now, effectively ending their kiss as well as his elated thoughts. His eyes fluttered open and he heard her giggly, cute voice speak. "THAT was for…well…not being dense _anymore_…" She giggled again and then shifted herself away from him so that she could sit beside him on the bed comfortably now.

Arnold took a second to absorb her response (and another one of her great kisses) and then just grinned happily. "You're…You're, uh…welcome, Helga…" He chuckled goofily…and then swallowed and asked hesitantly after several seconds, his little hands folded in his little lap (that was still warm from her having just laid in it…He shivered at the memory). "S-So, um…speaking of all of this stuff, Helga…do you ever think of…_me_…older?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye…

…Only to see her blink at first…but then eye him very very suggestively, her legs crossed again. "What do you think I dream about every night when our flirtatious phone calls are over, my darling…?"

Arnold blinked in surprise and felt his cheeks heating up! Her…thinking about him grown up…dreaming about it in her bed at night…He felt his breathing beginning to pick up!

Helga just laughed at once again getting one of those little embarrassed looks from him on this afternoon. She quickly waved him off and shook her head. "Kidding, kidding, Football Head. Relax, sheesh!" She laughed some more and then shrugged and went on, smiling to herself. "I mean, sometimes I have dreams like that…and then of course sometimes, in between poems and spitballs in class or something, I like to maybe imagine you taking me in your strong arms and being my teenage heartthrob instead of my preteen one…" She then reached up and put a hand on his shoulder. "But of course I don't think I'll ever get over you as you are right now…my perfect little flaxen haired angel just dripping with boyish charm…" She smiled affectionately at him.

He smiled affectionately back, blushing happily.

And then Arnold sighed and smirked. "The name of the sixth grade girl was Maria. But please don't kill her, Helga." He shifted closer, loving sharing her warmth. "…She already has to live with the knowledge that she can never be as wonderful as you…" he added in a low, loving voice.

Helga giggled and then smirked back at him, snuggling closer too. "Aw, can I at least pull some elaborate prank on her to get my revenge?"

He chuckled at the idea. "As long as you're not hurting anyone it sounds like an okay way to express yourself." He winked.

She laughed warmly and nudged into him a little. "Oh just shut up and get back to sitting on your couch and acting like you're just listening to music when you're really wondering what would be the smoothest way possible to end up tossing me back for a kiss, Football Head."

Arnold blushed a bright red at this sudden observation of hers, his eyes going wide.

Helga just let out a sigh and patted his shoulder a little. "Quick tip, Arnoldo—it's pretty obvious when you keep glancing at me with a goofy smile and checking your breath when you think I'm not paying attention that you've got something related to lips on your mind." She then stood up and stretched, glancing over at his alarm clock and then back to him. "But sadly though, Arnold, I've got to get home and help Miriam with making dinner...and anyway we've already been sucking each other's faces a ton lately…especially during our last date…" She grinned suggestively at him and at the memory of that first total physical afternoon of theirs together. "But not to worry, we can make out more next time!" she assured him and then she winked and gave him a little wave. "See you, my beloved!"

And with that she crawled over his bed and went to climb up to his skylight to leave.

"Wait, um…Helga?"

The sound of her beloved calling back to her though made Helga pause in mid-climb and turn around with a half grin, a hand on her hip. "Yup, Casanova?"

Arnold blushed and glanced down, and then got on his knees on the bed and crawled over to her. "Um, well…" He sighed and grinned now, sitting up on his knees with his arms behind his back. "Let's face it, this whole 'older women' thing was kind of awkward for me…and it did keep me from getting the chance to spend a little bit of kissing time with you before you had to go…and this _is_ supposed to be an equal relationship we have, so…So I think I…I think I've earned the chance to ask YOU an awkward question…maybe next time we get together?" He gave her a half smile and raised one of his eyebrows.

Helga gave him a blank look for a second, part of her brow raised in curiosity. "Uh…" She dropped back to the bed quickly. "Seriously?" She considered the request for a moment and then just smiled and shrugged. "Well, okay, Arnold, if you really want to….I'm not sure what humiliating question you think you'll come up with but go for it, you loopy little football head, you." She giggled and winked.

Arnold smiled…grinned actually…A chance to put _her_ on the spot for once—of course he wouldn't pass that up in a million years! "Okay, Helga…I'll take the night to think about it and talk to you tomorrow after school…"

She smiled back and nodded. "Okay then, Arnold. I'll see you then, my darling…" She gave him another small wave and was about to head up to the fire escape when Arnold moved forward once more, causing her to pause.

"Um, Helga…?" A little blush came to his cheeks, and a little coy smile was on his lips.

Helga's heart fluttered at how cute he looked like that and her eyes went half lidded. "Yes, Arnold?"

He moved a little closer, now taking one of her hands and looking deeply into her eyes. "Don't I…at least get a goodbye kiss?"

Her smile grew and she squeezed his hand and moved in close to him on the bed. "Crimeny, Football head. 'Hello' kisses, 'goodbye' kisses…all of the making out…You're gonna wear down my lips one of these days, you know."

He chuckled and sighed, rolling his eyes to the side sarcastically. "Let's hope not…I still don't know how mine made it through the first nine years of my life without them."

"That makes two of us, Arnold," she agreed with her own chuckle. And then with a smile and a light blush she put her hands on Arnold's shoulders (and felt his arms come around her waist) and came forward to kiss him…but then paused just before their noses would have brushed and just as Arnold was in the middle of closing his eyes. "Although…" she smirked a little and whispered her words, "Instead of a goodbye kiss…could I opt to hear one of those 'purrs' of yours that Gerald might have also mentioned…" She really did her best not to laugh at the very idea (soda having come out of her nose the first time she'd heard about it, she'd been laughing so hard)…and yet it was also a little exciting at the same time…Her Arnold…_purring_!

Arnold's entire face heated up red, and his eyes dilated wide. She actually felt his little chest against hers stop going up and down with breathing.

She giggled and shook her head (blushing quite a bit herself). "Oh Arnold, you've got to say _something_ back to that…because I really do have to go, but…I'm already getting tempted to stay here and see if I could _make_ you do it if you really won't just at least tell me about it…" She gave him a playful wink.

Meanwhile, Arnold was feeling everything inside of himself shaking and catching and heating up. And now at her little 'threat', instantly many daydreams flooded his mind…about her _making_ him purr…and it all just made him blush and almost explode inside even more! No, he—after all of this talk of older women and Helga as a grown up and…it was just too much right now. "I…" he finally squeaked out…He decided to keep things basic and to beg her not to push this right now, if necessary, "I…Y-Yeah, uh…Gerald told me to with Ms. Felter so I, um…purred…a-a little. But…But _right now_, I…I…" His breathing was heavy and flustered. She needed to leave or he'd just…He could feel a repeat of the end result of that whole 'hard to get' thing coming on but this time with _him_ as the one tossing _her_ down somewhere, informing _her_ that she was irresistible and that _he_ was done waiting, and then just diving at her and…and…and…

A giggle from Helga brought him out of his stupor. "Wow, calm down, you great big lug. I was just kidding about making you do it…" And then she leaned down and gave him a gentle goodbye kiss on the mouth…really enjoying how their lips really did seem to fit each other so well…

She pulled back eventually and then went to release him from her embrace…but not before adding to her sentence in a whisper right by his ear… "_For now_…"

She pulled away with a giggle again, and a blushing Arnold, caught up in an internal euphoria of lovesickness and desire and happiness, was just dazedly watching her climb to his skylight once more when he noticed her pause half way up and turn back to him with a half smile. "Hey, Arnold…you wanna know why on top of all the older women you fell for Lila too?"

Arnold just kept watching her with his goofy grin, breathing a little heavily, blushing so much.

"Arnold—you who? Focus please, my darling." She chuckled and snapped her fingers a few times.

Arnold blinked at the sound and the prompt, and then finally came back to reality and processed her question…A question which actually made him consider what it's answer could be for a few seconds…and then he looked up to her and replied with an interested smile, "Uh…I just thought it was because she liked me liked me first and she was nice but…" he raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Is there anything else I should know?"

She just nodded down to him, a dreamy yet sheepish look in her eyes. "Yeah…I was the idiot who wrote 'Arnold Loves Lila' on the wall…"

Arnold blinked, and then paused…and then broke back into a smile and just let out a sigh and shook his head to himself, chuckling warmly. "Helga…why in the world would you—"

She just shrugged, cutting him off. "Eh, it originally said 'Arnold Loves Helga' but I thought the truth might be too much of a shock to your system if you saw it just written in an alley like that so I changed it to whatever I could think of at the last minute."

He just sat back and sighed and then looked at her with a smile. "So…to make us even does this mean I have to write 'Helga Loves Brainy' on a wal—OW!" He was rubbing his sore nose again. He blinked a few times and opened his eyes to see that she had just reached down, grabbed one of his pillows and lobbed it at his head.

"You're a jerk who relies way too much on irony for his humorous material," she merely replied with an eye roll and a grin. "And if you ever DO write something like that I'll slug you." Then she winked and finished her climb to his skylight, popped it open and stepped out onto the fire escape landing. "See you tomorrow, Arnoldo!" And then she closed the skylight window and she was gone.

Arnold just gazed up dreamily at the skylight by which she had just departed for several, several seconds…then sighed and collapsed onto his bed with a wide grin and warm chuckles. "Only Helga G. Pataki could make a guy melt inside by threatening to punch him…." He laughed to himself a little more, gazing over at the cute stack of her pink books (which he was freely leaving by his bedside all the time now that she knew about them)… "And only she could get away with being that tough and that cute at the same time…"

He let out a deep, happy sigh, resting here upon his bed for now and letting all of his love-filled thoughts and feelings and memories all about her wash over him, drifting in and out between daydreams…and eventually getting close to real dreams…and all of them all about Helga.

"One day…she said she's going to…make me purr…"

The only thing more elating and intriguing and brilliant than that thought to Arnold…was the parallel thought popping into his head of…maybe being the one to make her purr one day…

He fell asleep with this idea on his brain…and also wracking his mind a bit for what very fun question he could ask Helga G. Pataki after school tomorrow to make them even for the 'older women' question she'd asked today.

* * *

_The next afternoon…_

"Arnold, crimeny, slow down! Your room's not going anywhere!" Helga couldn't help but exclaim with a half smile as she was eagerly pulled up the stairs of the boarding house in the direction of the attic by her beloved.

Arnold just turned around to her with the grin she'd seen him with all day (and especially after the bell had rung twenty minutes ago), continuing to pull her along now that they'd reached the hall. "I know, Helga…But I'm excited!"

Helga, barely managing to keep pace with him, just looked at him in curious amusement for a moment and then shook her head. "Arnold, yikes, if you were THIS desperate to kiss you should have told me the second school was over and we could've jumped into a janitor's closet or something for a little tête-à-tête…."

They had reached the pull down cord for the steps to Arnold's room, and that was half the reason Arnold came to a sudden, halting stop…the other half was because her words had made his eyes go wide and a bright rosy blush come to his face. He turned to her with a flustered gulp. "Helga! I…No, I…" He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand shyly. "I-I meant that I'm excited for, um…" his grin returned a bit, "…For getting to ask you my question. You remember, Helga? Yesterday after you asked me that question about older women you said I could ask you one question? Well, I've got mine and I want to ask it." He smiled brightly and fully once again…and then added with a shy little gaze off to the side. "But, um… I'm always excited for kissing too, of course…" He squeezed her hand a little. "But, um…anyway…" He shook his head, coming back to the situation at hand and then turned around and pulled down the attic cord, causing the steps to his room to descend, and then he turned back to her and gestured up to the door to his room. "Like I was saying, let's go up so I can ask you my question!"

Helga blinked at his explanation for his enthusiasm today, then raised part of her brow, putting her free hand on her hip. "Wow, you actually got a question? And you're _this_ excited about it?" She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh brother…okay, let's do this…" _'Probably going to ask me about my last dream about him or my favorite non-Arnold hobby or something…Cute little guy. Oh well, might as well let him get it out of his system.'_ She nodded to herself at this plan of action as her beloved began to pull her up the stairs.

"Thanks, Helga," he replied, smiling at her over his shoulder as they reached the door to his room which Arnold opened. The two children entered the familiar blue and green room.

Helga just shrugged, shutting the door behind them (but not before grabbing and hanging on the back of it their 'Do Not Disturb' sign…since of course Arnold had made sure to mention to her how excited he always was for kissing just now). "Yeah, well, it'll make you happy obviously and besides a Pataki never goes back on a deal, so fire away…" She chuckled to herself as he brought them over to his couch. He finally released her hand now and then gently put his hands on her shoulders and sat her down, and then eagerly sat himself down next to her. She tried not to laugh even more, both at his little 'setting up' of the two of them and at the fact that, well… "Besides," she scoffed, "I know you, Arnold—no way you could come up with something to ask that would really make me squirm. Not with everything you already know about me, at least…"

Arnold just sighed at her comment, still smiling rather proudly. "Well…" he started…and then his smile changed into…a smirk? "I guess that would be true, Helga…_if_ I hadn't gotten a little outside help." He winked at her.

Helga's calm look only twitched for a second, but she still remained basically smug and confidant looking. '_Bluffing…So bluffing…_' "Oh please, Arnold—don't bluff. I mean, really, the only people on the planet who know things about me that are too embarrassing to even tell you would be…I don't know, my sister but she's in Alaska…and maybe Phoebe I guess…"

Arnold smirked just a little more to himself, folding his hands together in his lap. "Speaking of Phoebe…it's funny what some people will tell you and help you come up with when you mention to them the name of the girl their current boyfriend took to that sixth grade dance a couple of months ago…who Gerald forgot to mention to her when he brought up that story when you guys were all together apparently."

Helga lost the smile. She was still suspicious though. "Arnold, Phoebe would NOT—"

"Did I mention I also threw in the name of this junior high girl neighbor of Gerald's who he also had a big crush on and actually even fought over with this brother a couple months ago?" Arnold added casually, very very pleased with himself at this point. He chuckled to himself and shrugged at the slightly underhanded actions he had taken. "I know it wasn't a nice thing for me to do to him but in my defense he went and told you about Ms. Felter and started this whole thing in the first place, so…"

And now the color was gone from Helga's face, and she knew he wasn't bluffing, and all she could think to soothe herself with was, '_Okay, okay, come on—Arnold basically knows everything about you. What else could he possibly_—'

"Alright Helga," Arnold's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Here's my question…And I really think it's a good one." He cleared his throat, let out a breath, and then announced triumphantly and with one of his familiar boyish smiles, "What other things besides those bottles I saw during our one week anniversary has your closet shrine been made of?"

Helga just looked at him for several seconds…and then she smiled…and then reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh Arnold…Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…" She sighed and shook her head. "I will personally take that information with me to my grave. Nice try though but no dice…Pick a new question."

Arnold, trying not to laugh, just shook his head. "No, I…think I like my question just fine, thanks. And don't make me start guessing what else it's been made of, Helga…you know if I guess right I'll know…just like with your middle name, my Helga Geraldine…" He leaned just a bit closer to her with that half lidded gaze of his, knowing that if he couldn't convince her to tell him what he wanted to know by pleas and logic…he could probably do it with some flirting.

Helga just rolled her eyes and scoffed at him (but there was a distinct blush in her face that she usually got whenever he pulled out her middle name). "A-Arnold, please—it was one thing guessing G names but you'd never guess what else the shrine's been made of in a million years. Guaranteed." She sighed and half smiled to herself at memories of some of her past shenanigans in that area. "Yeah, only _my_ twisted mind could have come up with half of the stuff I've used over the years…" She shook her head at her amusing craziness.

Arnold sighed and glanced away…and decided to add a new (usually quite effective) approach to his flirting strategy. "You know…I'm not entirely sure I believe you about that, Helga… I think that the bottles were probably the most creative thing you ever used and that you're just trying to impress me by saying it's been made of more interesting stuff in the past…"

Helga crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at him, knowing full well what he was trying to do (just like she knew calling her 'his Helga Geraldine' had just been to butter her up). "Oh nice try, bucko, but reverse psychology is NOT going to work! I've matured a bit ever since that tutoring weekend when you cajoled me into giving all of our friends help."

Arnold ignored her remark and just shrugged, pretending he was talking aloud to himself. "Probably just used popsicle sticks or clay—standard stuff like that. Nothing really expressive or creative or original until I finally liked you back…"

"_Arnold_…now you're pushing my buttons a little…E-Even though your stupid plan of egging me on STILL isn't working!" she made sure to tack on firmly, though now he had her scowling…and Arnold knew it was working perfectly of course. "I've never needed your love to be creative—just the love inside of myself!" she went on firmly. "Having your love now is helpful of course but I was making your shrine out of things far better than bottles _long_ before you came along! Hmph!" She looked away from him stubbornly.

"Far better things like _what_?" he finally asked casually, leaning towards her more. "…My creative Helga Geraldine…"

A VERY frustrated look came to her face (along with a blush) and she just slumped back on Arnold's couch…in defeat! '_Darn it…_' "Phoebe is _so_ dead later…" she mumbled to herself in annoyance.

"Oh come on, Helga…" Arnold shifted closer to her and put a hand on one of her shoulders supportively, just smiling and speaking sincerely now. "Please tell me what else you used to use to make them…Please…" She, in all of her stubbornness, was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He took the opportunity to meet her gaze, making his eyes go half lidded like she liked…And then a little half grin picked up on his face…and to Helga's sudden wide-eyed and blushing surprise he now reached his hand on her shoulder around to her far shoulder so that his arm was draped over both of them, and then picked up his other hand and started snugly twirling the end of one of her pigtails in one of his fingers. "Because really…" he went on, speaking nicely to her…very charmingly, "I know you were creative long before I came around, Helga…I just want to know what wonderful things that beautiful mind of yours came up with to use for your amazing shrine? You're so creative, Helga…my precious, soft, pink Helga…" He delicately released the pigtail, and then took the index finger of this now free hand and tapped her lightly on the nose, finishing with a wink. "I bet you picked the most fascinating things in the whole world…"

And now, of course, Helga was going to tell him. '_Heck, he could have had me singing like a canary just for the arm across my shoulder and the hair twirling alone._' She took a deep breath, giving her nervousness and fluster a second to ebb, and then she finally just let out a sigh and smiled, meeting her beloved's gaze and trying not to chuckle. "I hate you and that smooth talk of yours sometimes, Arnold… You always know just what to say to get me to do anything…"

He chuckled back at her, blushing a little at the compliment. "Well, what can I say…It's sort of my job now…and I'm just happy I'm the guy lucky enough to be in charge of making your cheeks blush and your heart flutter and those blue eyes of yours go so wide…"

She giggled, blushing even more (and still in his grasp). "A-Arnold…Shh…Save some of it for later—aren't we talking about my shrines now?" She looked at him in amusement.

Her love seemed dazed for a moment but then he let out a sigh and nodded, releasing his arm from around her and scooching away just a tiny bit to put just a smidge of distance between them. "O-Of course…" He cleared his throat, doing his best to come out of his romantic thoughts. "S-So…your shrines and what they've been made of…Thanks for saying you'd tell me, Helga. I really am excited to know." He looked at her with genuine interest as he waited for her to begin.

"I-I know, Arnold…and I'm happy to share…even if you DID pick the most embarrassing question you could have picked." She laughed a little and so did he, and then finally she just crossed her arms over her chest with a blush, swallowed…and began to answer his inquiry. "Okay, so, uh…well, actually you weren't far off with some of those reverse psychology things you suggested, Football Head." She met his eyes. "One of my shrines actually was made of macaroni…It was only the first one though. Around first grade I started kind of sort of stalking you a little and collecting little things you'd throw away…old blocks, a sock or two, a piece of shoelace…and I used to keep them in a box under my bed. Anyway, things started getting a little cramped so I finally moved it to my closet, but I guess it all felt like it needed a signature of yours or something to go with it to tie it together and show what it was all about…and to remind me of your perfect face, of course." She smiled more and shrugged, going on. "So…a few art classes later we were making macaroni art projects—I stole some of the macaroni, brought it home, and pasted it into a mini statue of you….Besides the macaronis kind of reminded me of you—or at least their shape reminded me of the shape of your head." She chuckled and winked.

Arnold just smiled and smiled and smiled so warmly at this adorable memory of hers. Had anyone cuter than her in the entire world ever existed? He seriously doubted it.

His approving and happy smile made Helga feel a little more confident about all of this shrine talk, and so she went on a lot more casually and a lot less nervously now. "Okay, so now you know the cutest, most normal thing my shrine's ever been made of…" She blushed a little, despite her new confidence. "Do you…want to know the strangest thing it's ever been made of yet or should I take you there gradually? Or do you wanna guess?" She smirked a little.

"Hmm…" A smiling Arnold considered…. "One guess…" He thought things over for another second or two and then smiled brightly and announced, "Bananas?"

Helga blinked, looked totally confused at this possibly most random guess on the planet from him, and then instantly burst into laughter. "Bananas? Where the heck did that come from, Arnold?"

Arnold shrugged and smiled sheepishly, laughing a little along with her. "Just trying to think of more things that are shaped like my head, Helga."

She laughed once more…He was just so adorable about things sometimes. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at him a little sheepishly. "Well…actually I did make it out of, um, fruit once…But I used a quarter of a watermelon for you head. A banana would have been WAY too small." She blushed just a little at admitting about that shrine.

Arnold just smiled a little more and had to concede to her logic about his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe for a mini shrine, but not the big one. But…fruit, huh?" He gave her an intrigued look. "That sounds pretty, Helga…" And then raised one of his eyebrows as a thought occurred to him. "Wouldn't that have rotted though, Helga?"

Helga rolled her eyes, smiling sheepishly at herself. "Woo, tell me about it! Crimeny, Miriam actually ended up finding it because of the stench and throwing it away, it was smelling so bad eventually—good thing she didn't figure out what the heck it was!" She blushed brightly at the very idea, unable to even imagine how horribly embarrassing it would have been back then for her if Miriam had indeed figured things out all on her own and confronted her about it without warning…Her bright blush became more defined in her face.

Arnold just smiled more and let out a sigh…placing his hand down on the couch where conveniently his fingertips mixed with hers. "That's too bad, Helga—I wish I could have seen it…" _'When she blushes…I_…' He thought of the other day when she'd laid her blushing cheek against his and that deep heat had passed between them. It made him quiver a little inside. He wanted to lean over now and…kiss her blush even deeper.

Helga just smirked and glanced at him at his reply. "Eh, I think _one_ tour around the Arnold shrine is more than enough for you, Head Boy." She winked…and savored that flirtatious feeling of their fingertips touching like this. It reminded her of that kiss in her room the night of their one week anniversary…in front of her closet when she hadn't been able to break from his eyes…and they'd leaned in, unable to help themselves…slow, quiet deep…his arm coming around her…It made her tremble…made her want certain things… (And well, come to think of it, she really _had_ had to leave yesterday before too much kissing had had a chance to happen).

Arnold just let out a small chuckle at her joke about touring the shrine.

They were gazing deeply into each other's eyes…there was quiet…their fingers still mixed and their thoughts and hearts still raced…

"Helga…"

"Yeah, Football Head?"

He swallowed… "B-Before we get, um…lost in anything…mind telling me the strangest thing your shrine's ever been made of?"

Helga giggled…and blushed deeper (though Arnold was still certain he would be able to deepen even more when they did 'get lost in some things' in about ten seconds)…and then she leaned in close and whispered something into his ear…

Arnold listened with his usual smile for a moment…and then his eyes went wide…and he raised an eyebrow….

Helga pulled back, looking down awkwardly and shyly.

Arnold raised a finger of his free hand, his mouth agape a bit. He remained silent for a moment. And then… "My…used…"

"Uh, yeah…" Helga cut him off a little in her embarrassment, finding no need for having to go through hearing him complete that sentence with the word 'gum'.

"But…where did you even…And how…?"

She sighed. All understandable questions. She decided to breeze through them as quickly and neatly as possible to avoid as much awkwardness as possible. "Uh…under park benches, on the rims of trash cans, on a sidewalk or two, heh, heh…Helps when you stalk someone night and day…A-And before you ask, um…y-yeah…I made out with that shrine's head just like I usually do with the heads…Heh…" She finally glanced back at him, smiling sheepishly.

Arnold remained looking at her a little strangely at first…but then suddenly a funny little smile came to his face…and then he just started laughing warmly to himself (and began to mix the fingers of their hands on the couch together even more, actually caressing her hand now).

Now it was Helga's turn to raise part of her brow in wide-eyed confusion. "Arnold…?" She hadn't really expected him to find something as creepy as 'used gum' this amusing despite how cute he usually thought her eccentricities were.

He just continued laughing warmly and lovingly. "S-sorry Helga…" he soon managed to begin, "I don't know, it…I guess the gum just reminded me of the time you—when you made me and you share that piece of gum in front of Arnie when you were trying to help me make Lila jeal—" And then he paused in his speaking and his eyes lit up as something obviously clicked. He looked to her with an impressed half grin. "_Or_…I guess when you were tricking me into thinking you were helping me make Lila jealous just so you could pretend to be my girlfriend…" He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for confirmation of his new discovery.

Helga just blushed and smirked (caressing his hand a little now herself, reciprocating his affectionate action). "Well, well, well…finally figured me out and a couple months and a whirlwind courtship between us after the fact. Clever, Sherlock." She giggled at how happy he seemed with himself for putting the pieces together.

Arnold laughed again too…and then finally released her hand…only to get on his knees and then on his hands as well on the couch and crawl a little towards her, looking at her with curiosity and intrigue…and leaning in… "I still can't believe you got me to do that…sharing gum…You know if there's any proof that somehow deep down I've loved you too for a while it's _that_…" His eyes went half lidded. "We should…try it again some time…now that I know why I was so willing to do it with you in the first place…"

Meanwhile, Helga's heart had been pounding the entire time he'd been crawling/leaning closer to her, and now a fiery blush came to her face at this last little suggestive request. "A-Arnold!" A small, shy smile came to her face and she had to glance down.

He let out a shuddery sigh, and it made her eyes travel back to his. "A shrine of used gum, huh?" He just gazed at her with his eyes half lidded, looking utterly entranced by her all of a sudden. "You're just the most creative girl ever, aren't you, Helga…? An artist and a poet… romantic…passionate… fiery…talented… brilliant… _beautiful_…" He moved his hand forward and gently picked up hers again…this time lifting it up to his mouth and placing a lingering, deep kiss upon it…and all the while not breaking his green eyes from her wide blue ones. "And you even made out with it…Hmm…I've said it before and I'll say it again: lucky, lucky, lucky shrine…." His smile grew and his voice had lowered to full on flirtatious level.

And Helga, right now, was going crazy inside! '_What the HECK button did I just press on him and where can I get a schematic of that wide mind of his so that I can start doing it regularly?'_ Indeed, with how he was acting right now he was obviously feeling really…well…well, whatever it was, something about the used gum had done it to him…She could see it in his eyes…They seemed to almost burn with something for her… It all set her heart aflame.

Her breaths quite shallow by this point, Helga swallowed and as casually as possible allowed her hand to slip from Arnold's grasp and to return to its former place propping up her 'slowly getting more horizontal thanks to Arnold's crawling forward and leaning forward' body on the couch…and then she let her eyelids flutter a little as she looked to her love and asked, feigning surprise, "Arnold, my love…are you trying to come on to me?"

"Hmm…" He gave a small low chuckle, still looking dazed, still looking into her eyes, still on all fours…and still showing no sign whatsoever of backing down from shyness right now. "Helga, my talented blue eyed love…_now_ who's being dense?" And in truth Arnold couldn't explain it but he really had suddenly felt himself so intrigued by her with all this talk of shrines…A shrine of used gum? '_So unique…just like her_…' And then that feeling of being intrigued (plus their flirting…plus the fact that he loved her so deeply…) had led to him feeling almost pulled toward her…followed by attracted to her…and then just…just intoxicated by her…She was wonderful and he wanted to be near her more than anything else in the whole world.

Helga meanwhile just gave a small giggle at the rhetorical question from her beloved, and then she reached up and pulled her ribbon from her hair, ran her fingers through her pigtails a few times till her golden locks fell lightly around her shoulders, then tied the ribbon back on the top of her head. Arnold just raised a playful eyebrow at the action. She shrugged in reply. "Oh come on—you know you like running your fingers through it! So I just figured I'd…save you the trouble of passionately pulling it down yourself…" She had to glance away with a shy, blushing smile again at the one or two memories she had of Arnold's fingers just going full force through her pigtails to the point that once he was done with them, they were NOT pigtails anymore.

Arnold's blush and smile likewise grew, but again he gave in to no shyness and merely went with it all, too caught up (and too excited) to delay things any further. "Yeah…" he gave a nod, "Like I've said, Helga…your hair…it's soft and the color of sunshine…and it smells like raspberries and lemons…and then there's the simple fact that it's part of you…Of course I love your hair, Helga." Helga then felt her heart pulse like a jackhammer as Arnold suddenly closed his eyes and moved forward, and then slightly lowered his head down and to the side just a bit and came around her neck. She heard the movement of breath as he took a delicate inhale near her hair and then let it out…and then she all but collapsed in trembles as, before leaving this area of herself and just looking at her again…he placed a single small kiss low on her face, close to her hair line. And then he whispered into her ear… "Who needs some stupid older woman…? I'd rather have a young, warm, fiery love goddess of a girl any day…"

Arnold did pull back now to just look at Helga with a smile and a blush and a half lidded gaze…and to see her reaction to his charming and truthful admission to her.

"Oh…Oh ARNOLD…" The goofiest smile imaginable came to Helga G. Pataki ('_Shortman's_') face. "You'd rather have a…and I'm your…your…Oh _please_ call me it again!" she implored, her voice light and airy, cooing and loving.

He just nodded sweetly (feeling his heart beat quick and quicken at that tone of voice from her…which meant there really was no going back for them now. And who in the world would want to anyway?). "Of course I'll call you it again…_my goddess of love_…" She swooned at that and he _loved_ it. He went on. "And of course you're a thousand times better than even a thousand already grown up girls…" he assured her sincerely. "I mean, think about it. You…even without being, um…" And then suddenly, despite his usual smoothness with talking to her romantically, Arnold found himself blushing and stammering, a slightly frustrated/panicky look coming to his face now at the topic he'd suddenly backed himself into saying something about. "W-Well, without having…I-I mean, since those other girls have already kind of…_you know_…and you… _haven't_ yet…"

Helga G. Pataki, meanwhile, was just watching in more and more amused interest as her love god's face grew redder and redder and his little features more and more nervous looking. And yeah, she knew what he was trying to say but…it really was cute watching poor, modest little Arnold get all tripped up about it. But really though, now she had to take some pity on him.

She reached up a hand and put it on his shoulder, smiling supportively, and choosing the least awkward wording possible for him so that he could go on…and so they could get to their kissing already. "…Even with me still having the 'features' of more of a… 'girl' than a 'woman' yet, my love…even though you find my personality rather womanly?"

Arnold blinked at her suggestion…He thought about her words and then shyly gulped and nodded. Yeah, okay: that was a way to put it. And a safe way, thankfully. He let out a breath and went on quickly before he could back himself into any more corners like that. "Well, um…even with you just having more 'girlish' features still…you're…you're, um…" his smile went a little goofy…the lovesickness was taking over again… "You're breathtaking…I mean…" and then suddenly his eyes narrowed and he seemed to be staring off a little as he spoke…his voice picking up in enthusiasm… "I mean, you are JUST…" He paused instantly though and then his eyes snapped open wide again and he blinked a few times and tugged at his collar… "W-Well, what I mean is…um…you're only ten-years-old and already so pretty that it's crazy, so like I said I just know that you're going to grow up and look…" He let out a breath and turned his half lidded gaze to her eyes again, speaking in his low, sultry tone… "You'll look so stunning that…that every guy we pass on the street as I walk with you, holding your hand…they'll all just stop and stare and their jaws'll drop…And between that and all the things you'll do and grow up to be…you'll end up as the most amazing grown up woman ever, Helga. Even now you're just exploding with how brilliant you'll be…My brilliant love goddess…"

Arnold's brilliant love goddess just…she smiled in a way he'd never seen her smile before.

"Helga…Helga? You okay?" Arnold eventually asked quietly, still lovingly smiling from his position practically hovering over her.

At his prompt, Helga finally blinked a couple of times and then gave herself a small smack on the cheek back to reality. "Oh, uh, yeah, present and accounted for, heh..." She swallowed and her gaze went down… and just a little bit of that smile returned…Walking down the street as grown ups, Arnold holding her hand, every boy they passed turning their heads because she was so gorgeous…and just smiling to herself because the only man in the whole world for her was right at her side…(And also every girl they passed turning to stare at Arnold's gorgeous physique…and she seeing his eyes, despite all of that attention, never leaving her…) She sighed. Perfect. A perfect life together forever.

In her return to her stupor she didn't notice Arnold leaning over her even further again, face in her hair (and lips by her ear) once more. "Helga…wake up, my love goddess…" he whispered jokingly. "I was…'coming onto you'…Remember?" He placed another kiss upon her, this one right near her jaw line...and he let it linger for a moment.

Helga shuddered terribly and tried to regain some of her composure as he moved back again now to just gave at her lovingly…And then because she was tired of feeling like the ONLY person here who was putty in the other person's hands, she suddenly gave him a smirk… "Yeah…I remember, Arnold…And speaking of that…since my hair's already down…"

Then Arnold's confident and flirty smile dropped and his eyes went wide as Helga suddenly reached up and jerked him close by the collar, mushing their noses together. "The sweater—_lose it!"_

Arnold's heart was the one thundering and pounding this time!

Indeed, it took him a few seconds, not having expected her sudden command…but then he finally took a deep breath…and then swallowed…and then nodded. And then he pulled back with a shy smile and sat up on his knees, and finally pulled off his sweater and tossed it on his floor. He rolled up his shirtsleeves a little too, just because he felt like it (and because he figured Helga would like it too), and then got right back to gazing into her face (and practically hovering over her) on all fours. "Better, Helga?" he asked with a grin and his eyes just a little narrowed.

She giggled and nodded, blushing and smiling like crazy at his action and having watched him do it. "Oh _yes_…It's just…so much nicer having only one thin layer of fabric instead of that plus your thick sweater between my hands and the warmth of your body, my love god…" She brought a finger forward and placed it upon the center of his stomach over his shirt and lightly dragged it up to the top of his collar.

A very deep blush developed in Arnold's face…but the goofy smile and slightly narrowed eyes (as well as his power of speech) remained to him. "Well, it's…nicer for me to have _your_ warmth closer to me too, Helga…and your hands closer…" He closed his eyes and this little shudder kind of passed through him…It was one of those warm little squirms that had been going through him lately, actually. Finally though he got over it and managed to open his eyes again. He just sighed and leaned in and gave her a small soft kiss on the mouth. "I love you, Helga….and I love that you make me shudder and blush and sigh…and even burn a little inside…" His eyes fell to her lips…so beautiful before a kiss…and he knew they'd be beautiful afterwards too…

Helga giggled and let out a sweet, warm breath and he felt it hit his lips and it almost sent him over the edge… "I love you, Arnold…" she replied, and leaned a little up and gave him a shy, small kiss back, their eyes melting together in love. "And I like trembling and moaning and blushing…and even burning a little myself all because of you…"

He smiled more. "And I like making you do those things…"

She smiled more. "As I like making you do them too, Arnold…And I'll like it…love it...forever…."

The two kids shared a warm smile…And then their eyes closed as those warm smiles came together in a warm, tender, intimate kiss…and as that happened Arnold let himself come forward completely to rest upon Helga. They shared more kisses as the minutes passed, some shy and sweet, some passionate and long… fitting their mouths together…Arnold and Helga….

'_And I was worried about telling him about the shrine in the first place_…' Helga eventually couldn't help but think to herself with a slight smirk amidst their making out. _'Heck, if I'd known it would lead to __this__ I would have carted that whole life-size soda bottle sculpture here that day I told him about the shrines instead of just that crummy math book one to start with! Oh I am so going to go home after this and coming up with something even crazier than used gum to make a shrine out of! Who KNOWS what the heck finding out something like __that'll__ do to him? Heh, heh…_' Her thoughts faded on the subject as her beloved Arnold, getting into things, reached up both hands into her hair, tightly winding it's strands gently yet passionately around her fingers, his head angling more as he tried to savor all their was about her lips…and did she mention he was _on top of her_ right now! Oh she loved when he got all over her but especially this feeling of him just plain cutting loose and throwing himself at her completely.

She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him up a little eventually, taking a second to let them catch their breaths and also because she had something to say before letting herself go completely limp and at his mercy underneath him. "Going all the way this time with pretending you're ice cream in something a la mode, I see, Arnold…" She giggled, taking shallow breaths in and out.

Arnold chuckled a little, panting a tiny bit as well. "Well…I _am_ your ice cream after all…" He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips… "And you DO taste sweet like a dessert…You deserve to be t-topped with ice cream…." He could feel himself blushing like crazy at saying something like that…Yes, blushing like crazy at being the ice cream topping his sweet Helga…and yet it felt so right that he never wanted to be anything else in his entire life at this moment.

She just giggled again at his adorable answer. "Hey, speaking of sweet lips…what's left of the lip gloss is in my backpack. Should I go get it?"

He smiled at her suggestion but shook his head. "Um, if it's alright, Helga…I'd rather just kiss the old fashioned way today. I'd like the lip gloss to stay a little special and also…I don't really want us to have to move and go get it, to be honest…" His blush deepened. "And anyway, like I said once before, your lips are perfect with or without it…" He gulped, his eyes transfixed on them. "I still don't know how I didn't see that about them for all these years…deserving so much love and attention and having to wait so long for it…How did I ever live without you, Helga Geraldine…?"

Helga Geraldine just smiled and blushed more along with him and nodded at his request about her lips and saving the gloss for another time…and then rolled her eyes at his flirtatious dramatics about her lips that he had chosen to finish up with (though of course his words made her lips tremble and secretly long for and beg for his to the highest capacity). "W-Whatever you say, ice cream…" she replied shyly, coyly…in anticipation his own flushed and perfect lips that she adored just as much as he adored hers.

"Exactly." Arnold winked and smiled at her cute reply. "Whatever I say, my sweet lipped love goddess…"

There were some more giggles and chuckles as Helga held Arnold closer and Arnold snuggled in completely on top of her once more (and buried his hands to their fullest capacity into her hair), and the two of them came together once more to continue their deep kisses of love up here…and all because Arnold's wacky subconscious had decided to find 'used gum', of all things, attractive.

* * *

_RING RING, RING RING_

"Hello, Johanssen residence, Gerald speaking…"

A laugh, and then a few deep inhales and exhales as the person on the other end of the line seemed to be catching their breath. "You are such a tool sometimes, Geraldo…"

Gerald's eyes went wide at the VERY unexpected voice that had just met his ear. "Oh! Uh, hey, Helga!" He raised an eyebrow but had to smile a little too…Even though she'd never called his house before, it wasn't so very strange: they _had_ been becoming better friends after all. And so he chuckled and just responded playfully, "Hey, it's better than when you answer the phone at your house in that dreamy voice whenever you think it's Arnold calling…" A smug look came to his face. "Phoebe mentioned you doing that to her a few times so far over the last few weeks…"

A sigh came from Helga and now it finally sounded like her breathing was slowing a little. "Oh ha-ha, HILARIOUS, Geraldo…Anyway, speaking of Phoebe…" One more deep breath in and out, just to finally be able to speak normally. "That's why I called, actually…"

Gerald's look became even more curious…. "Uh, okay, shoot Helga. And…just out of curiosity, is this 'crazy scheme' oriented at all? I mean, you sound like you just finished running a marathon or something."

He heard Helga's breath instantly catch in her throat on the other end of the line. Then she quickly cleared her throat and replied back to him in a high pitched voice, "Oh, uh…n-no, no crazy schemes, heh…I was just, um…well, I thought I should get through to you as soon as possible and then weneededabreatheranyway so…" she seemed to quickly brush past this part of her explanation, "…S-So I just asked Arnold to get me a Mr. Fudgie Bar from the Jollie Ollie man for a little pre-Dinner snack and then I figured as long as I was up here alone I might as well call up you…" A slightly shy swallow followed this quick little bit of background information.

Gerald's face remained blank at first as he absorbed her words and explanations… but then the obvious clicked and he instantly rolled his eyes and turned up his nose as he fully realized why exactly Helga was so out of breath. "Oh man, Helga, I do NOT even want to know what you and Arnold were doing that you're actually _panting_ right now, okay, Pataki?" He let out a deep sigh and rubbed one of his temples, his eyes closed. "Seriously, I'm cool with you and Arnold dating and being in love and even with some of the more lovey dovey cutesy flirting stuff I have to witness but I have to draw the line when it comes to me getting an intimate knowledge of the physical toll that whatever the heck you two do up in your rooms together takes on you, okay?"

An exasperated sigh from Helga met his ears now. "Oh would you quit being jealous that Arnold and I actually have a serious physical as well as emotional relationship, Geraldo!" She chuckled and added a bit smugly, "Crimeny, just GO for it with Phoebe—I think you'd be surprised at how receptive she might be…"

Gerald's eyes flew open wide and he instantly blushed deeply! His jaw fell and at first only a little squeak or two escaped him, until he finally managed to find his voice again and say quickly and firmly, "Okay, you know what…I am NOT having this discussion with you." He gulped uncomfortably and decided to move things along, wanting this phone call to end as quickly as possible at this point since it only seemed to be getting more and more awkward. "Now, really, was there something you wanted BESIDES the chance to make me very VERY uncomfortable, Helga?"

Helga just laughed from her end of the line but then went on. "Why yes, actually…Two things. First, I wanted to thank you for all of that info you gave me on some of Arnold's more obscure romantic misadventures…Miss Felter, your sister…It came in very handy. _Very_ handy… Oh, by the way he…kind of knows you're the one who told me, and…I think he was a little annoyed…" she added sheepishly.

"Yeah, I know…" Gerald let out a breath and rolled his eyes, half smiling to himself… "Showed up at my door last night after dinner and he even kind of had the 'angry eyes'…Man, that guy is about as mild mannered as they come ninety-nine percent of the time but the other one percent, if you get him worked up enough, look out!"

Helga actually giggled and just couldn't help herself. "Mmm hmm…_tell_ me about it…"

Gerald's eyes went wide and then he scowled and blushed a little again during this phone call. "Pataki, WHAT did I say about no more suggestive comments about you and Arnold mauling each other!"

She just chuckled. "Sorry, Sorry…couldn't resist…" Another little giggle did escape her though but she managed to curb herself from bugging him with any further details.

Gerald just sighed, leaning back against the wall of his hallway, still with the phone to his ear. "Anyway, don't worry about it, Helga…I already weathered that storm…" He had to smile and chuckle a little though. "Still I can't even imagine how great it must have been when you brought all of that up…I figured it was about time he came completely clean with you about Ms. Felter too along with the other girls you knew about, and I knew he needed a push so…" He shrugged, and then blinked and added, recalling something. "Oh and sorry for holding back a bit on the sixth grade girls thing. That last one though I figured was better coming straight from him."

"Mmm hmm…." Helga agreed. "Yeah, and it all worked out. And like I said I'm grateful to you for the information…But, um…" she hesitated for a moment, "That brings us to the second reason why I called…You see, heh…I told Arnold he could ask me one awkward question today to get even with me for putting him through that 'older women' thing yesterday, and, I mean, I figured he'd never come up with anything decent that I hadn't told him already but, he, well…he kind of got some outside help…and that's where Phoebe comes in…"

A curious look just came to Gerald's face again. He couldn't see where she was going with this. "O-Okay…so…what are you trying to say, Helga?"

There was a pause and then Helga just sighed and announced bluntly and with a touch of guilt, "He went to Phoebe to find a good thing to nail me about. And she came up with a ringer, I'll give her that. But in order to get her to spill about me…and also to get a little revenge on you, according to Arnold…he…kind of mentioned to Phoebe a few things about your OWN sixth grade girl…and some little next door chippy you and your brother had it out over about a month or so ago?"

Helga was met with silence from Gerald's end…which was understandable since Gerald really couldn't feel anything at the moment…There was just this kind of dull ringing in his ears.

"Gerald? Gerald!" An exasperated sigh sounded from Helga who then just proceeded to go on with what she had to say. "Okay, listen, I just wanted to warn you since you were so cool about helping me bug Arnold, and—"

"Helga!" Gerald instantly squeaked out, beginning to pace with the phone in hand. "I was NOT going to tell Phoebe about all of that until…I don't even know, after the PROM or something!" He had a hand to his forehead and a panicked look in his eyes. He began to talk out loud to himself, trying to soothe his nerves. "Okay, okay…okay, just stay cool, Gerald, and—"

"Gerald…" Helga started impatiently again.

He was still pacing and talking to himself though. "Okay, she's NOT going to break up with you…She might ninjitsu chop your head in half or run you through with a fencing sword, but she's not going to break up with you!"

"Gerald." Helga tried again, a little more firmly.

His panic just continued. "I'll just…I'll buy her something! Flowers or chocolates or that Sixth Grade science textbook she's had her eye on! Yeah that's it!"

"Gerald, for crying out—"

"Oh boy, when Phoebe's angry though it's even scarier than when Arnold's angr—"

"GERALD, YOU KNOW, PART OF WHY I WAS PANTING SO HARD BEFORE IS BECAUSE TODAY ARNOLD DECIDED TO LAY ON TOP OF ME WHILE HE PASSIONATELY CARESSED MY LIPS WITH HIS OWN!"

Gerald actually tripped over the phone cord at this announcement and now just sat there on his hallway floor breathing heavily with a contorted look on his face. "OH MAN, _HELGA_!" he cried out! "I told you, I do NOT want details about you and Arnold acting like a couple of hormone-crazed teenagers! SERIOUSLY! Do you KNOW the mental image burned into my head now?" he added in annoyance, shuddering at the very idea of his best friend eagerly climbing on top of Helga G. Pataki like that to make out! (No matter how much he might have liked Helga now and was cool with her and Arnold's relationship, it was still a creepy image to him to imagine the two of them being _that_ intimate together!)

"Well…" Helga's matter-of-fact sounding voice broke through his thoughts, "How the heck ELSE was I supposed to snap you out of that downward panicked spiral of yours about how to handle Phoebe bringing up those two secret chicks from you past, hair boy?" She sighed in annoyance. "Now, if you'll just let me speak, you'd know that you can calm down because I have a plan to help you out for when she inevitably brings this up to you…and it just involves two simple words…"

Her voice ended on a sly note…and it gave Gerald hope. Arnold always _was_ going on about how Helga was a master schemer after all… And so Gerald swallowed and indeed began to calm down a little. He crossed his legs on the floor, all ears. "Um…okay…wh-what are they, Helga?"

Silence.

And then Helga announced in a very proud voice, "Ronnie. Matthews."

Her explanations of why this name was so significant continued until a little later when Arnold came back to eat their Mr. Fudgie Bars with her…and then of course to offer more sweaterless kisses to her sweet lips once their snack was complete.

* * *

**A/N:**

AWESOME! We are officially more than half way through the courtship chapters ^w^ Lol anyway I really hope you guys liked this latest installment, like I said, and please review :)

Here's the lineup for the next chapter!

**BRAINY'S GIRL WHO'S A FRIEND**

**HELGA 'BEHIND' THE COUCH**

**ARN—ER…**_**HELGA**_** & LILA**

**HITTING THE BOOKS/WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS WITH MY DAUGHTER?**

Happy Reading, everyone!

AXH FOREVER! ;D

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	18. The Courtship: Part 5 of 6

**A/N:**

HEY ALL :D:D:D:D:D:D

Okay, a few things:

Uh…don't know HOW this chapter ended up so long…I mean, I knew all four mini stories in this one were going to be lengthy but I didn't realize they would be THIS lengthy XDXDXD (I want to give you guys a word count but, fun fact, MS Word STOPS giving you a word count at the bottom of the page once you go over 100,000 words…Yeah, lol. So, this is probably about 110 or 115 K ^_^ ) (Lol, actually, ff dot net just gave me a word count and it's 114,00 so YAY I was close in my approximation :D XDXD)

Alright, also, credit needs to go to a bunch of people for ideas for this chapter, so shout-outs to…

**SUPRSINGR** (aka My Baby Sister ^w^) for just all the insight she's given me into Brainy's character and his relationship with Helga and his personality just from talking to her. It really helped a lot for the mini story **"Brainy's Girl Who's a Friend"** :) She's got a couple of Brainy-centric stories in the works that you all should definitely check out because she really just gets his character so extra supr well ^_^ *Snuggles Baby Sister* Also, a special thank you to her for the concept of where Arnold and Helga end up kissing as part of the **"Helga Behind the Couch/Arnold in the Shrine"** mini story (I'll be extra specific later in my closing A/N so that I don't give anything away ;) ). Lol, why are you so good at giving me ideas, baby sister? XDXDXD*Hearts!*

**NINTENDOGAL55** who gave me the idea thanks to some of our rpgs together for where Arnold and Helga end up kissing at the end of "Brainy's Girl Who's a Friend". Lol, once again I'll be more specific at the end so that I don't give anything away ;) Thanks, buddy! ^w^

**BROKENROSE** who brought to my attention once a while back just exactly what 'tantric spells' are (for those of you who don't remember, Helga mentions to Bliss that she performs those in "Helga On the Couch". Lol, oh Craig, always finding a way to slip the most awkward things imaginable past the censors XDXD) Thanks, BrokenRose!

And also just thanks to all of my readers in general! I love you guys ^w^

Alright, without further ado, here's the lineup for this chapter:

**HELGA BEHIND THE COUCH/ARNOLD IN THE SHRINE**

**BRAINY'S GIRL WHO'S A FRIEND**

**ARN—ER, **_**HELGA**_** & LILA**

**HITTING THE BOOKS/WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS WITH MY DAUGHTER?**

Please enjoy and please review! Thank you!

* * *

**HELGA BEHIND THE COUCH/ARNOLD IN THE SHRINE**

"Okay, so, explain this chess thing to me again, Arnold…The horse moves like an L…"

"The knight, and yes, Helga, it does kind of move in an L shape."

"And the pawns get only one space they can move…except when an opponent's piece is diagonal to them and then they can move that way and capture it…" Helga brought a hand to her chin.

"Yup…" Arnold smiled more.

"And the castles can move as many spaces as they want forward or back…" Helga was still looking intently at the board.

Arnold nodded and chuckled. "The rooks. And you've got it, Helga."

"Okay, and these bishopy things move diagonally…"

"Exactly…"

"And the king is basically stationary since you can only move it one square in any direction and the queen has all the power since she can pretty much go anywhere she pleases…" Helga looked up now into Arnold's eyes and smirked at him from across the board. It was set up right between them right now as they were each laying on their stomachs on Arnold's couch, legs bent and up in the air, heads resting on their hands propped up on their respective elbows.

Arnold just smirked a little back at her for her observation and let out a small sigh. "Yes, Helga. The Queen is the most powerful piece and the King just kind of supports her…even though it _is_ the King you have to capture to win. I _thought_ you might like that about the game."

She chuckled a little. "Oh, just a _bit_…I'll be sure to make it the new national pastime when I'm president. And you can be the Department of Chess secretary...my captured little Chess King..." She winked at her beloved.

"Whatever you say, Helga," he merely replied back in his usual accommodating tone with one of his usual accommodating smiles...and his usual little blush (at the idea of his having been 'captured' by her.) "Now…" a noticeable smirk picked up on his face, "Are we going to play your first game yet? And don't worry—I promise I'll go easy on you." He winked right back, his tone more than just a little smug and proud.

Of course he genuinely wanted to teach Helga this game he loved so much and he had been all but ecstatic when, after obviously noticing a few times over the last few weeks his chessboard set up on his desk, she had enquired about it and he had explained that it was sort of a hobby of his even though he had trouble sometimes finding partners to play against…which of course had led to her suggesting with a beaming smile that maybe he could teach her and _she_ could be his partner…

And yet, at the same time, despite his happiness at her wanting to share in another little aspect of his life…well…he felt so sheepish at having to admit it to himself but…well, part of his eagerness for their first game was also due to the fact that he had kind of…never really beaten Helga at anything before in his entire life…and with her just starting out and him being practically a professional at the game, he was maybe kind of excited to be the one with the definite upper hand this time in a competition between them.

Anyway, back in the present and with Helga, the young blonde pigtailed girl just let out a sigh and half grinned at her beloved's little 'I'll go easy on you' comment and at that adorable little smug look on his smiling face. "Okay, okay, hold your horses, Arnoldo. I know you're just 'anxious as can be' to own my beginner little butt at this. But let's not forget that after I go through with this whole chess lesson, you promised me an afternoon of checkers some time this week at which I will thoroughly own you." She smirked right back at him and reached out, giving him a play little poke right on the nose.

Arnold just chuckled and blushed a tiny bit at her doing that, some of that 'gaga in love' look coming to his eyes at how adorable he couldn't help but find her response and action. He nodded his assent. "Yes, a whole afternoon of checkers. And…all of my excitement about finally possibly beating you at something aside…" He gazed into her eyes and blushed a tiny bit, and spoke sincerely, "…I really am happy you want to learn chess, Helga…and that you're letting me teach you…I like sharing with you…" And then his smile grew a tiny bit and his eyes went down and just a tiny touch of that smugness returned as he just had to tack on… "And of course, like I said, I'll go easy on you."

"No deal, Arnold."

He blinked. And then his eyes went right back up to hers as he looked at her with curiosity.

She was just smiling, and, seeing the questioning look in his gorgeous green eyes, she let out a breath and elaborated in a simple and sincere tone with a shrug. "I'm a quick study, Football Head, and we've been talking about this for close to half an hour. I know the way the pieces move now, I know what the strategy of the game is, and I know the ultimate goal." She chuckled to herself a tiny bit. "Reminds me of keeping our class wrangled as the iron fisted 'Queen' of the fourth grade actually, or strategizing for a baseball game…" She chuckled a little more but then shook her head and went back to her point. " But anyway, my point is, I think I can hold my own well enough now that I've got the basics down…so I want you to give me your A game…even if it destroys me in two moves. That's the only way I'll learn, Arnold—diving right in and just doing my best to learn how to stay afloat. Do we have a deal?" She reached out a hand for him to shake.

Arnold just…taking all of that in, he just…he let out a sigh and resisted a sudden urge to push the chessboard off the couch and to the floor, go forward, grab Helga's shoulders and just kiss her deeply. _'She's just so…passionate…So very fiery and passionate about everything…And so very…challenging_…' A little shiver passed through him and he managed to keep himself under control. "O-Okay, Helga…" he finally got out in a relatively normal sounding voice. "My, um…My A game it is. I wouldn't insult you by giving you anything less." He winked at her and then reached out and took her hand and gave it a little shake before going back to resting his head on his hands propped up on his elbows. "But…" he had to add with a half grin at the sight of her satisfied countenance, "Fair warning, Helga: no one's ever beaten me at chess…and most people don't even come close." He blushed a little, feeling funny for not being his usual modest self about this topic, but it was the truth—heck, his expert skill at this game was half the reason Gerald hardly played with him anymore: a half hour in and Arnold was usually just plain crushing him. Thinking of Gerald and chess though then actually brought an interesting memory to Arnold's mind and caused him to laugh just a tiny bit and add to the girl facing him, "Actually there's a story about that that goes with that thing I mentioned once about getting back my Grandpa's watch from this guy called the Sewer King who lives in the sewer. I could, um…tell it to you while we play…if you'd like to hear it?" He asked the question shyly and with a modest blush…and secretly hoped she would be interested in hearing him relate the 'harrowing adventure.' She seemed to like it whenever he did little daring things…and of course he had that little hang up of his on impressing her…and what better way than with a (maybe slightly embellished at times) story about braving the dangers of the sewers…slippery rails, a labyrinth of tunnels…and especially those rats she feared so much…all to retrieve a watch from the King of it all.

Arnold was brought out of his slight daydreams (daydreams of him telling her all of that and her listening and gasping and thrilling over his little secret accomplishment…being torn between fear for what might have happened to him and admiration for his bravery and cunning…and maybe rewarding him with a little kiss from the princess of his heart for defeating the king of the sewers so soundly) by the sound of one of Helga's distinct (and, to him, musical) giggles. "Arnold, first of all, I'm sure whatever daydream you're having right now is very nice but believe me, _I_ appreciate your attentions a lot more than your daydream Helga ever will…" Arnold blinked and blushed and cleared his throat, tugging at his collar in slight embarrassment at getting caught so obviously fantasizing about her. "And second of all…" she went on, and his shy wide green eyes finally made their way back to looking into her smiling blue ones set just above her rosy cheeks at having been the object fantasized _about_, "Yes, Arnold. I'd love to hear all the details of one of your feats of daring, my brave little boyfriend." Then she chuckled and had to add with some degree of personal amazement, "Besides, I'm running out of stories to tell myself…and I NEVER thought I'd say that!"

Arnold had to laugh along with her at her observation, some of his blushing starting to ebb as he began to feel more relaxed again. "Okay, Helga." He smiled at her. "I'll tell you all about me and Gerald and the Sewer King…But if it gets too scary just tell me…" he added with a light touch of sarcasm, "There's a lot of rats in this story and I know you don't like those." He winked.

She just rolled her eyes and blushed a little. "Ooo you braved 'rats' huh?" She giggled a tiny bit for effect. "My hero." She looked to him with a loving smirk on her lips. "And sure, Football Head, if it 'gets to be too much', I'll let you know." She gave him a little playful nudge in one of his shoulders with one of her fists, and then went back to resting her head on both of her hands and finally said matter-of-factly with a smile, "But while you're 'dazzling me,' for Pete's sake, let's start this first chess game of mine. Now, who goes first?" She looked down at the board eagerly.

Arnold chuckled a tiny bit and looked down at the board now as well. "Well, you've got the white pieces so you go first, Helga."

"Okey dokey, professor of chess…" he heard her reply casually enough…and yet…he didn't see her hand reach down to the board now to start the game. "Oh and, um…Arnold?" And now her voice sounded…slightly more nervous. He had to glance up at her and he noticed with interest and curiosity that, still looking down at the chessboard, she was smiling in a funny little way...and blushing quite a bit, actually.

Arnold's smile became very intrigued as he took in how she looked right now: after all, basically whenever she blushed and smiled before telling him something…it almost always meant she had something to say that he would like…a lot. "Y-Yes, Helga?" he got out airily, and while he waited for her to speak he just savored the sight of that beautiful shade of rosy red and pink that was her perfect blush…It was like someone had pushed her normal favorite color of pink to it's most red possible tone. '_Pretty_…' He sighed a little.

And then his (still lovesick) eyes noticed his shy and smiling and blushing little Helga reach into the pocket of her jumper…and whatever she removed seem to fit into the palm of her hand (where she was currently clasping it tightly). She went on with what she had to say. "Um…I…picked up a pack of gum on the way over here…because, well…last time I was here, we were…talking about…some of the things we did together when you pretended to be my boyfriend when your cousin was here….You, uh, remember, Arnold?" she asked with just a touch of coyness, her eyes barely coming up to meet his.

Arnold, right now, was just looking at the pack of gum with his head cocked to the side and his little jaw dropped and his heart was thundering in his chest…because he knew what she was referring to but at the same time…couldn't handle mentally (let alone aloud) admitting _what_ what she was referring to was…

Helga just giggled again on this afternoon. '_So cute when he gets shy_….' "Well," she went on, some of the confidence returning to her tone, "Since you're speechless…I'll go first, Football Head: with the gum _and_ the chess, I guess. You can go with the gum when your mouth starts working again." And then, like it was no big deal, she popped out a piece of gum from the pack, tossed the wrapper aside for now into a little wastebasket under one of Arnold's end tables, and then popped the piece into her mouth and gave it a few chews…blew a bubble…let it pop…chewed a couple more times…and then took said gum out of her mouth and reached it towards Arnold, letting it rest on two of her outstretched fingertips (feeling her heart _pound_, by the way, as she did this). She gulped nervously, her eyes glancing down. "A-As long as you still want to do this again, Football He—"

She froze. Everything inside of her went on electric fire! Her eyes flew back up to Arnold.

Her beloved had just…taken her extended hand with the gum resting on her two fingertips…and he had shut his eyes and leaned down and gently kissed these fingertips…and then he took the gum away with him in his mouth and let Helga's hand go.

Helga was just trembling. She…no matter what they had done so far together as a couple, what he had just done to her hand had felt…beyond intimate. It was hard to describe. She felt like she was shaking. She was happy she was already lying down.

Across from her, she watched as her beloved, eyes still closed, chewed the piece of gum now in his mouth a few times…and then his eyes opened. They were very VERY half lidded. "B-Best…gum I've ever had, Helga…" Oh and it truly was! That small presence that was always upon his lips whenever they kissed, that light little flavor that was sweet and bright and that was Helga…It was amplified a billion times! Like popping an actual bit of it into his mouth to savor and play with. '_How did I miss that the first time we did this…?'_ he couldn't help but think to himself, recalling when they had done it to make Lila jealous and how the entire time he had just been telling himself over and over again that he _should_ be disgusted …although maybe, underneath all that denial, even back then…he had taken just the tiniest bit of pleasure in it all…just the tiniest bit of curious pleasure about doing something like that with Helga... And then that urge went through him again on this day to fling the chessboard between them to the floor and just get as much of that 'Helga presence' on his lips as possible for the rest of the afternoon. Indeed, his cravings for the intimate stuff had been getting stronger and stronger as the weeks had passed…She was just…very…wantable…and he was getting more and more comfortable with giving in to his wanting of her.

Still, though, Arnold reminded himself that he had promised her chess for today and chess was what it would be…And he also reminded himself that he had even left the 'Do Not Disturb' sign off of his door just to keep himself from temptation. And besides, this gum thing was more than enough to tide him over for now.

And so now Arnold just let out a deep satisfied sigh and then took the gum from his mouth upon two of his own fingertips and offered it to her. "Your turn again, my bright and precious angel…" His voice was low and sweet. "…And then like I said you go first in the game." He winked.

Helga…just looked with wide eyes from his eyes to the gum, and she gulped. No, she didn't have it in her to do to him and his fingers what he had just done to her and her own fingers…at least not without absolutely diving on him and just losing herself in him. So instead she had resolved on just reaching out to take the gum and pop it into her mouth, and was about to do so...when she suddenly gasped and her eyes went wide as she felt Arnold use his fingers to pop it past her lips and into her mouth all on his own. '_Oh…your fingertips gently pushing past my lips…__O-Oh__…._' She felt him reach under her chin next and gently pop closed her agape jaw.

"Just chew, Helga. It's okay…" he soothed in a shy little whisper.

Helga obeyed and chewed… "Mmm…." …and moaned. She couldn't help it. The gum had just tasted like bubble gum and a little bit of cool mint before but now…oh there was something more! Something so much more! It was Arnold's presence times a thousand… A little salty and yet cool and sweet…Oh it was perfect! If only it could be bottled into a spice or something and sprinkled over everything she ever ate for the rest of her life!

And yet though ever taste bud in her mouth was feeling pushed to the max, Helga somehow managed to keep her cool and to just chew and glance down at the chessboard for a few seconds…eventually settling on moving one of her 'horsies' in one of those L shapes.

Taking in and letting out a breath, Helga felt a lot better and steadier now. Besides, she really did want to focus on doing her best at this game. She even managed to blow another bubble now before reaching up her hand and popping the gum out of her mouth again. She looked up at her beloved with a blushing little smile. "Your turn, Arnoldo," she said casually.

Her blushing little love reached out and took the gum from her hand to his (he didn't have it in him to try kissing it from her fingers again…he still didn't know where that had come from in the first place or how he had managed it without literally having a heart attack…but it had just felt so…right.). He put the gum back in his mouth again…and felt a little shiver go through him at the full force return of her…well… '_Flavor_…' With an extra deep blush he had to admit the word to himself. It was Helga's…flavor. The flavor of her mouth. Even though kissing was technically just lips he knew what the inside of her mouth tasted like…and loved knowing.

Getting back to the chessboard he observed the pieces for a moment and then reached out and moved one of his pawns forward. Then he popped the gum out of his mouth and proffered it forward, glancing back up at Helga as casually as he could. "Your turn, love," he said with a little smile.

The blushing beauty before him (_'Blushing beauty_…' I definitely have to write that one down), gave a little nod and then reached out and popped the gum into her mouth with a giggle as she studied the board and its contents for her next move. She managed to make one of her own pawns go forward as well, and then she took the gum out of her mouth, but paused before reaching it out toward her beloved. "Alright, um, Arnold…" she was still blushing thoroughly and still looking mostly down, "Before we go on with this chess game…and the, uh…_other_ thing we're doing right now…" she cleared her throat just a tiny bit, "…just so that neither of us 'dies from blushing' or anything can you seriously start sharing that Sewer King story…I think it might be just enough of a distraction to keep you out of daydream land and me from monologuing like a great big sap, you know?"

Arnold just chuckled a little. "Aw, but…I like daydreaming about you…and I _love_ when you monologue…"

"Arnold!" she squeaked out with a giggle, blushing and smiling. "Come on…just tell the freaking story to relieve some of the awkwardness of this whole gum sharing thing so that we can both really focus on giving each other our best games, okay?" Then she smirked a little. "Otherwise I'll just be forced to keep the gum over here with me and to deprive you of your share in this whole incredible experience…" She winked the gum still held up on her fingertips.

He smirked a little back. "Well in that case, of course, Helga...Anything to get my turn with the gum…And besides, who am I to deny the request of a lady?" He winked.

She just rolled her eyes (blushing a little extra of course) and reached out the gum to let him take it. "Ah, quit sucking up, Football Head."

He took the gum and put it back in his own mouth…chewed it…savored it…glanced down shyly at the board. "Wh-Whatever you say, Helga." He swallowed a little and tried not to shiver. "A-Anyway, so…about the Sewer King…well, it all started with my Grandpa's pocket watch…or, _one of them_, at least…" He almost chuckled to himself as he reached out and moved another one of his pawns.

Helga giggled as she awaited the return of their gum from him before she would make her next move. "Okay, you're gonna have to explain to me that 'one of them' comment, Arnoldo…"

He laughed a little as he took the gum out of his mouth. "At the end, Helga…Trust me, it's funnier finding out at the end of the story." He offered her the gum.

"Whatever you say, Arnold, whatever you say…" She took the gum again and popped it back into her own mouth.

And as Arnold savored the taste that had just finished flooding his senses yet again and Helga savored the taste that was currently starting to flood her senses again, the two of them had the same thought at the same time before Arnold went on with his story and the two of them went on with their chess game.

'_This is…a __thousand__ times better than just sharing a soda!'_

* * *

About an hour later, the chessboard was looking a little sparse and a fair amount of their partner's pieces were in Arnold and Helga's possessions respectively. And Arnold had finished his 'slightly embellished' Sewer King story (making sure to particularly emphasize how many rats he'd had to get past) and Helga had smiled and giggled at his cute little way of telling the whole thing and let him know when it was all over that she was happy that along with a cute and caring little love god she had also been blessed with a brave one and that she hoped he would never find himself in such a precarious position ever again since she 'couldn't bear the thought of losing her precious prince to some nasty old Sewer King…and also didn't want to have to think about braving all those rats herself if the Sewer King did ever hurt Arnold and she then had to go exact her revenge upon him'. And along with that the gum (actually most of the entire pack of gum) had been going back and forth with much less awkwardness (but no less pleasure), and at this point the two kids were so comfortable that, still lying on their stomachs with their knees bent and feet in the air, they'd even kicked off their shoes for a little added comfort.

And also, as stated, the chess game was still going on of course.

And not that Helga was 'magically winning on the first try' or anything…but she was certainly holding her own.

"Helga…" Arnold chewed the sixth piece of gum between them and looked at the board with some degree of surprise (as he had been doing for about the last two minutes since it had been his turn), having long since calmed down about having Helga's 'flavor' inside of his mouth and now really focusing on the game…and being really impressed by just how much of a quick learner his love was. "You…did a solid opening…and…I'm not trying to sound arrogant but…we've been playing for an hour and…I haven't won yet…and, um…I really am trying." Granted part of that hour had been spent by Helga double, triple, and even quadruple checking about the ways different pieces could move and taking her time and carefully studying the board between them before making any final moves…but overall she really was actually doing pretty okay. He looked back up to her again.

Helga smiled extra at his observation and shrugged, crossing her legs in the air behind her. "Heh, told you…I'm a quick study, Football Head. I just went with what seemed logical. I mean, I had to think a lot and consider a lot of things and stuff first of course… Actually I think I'm starting to get why this game appeals to you so much." She smiled a little more at him. "You're creative and clever and bright, Arnold. One of the smartest guys I know. A challenge is good for you—keeps my love sharp." She winked and then glanced down at board again herself. "I mean, I usually just use literature and baseball strategies and stuff to keep my own head focused but this is interesting too. I kind of like it."

Arnold blushed quite a bit at her words. After all, he considered her the smartest, most brilliant, most clever person in existence so to have her compliment him like that…meant a lot to him. His smile went a little goofy. "Thank you, Helga…A-And yeah…it's…it's good for clearing your head and keeping your mind sharp. And I'm happy you're enjoying yourself." He let out a happy little sigh and then brought his eyes back down to the board, considered things a moment longer, and then moved his remaining bishop, effectively capturing Helga's knight…which he knew would lead her to move her Queen to put him in check…which would then leave her King vulnerable (and leave he himself free), even though she wouldn't see it probably until it was too late, to win the game and put her in Checkmate. Arnold hated to do that but she did want his A game and so he was going to give it to her. He popped the gum out of his mouth and looked up at her, reaching it out towards her on the tips of his fingers. "Your turn…"

Helga took the gum from him and popped it into her mouth. She considered the board for a good two or three minutes of silence, just chewing away the whole time…And then she reached down and moved a piece. Her smile brightened. "Check!" She looked up at her beloved eagerly. "It is check, right? I mean, I got right what check is, right?" she asked him, just to clarify.

Arnold just nodded with a nice smile. "Yes, you got it right. You just put me in check. And considering how much experience I have that's very very good for your first game, Helga." He looked at her with a touch of admiration and pride… _'Gorgeous __and__ gifted…Whoever started jokes about blondes being silly is an idiot…_'

Meanwhile, in response to his assurance that she had indeed gotten the check thing right, Arnold's 'gorgeous and gifted blonde' just smiled a little more…her eyes going a bit half lidded. "Really? It's 'very very good', huh?" She blew a little bubble and then moved the gum back into her mouth with her lips, chewing it coyly. "Well, in that case…could I maybe get a reward for putting the King of Chess in check?" She grinned a little more at him and even fluttered her eyelashes for effect.

Arnold grinned goofily back at her. He loved whenever she threw in the eyelash thing. It was so…enticing. And it brought such attention to her perfect blue eyes. "Did, um…Did you… have something in mind, my Queen of Chess?" he finally managed to ask shyly, feeling heat building in his features, knowing full well what she was suggesting but feeling just a touch too much modesty to say it before she did.

The 'Queen of Chess' just giggled and blew another tiny bubble, then asked in a sweet sounding voice that made his heart flutter, "Well, why don't you close your eyes and pucker your lips…and you tell me?"

Arnold gulped and blushed more, and then with a little nod did as she asked. Instantly her lips were on his and she was kissing and then he was kissing. Just the two of them with their little lips locked over the little chessboard. Arnold could feel Helga's presence upon his lips now…and with the remnants of it still in his mouth from the gum…it was all heaven. (And the same could be said for Helga's experience right now too.)

A few seconds of this passed and then Arnold, the initial euphoria of Helga's kiss calming just a little, started to become aware of the fact that it felt like there was a bit of hesitation on the part of her mouth, like she was having trouble really giving it her all or something…At first he was going to break just a little from the kiss and ask her about it but then he realized what it must be, recalling that last little bubble she had blown before they had come to this.

Their kiss continued for a couple of seconds more and then Arnold pulled back gently and only slightly for a moment, still letting their foreheads and noses and lips touch…hearts pound… "Helga…" he whispered with a little smile, eyes still closed in bliss, "Do you want a minute to get rid of the gum before we, um…go on…?"

He heard a little giggle escaped her. "Y-Yeah…almost forgot…I…should get rid of it, shouldn't I?"

The way she asked that…suggested to Arnold that she had a scheme or something planned…There was just something slightly suggestive about it. Still, right now their lips were touching after they had just spent the better part of the afternoon sharing pieces of gum back and forth…so it stood to reason that anything she had in mind that she was giggling and acting coy about must certainly be a good thing… And so…

"Sure…" Arnold replied, his eyes opening though only a tiny bit…lips still grazing hers as he savored and felt fascinated by the simple fact that every time a little of one of her lips touched a little of one of his it sparked and made his heart thrum. Hers were so soft…the softest thing he had ever come across in his entire life… "Whatever you say, Helga…A-As long as we can get back to…rewarding you for putting me in check…" He chuckled goofily. "Helga, if you're trying to put off me putting you in checkmate…which you kind of left me open to do to you now…this is a very good way to do it, by the way."

"Hmm…" she let out something between a moan and a sigh… "Yeah, that's part of it, I guess…Didn't realize until about five seconds after I'd let the piece go but you tricked me into backing myself into a corner. Very clever, Arnold. And…as for my 'reward'…if you like what we've been doing so far…I can't wait to see your response to _this_…Bye bye, gum…"

Arnold closed his eyes again, waiting for her to get rid of the gum and then get back to whatever she was plan—

She pushed forward, their lips imprinted and melded again, and then Arnold felt something funny and felt his mouth opened a little by something and then for just a split second his lips were definitely around something…and then the something left…and Arnold slowly processed that the gum was…back in his mouth.

His eyes flew open! He glanced around and then at Helga's (now open) eyes in panic and shock and confusion. What had just happened? How had the gum gotten back into his…He blinked a few times, considering the sensations that had gone along with Helga's little trick. She had pressed her lips to his…he had felt something separate his lips (obviously that had to have happened for the gum to have gotten in), his mouth had been a little opened and then whatever it was had left…leaving the gum behind. His eyes dilated.

Helga, meanwhile (who had opened her eyes in curiosity at how her beloved might respond to this new little thing she had suddenly gotten the gumption to try), now blinked at the shy and scared look of confusion on his face and decided to break their lips fully for the moment, just in case he really was upset by her boldness. '_Stupid, Helga, so stupid! You know that no matter how bold and edgy that little dark side of his acts that he does not handle having his innocent little bubble of romance pushed too far too fast. Mmm, but it was just so tempting…Oh but what if he's angry now…?_' She gulped and awaited with wide, unsure eyes however he would respond to what she had just done.

Arnold, meanwhile, had just finally finished connecting some dots…and accepting some things…and waiting for the power of speech to finally return to him…upon which he spoke (albeit in a cracking and nervous little voice). "H-Helga…" he just asked shyly, unsurely, his wide eyes still looking directly into her wide eyes…and still so close, the two of them… "Um…did you, um…push the gum back in my mouth…w-with, um…I-I mean did you just put your…I…I mean…" He was blushing furiously. He couldn't say the words.

"U-Um…" she replied back quite shyly herself, her eyes glancing down just a little and the blush rising in her cheeks. "I just…used my tongue to push the gum into your mouth." She brought her eyes back to his. "I-I'm sorry. I-I went too fast again, didn't I, Arnold? I-I knew I should have just been happy with you sharing the gum with me and left it at that…." She glanced down again and blushed some more in embarrassment at this whole thing, feeling some of that guilt that her beloved had experienced over the course of their relationship come over herself all of a sudden. '_Ugh…I continue to hate guilt…_'

"N-No…Helga…I…" she heard him suddenly start again though, his voice sounding like it was regaining a little strength. Her eyes shot back to his with rapt attention. Her blushing and nervous little beloved just cleared his throat and then his eyes met hers again and she saw that the panic that had been in his gaze before was gone now…and some of the usual warmth was returning to his jellybean green eyes. "I, um…" he went on quietly, "I j-just never thought about, um…But that was, um…a-actually a little…exciting…I-I mean…" A touch more shyness came to his features, if that was possible. "I really don't think it's something I could handle doing all the time, but…just to try it…It was…interesting…Um…" His face was a deep scarlet as he looked bashfully, hesitantly, into her eyes…and then asked out of the blue, "C-Could _I_ try doing it to _you _now?"

Helga felt her heart pounding at the idea…just…pounding…just hammering away in her chest in a manner she had never known before. And right now the only problem she could conceive of having with his sudden suggestion was that she wasn't sure if she would be able to control herself with him if he actually did that with her and the gum…did that while they kissed…

As a result the best response she could manage to his question was a little nod. And then she shifted forward, her eyes wide, so that their noses and lips barely touched again.

Arnold gave a little nod as well now that they were like this…just tensely locked onto each other with their gazes and blushing like mad, waiting for what was to come.

Looking into her eyes he whispered to her before starting anything, the gum off in a corner of his mouth just for now. "U-Um…Helga?"

She whispered back, unblinking. "Y-Yes, Arnold?"

He blushed a little more if that were possible. "Could I…hold your hand…while I do it…? I'm a little scared."

She smiled a little. She had to. Such an Arnold-like request. "Yes, Arnold. You can hold my hand while you…give me back the gum."

He gulped but smiled a little as well and then reached around the side of the chessboard still between them to her hand that was resting there on his couch and took it and squeezed it. Then he closed his eyes (and as he did so watched as she closed hers as well). He pushed their lips together, kissing her normally to start.

As their normal kiss continued, Arnold (deciding to just…not over think this as best he could and to just go slowly and steadily and with his instincts to make it work) chewed the gum a tiny bit in his mouth and then shifted it to the end of his tongue, and then he squeezed Helga's hand as hard as he could, brought his other hand up to cup the side of her face and then he opened his mouth a little and pushed shyly yet quickly forward. At first he felt the gum meet her lips and it made him want to pull back, not wanting to 'push' or anything lest he cause her any discomfort. But then he felt her lips give all on their own and he gently moved in, released the gum (savored the moment for the fraction of a second he could handle it) and then pulled out…and then ended things by squeezing her hand more and shifting his other hand fully into her hair and just kissing her firmly, so very firmly…He had a lot of emotions going through him right now and he needed to let some of them out of himself in this way before letting her speak and react and tell him if he had done it okay or not.

"_Mmm_…."

(The deep moan that escaped Helga only a couple of seconds into this hard little kiss to finish things up told him there was a pretty fair shot though that he had done alright.)

Eventually, the young boy lightly separated his mouth from Helga's again, letting their noses and foreheads and lips touch as before…himself breathing heavily as was she…and he was feeling a lot warmer all over now that he thought about it. "D-Did I…do okay…Helga?" he just asked in his shyness, eyes still closed, a small smile upon his face…

He heard a shuddery sigh escape her (her warm, sweet, bubble gum and mint breath blowing against his lips) and then he felt her head nod against his own. "You did…_Mmm_…brilliantly…" She giggled. "A-Arnold…?" she asked in the lightest voice.

He nodded, eyes still closed (as he knew hers were) "Yes…my love goddess?"

She giggled again and nuzzled her nose to his this time. "Let's…" she spoke so quietly, "Let's do it more…P-Please…"

It was funny—he had been so worried about doing this in the first place but now…continuing it all…actually sounded like a good game plan. More… He nodded… "More…" he replied, "Yes…I…love tasting you on my lips, Helga…and also in my mouth with the gum…" He was saying things out loud that he only thought in the shyest corner of his mind but he didn't care…so very much didn't care…They were so close and connected right now that no degree of embarrassment could enter in to any of this. "I love you. Love you…" he added in a dazed whisper, and then he took a breath and then brought his lips forward to hers again, waiting for the gum…and how it would get there. He felt her shudder and squeeze his hand a little…probably at him suddenly being so forward and eager about this, but…forget the modesty…He didn't want to be modest right now…He wanted to gum swap with Helga…And it seemed more likely than ever at this point in their date together that he really would end up sweeping that chessboard off to the side, snatching her up in his arms, gently cupping her head fully in his hands, and feeling her give the gum back and giving it back to her for the rest of the afternoon…for the rest of forever…

Arnold briefly put aside the fantasy details for a moment as he felt Helga with the gum all of a sudden push against and then enter his mouth… Oh somehow this felt so wrong and yet so right and yet who cared about wrong or right in all of this? He was in love with this woman and she was in love with him, and he would shout it all from the rooftops right now for all to hear and see if only his mouth wasn't occupied with other things at the moment. And she tasted _so_ good…Deeply lip locked with his one and only love.

Suddenly, Arnold's bedroom door opened and in walked a smiling Gerald Johannsen. "Hey, Man, sorry me and the other guys are late—they just wanted to pick up some snacks to bring over here before we—" He stopped…and then the sound of him gagging could be heard.

Helga instantly broke from Arnold, pulling her tongue safely back inside of her own mouth and leaving the gum behind in his, and blushing like MAD! "GERALD!" she squeaked out in shocked and startled embarrassment!

Arnold's blushing face was instantly turned to his best friend as well, his eyes wide…his jaw hanging open a little with the gum resting on the inside of his lower lip. "Gerald!" he squeaked out as well. "Wh-What are you doing here?" The gum half fell out all of a sudden and he had to reach up and actually push it back in his mouth. (And for Pete's sake he was so embarrassed, so humiliated, so mortified—what if Gerald had gotten a good look at just how close they had been…just how deeply they had been… '_Mmm!_' The whole thing flustered poor little 'coming out his romantic daze and back to his quiet, modest reality' Arnold so very much! He could barely bear to process it!)

"Uh, g-go kart meeting?" was all Gerald said back shakily, still standing in his doorway and still looking at them with a face that was a perfect mixture of disgust, discomfort…and yet just a touch of curiosity and just plain wonder.

Meanwhile, Arnold's eyes went even wider at this response from his best friend to his question. "Gerald! I-I-I told you the go-kart meeting was on Wednesday. Today I have a date!" So much humiliation was present in his face and tone and in all of his feelings…and deep down inside under it all it was starting to process with Arnold (and he was now starting to regret) that his sudden and spontaneous and wonderful chance to swap gum with Helga for hours if he felt like it had just been ruined…and who knew when he would work up enough courage or find the right opportunity to be able to really try that again with her?

"TODAY is Wednesday, Arnold!" "TODAY is Wednesday, Football Head!"

These responses to Arnold's comment about the go-kart meeting being on Wednesday and today being today were said at exactly the same time by Gerald and Helga to the poor and mistaken football headed boy!

"And every guy in our class is heading up here right now, Arnold!" Gerald suddenly added in panic!

Arnold's jaw fell and his heart pounded and fear pierced his eyes. And he could hear the footsteps coming down the hallway. That was it: game over. He was an innocent little deer in the headlights just waiting for the car to hit…

It was a good thing that Helga, at least, had just a bit of experience with close calls of the 'confession' kind like this.

Over the course of the next ten seconds the chessboard was put on an end table, the few remaining gum wrappers were tossed in Arnold's wastebasket, and Arnold suddenly found himself pushed to the floor from the couch, only blinking and just starting to get up as he heard Helga say a single sentence as the sounds of familiar male voices now traveling up the stairs to his room entered his ears.

"I am NOT here. Period. And, Crimeny, after my confession there should NEVER have been a need for me to do this again!"

Arnold got his eyes open and got himself standing just in time to see Helga, laying on his couch and now scowling and with his room remote in hand, just shut her eyes tightly and with a cringe press a button. There was an "Oof!" and a swish as the couch flipped back into the wall and then suddenly (due to the button obviously being pressed again) flipped forward again…with Helga no longer upon it.

"Hey, Arnold!"

The other fourth grade boys entered the room.

* * *

Only about five minutes in and Helga was already sick of this whole freaking situation. Arnold's room was full of the voices of every guy in their class taking turns yelling random stupid thing after random stupid thing about how they could get together the rest of the money for the go kart they had been trying to buy since the third grade, it was FREEZING back here in the wall, and also… '_Darn it, I was…the kissing…the gum…_' Her heart still pounded at the very idea…making their kisses go that deep…little pushes and pulls…Oh it wasn't fair! Having to be ripped from pure ecstasy into this dismal dark place! She swallowed once more, savoring that last little bit of precious Arnold saliva that was in her mouth (she shivered as it went down). "Unfair…" she whispered to herself in lament, "So very unfair…My love, so close and yet so far away…separated not only by the thin physical barrier of your wall…but the unbearably thick social barrier of our classmates…Oh how I long to return to you, my darling…" She got on her knees with a longing frown and looked through the crack in the wall again. And still her love was just sitting very nervously right in the center of the couch, unwilling to move from that place as he had been during this entire time in the only means that he could think of to prevent anyone else sitting there and possibly somehow becoming aware of Helga's presence. She could tell from the back of his neck that he was nervous…His hairline was tinged with sweat and the flesh of his neck was very pale. Oh she just hoped no one noticed that guilt stricken blushing grin she could just imagine on his face right now.

She let out a small sigh and scowled just a tiny bit, and then leaned very close and whispered out to him near his ear, "Arnold…Hey, Arnold…Please take a PILL or something, my love. Just relax…nothing bad is going to happen as long as you don't make it obvious that you're having a mild panic attack at the moment."

She saw Arnold's neck straighten and could just make out at an angle the sight of his throat gulping a little at her words. Then he brought a Yahoo soda bottle up to his mouth as a cover and spoke back to her quickly under his breath. "Helga, you know I'm a very bad liar…So considering the situation I think I'm doing pretty well right now…"

Helga sighed, some of her patience and understanding returning. "Okay, okay…I'm sorry. Didn't mean to push you," she whispered back sincerely. "I'm just…frustrated and freaked out too, okay? But we'll deal with it…We'll get through this just fine…I promise. Just like I used to get through all those times over the years when you almost caught me here and found out my secret, okay?"

She could see him give a tiny nod as he then brought down the Yahoo soda bottle from his mouth.

"Hey fellas, what about we make and sell some lemon puddin'? Garsh, I sure do love lemon puddin'!" Stinky was heard to suddenly make this announcement, which elicited a bunch of interested affirmative random responses from the other guys at this possible way of making money.

Behind the wall, despite her current predicament, Helga had to SEVERELY roll her eyes. '_Selling lemon pudding…Are they kidding me? I could come up with a better idea than that in my sleep if I was out there!'_ "And P.S. Arnold…" she quickly whispered out to him again, "Why the heck don't _I_ get invited to these go kart meetings?"

She heard a small sigh come from her beloved and he raised up his Yahoo soda bottle again to cover his mouth as he whispered back, "I'm sorry, Helga. It's, um…boys only…heh…" She could see him cringe just a tiny bit.

"Grr…" she couldn't help growling a little from her place behind the wall. "Crimeny—I'm banned from the boys only meeting about selling PUDDING for money, I'm blackballed from Rhonda's girly slumber parties…Too much of a skirt to play with the boys and too much of a tomboy to play with the girls…Ugh, this is so typical!" She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest in frustration, slumping down with her back to the interior of Arnold's wall.

"Helga…" she heard the faint whisper come as Arnold faked another sip of soda. "Just…think about it this way. You're so womanly that Rhonda's too intimidated by you to invite you to her slumber parties…and the other guys didn't want to include you here because they all know that of all of us you'd be the best driver and…they're all just too insecure to admit that a girl could cream them all at go kart racing, okay?"

Helga still felt just a little frustration but…she had to smile. She loved when her love comforted her with his optimism…when he made her feel like she wasn't a freak or something but rather just truly special…wonderfully special… "Thank you, my prince…" she whispered back with a little grateful lovesick smile.

"Hey Arnold, what do you think of the pudding plan?" Harold Berman's voice suddenly sounded out.

And now Helga knew their little conversation had to stop, and she even crouched down more behind the back of the couch in fear (even though of course no one could see her).

"Yeah, Arnold. Boy Howdy, you haven't said anything since we got here…" Sid.

"Yeah, Arnold! Is this about me freeing your animals over your ceiling last month? Because I apologized for that…" Curly.

"Uh…" Helga heard Arnold begin just a little shakily to all of this attention and these questions, "N-No, guys…Just, um…enjoying my Yahoo soda. Heh…" He cleared his throat. "Um, anyway…I-I guess the pudding thing could work…"

"_Dumb idea_…" Helga couldn't help but whisper out behind the couch in a singsong voice.

She heard a little frustrated sigh escape Arnold. "…But…" he then went on to the other guys, "W-Wouldn't that be similar to the bake sale we tried to do a couple months ago? And…we barely broke even between supplies since none of us can really cook…"

There were some nods and words of assent from the other guys.

"U-Um…what about a car wash, heh?" Arnold suggested with attempted brightness.

And suddenly all the guys were approving again and talking over each other as they discussed this new potential plan.

Helga heard her beloved let out a relieved sigh.

And yet though she was happy for him with having successfully dodged a bullet like that in regards to all the guys noticing how quiet and funny he was acting, she still had to get on her knees and whisper to him with a touch of frustration and seriousness, "A car wash, Arnold? You seriously think that without _my_ help you chuckleheads could get organized and focused enough to pull off something like that? Besides, we're ten and this is the city—we know more people who take the bus than who drive cars…!"

The Yahoo soda bottle was raised to Arnold's lips again as a cover as he replied. "I know a car wash wouldn't work very well, Helga…" he whispered back patiently, "But whenever anyone brings it up as an idea it's always a distraction for a good five or ten minutes before they move on to something else…and as much time as I can get without them looking at me and asking me questions, the better…"

Helga smiled at her beloved's clever and understandable little explanation about his suggestion. "Ah, excellent strategy, my love…." she whispered back proudly. "My sneakiness really has been rubbing off on you." Then she smiled more and blushed a little as she added. "And, actually it might not be SUCH a horrible way of making money, if you'd let me in on managing you guys, that is…I-I mean, I for one would hijack Bob and Miriam's car and pay five bucks just to see you in a cute little bathing suit and t-shirt and your wild tufts of hair half covered in suds trying to wash it…"

Helga was looking at the back of Arnold's neck as she said all of this…and she blushed even more as she noticed that formerly pale white patch of his skin turn a distinct rosy warm hue…And also, he seemed to stop breathing, freezing up entirely.

"Hey, Arnold, are you okay?" Harold Berman was then heard to ask. "You got a fever or something?"

Helga heard Arnold just gulp.

"Uh…" Gerald luckily piped up from across the room, "Hey, Arnold's just, uh…got some of those spring allergies. You know, they clog your nose, make you look a little red and puffy, heh…Right, man?"

Helga watched/heard her love gulp again. "Uh…" he slightly squeaked, "R-Right…a-allergies. U-Uh…don't worry, guys, I'm fine. Heh…"

All the guys went back to talking…and Helga heard Arnold let out a big sigh of relief.

Helga leaned up near the crack in the wall close to his ear again, letting out a light giggle. "Sorry for that, Football Head. Couldn't resist."

She heard him let out another (more amused, this time) sigh. "It's okay, Helga…" he whispered back, bringing the Yahoo soda bottle to his lips once more. "I'll just…keep reminding myself that I was about to cream you at our chess game and…I'm sure that'll make me feel a lot more calm and confident." A little chuckle even escaped him.

Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes with a smile… "Oh whatever, Arnold…" '_Hey, at least if he's calm enough to make a joke that's a good sign…' _

And yet, at the same time his joke had reminded her of their chess game…which they had been interrupted from…which then reminded her of the gum they had been also interrupted from and the kissing which they had also been interrupted from and just their date in general which they had been interrupted from… And had she mentioned that she was STILL trapped in this annoying (definitely spider…maybe possibly rat…okay, probably not 'rat' since it was the boarding house after all but still, you never knew!) infested place until these stupid yahoos decided to finally leave Arnold's room. '_And they have unlimited access to all the cookies and soda they brought up here_…' She slumped back down to the floor, her back against the back of the couch once more. '_Crimeny_, _We could be here all night_…'

And also, at the back of her mind…kind of moving forward to the front of her mind…Helga couldn't help but be just a little ticked at Arnold on top of everything. After all… _'He's the one who messed up the afternoons…He __can't__ be that sloppy if we're going to still keep this a secret! What if they'd all walked in at first instead of just Gerald?' _Oh she shuddered at the very idea…every boy in their class walking in on her…practically in Arnold's mouth! Gerald seeing that had been bad enough but…all those boys…finding out about her most intimate guarded secret…in THAT way… She blushed and it made her slight annoyance at her love grow even more. And, going back to being trapped, thanks to this mess she was cold and alone behind a wall…with nothing to do…

Still, Helga smirked just a little at a thought. _'Heh, at least I got back at him a little with that comment about him washing my car…_' She blushed a little herself again at that image she had described for him…All cute and half soaking wet and covered in bubbles just working away in the summer sun…Yeah, if they ever actually did pull off a carwash she would definitely be attending…

Helga let herself play with the daydream a moment longer and then let out a sigh as she put it aside for now and glanced back up at the back of her beloved's neck…which wasn't blushing anymore though it hadn't gone back to that pale nervous sickly color, which told her that after his smug little comeback about their chess game he was feeling a little calmer and more self confident now.

And even though that seemed like it should have been a good thing to her…it mostly just frustrated her a little extra—not that Arnold should be spazzing all over the place and giving them away but…she figured for the trouble he had caused he deserved to be on his toes at least just a little.

She had an idea.

She got on her knees and went up behind his neck…and prepared to have a little revenge…and fun.

'_Might as well remind him of what he's missing thanks to this little faux paus of his_…' she thought to herself with a mischievous grin before commencing 'Operation: Flirtation.'

* * *

The other guys (which included Harold, Sid, Stinky, Eugene, Curly and Gerald…with Gerald just shooting Arnold disbelieving looks every now and again as he apparently still couldn't comprehend all that he had walked in on before) had been here for about ten minutes now…and during this ten minutes Arnold had been mentally KICKING himself! Just KICKING HIMSELF! '_Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, Stupid, STUPID! Wednesday! TODAY is Wednesday! And they could have…we could have…if Gerald hadn't come up before the rest of…_' Oh it made him practically want to shake in fear…The others finding out about him and Helga by…walking in on him sharing one of his deepest kisses ever with her…walking in on HIM, mild mannered Arnold…practically sucking against Helga's lips as she gave him back the gum. '_Mmm_…' He chewed the piece of gum still in his mouth yet again…savoring the last of his precious Helga's flavor that was still upon it. And yet thinking about her specifically once again only made him feel even guiltier… '_Her secret…it's so important to her…and I promised myself I'd never push her about it and always keep it safe as long as she needed me to, but…I almost blew the whole thing for her!_' He couldn't even imagine how utterly just…devastated she might have been had everyone really seen them and found out everything. He sighed to himself._ 'I'll have to make it up to her later…the date and the gum and the chess…the stress…all of it…' _

And yet despite feeling so bad, Arnold hadn't been able to help making that little 'about to win the chess game' joke just now considering how brightly she had made him publically blush with that bathing suit/car wash comment. And to make matters worse that joke from her had suddenly reminded him that, well…summer wasn't that far off so…she actually would be seeing him in a bathing suit soon… And sure she had seen him in a bathing suit before, but…never with him knowing that she loved him…or with him knowing that he loved her…Having to wear his bathing suit around her and knowing she was attracted to him…looking at him… _'N-No shirt on around her…_' He was certain he would be blushing all over the whole entire time when the time did come. And what if she went and hugged him or something when he was like that? Oh the very idea made him feel about to faint!

'_N-No, Arnold, save it for later…_' he soothed himself mentally as best he could. '_You don't want to start blushing again in front of everyone_.' He closed his eyes and took another refreshing swig of his Yahoo soda to cool himself a bit. He let out a refreshed sigh as he took the bottle away from his lips and set it back down on his end table. Yes, he would be fine. He would be fine and the guys would leave soon and then he could let Helga out and make it all up to her.

So for now he was just patiently listening to everyone talk about go kart money ideas…and chewing his gum a little here and there…remembering so many things from ten minutes ago.

"Oh…Arnold…?"

He heard the whisper from her behind him and he just gave one of his small nods to acknowledge it.

"You know, I…" the soft whisper went on…and it was much softer than the last time she had been talking to him, he couldn't help but mentally note. She went on. "I never noticed before but…the skin on the back of your neck looks so smooth and soft…And you've got this cute little part right where your hair begins…Hmm…it's like a whole new little part of you that I haven't explored yet. I'll have to give it extra special attention later to make up for overlooking it so…"

Arnold felt the blush come back…

"…But for now, I, well…"

"Helga…" he whispered back shakily, not even having it in him to bother with the soda bottle as cover this time, "P-Please…don't…Whatever you're going to…don—" His whispers stopped and a full tremor passed through him. She had just blown gently and sweetly on the back of his neck. _'O-Oh…_' Her sweet breath tingling against the nape of his neck…making the hairs stand on end…knowing that her lips were so close…and that she could probably see the scarlet building in the patch of skin there now and all for her.

Another slow, lingering blow of breath came from her against the back of his neck…and then there was a giggle… "Your neck blushes…I find that very cute in a man, you know, Arnold…" And then he felt her give his neck the lightest poke.

He was just gripping the fabric of the cushions of his couch at this point to keep from collapsing, and HOPING as hard as he could inside that no one would address him or notice how strange he must look AT ALL!

"Hey Arnold…are your allergies bugging you again?" Harold, who was sitting on his carpet not too far from him and indeed looking at him rather curiously at the moment.

Arnold just sighed. '_Great_…' "U-Um…yeah. I-It's fine, don't worry about it, Harold. U-Um…th-that idea you guys suggested about pet walking sounds good. D-Does anyone know where we could get a bunch of pet food for not a lot of money so that we could save on costs?" He let out a sigh of relief as luckily that question got Curly talking about his being able to possibly 'borrow' some pet food from the zoo.

"Arnold, Darling…" came Helga's whisper again from just below his ear and his eyes went wide…She was still going with this? "Do you still have our gum in your mouth? Does it still taste like…me?" Another giggle.

He gave a small chew to the gum again…Yes…just a tiny bit of her presence was still on it. "Y-Y-Yes…" he had to whisper back, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Aww…Oh but it's too bad that we got interrupted from our little game with it…Hmm…kissing games…_Never_ thought I'd bring you that far, my love…at least not so quickly. Wow—kissing games, defeating the Sewer King and all of his horrid rat minions…Such a 'bad' boy I fell in love with…"

His shy little fingers dug deeper into the red cushions of his couch. '_Bad boy'_… She had called him that again in his life… '_No, I…_' but… '_You were swapping gum with her while you intimately kissed up in your bedroom and imagined tossing aside the nice, safe, innocent chessboard you were supposed to be teaching her with so that you could dive on her and not come up for air for…who knows how long?'_ Oh it was all so much…and the most confusing part was that of course he wanted to be a good, nice, humble gentleman, he really did…but at the same time he could no longer deny also really wanting to be an edgy, impressive, daring, bold, aggressive guy…Actively and severely wanted it, and didn't just want it to be a random spontaneous thing but something that he could let out whenever he felt like it to give her those daring and romantic times that she deserved so much. After all, _she_ no longer needed things to compel _her_ to be _sweet_…to pull out the secret feelings inside of herself—she could get romantic and tender and monologue whenever she wished it, it seemed, so…so why couldn't _he_ control his '_dark side'_ like that too?

"C-Can't help it…I-I'm in love…r-remember…?" was all he could respond to her 'bad boy' comment for now.

"Oh yes, I remember…" came her sweetly whispered reply. "Just like you must remember your dark side…and how much you like it…Oh Arnold…I hate being back here, trapped in the cold and dark away from you…I long for you, my darling, right here and right now. " Another breath blown on the back of his neck, and then the simple yet perfect finish of… "Your Helga needs you to warm her up, Arnold…You're the only one who _can_, after all…"

'_This isn't fair…This just…isn't fair._' His heart was pounding and pounding and now Gerald (though thankfully none of the other guys too…yet) was even looking at him extra funny from his place on his bed. He just gulped and glanced down and tried to focus on go karts and nothing else…which was a strategy that was really just not working at all, to be just perfectly honest.

* * *

"Well…" Helga's voice went on, so cooing, so angelic as she leaned up as close as she could to the crack in the wall so that wisps of her breath might hit his ear as she spoke…and then she dropped the bomb. "If you hadn't invited about a million people over by accident on our date, we COULD be together and warming each other up right now! Really, Arnold, you mentioned that go kart meeting to me two days ago and I asked you specifically what day it was so that I could make sure to be nowhere around here and you assured me that today was perfectly fine to come over and get all cozy with you! Hmph!" She had finished in a much more sarcastic and annoyed voice and now she crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down to the floor behind the wall once more. (Yes, once again, Helga knew it was an honest mistake on his part, but…right now she was flustered and frustrated and cold had she mentioned that it was _so_ annoying being trapped in this stupid space! And besides, all she had done was a little bit of harmless flirting…it was just a small little joke—another bit of fun with teasing and tempting him, just like she had always done throughout their entire lives together.)

* * *

Outside of the wall, once again in Arnold's perspective of all of this…

'_Not. Fair.' _

Yeah, he was still saying those words to himself just as he had been doing before…but…he meant them in a MUCH different way now.

'_WHY does she have to…__always__…and she knows how bad it can get to me, and_…' He let out a frustrated sigh…and, yes, she _did_ have a point about this being kind of his fault, as he had more than admitted to himself already, but…still… '_WHY does she have to toy with me like that? Get me all worked up, and then…_' He let out another sigh. And then he glanced down at the floor near his end table and his eyes fell on her two white sneakers, still next to each other and tucked away there from when she had taken them off earlier to relax, and in a little burst of his anger he couldn't help swinging one of his feet over and giving a little kick against them in his frustration…

"Hey, Arnold…who's shoes are those?" asked Eugene brightly now from across the room as he finished taking a sip of his own soda.

Arnold froze. Then he cringed. '_She's going to kill me._' He instantly sat back up straight and did his best to use his foot now to push Helga's shoes even more away under the table. "Uh, n-no one's. Hey, do you guys want any more sodas or anything? I'll bet there's some in the fridge downstairs!" He smiled as brightly as he could, just hoping like crazy to distract them and bring any attention away from the one piece of evidence of Helga's presence here that she had forgotten to take care of before flipping herself behind his wall.

"Um," Eugene went on though, still looking at the offending white tennis shoes in question, "Actually, those look like girl's shoes, Arnold…"

And now officially all the attention of all the boys was entirely focused on Arnold…and at the little white pair of tennis shoes that they all were now finally noticing tucked neatly under his end table. (And Arnold just did his best to ignore the small squeak of surprise he could hear come from Helga's place behind the wall.)

Harold grinned, putting down the cookie he had been about to take another bite of. "Hey Arnold, whatchya doing wearing girls shoes? Ha ha!" He started to laugh.

Arnold blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "N-No! They're just, um…"

Sid grinned too now from his place sitting on the floor beside Harold. "Heh, well then maybe Arnold's got a girlfriend…." He elbowed his portly friend with a grin.

Helga's squeak this time was extra loud and Arnold was all but panicking, feeling nothing but a cold sweat upon the back of his neck now. "I…N-No, that's not…" He was going down and he could feel it. Like a ship at sea taking on water and only getting more holes…

And then, to top it all off, the iceberg struck.

"Well garsh, actually…" Stinky then piped up, scratching his head from his own place on the floor, "I reckon those look like Helga's shoes…"

* * *

Behind the wall every ounce of blood in Helga G. Pataki's body was now in her face, she couldn't breath, things before her eyes were hazy, there was a dull ringing in her ears, and she was about a half a second away from blowing chunks (an action thankfully held back by the fact that all she'd had to 'eat' all afternoon was Arnold gum). _'Stupid stupid STUPID, I COULD KILL __US BOTH__!' _

She only prayed that the fourth grade jungle would be merciful when they socially ate her and her beloved alive.

* * *

Back in the land of those 'currently on the spot', Arnold's brain had basically just shut down at that simple observation of, 'I reckon those look like Helga's shoes…' . He just sat there, his face frozen in mid-panicked look, pretty sure his heart wasn't even beating anymore. There was just no way…just no way that this was really in actual life happening…him and Helga, finally exposed. '_N-No, this can't be…it.'_ Yes, sure, he wanted him and Helga's relationship to become public knowledge one day but NOT like this! And not when she wasn't ready…No, never when she wasn't ready…and with it being so spontaneous he wasn't even sure if _he_ was ready himself right now…

Meanwhile all the boys around him were now looking at him intently.

"Wow, hey, I think Stinky's right," Eugene observed with one of his usual smiles. "Those do look like Helga's shoes, come to think of it. Gosh, how did they end up here, Arnold?"

"Yeah, Arnold. How, uh…How did Helga's shoes end up here?" Sid smirked a little and Stinky and Harold joined him. And Curly was just sitting there with this creepy eager smile on his face.

Okay, all of them were obviously expecting an answer from him…even despite the fact that his brain function had all but ceased progressing forward about thirty seconds ago. "I…" Arnold finally squeaked out, "They're here because I…" '_Anything that doesn't put her up here in your room…ANYTHING that doesn't put her up here in your room_…' "B-Because I…took…them? Heh…" Arnold knew that behind the couch Helga was having the same thought as him now. '_You phrased it as a question…Fantastic. And what do you even mean, you 'took' them?'_

"Arnold…why did you take Helga's shoes?" Curly then asked, very seriously and looking totally stumped (and Arnold couldn't help but cringe at the fact that if _Curly_ was questioning an action…it was a safe bet that said action didn't just sound crazy…it probably sounded CERTIFIABLE!)

"I…" Arnold tried to speak more calmly, shifting a little again on his couch. "I took…Helga's shoes…a-and brought them up here…and put them under the table…" stalling, "Because…um…it was, um…I, um…" He heard the faintest little groan come from behind the couch to his ears.

And now, Gerald, just plain finding this all too painful to watch, finally stood up from his place seated on the edge of Arnold's bed and took a nice sidestep over to his best friend, grinning confidently. "Uh…" he supplied, looking out at the other guys with a much more confidant smile than his buddy had at the moment. "Don't be modest, Arnold, man…" Arnold blinked and glanced up to his best friend. "Uh," Gerald just went on, still addressing the full room, "He took them…as a prank! Right, buddy?" Gerald's already wide smile grew and he looked to Arnold with as much meaning as possible.

Arnold just swallowed…just swallowed and brought his wide, unsure eyes back to the group of boys before them. "Uh…o-okay…y-yeah…it was a prank…" It was said by him with so little conviction, and yet Arnold was just happy the words had actually managed to leave his mouth.

And yet still everyone was sitting around him, still looking at him…obviously wanting further explanation of all of this (which made sense considering how epically freaking RANDOM it all was) and Arnold just…just said words that came out of his mouth. He barely knew what they were and if anyone had chosen to interrogate or question him on this subject after his initial explanation, his story would have changed (and dramatically) about a million times with no more coercion than the simple request for him to 'state the facts once more, please'. "I…stole Helga's shoes…She was, uh…sitting on her stoop p-putting on some…skates, and…she had been bugging me a lot that day…wh-which was just a little while ago actually since she, uh, obviously had her shoes in school today, heh…so I just snuck up and stole them to get back at her…Y-Yeah…Yeah that's it!" And then suddenly…Arnold started feeling just a little…smug. "Yup. I stole Helga's shoes." And now he was sitting there smiling confidently looking around at the faces of all the guys who were kind of giving him seriously impressed looks (even though Gerald still standing to his side was just cringing and smacking a hand to his forehead. '_Man, do NOT milk this, she will KILL you!_') But, eh, Arnold wasn't thinking of that consequence…He was kind of getting a small ego boost from all of this actually…and, if anything, also thinking now about maybe getting Helga back a little for that small seduction thing she had just done to him from behind his couch only to pull the rug out from under his feet and leave him hanging and blushing and high and dry out here with all of the guys to see him blushing and spazzing like they had. And after all this 'prank' excuse seemed to be working, which really was the most important thing, so…why not go with it all the way as long as the opportunity was presenting itself? His grin grew all the more and a touch of pride welled up within him.

* * *

'_I will KILL him!'_ Helga was FUMING behind the couch as she peeked out with a dark scowl through the crack in the wall. '_THIS is what he comes up with! What part of DO NOT TORCH MY REPUTATION does he not get?'_ Granted, at the back of her mind she had to acknowledge that people thinking Arnold had royally pranked her as opposed to them knowing that she and he made out regularly was definitely the preferable situation of the two, but still… And then now he was getting all SMUG about it! Actually, _enjoying_ doing this to her! _'I will KILL him!' She seethed even more. 'And the worst part is I'm not even out there to defend myself! Ugh it's MADDENING! And I want out of here anyway! This is the most frustrating…the most annoying…the most ridiculous…'_

"Yup, stole them right out from under her. And boy was she mad. But, you know, I figure it's a little more payback for that April Fools blindness thing she pulled on me—I mean, I know dropping her in the pool was supposed to get her back for that but then she pulled me in to get me back for that again, so…I figure this shoes thing makes us completely even now…or maybe puts me kind of ahead actually since it really was kind of funny."

Helga gave a silent little scoff of total and complete indignation and then her scowl came back, extra dark. '_Oh I'll put him 'kind of ahead'… 'kind of ahead' of an ONCOMING BUS when I get out of…Oh…Arnold…I swear….I swear if I wasn't behind this couch, I'd…'_ She let out a sigh of frustration. '_But you __are__ behind the couch, Helga, you are behind the couch_…' her reason had to remind her. She thought back to some things in her life—of course she had been trapped behind this couch multiple times before but…with so many people in the room beyond? Never… '_Well_…' she sighed, '_No, there __was__ that thing with that stupid answering machine tape, I guess, the last time I was here when they were all having a go-kart meeting…B-But getting out of that was a total fluke…_' She recalled the explanation Arnold had made to her a couple of weeks ago of his inaction when she had randomly rolled out of his wall like she had, covered in dust and wearing a campfire lass sash. _'I guess…I was just figured if I said anything, you'd pound me or something…' _Had all the other guys been afraid of that too? It was a possibility. '_Or they were just in shock…_' Either way she _had_ gotten away with it and gotten out of this house…

"Wow, Arnold, that is awesome! Ha, ha, I would'a loved to see the look on that Madam Fortress Mommy's face when you swiped her shoes! Ha Ha!" There was general laughter throughout the room to join in Harold's comment.

Helga let out yet another frustrated breath and sat down with her back against the couch once more and just settled on scanning her surroundings yet again for spiders or rats to distract herself (and her anger) for a moment. '_Nothing. Good.'_ She was about to consider turning her eyes back to the scene of Arnold's room even if it was the most exasperating thing she'd ever come across…

..But then her eyes fell on the room remote to her left which had ended up back here with her since she'd had to use it to flip the couch back with herself on it before.

"Well, gosh, I suppose that _is_ kind of funny come to think about it, Arnold." More laughter. ('_Great, even EUGENE'S yucking it up over me._' Helga rolled her eyes again, the scowl still set deeply upon her features.)

Her eyes then, with nothing else really to focus on back here in the dark, just fell once more to the room remote.

At first she just looked at the object with boredom…it and all of its buttons she had come to know so well over the weeks.

"Yeah, boy howdy, she might cream you later but that's great, Arnold! Nice job!" Some extra laughter from Sid.

Helga just sighed, still looking at the dumb remote.

And then the thought occurred to her…and it was kind of novel, actually…sort of a 'hiding in plain sight' thing. And of course in its corner was the fact that what she was maybe considering doing had indeed worked once before…heck, only now it might work even better since she actually had a plausible story to go along with it. And it would stop this little brag fest…it would get Arnold back in spades (another definite selling point)…and it would also let her do some much needed venting of her current frustrations. (And besides, her other option was what? The vents! Even if she did start crawling through them…in the dark since she had no flashlight…she recalled full well that the last time she had attempted to navigate the full complex inner workings of the boarding house she had ended up crashing through the ceiling kitchen… And in addition she still had no shoes to walk home with (although, technically speaking, once she had managed to get home from here in nothing but an old bathrobe she had found in Arnold's shower…but that was an entirely different situation and one that she didn't care to relive too much for its embarrassment and awkwardness, to say the least.))

'_Do it, Helga old girl…I think you've got just enough moxy to pull it off. Do it.'_

She considered for just one more second…then nodded to herself, took a breath to sum up her courage, gulped very deeply to push down her last bit of nerves…and then Helga G. Pataki took the couch remote in one hand, and prepared to reach through the crack in the wall to give the cute back of Arnold's neck such a pinch before she pressed a certain button!

* * *

Back in Arnold's actual room…

Okay, he'd had his fun and he was ready to tone things down a bit and be a little more modest and to start brushing past this whole thing. He just smiled and shrugged from his place on the couch as his friends continued to laugh and joke together a bit. "Guys, really though it's not too huge of a deal, and…actually I don't think any of us should mention it too much around Helga. I don't want her to feel bad or anyth—OW!"

Suddenly he was cringing and standing up and rubbing the back of his neck for the sharp pinch of pain that had just been shot through it by something. His brain was probably about to process that it was the result of a rather peeved Helga pinching him from behind finally in retaliation for his slight humiliation of her…

Was _about_ to process that when…

"Whoa!"

And suddenly something had kind of jettisoned him forward and now he was facedown on his carpet, eyes closed…and then a 'whooshing' sound met his ears, and then a loud 'thump' right on the floor beside him, and then he could definitely make out some sounds of shock and surprise coming from around him...and then he suddenly became aware of a presence right beside him…rather different from any other presence in the room…as…well…this particular presence had a warmth that he knew…and a warmth he had often dreamed of lying beside just like this over the last near month (though not in such a surprising and strange manner and…certainly not on a floor but rather in her bed or in his bed… her, despite her constant insistence that she was more than prepared for such an event, smiling shyly and blushing at them being so warm and close together….).

This 'presence' moved swiftly as a groggy Arnold just blinked and finally managed to push himself up a little.

"You are…DEAD…Football Head."

And now Arnold was sitting straight up and at attention and blinking and taking in everything with wide eyes. "H-H-Huh?" was all he could manage shakily.

And instantly he was suddenly being grabbed by the collar, hoisted up and high, and, now on his feet, he was gulping on reflex as he had always been apt to do whenever a scowling and angry Helga G. Pataki had him in close quarters (and especially by the collar). "Did I stutter, paste for brains? Oh no wait that was YOU." He looked at her, his vision finally coming completely into focus. She was scowling and breathing heavily and blushing (though luckily it probably came off to the others as her just being 'red hot mad'…Although, come to think of it now, Arnold wasn't entirely certain that 'red hot mad' _wasn't_ the sole reason for the color in her features all things considered.) She went on, still fuming, still holding him up by a bit of his plaid shirt collar. "Now you listen to me, you pathetic little shrimp! I go and be nice enough to kind of bury the hatchet with us about that whole April Fools thing by being your stupid poetry tutor last month and THIS is the thanks I get! You and your crazy football headed self out of nowhere stealing my shoes! Who even does that?" He watched her glance around a tiny bit as she then went on with…in a slightly forced exposition if you really thought about it… "A-And then I ended up chasing you so far to get them back that I was actually closer to here than my house before I even realized it, but of course I couldn't catch up with you the whole way here since, ONCE AGAIN, I HAD NO SHOES, so I had to sneak in here and sneak up here, and now I swear…I SWEAR…if there weren't a million witnesses in this room, oh what I would do to you, you pathetic little geek." She tightened her grip on his collar and brought his slightly frightened looking face a little closer and Arnold had to gulp again, though at the same time…he had never really realized it before but…the way his heart pounded when Helga had done things like this to him over the years…it was funny, but it was kind of similar to the way his heart pounded when they made out. He…He almost didn't want the yelling to stop…almost wanted to…

And then suddenly he was flung 'violently' to his carpet (obviously it was more for show than anything else since he could feel right away that Helga didn't do it nearly as forcefully as she might have done in the past, and even then, of course, all such actions against him had always been softened by her love), and after blinking a few times he watched as Helga (totally ignoring the other boys) just scowled and stomped her way over to her shoes, snagged them and slipped her feet into them, then glared at the occupants of the room for good measure, and then with a "Hmph!" stomped her way over to the exit and out of the room, giving the door a very firm slam behind her.

Arnold and all the other boys just stared in shock and silence at the direction in which she had gone.

A few seconds later, some whispers started among the other guys and Gerald took that as a cue to come over to his buddy and take the opportunity to help him up from the floor (and also to have a brief one-on-one whisper session with him about this whole thing). "Arnold…I don't know what to say…"

Arnold, finally kind of standing again thanks to the efforts of Gerald, just gulped and spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "U-Um, so…I think that…went okay, Gerald…Don't you? Heh…."

His best friend just shook his head he finished helping get Arnold to his feet and brushed him off a little. "Heh, well, to paraphrase something I've been known to say…you are one dead kid, Arnold…One dead kid…"

Arnold gulped significantly once again…and then, now that he was fully up and standing on his own once more, the other boys started laughing and smiling and patting him on the back for so thoroughly getting under Helga's skin (and, of course, making sure to also casually ask for things like his stereo system and skateboard after he was dead by Helga's hands, probably some time within the next forty eight hours if nothing came around to cool her off before then).

Arnold just sighed and did his best to fake a smile and humor them…until he could get them home and get out of there to head over to Helga's house to face whatever 'music' may lie ahead for him.

* * *

"O-Okay…flowers…chocolates… I-I know Helga's different and more special than most girls but somewhere deep down she's gotta really like things too like this…right? Like when she was talking about wanting more official and grown-up like dates and stuff…" A slightly desperate looking Arnold was currently assuring himself of this notion for about the third or fourth time as he now finally made his way up Helga's block at a decent clip (around sunset, at this point)…with a single daisy in one hand and a Fudgie Nut Nut Bar in the other. He cringed a little once again on his walk at the sight of these kind of skimpy offerings and mentally kicked himself for not having been able to get rid of the guys until too close to dinner for him to stop by Helga's beforehand and get her alone for a formal little apology for his slip-up (and bragging), and also at the fact that by the time he had helped clear the dishes and had gotten out of the house, Mrs. Vitello's had been closed so all he'd been able to do was pick a daisy from the park on the way, and then he had wanted to stop at a convenience store or something for a real box of chocolates but he had left the house and gotten to within sight of the store before he had realized that he only had two dollars in his pocket, besides which he really wanted to get to Helga's ASAP before she had too much more of a chance to brood or before it got too close to their curfews. Anyway, the end result had been him just running in the store and up to the counter, pulling out a singer dollar bill and snagging Helga's favorite candy bar before running right back out of the store again to finally be on his way to his girlfriend's house.

He let out another deep sigh to himself now as Helga's stoop finally came in sight. "It's okay, she'll like them…even though they're not REAL 'flowers and chocolates'…It's still romantic…enough…"

He had reached the stoop now and had been literally two steps up it and with a hand out (and with both 'flowers' and 'chocolates' now in one hand for a moment) to knock on the door…when suddenly the word romantic stuck with him… 'Romantic…' He wanted this to be as romantic as possible…right? And the flowers and the chocolates were compromised a little so…why not pad them if possible?

And then quickly he was down the stoop and heading around Helga's house to her backyard fence. Upon finding himself in front of it he pulled forward the dumpster that was near there, climbed upon it, (checked to make sure Helga's backyard was empty), then climbed over into her backyard. Straightening up now (and thankful that his daisy hadn't gotten crushed and that the chocolate bar still looked brand new) he looked over at the back of her house…and his eyes fell upon her tree, the one near her window. His smile couldn't help but go a little dreamy at his most prominent memory with that tree: their one week anniversary…Hoisting himself up to surprise his love…and that kiss she had given him late in the night just before he had climbed back down it

Sure he didn't have a rope now but…it was light enough outside and holding a single daisy and chocolate bar wasn't so hard, and he was a pretty able kid so he knew he could make that climb on his own without too much trouble probably, even if it took him an extra few minutes to make it to the top. And, well…she really did love old-fashioned romance no matter how much of a modern woman she was…and she loved nostalgia and even a bit of well-placed irony too, of course…So yes he would definitely do this for her.

With a little extra smile to himself Arnold went forward to climb Helga's tree to the 'balcony' of her bedroom window.

* * *

Just as Arnold had predicted, it definitely took him a few extra minutes to navigate his way to the top of Helga's tree using just his climbing skills and then to push open Helga's shut window, all with the chocolate bar and daisy to keep intact, but finally he was up there and it was open and, upon going forward toward her sill, he slipped just a bit and kind of tumbled into the room onto her bed. Sitting up now, he blinked a few times, (hoped he hadn't looked like TOO much of a dork doing that just now), tried not to get TOO goofy inside about the fact that he was back once more in his precious love's 'sacred' little room, and then he pulled a few leaves out of his hair and looked around eagerly for his love. "Helga, I…" But then he blinked and paused…No Helga. His face fell a little…even if his little tumble inside _had_ been a tiny bit embarrassing he still really wished she could have seen him enter like that by her tree…But anyway more importantly where was she? He had been just certain she would be here…although looking back on it he suddenly realized that he probably should have called first to make sure. He cringed and let out a sigh of frustration with himself. '_Nice going, Arnold…'_

He had to scan the room again with his eyes just to be sure that after all of that she really wasn't he—

Arnold's eyes fell on a sight…and he had to blink at it as he now stood up from her bed. Helga's closet door was open…just left idly open…and if there was one thing he knew in the world it was that, considering what her closet led to, Helga would NEVER not be in this room and have left that door open…

Oh and also the closet light was on…

Which led to one conclusion…and the conclusion made him smile (and made him a lot more hopeful that she really wasn't as angry with him as he might have thought.)

A deep frustrated female sigh then met his ears, coming distinctly from the direction of the closet. "Ugh, this is taking FOREVER…" (This small confirmation of his suspicions about where Helga was at the moment made his smile grow a little more.)

Arnold looked down and straightened his sweater a little from his climb, then checked his daisy and then his chocolate bar…then tried not to blush and smile too much about where he was going…and then headed over to her closet and stepped inside.

As expected, there was a little step ladder there (Helga had finally explained to him not too long ago that a step ladder was what was usually there to climb up to the attic space above as opposed to that chair she'd had him use to get up there on their one week anniversary….but that it had broken right around the time of that tutoring thing between them as a consequence of her…trying to drag a football head-shaped anvil up there and resting it on one of the rungs. Oh he'd laughed so very much at that, and the second she'd gotten that frustrated little pout about him chuckling over something at her expense, he had just hugged her and given her cheek little kisses and told her again and again that she was just about the most brilliant woman he'd ever come across in his entire life…and that had taken away that frustrated look of hers pretty quickly, to say the least).

Smiling at these memories, Arnold began to quietly climb the ladder as he headed up into the shrine, deciding to surprise her (there was a tiny bit of romanticness in that at least, after all).

A few steps and a quick push up against the attic floor with one of his arms…and his head and upper body were in… '_H-Helga's shrine to me_…' So much blushing…He accepted and loved the shrine but…still…a little room all dedicated to him…a room in which he…had a vague idea that other things went on besides just Helga sculpting and constructing her little statues in his honor…The poetry and…there were candles…incense…paint…chalk on the floors and…

He tried not to think about it too much more lest his entire face melt off in blushing as he pushed himself quietly up the rest of the way inside.

There was Helga, sitting in the center of the little room in front of…something that looked like the start of the base of a new shrine, and she appeared to be…folding things with a slightly frustrated scowl on her face. One of her purple pens was nearby and only a few of the larger candles were lit around her.

She seemed pretty focused on what she was doing because she still hadn't noticed his entrance and he was about to announce himself when suddenly…

Helga gave a sharp inhale of breath and dropped the piece of paper she was working on. "Ow!" She cringed and then brought her index finger to her mouth for a moment and then pulled it back out and shook it. "Stupid paper cuts…"

Arnold saw his opening and went right for it.

Putting the daisy and candy bar in one hand, he scooched over to her on his knees shyly and cleared his throat a tiny bit to make his presence known. "U-Um…allow me, please…my love…" And then shyly he reached out and took her offending hand, and brought her little slightly cut finger to his lips for a lingering kiss.

"A-Arnold!" she squeaked out in shock and surprise and he felt her jerk away a little…though certainly not enough to remove her hand from his grasp…and her cute little finger from his kiss.

His kiss remained for a moment of two and then he gently removed his lips from her skin and glanced up at her with a half lidded gaze, putting on his most charming smile. "Um…hello, my bright angel. I-I've missed you. Heh…" He smiled a tiny bit sheepishly and sat up straighter now.

She was blushing (so he thought that was a good sign) but then she shook her head (seeming to come out of something) and then…scowled and turned away from him in frustration (though she was at least letting him continue to hold her hand). "Hmph! Oh, it's _you_. You know, I'm not sure if I even want _you_ up here right now in my shr…my shri…" And then her eyes flew upon and she blushed scarlet and ripped her hand from his. "Arnold, what the heck are you doing in my shrine? Get out, get out!" And suddenly she began trying to shift him away to the exit, still blushing severely.

As for Helga and how she was acting right now, well…sure, Arnold knew about the shrine but…she didn't want to be…up here…_with him_ up here…_with him_ up here in the shrine and completely unannounced! She was in the middle of putting together this new one so half the crazy supplies she usually used were out in some form—paint, feathers, glue, glitter, extra lights. On top of which last night had been one of her (now only weekly as opposed to 'every three hours-ly') worship and prayer sessions during which she had made her final shows of gratitude to her yahoo soda bottle shrine before retiring it, leading to this place smelling heavily of incense and a big sacred chalk heart on the floor and her football head-shaped helmet/mask just sitting casually in a box somewhere up here. '_No, no, no, no, no, he NEEDS to get out of here!'_ she thought to herself with total conviction as she continued to push him away. It was WAY too embarrassing. Ugh, it was even superseding her anger and frustration with him about that whole fiasco in his room a few hours ago. It was like he'd walked in on her getting dressed or something—just mortifying!

"H-Helga…" Arnold just chuckled to her though with a smile, managing to resist her efforts to push him out a little and to stop them at the edge of the entrance. "Come on, I…I've been up here before…What's the big deal?" He turned himself back toward her and gave a shy, blushing little shrug.

Helga, removing her hands from him to put them on her hips as she rested on her knees before him, just rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Uh—HELLO! It's a big deal because, it…i-it's my _shrine_!" That full and rich scarlet color returned to her features. "A-And I wasn't expecting you and I'm in the middle of stuff, and you got to come up here once and only once and only to become aware of it's existence and now it's a strictly 'Helga only, real Arnold free' zone! A-And besides…" And now she was scowling (though still blushing) again, "I-I'm still a little ticked off at you about the whole thing this afternoon at your house…messing up the dates AND milking that prank excuse. Hmph!" She looked away from him defiantly again.

Arnold, taking in all of her little concerns and her last complaint, just let out a sigh and scooched closer to her once more, putting on his most charming smile again. "So…just so I have this clear…you're angry with me but…you're working on your shrine to me?" He did his best not to chuckle a lot. He'd just _had_ to ask the question, finding it too amusing to pass up.

At his words Helga stopped and blinked a bunch of time and then managed to roll her eyes yet again (and the blushing still went on). "Hey, I'm feeling anger right now and Bliss says that it's better to deal with those feelings constructively, a-and my poetry and my shrines are the best way to do that, but along with angry I'm also really frustrated with you and ticked off in general about that whole thing in your room so I wanted something constructive that would let me do some physical work so I'm up here doing this. So don't read too much into it because you are NOT magically off the hook for the stress of this afternoon!" She looked at him firmly (but once again the blushing softened the effect of it so very much, only making him able to think with a little lovesick sigh as he observed her, '_She's just so cute when she's angry at me…_' )

Still though Arnold knew that he had to take this seriously and that she would have every right in the world to get really furious with him if he just went off into some dazed ramble about her being cute when she was angry instead of genuinely listening to and talking about her feelings. And so now he let out a much more sympathetic sigh accompanied by an understanding nod to her. "Okay, okay…I-I know, Helga…I-I wanted to get you back a little for what you did to me behind the couch by kind of taking advantage of that 'prank' excuse Gerald suggested, but…maybe that was pushing things too far…bragging like that. A-And also I really am sorry about messing up the days like with our date and the go kart meeting and almost having us, you know…" he gulped at the sensitive topic, "…get caught…" He let out a breath and cleared his throat a little and did his best to go on. "B-But, um…to make up for it…if you'll accept them along with my apology, I brought you…" And now he brought his items forward from where he had been hiding them behind his back a little in his one hand. "Um, well…" he shrugged, looking a little sheepish, "I wanted to bring you a real box of chocolates but I didn't have enough money on me when I got to the store and I was afraid it would be too late if I went back home to get more and then went back and bought them and then came here, so I hope this candy bar works okay. It's a Fudgy Nut Nut Bar and I know those are your favorites. A-And then I wanted to get you flowers too, of course, but Mrs. Vitello's closes at 5 and I didn't have time to go before dinner so, um…I picked you a daisy…y-you know, like I did that time you had amnesia…uh, I mean, like that time you were 'faking that you had' amnesia, heh…a-and then I even, um…climbed up your tree to get in here to be extra romantic when I brought them to you…" He offered her both items with a sheepish yet hopeful smile, feeling the warmth of a light blush tinging his cheeks. "So…are we okay, Helga?" He looked at her hopefully.

Helga…just blinked at the explanation and the items, taking another moment to absorb it all…and then she looked back to Arnold's eyes… "You brought me…the junior versions of flowers and chocolates…and then went and climbed up the tree to be romantic again…all to say you're sorry?"

Arnold blinked and nodded…hoping…

She seemed to be trying hard not to…but…but then she was smiling…and blushing even more. "Arnold…Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…you…just…officially know what gets right to my big, mushy, goodhearted center, don't you?" And then she giggled just a little, totally unable to help herself at the cute little story and all of his cute little efforts and the cute little sight of him kneeling there with a daisy and a candy bar and hoping he really had made things all better. " 'Flowers' and 'chocolates' and…you climbing my tree in a little romantic re-creation of our one week anniversary…And the flower is even a daisy just like the time with the amnesia, like you said…" She was getting more lovey dovy sounding and she knew it and she just didn't care. She let out a happy sigh, removing the two items gently from her love's hand and placing them right at the front of her shrine ( '_I'll incorporate them into my next worship session…Genuine artifacts from the love god himself! Ahhh….'_ ). Finishing the little task, she then turned back to him, kneeling as well, her hands clasped together coyly in her lap. "Okay, Arnold." She nodded and looked into his eyes with her own half lidded and so full of love. "I forgive the mixing up the days thing today and the little bit of bragging you did about that prank excuse you came up with…And honestly I'm just proud of you for convincing everyone of such a clever story on the spot like that. Very well done." She winked, and then looked down with a sheepish little smile. "And um, sorry about teasing you a little bit behind the couch…I-I was just frustrated and bored, and…well…the back of your neck really is very cute…" she had to admit with another little giggle.

Arnold just chuckled goofily and blushed and felt very happy. "Aw, don't worry about it, Helga…It wasn't 'so' bad…having my girlfriend flirt with me a little extra…a-and besides blushing like that in front of everyone was good practice for making excuses for it to people on the spot…and also Gerald helped a lot with the prank story and stuff, which was nice."

Helga just smiled more, glancing at him extra coyly. "Yeah, but…you're the one who kept it all together. Cool as a cute little cucumber. Very impressive, darling."

He looked down even more shyly…She was impressed, she had just called him cute, and then she had even referred to him as 'darling'. "Thanks, Helga."

She let out a content little sigh. "You're welcome, Arnold."

They were just smiling and quiet with each other for a moment (and Helga, for just a second, had forgotten about worrying about Arnold being up in her shrine like this, while Arnold, likewise for just a second, was actually kind of wondering at the back of his mind, considering how nicely she had reacted to a silly candy bar and daisy, how she might react one day to a lovely box of gourmet chocolates and a full bouquet of pretty roses…not even to make up for a little awkward spat but…just _because_. '_Even though no chocolate could ever be as sweet as her…and no roses could ever be as beautiful…'_ ).

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his sweet, beautiful love clearing her throat a tiny bit and then asking with a touch more of her usual wit and amusement, "So…did the other guys buy it, do you think? Our, uh…little prank war…? I-I mean, I was only out there for a second and it was kind of hard to gage their reactions from behind the couch…"

Arnold smiled more and nodded to her question, looking a little sheepish. "Yeah. They seemed fine with it…Um…they might be teasing you a little bit about it though tomorrow at school but I promise I did my best to tone things down a lot after you left."

She nodded back and then gave a little chuckle. "And, uh…is Gerald 'traumatized' at all from what he walked in on with us?" She had to roll her eyes a little at the tall-haired boy's tendency for dramatics.

Arnold gulped and blushed a little more, still grinning. "U-Um, no…he's fine, heh… He, um…did start to ask me about why I had gum in my mouth when we were kissing…a-and why there were all those gum wrappers in my wastebasket…but, I think I blushed so bad before I started to say anything back that it made him tell me to just forget about it, heh…." He gave a sheepish shrug.

Helga sighed but smiled, taking in and accepting all of that information about the other guys as well as Gerald. "Okay…" she nodded then, "I can deal with all of that." She raised part of her brow and smirked just a little at him though as she added. "As for keeping up my reputation with the guys though, I…might have to be giving you an extra special hard time for the rest of the week in school, especially in front of them, but…I promise to make up for it by sneaking you an extra quickie make out session or two between class and lunch and recess." She winked at him.

Arnold's grin went from ear to ear. "Sounds, uh…Sounds m-more than fair to me, Helga."

She giggled.

He chuckled a little.

They looked up and they're eyes met for a little while.

And then Arnold asked with an extra deep blush, gesturing with his head behind Helga…and finally unable to control his curiosity even if it might lead to her ushering him out again in her (totally unnecessary, in his opinion) embarrassment. "S-So, um…you've been…working on a new shrine?"

Helga blinked at the unexpected question and then blushed and smiled and shrugged again, doing her best to keep her cool and to really try and be okay with just kind of shooting the breeze with Arnold in her shrine. "Uh…yeah. A-And before you ask, the old one made of the bottles that you liked so much is still around, it's just…" she gestured over to a far corner of the attic space, "…off to the side." She shrugged once more and looked back at him. "I figured…I-I mean, since I never thought of them as 'works of art' or anything until you came along…" she smiled more, "…I figured that I might try and start saving the saveable ones now…and especially that one since, well…that's the one that made you okay with my shrines in the first place. But, um, anyway, yeah…" She rubbed the back of her neck and swallowed nervously, "I've been planning this new one for a couple weeks now—Phoebe gave me the idea, actually." She was blushing even more as she spoke and Arnold just…found it all so adorable. His shy little love… "It's, um…" she crawled over and shifted to the side to give him a view of it again, though it was only the base (being done right now in a medium tone of blue colored paper…that he would realize, after she finished her explanations, was the same color as his jeans), "Well, apparently there's this old Japanese legend that if you make a thousand paper cranes you get one free wish, so, um, I decided to do that but, I'm also trying to give my own kind of flair to it and before I make the cranes out of the cut up construction paper I've been, um…writing one good memory about you or you and me on them…just to make them extra lucky and special, I guess, heh…" She smiled a little sheepishly and finally brought her eyes up to meet his. "Pretty crazy, huh…?" She half grinned.

Arnold was just…kind of wishing he could have five minutes alone in his room right now before he responded to her because, he didn't know if it was being up here or what, but he had never found her more inspirational than at this moment in time and he wanted to get a few poetry lines down about her if possible…(but he would do it later, he told himself, since he wouldn't leave here for anything now). "Um…" was all he could come up with now, "What are you going to wish for when it's done?" '_I'll bet she's going to wish for the most perfect thing in the whole world…'_

His Helga blushed extra at that question…like e_xt_ra extra…her eyes so wide. And he knew her heart must be pounding a lot for that much blushing to be happening and so quickly and suddenly. It was too much: his smile went all goofy and he felt his own heart starting to thrum happily. She swallowed and spoke again finally, glancing down shyly. "U-Um…well…if I say what I'm wishing for then it won't come true…a-and…it's…pretty important to me that it comes true…okay, Arnold? N-Not that I really think legends like that are real but…no sense taking a chance right? Heh…"

He just nodded at all of that, still with that big goofy smile on his face. It must have been something big and wonderful that she was hoping for…and (he didn't want to seem arrogant but)… '_And it's probably about me so…_' "Okay, Helga. I understand. And I hope it comes true very soon for you." He winked.

He watched her eyes go even wider in shyness and that deep blush in her cheeks spread all over her features, and she even began to nervously play with one of her pigtails. She only just managed the most nervous and shy little nod he had ever seen in response to his well-wishing.

He chuckled warmly to himself. _'Wow, it __must__ be a __big__ one_…' He felt all fluttery inside…and hoped that whatever it was it really would come true soon. _'I hope she lets me know what it is when it happens.' _He let out another sigh and then asked, in the hopes of making her even more comfortable with him up here. "Hey, Helga…to make your wish come true faster…do you want me to help you with folding the cranes a little for the shrine?"

Helga's jaw fell and her powers of speech seemed to return. "HUH?"

Arnold blinked at her rather shocked reaction to his simple offer but still smiled and asked once more simply, "Can I help folding the paper cranes for the shrine?"

Helga, for some reason, just blinked a bunch of times like she couldn't understand what he was asking or something. Her voice dripped with disbelief. "A-Arnold…you want to…help me build my Arnold shrine?"

He just shrugged, trying not to chuckle at how strange she was acting (or at her way of putting his request), and nodded his assent.

Helga just…she blinked a bunch of times like she just couldn't conceive of the idea. Then she shook her head, very emphatically. "N-No, um…I mean thanks but…that's…okay. No."

Arnold blinked and looked at her with a curious smile. "But, Helga…why not? I think it could be fun."

"Uh…" her eyes started to dart around nervously, "B-Because, um…" and then she grinned and brought her eyes to his again, "Because I…Well, duh, Arnold—because _I _have to be the one to make all the cranes or my wish won't come true…The legend…remember? Heh…" She grinned brightly at him.

Arnold just chuckled and smiled back at her explanation for her hesitation…So cute about her little 'wish'. He secretly wished he knew what it was she wanted to come true so badly so that he could help make it come true extra fast. But still…now that he thought about it…with helping her out with her shrine not being an option…that only left one thing he could think of for them to do together as long as they were alone again today…his initial highest hope upon coming over here, actually. "Okay, Helga." He nodded to her. "I understand…" And then he put on his warmest, most inviting half lidded gaze and leaned closer to her. "Well, um…if we can't work on the shrine together…maybe we could do…other things together…as long as we've got the time…and as long as we didn't get to finish up our date…my Queen of Chess…"

She was all rosy in the face at his sudden spontaneous and forward offer…He loved it. Then she smiled, her own eyes half lidded now, and giggled, her hands clasped coyly behind her back as she sat upon her knees. "Other things, huh? End of date things..." She nodded a little. "Yes, I could see that, Arnold…It's been a good week or so since you tossed me down on MY bed to fulfill all of your passionate desires about me…" She fluttered her eyelashes…and was secretly quite thankful that he had suddenly steered the conversation in this direction…in any direction really that involved the two of them not spending more time up here than they needed to. Her initial panic had subsided but still she really did want to get Arnold down from here ASAP. It was just…even if he found this place more charming than anything at this point, it still just felt so awkward for _her_ to actually be up here with him! Up here in the place where she had been known to paint her face in tribal colors, put on wooden and feathered football head shaped helmets/masks, bow down and beg for love and guidance and good fortune to her shrine while she chanted and made paper mache (since Dr. Bliss had told her that _actual_ ones were out) animal sacrifices to her love's glory…among other more intense things that she had already promised herself weren't going to be revealed in full to Arnold until, as she had thought to herself once back when she had told him about seeing him undress and had been thinking about when she would have preferred to have saved revealing that piece of information for, 'Until we're married and have a dozen wedding anniversaries behind us.' So anyway, yeah, not only getting him out of here but…getting in some fun kissing time (and on her bed…and she LOVED when it was on her bed), sounded pretty good to Helga right about now.

She watched her beloved blush about her comment about her bed…but his half lidded gaze did not falter. He just leaned a little closer actually. "Helga…I…well, kisses sound nice b-but…we already did so much with that back in my room…" He blushed extra and cleared his throat, recalling the gum and how much he had realized, after the fact, letting himself get that intense with her had taken out of him once it had all been over… "I'd just be happy being near you, even…Cuddling together…O-Of course, um…if any of that led to more kisses, I wouldn't object…and especially to kisses on your bed. I like your bed a lot too, Helga…and being on it with you…kissing on it with you. It's beautiful when I see you lying there against the pink blankets. Very beautiful…" His smile went all goofy and his eyes went all daydreamy.

Helga giggled at that look and leaned a little extra close to him herself. "Hmm…in a cuddling mood, huh? And looking forward to that plus maybe some kisses on my bed…" She reached out her hand and started to gently tiptoe her fingers up his chest (and felt the tiny shiver of anticipation that went through him at the flirtatious action). "Well, then, let's get to it, shall w—"

"Helga, sweetie! Are you still home…?"

Miriam's voice as she obviously, from the distance at which it sounded, entered Helga's room below.

Helga's eyes went wide, her face instantly lost all of its flirtatious quality, and she went totally and utterly quiet. She had a personal policy—if Miriam came into her room while she was up in her shrine…she did NOT answer her. It…was just too awkward…the idea of coming down from in her closet and Miriam obviously knowing where she must have been and what she must have been doing. No. So now she was just perfectly quiet.

She saw Arnold hesitate, look unsure, but then look to her and follow her lead of total silence.

Both children heard a brief bit of movement around Helga's room, and then a yawn, and then Miriam mumbling to herself as she went out, letting Helga's door lightly close behind her, "Hmm…maybe she went to see Arnold again…or Phoebe…"

The children waited until they heard only silence below in Helga's room for a good ten or twenty seconds more…and then Helga let out a breath of relief and looked to Arnold. "Whew, that was close…And uh, thanks for going along with how I was handling that, Football Head. It's appreciated." She smiled gratefully.

Arnold just nodded and smiled back at her. "Sure, Helga. But…why did we have to hide?" He looked at her curiously.

Helga grinned a little sheepishly. "Well, _I_ had to hide because…I-I don't like Miriam seeing me walking out of this closet…After all she knows vaguely about the shrine and…she'd realize that's where I was coming from and…I just don't like to bring attention to it. And as for why _you_ had to hide, well…" she smirked just a little, "Let's not forget that YOU snuck up here…and I'd rather Miriam stay in the dark about my handy dandy tree so that it can keep being our conveniently accessible little secret." She gave him a little wink.

Arnold blushed and then blinked and nodded in understanding. "O-Oh. Right, heh…I understand. Our little secret…" He smiled and blushed even more.

Helga giggled a little at his adorable reaction but then had to let out a disheartened sigh as she now weighed the true circumstances of their current situation. "Anyway, Arnold, all things considered and especially if Miriam's looking for me and already thinks I'm not here and doesn't know that you're here…maybe we should postpone the 'date finishing' kissing and cuddling until tomorrow…either that or maybe you could climb down the tree and then come back in through my front door or something and I can…I don't know, pretend I was getting something from Olga's room this entire time…?" She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and glanced down. "Sorry, Arnold. I know it's all a little inconvenient but it's the only thing I can think of."

Arnold took in her words…considered the options and her suggestions…but then just smiled and shook his head. His Helga, always making things so elaborate and worrying so much…when obvious, perfect things were right in front of her sometimes. "Or…" he began to suggest…and then scooched closer…extra close…and shyly reciprocated that lovely thing she had done with her fingers to his chest before by reaching out and tiptoeing the fingers of one of his own hands around her waist to pull her gently in. "Or…even though I'll miss your pretty pink bed…we could just finish up our date right here where we're safe, and then take care of going back down later…" He had lowered his voice and was gazing right into her eyes with his own half lidded. "What do you say?"

Helga's breath caught quick in her throat, her blue eyes were locked into his, her cheeks burned a rosy pink (made more beautiful by the glow of the candle or two she had lit, in Arnold's eyes). Oh it was the greatest thing in the world having the ability to make her react like that…He savored it so. Her lips trembled and then she spoke. "Arnold…we…we can't do stuff like that THAT! HERE!" she just squeaked out in utter panic and shock in reply to him.

Arnold blinked, confused by this unexpected response. "Helga…" his grip on her waist loosened just a tiny bit, though he still kept his arm around her, still gazed at her with a charming smile and half lidded eyes. "What do you mean?" He smiled and blushed just a little more. "It's perfect up here…"

She just shook her head though, blushing a burning crimson all the more. "No! I…Arnold, this place…I can't…with you…up here!" She frowned a little, her eyes so wide.

He looked at her extra curiously now, his arm around her loosening even more and just trying to figure this one out…but… "I'm sorry, Helga. I…just don't understand."

She rolled her eyes and looked down and to the side, her breaths still coming quick and shallow. "A-Arnold…c-come on…" she stammered, "I-It's my shrine…w-we can't…get romantic together IN my sh-shrine to you…! That's…no…" She shook her head firmly again. "Up here, I…the things I've done about you in this…the way I get with the incense and candles and…" She shook her head again. "No. _Uh-uh_…we go somewhere else. _Anywhere_ else…" She blushed and glanced hesitantly into his eyes again…needing him to lay off the charm…unable to resist it…and when he was so close to her, on top of it all…ready and waiting for the taking. She gulped and did her best to hold on until they could seriously get out of here since he had obviously gone INSANE with wanting to actually not just be up here but to be up here making the ultimate fantasy come true for her of her love god actually reciprocating for once her endless gestures and pleas of love to him in this most hallowed place of her affections.

Her Arnold, meanwhile, did his best to look at her with understanding in his eyes as he took in her reasons for objecting and worrying…yet he was also still smiling in that warm, sultry way of his nonetheless (she couldn't help but notice with another little gulp). "Helga…" he spoke gently and cooingly, "Shh…there's no need to get…embarrassed about…us up here…like that together." He blushed even more and she felt his arm come more firmly around her waist yet again…and the way his eyes glowed in the light of the few lit candles…she couldn't look away. "I-I mean," he went on, still quietly, "You think it's awkward up here for _you_, but remember_ I'm_ the one wanting to be romantic with my girlfriend in a room she made that's entirely dedicated to the worship of me." He chuckled a little again. "But…I still want to do it…As long as I get to be with you…nothing else matters to me…but of course we can postpone things or take some time to find somewhere else if you really think you couldn't be comfortable up here with me…I just…want us to be happy together." He smiled at her so sincerely.

And she smiled back…so very warmly…she had to. There was still doubt in her eyes but…also something grateful there too. Because how could she help but feel anything but comfortable and happy with her love's arm around her… "Arnold…" she whispered back, "I…As long as I get to be with you as well that's what's most important to me too…but…I…" She swallowed, even though that trusting smile was still there… "I-I don't know if I _could_…up here…I'd be so nervous…especially about kissing…I-I mean, what if I got carried away…? Y-You don't know half the things I've done up here, Arnold…" She blushed an extra lot, looking very deeply into his eyes. "Wh-What if the memories and the smells and you just being here got me to do stuff that would make you so uncomfortable you'd hate my shrine instead of loving it…? What if…I mean…I'm just nervous." She blinked a few times unsurely.

Arnold took in her words… and then released his arm from around her waist and nodded in understanding. "Well…" he then scooched around her and sat now at the center of the little room facing directly toward the base of the paper crane shrine. Helga turned herself and scooched over a little as well so that she was likewise facing the shrine as she watched him curiously as he went on with a shy little smile, "I-If it's just a matter of you feeling a little nervous and worried even though you really want to finish up our date up here…maybe I could…relax you a little…" That half lidded gaze was back and he was grinning just a little mischievously as he let his eyes meet hers.

Helga just gulped and blushed and glanced down again, on her knees as he was. "A-Arnold, I…It's okay. I know I seem uptight about this but…I just don't think you understand the extremes I've gone to up here, and to be actually with you now here doing who knows what…Arnold, I…" her breath caught in her throat…and she squeaked a little, "I…I…" A little tremor went through her. He'd scooched in back of her and was hugging her close from behind.

"Shh…it's okay, Helga. Go on please…" she heard whispered near her ear, as Arnold squeezed her a little. "Just tell me all about how you feel and…while you're doing that I'll…do my best to remind you why nothing bad can ever come out of you and me being together under any circumstances…no matter where we are…" And Arnold meanwhile was loving doing all of this so much! Not only was he maybe making her feel better and really more comfortable with him and her being together in her shrine but…also being this close to her and whispering and touching and flirting with her like this was like what she had done to him behind his couch with the tempting and the teasing but about a million times better! A million times more fun…and he was enjoying his chance to be the one doing it instead of the one having it done to him.

"A-Arnold…" Helga's voice cracked a tiny bit as she said his name and he felt her spine straighten against his stomach, felt her tremble and melt a little in his arms, "I…It's not that I…feel like something 'bad' is going to come out of it…It's just…I…well, I…I…" She was talking quickly yet with shallow little breaths, and then asked with a little gulp (and a little smile he could see part of if he leaned his head around her a little at an angle). "Arnold, why are you so fixated on my shrine?" She almost chuckled as she asked it.

Arnold blinked a couple of times at the unexpected question but then he just shyly shrugged a little…and inside marveled at how much warmth could come just from her letting her back press against his chest and stomach. "I-I don't know, Helga…" he answered honestly, with an extra blush…From an outsider's perspective, he guessed it was an arguable point though—that he had a little fixation on this shrine of her. He had questioned her about her what she had meant when she had mentioned shrines during her confession during their first date, he'd had a pretty lengthy reaction to actually seeing the real thing on their one week anniversary…and now he was doing his best to convince her to let him stay up here while he flirted with her shamelessly. Yes, he had to admit, if he thought about it…he really did seem to have a small thing for this room that his natural modesty _should_ have made him want to avoid at all costs. He smiled as an idea occurred to him then, and then he answered her question with another little extra affectionate hug. "I…" he chuckled a tiny bit, "I think it might actually…appeal to my…ego, I guess, a little…j-just a little. Just a tiny bit…I feel so shy thinking about this place but at the same time…I like the idea of it, a lot. I can't help but smile about it." He smiled more and even chuckled a little again, snuggling against her and still holding her close.

Helga just giggled in his arms in response. "Ah, so it makes you all full of yourself and proud about having your own little one woman fan club, huh…? Okay…" And now, obviously definitely starting to relax a little, she let weight lean back into him completely in total comfort. "A-Arnold?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, Helga?" he whispered lovingly near her ear, giving her warm body another little squeeze (and loving that she had let herself melt in his arms like this).

"A-About us, you know, together…up here…I…I…" And then she gave a slightly defeated sigh and smiled more and shook her head a little. '_Oh I can't keep resisting him_…' She giggled…and he knew he was getting her close. "Arnold…" she went on, much more coyly than nervously this time, "Um…hypothetically…let's say that what you're doing to me right now with listening to my feelings and assuring me that you'll do your best to remind me that the bottom line is that you love me and we'll be together…and of course holding me so snugly in your arms while I allow myself to become putty in your hands, my darling…let's say that all of that might be…swinging me over to your side…about us up here." She giggled again, and they were so close that a blushing Arnold could feel the little vibrations of that giggle pass from her to him. "But really, Arnold?" she went on merrily, "Just a hug? I…might need a little more coaxing than that…" Inside of herself she was having such an internal debate: there was still a part of her concerned about starting anything up here in her shrine for the awkwardness of it all, but…oh she wanted to be liplocking with him right now: this very freaking moment. And so her compromise now was basically, '_Well, let me milk this a little at least…I __need__ to…His arms around me…So lovely…A-And we can see where it goes from there…_' "What else could we be doing together besides just hugging…if I got over how unbearably awkward being romantic in my shrine would be and just…gave in to you…?" she whispered with a grin back over her shoulder to him.

She felt Arnold let out a shuddery sigh near her ear and she glanced down coyly again. "What _else_, huh?" he asked innocently enough. "Hmm…" And then suddenly she felt his hands unclasp from around her and move to her sides…and then instantly a sensation she took so very much pleasure from came over her and she was giggling like crazy. He was giving her little tickles up and down her sides. Wonderful little tickles! "Well, along with the hugging we could be tickling, I guess…I-I told you, even if there's no kissing or it would be too much I just feel like being close to you right now, Helga." Her chuckling beloved tickled her even more!

"A-Arnold! Arnold, s-stop!" she managed to laugh out, practically collapsing back against him now as she tried to wriggle free but actually mostly just savored that feeling of his warm, strong hands touching her like this. "M-Miriam could hear us!"

"Aw…" he just laughed in feigned sympathy, only increasing his tickles a little, "But I _love_ tickling you…and all those giggles…and how extra ticklish you are right under your ribs…" He tickled even more in that spot causing his love in his arms to laugh all the more.

"O-Oh please…" she managed to get out between bouts of those giggles he was so addicted to, "Just admit, all the giggles in the world aside, that you just love having the perfectly innocent excuse of 'tickling' to use to get to touch me all you want below my shoulders!" She laughed even more, laying all her weight completely and fully back against him now.

"Helga!" Arnold exclaimed at her remark in amused embarrassment (though he didn't cease his actions with her). He let out a little sigh and replied with an extra blush and a grin, "Now, how am I supposed to _avoid_ that fact and not feel guilty about it if you keep bringing it up?"

"Search me!" She just giggled even more. "B-But Arnold s-stop, really—I-I can't breathe!" Although really who needed breath with Arnold's hands upon her…

Her love just chuckled right a little along with her. "Oh okay…I guess I could stop, Helga…That is, if I've convinced you how okay it is for us to be together up here…" He slowly let his tickles cease so that she could answer, though he still hugged and held her from behind.

She just giggled epically more at his last tickles but then finally managed to catch her breath and glance over her shoulder at him. "Hmm…" and that coy little tone was back once more now that she wasn't consumed with laughter, "I don't know, Arnold…hugging, tickling…all things we've done before…No, I…I think it'll take something pretty special to get me to admit that up here is just as good for physical stuff between us as anywhere else." She winked at him.

Arnold just hugged against her more and smiled more. "Hmm…" He considered. She wanted a topper… something new…He wondered what might make Helga so happy that she would give up the coy and shy stuff and finally be comfortable with mutual cuddles and kisses right here and right now…He went through some things in his head.

And then, still feeling the vibration of a giggle or two pass through him courtesy of still being pressed against her and her still having one or two more little ones left in her to give after all of that…he got an idea. And it especially made sense to him since today they had already tried the gum swapping so…why not try another thing that had been briefly mentioned during that course of two days in which Helga had humorously grilled him about his attraction to older women and he had then begged to know more about her shrines… (He chuckled to himself mentally. '_More evidence of my obsession with this place…Oh well…It __is__ pretty neat to have my own one woman fan club like she said, and…what a woman to be the one doing it…_'). Anyway though the point was that Arnold had indeed decided on something 'new', like she had said…and so he, with a blush, prepared to give this 'new' thing a shot. She would probably get a real kick out of it anyway. "Okay, Helga…something special and new it is…" he whispered.

And then he pulled back from her, got around her and turned her so that they were facing each other in front of the shrine, set a few feet back from it…and then, with no pretense or warning, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her body, twisted her, and dipped her back (for starters). He just looked down into her eyes for a few seconds, gazing at her with all the love and desire he could muster.

At first she appeared startled at his sudden move…but then Helga just smiled and blushed and chuckled as she gazed right back up at him. "Hmm…dipping me back, huh? Not bad…I _do_ like that, Arno—"

"Shh…" he whispered, pulling her in closer, "That's only half of it…"

And then he cleared his throat…and paraphrased a certain line he had once used on a woman far less worthy of his affections… "You…set a beautiful shrine, my fair mademoiselle…" He leaned in so they were nose to nose, "_Hrrrrr_….." and then purred very distinctly and strongly.

* * *

'_Hmm, oh brother, what's he got up his sleeve this ti—'_

"You…set a beautiful shrine, my fair mademoiselle…_Hrrrrr_….."

'…'

* * *

Arnold didn't expect the almost violent tremor and gasp that went through Helga in response to that simple sound from himself…that simple purr. It almost worried him for a second actually. "Helga, wha—"

"Mmm!"

"Ow!"

And now suddenly in a flash Arnold found himself sitting back (no longer on his knees) on floor, Helga out of his arms, and he had to blink several times to take in whatever had happened. He looked over to the direction in which she had run (er, crawled) and figured, from the fact that all that was over there was a large object covered in a dust cloth which she had pointed out to him before as her soda bottle shrine put away for storage, that she must be hiding behind it… '_But…why?'_ he had to ask to himself so very curiously.

Getting on his hands and knees, the young boy crawled over (making sure not to disrupt her candles and incense too much) and proceeded to call out and question her. "Helga, are you okay?" He smiled, a fun thought occurring to him. "Is this…some kind of little game?" He chuckled. "Do I have to purr again to make you come out…?" And then he sat up on his knees and leaned in the direction of the covered up former shrine. "_Hrr_—"

"Mmm!" Something seemed to almost shake against the covered up shrine and then instantly Helga was back out from behind it and in front of him, and she had her hand over his mouth and a desperate look in her eyes. "No! P-Please…I…"

Arnold blinked, really _really_ confused right now. He just looked at her wide, almost scared blue eyes, and her deeply scarlet and flushed face, and took in just how heavily she was breathing…and yet still he was just plain stumped about what was going on with her right now.

Helga just swallowed eventually, took a few more breaths, and then seemed to calm down enough to at least loosen her hand over his mouth…and finally to let him go.

And now she was just sitting there with her hands folded in her lap looking down so sheepishly that he had to wonder even more what in the world could possibly be wrong with her. And now he decided to speak (as gently and kindly as he could…just in case she really had been upset by something). "Helga…are you…alright?" He smiled supportively. "Did I do something wrong?" He looked at her sincerely, genuinely wanting to know.

She just gulped, looked so distressed, and then replied in a light and shy whisper… "You…p-p-p-purred…" She visibly shook. "Really, really, really…_purred_…" Another little visible shake…

Arnold just blinked some more and frowned a little. "Oh…Was that…bad?" A touch of guilt came to his face.

She blinked and her eyes went wide in total shock. "NO!" She looked right into his eyes. "I…I just…" she blushed more, "U-Um…I, well…e-ever since Gerald mentioned that you can do that, I…and I mean, I've been wanting it but…and hoping you'd take the hint from when I brought it up in your room the other day…B-But I didn't realize that…I…I mean…" Her face went all flushed again and a little goofy smile came to her face.

"So…I did…good?" he asked, still in confusion.

"Good…_so_ good…" she sighed out with a shiver, obviously lost in some things, slouching a little in her stupor.

Arnold smiled. "Oh…" and then his eyes went half lidded again. "Okay…well…in that case…_Hr_—"

"NO!" And instantly her hand was smacked over his mouth once more in terror.

He just looked at her with such confusion in his eyes and then reached up and gently pulled her hand from his mouth, unable to help but look at her with some annoyance at this point. The signals she was sending him right now were mixed even for _her_! "Helga! What? Do you like the purr or not?" he finally just asked simply.

"Arnold!" She blushed and gulped and looked worried again, bringing her hands shyly together in front of herself once more. "I…I like it, yes…but…I didn't realize…until you did it, but…" She seemed almost mortified as she finally said quickly and quietly, "I like it…_too_ much, why don't we say…"

He just raised an eyebrow.

She gulped, was bright red, and glanced down extra shyly (wishing he in his denseness didn't need her to elaborate right now). "Oh come on, Arnold…you felt how I…sh-shook in your arms…when you did it…" She barely brought her eyes up to look at his face.

He nodded, still obviously in the dark though.

She just let out a sigh of slight frustration and considered before trying to explain things further. "Arnold," her voice was shy but steady enough, "When you did it…that sound…so low and deep…so bold and passionately crazed…all of that raw masculinity…" She was getting all goofy looking again as she spoke, something picking up in her voice… "Arnold, imagine something out of nowhere all of a sudden shaking you to your core in a way you never considered…imagine every pulsation of that purr…pulsing right through you…" She remained smiling utterly dreamily and blissfully for another moment but then blinked and blushed and glanced down extra shyly again as she came back to reality, feeling rather silly for having such a…strong reaction to something as simple as a purr… '_Arnold's__ purr_…' She felt another little ghost of a shiver go through her. She made eye contact with Arnold again finally.

He was just still sitting there…though he was about as red as a tomato now. And his jaw was dropped a little.

Helga quirked her mouth to the side in a tiny bit of worry at the sight of him like that and at the fact that he wasn't saying anything in reply to her. "A-Arnold?"

At the sound of her saying his name he just swallowed, and his voice cracked as a reply started to stumble it's way out of his…rather surprised mouth. "U-Uh…o-oh…it felt _too_ good so…shaking like…pulsations of the…Heh…O-Okay…Wh-When I do it, it makes you…O-Okay…" He seemed so very overwhelmed by his new little power…

…And Helga could see that fact in his voice and words and face and gestures, and she decided to do her best to soothe him a little and remind him once again in his life that his darker side and the things it could do was a good thing to be in touch with, not something to be scared about or embarrassed over. "Arnold…" she cooed gently and then moved closer on her knees. "Don't…be so modest. You can't help it if you're…very very good at making your girlfriend feel good…so good that she has to actually beg you to stop…" Her grin picked up on one side and she blushed extra hotly but she didn't care…She loved making him feel better by flirting…and complimenting that boldness streak within him.

He was just blushing and sitting there with his eyes extra wide, his gaze locked onto hers and unable to look away.

She giggled. He was so cute sometimes. She scooched more over and now snuggled up extra close against him…and reached up and started to twirl a piece of his hair around one of her fingers. "And, you know..." she went on, still in a loving tone, "As for convincing me about ending our date up here in my shrine…I think the purring did the trick…I…think I could handle a little cuddling…and maybe a little kissing…up here with you…as long as you promised to keep your intoxicating purring at bay…" She giggled and then blushed extra as she added. "Hey, I've got an idea…you're so into my shrines and being up here…why don't I pretend that 'you're' my Arnold shrine…Would you like that, Arnold? To be worshipped directly for once…As long as you wouldn't laugh and promise to let me know if I make you uncomfortable at all with how intense I can be…I'd be willing to try if you would…." She fluttered her eyelashes.

He just looked so shy, his breathing so shallow, and she could feel his little heart pounding as she now, for an added effect, pressed her palm against his sweater over it as she leaned in extra close to him.

"I…" he just started quietly after a moment of wide eyed quiet… "I…could be…your shrine…?"

She nodded, moving her face close, speaking in a whisper. "Mmm hmm…I think you'd make a cute shrine, Arnold…" her blushing was fiery, "…a-and that you'd be much more fun to practice kissing on. Besides, we _are_ supposed to have an open relationship…" she began to trace a little heart over his sweater over his actual heart… "So maybe it's about time I just sucked it up and came clean with a few details about this little room dedicated all to your perfect glory…"

He just gulped, completely stiff in her hold…except for his little heart that she could feel softly pounding and pounding away in his chest… "I…I'd love that…" he finally admitted, his eyes still so wide. "I want to see how you…worship me…and…I want to worship you too if I can…" It was the honest truth from his little honest, 'in shock' heart…and right now he had NO idea where exactly this was all going but…he was more than willing to try and go along for the ride as best he could.

Helga blushed and her heart fluttered extra. He wanted to be worshipped deep down…and he even wanted, deep down, to 'worship her too'... "Purr-fect…" she managed to get out with an amused winked at her own little pun. And then she released her hold upon him for just a moment to move off to the side, and grabbed a stick of incense, lit it on one of the large lit candles nearby, and used it to light several more sticks of incense which instantly began to fill the room with their scent. Next she moved on to the candles, small and big, colored and plain, scented and non, all around them, tapping each of their wicks…and eventually surrounding the two of them in a big roomy circle of warm candlelight…

The lighting on the floor revealed more of what was surrounding them…and Arnold saw now that they were actually in the middle of a rather large heart, outlined in chalk and candles upon the floor. He felt his heart pounding furiously in his chest and he could barely manage breaths.

Finished with her task, Helga just giggled, placed the incense stick back in its burner, and slowly scooched back over to her beloved…her newest little shrine just for today. "Hmm…" she spoke in a cooing and affectionate voice as she got herself extra close to him again. "Now I promise, Arnold, I won't throw EVERYTHING at you…I…I don't think I could handle throwing everything at you at once…" she blushed again, "But…just a little…just a few things, couldn't hurt…" They were so close and she was so very much enjoying how on the spot she seemed to have him right now….And yeah, between him being in the shrine and then the purring she was definitely getting rather intensely 'affected' at this point but…why fight it anymore? She had her adorable little Arnold up here in her grasp outlined by a glowing heart, blushing and waiting for the wave of her intimacy to come crashing down upon him…Might as well just go with it. "So, yes…" she went on delicately, leaning up against him, "…candlelight…incense…I've always tried to find incense that smell the most like you, by the way…Such a…soothing aroma…" She nuzzled her face against his a little and felt how hotly his cheek was blushing (just as hers was).

"Y-Your…aroma…is soothing…too…" he nervously whispered back, and she felt him trying to nuzzle her back a little, though it was shaky.

She just giggled more, her cheek still snuggled to his, a hand on his shoulder and one resting over his heart once more just to feel it thumping away. "You know, Arnold, I know you're nervous but…don't forget that _you_ started this whole little thing…insisting on getting all lovey dovey up in my shrine. You could always purr a little to get me back though, I guess…"

She felt him gulp. "B-But I thought you said…that I shouldn't…because it…"

She just smiled more and cut him off, cooing and leaning up a little to bring her eyes to his. "I said it was too much, yes…but…I've absorbed the initial impact…and if it was just a little…just a tiny little purr…and I was prepared for it…I think I could manage…" And then she shifted and nuzzled their necks together, her eyes closed and smiling. "Please make the sound again, Arnold…just a tiny little bit of the sound…"

She felt him take a breath in and a breath out…and then his arms came around her in a gentle hug…and then he inhaled and… "_Hrr_…"

"_Mmm_…" She felt that deep epic tremor of his purr go from his neck through her neck. Yes, she could handle it, but only in little bits for now…Oh but how wonderful those little bits were.

"Helga?" she heard him whisper now in the dim and colored candlelight, still holding her.

"Yes…my perfect little Arnold shrine?" She smiled more.

He let out a little sigh…and then asked in that low voice she loved so much, "So…besides the candles…what else do I get as your Arnold shrine today, my fair mademoiselle…?"

She giggled and smiled even more. He was loosened up again (she could hear it in the sound of his voice and feel it in way his hug around her became much more warm and inviting than stiff and nervous) and she was loosened up now too… And honestly now all she wanted to do was announce that as the Arnold shrine his prize was helping her practice kisses until their curfews…or for forever…but…actually…going along with finally just spilling her guts to him entirely about this place…she decided to add a few things to his list of 'duties as her shrine' as long as she had him up here and as long as she was still feeling a little daring.

"Well," she replied sweetly as she moved back just a tiny bit to look up into his now extra warm and inviting eyes…a color green that she truly did wish she could bathe in...Windows to the warm ocean of his love… She felt her blush going very hot…and get made even warmer by the heat of the candles and smoke of the incense around them. All of her senses were engaged at this point and she just barely managed to speak to him with trembling lips. "I don't think we have time for everything I'd be willing to show you now, but…there are 3am vigils…" she watched him smile more, "…ceremonies with make up and colorful costumes and masks…" she could see he was trying not to chuckle… "…tantric spells…" she slipped in innocently, and didn't look at him this time for shyness. "Th-That sort of thing…my shrine…"

He was still smiling and now she just barely glanced at him again and watched as he just raised an eyebrow in amusement at all of her little confessions. "Well, I guess all of that would explain all of the other nice things up here besides your shrine to me…the candles and incense and glitter and paint and the boxes of stuff in general…" He chuckled a little, enchanted with her at the moment. "…Vigils and ceremonies and…" a small curious half smile came to his face as he asked then with another little laugh, "Spells? What's a 'tantric spell', Helga?"

Helga took in a deep breath and let out a deep breath. Then her face burned brightly with a little smile as she replied, not making eye contact and mumbling to herself just slightly with a little shrug… "Um…why don't we just say that it…involves the prayers of one being to…be united with another…much as I wish to be united with you, my darling…" She added the last part of her explanation in a little whisper.

Still watching her, still smiling so sweetly and innocently and romantically, Arnold raised an eyebrow at her interesting way of defining tantric spells for him…like she had some kind of little secret or something tucked away in all she had just said. "Oh…" he said back simply and quietly enough, all the while feeling his insides flutter as the scents of the incense went into and out of his lungs, "…Kind of like how we're united as boyfriend and girlfriend, Helga?"

She grinned and blushed a little more at his attempt at a comparison to understand her meaning a little better. "Um…something like that…" she just mumbled back shyly.

He smiled more at her words and then nodded, leaning closer and reaching up to brush his fingers through her hair a little. "Okay…That sounds…nice. I think if I had a Helga shrine, I'd worship uniting with her too…anything to be closer to you…You'll have to teach me a spell sometime."

Helga was still in his arms and now Arnold felt another one of those deep tremors go through her and instantly she had pulled away a little and was sitting right in front of him now with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, her features entirely red and pink, and she was smiling with most of her face buried against arms.

He looked at her curiously at this response to his words. "Helga…" he chuckled a little, an eyebrow raised. "I didn't purr…so…why did you shake?"

Still smiling and blushing like crazy the girl before him just shook her head against her arms in reply. "It…I…" she squeaked and then gulped, "U-Um…n-nothing…I'll tell you one day, I promise but, u-um…for now…" and then she just gave a dreamy sigh and sat up straight again on her knees, smiling at him with a half lidded gaze, "For now, can the foreplay be over…and can I just practice snuggling with and worshipping and kissing my newest little shrine?" She smiled more at him.

He scooched toward her…around her…and then reached behind her head and began to delicately undo her ribbon as he nodded to her request. "Of course, Helga…" The ribbon was gone and now his fingers gently reached up to pull through her pigtails, making the blond strands fall straight down her back. He then scooched to her side and put his hands on her shoulders and leaned against her and took a deep inhale of it all, shivering a little inside as he did so. "Sorry," he whispered with a smile near her ear when this was done, "It's just…the candlelight makes your hair look…the most beautiful I've ever seen it…" And then he shifted his head back away and gently tied the ribbon back on the top of her head and then put his hands back on her shoulders and snuggled his cheek against her silky flowing blonde hair.

All of this elicited from Helga the dreamiest swoon ever, accompanied by a slouch of pleasure in his grasp. '_So…spontaneous…I love when he's like this…and I love when he touches my hair…'_ And at the back of her mind something couldn't help but whisper, '_And…he wants to unite with me too one day…a Helga shrine…learning a spell…_' She giggled and blushed more and actually just plain wanted to squeal at all of it! She took a breath though and for now managed to speak again. "Th-Thank you, F-Football Head…Wow, you're a good Arnold shrine…My old ones never took down my hair for me…"

He chuckled at the compliment and held her shoulders a little more, savoring the feeling of those cute little jumper straps underneath his fingers…those cute little jumper straps covering those firm and lovely shoulders he was so prone to holding onto just to keep himself from collapsing to the ground in pleasure whenever their making out got too heated and especially whenever that happened while they were standing and doing it. "I should hope not…" he whispered back to her playfully, "Taking down your hair is only for me…as long as you're okay with that, of course."

Helga smiled and then slowly shifted herself around so that she was facing him. She nodded, blushing lightly and letting her hair fall over her one of her shoulders. "Oh yes…I'm very VERY okay with that being only _your_ job, Arnold." She giggled. "And, uh…how about _my_ new job only for me with _you_ is…getting you out of that little sweater of yours, huh? Besides you have to admit it's getting a little warm up here…for a lot of reasons…" She then reached up and gently glided her finger over his collar and off his shoulder, savoring the familiar feeling of the fabric of that green sweater of his. She looked into his eyes, grinning and waiting for his response to her suggestion.

Arnold, wide eyed again, just blinked, blushing more. "You…" he started slowly, "…want to…to…?"

She just smiled more and nodded, finishing the sentence for him, "Take off your sweater for you? Yes…very much, actually." She let her gaze fall to his little chest, still covered by that nice little snuggly sweater.

Her Arnold just blinked more and looked down so shyly…but then he smiled and…gave a little nod. "O-Okay…Um, I mean…cool, heh..."

Helga's eyes lit up and she giggled happily and instantly went for the hem of his sweater and pulled it up, not needing to be told twice and wanting to go for it before he or she had a chance to get themselves too worked up or afraid to actually do it. '_I can't believe it…I'm taking off Arnold's sweater! Ahhhh!'_ He raised his little arms and she just giggled more as she now lifted his sweater up and did her best to work him out of the sleeves (which she finally succeeded in doing). But then she reached his head and the collar which she had to get around and over it…and that was a hard one, to say the least.

"A-Arnold! For crying out loud how do you get that wide head of yours out of this thing?" She was frustrated but also laughing hysterically, it was so amusing, as she tried and tried to get that small collar around his wide head.

Arnold was laughing too at this point. "Helga, it's…it's all about the angles and…" He chuckled more and then just sighed. "Okay, here, let's do it together." And then he brought his now free arms up to his collar and helped her to finally manage to ease the sweater over his head, upon which the two of them tossed it aside.

Finally in only his plaid shirt, Arnold and Helga just looked at the sweater beside them with satisfied smiles and pants, and then looked back to each other and then just burst into laughter together.

Helga just shook her head with a grin and looked at him after a few seconds, her chuckles finally managing to die down a little. "Arnold…what am I going to do with you? I mean really none of the Arnold shrines ever gave me this much trouble." She rolled her eyes at him, still smiling like crazy.

Arnold just chuckled a little more and shrugged, rolling his shirtsleeves up to his elbows. "Sorry, Helga. I'll do my best to get everything else right though. I promise." He gave her a flirtatious wink.

"Mmm hmm…" she smirked back at him, "I should hope so. And speaking of which…" And suddenly she had her hands cupping either side of his head and she'd pushed him to the floor in the middle of the candlelight heart and was giggling and snuggling with him, nuzzling all over him and just burying her face against his soft lovely shirt. "Oh, my Arnold shrine, bring me the good fortune of Arnold's tender embrace and his lips upon my own and his love eternally all for me." She paused and giggled more and then pulled back just a tiny bit to gaze deeply into his eyes with an even wider and happier grin. "Wow, I'll say one thing about you as my shrine, Arnold—you sure do know how to deliver. Your lips and embrace and love are all already right here for the taking." Her eyes particularly focused on his eager little lips.

Arnold laughed as well, panting a little from the shock and ecstasy of her sudden love attack like that. "U-Um…" another chuckle, "Yup…All right here…all for you…Your…lucky little Arnold shrine…" And then he reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her in and snuggled into her so very happily. And then he leaned over and whispered lovingly into her ear, "And don't worry—I'll keep the purrs controlled…_Hrr_…"

At him doing that she was giggling and trembling like crazy in his arms and then there was just hugging and cuddling and snuggling and little kisses here or there as they remained just happy and having fun together and in love in their shrine room together.

* * *

Later…sometime later…there wasn't a clock up there or windows so they really weren't too sure of the amount of time that had passed but they figured it had been a while of them just playing and giggling and Arnold purring and Helga doting, etc., etc…

In the center of the candle and chalk heart upon Helga's floor lie Arnold and Helga together, on their sides, facing one another, all flushed and smiling, an arm from each reached out toward the other…pinky fingers interlocked gently low in the center of the heart.

"Arnold…" Helga let out such a happy content sigh as she spoke to him in a quiet voice, "That…was…All of it was…the best end of a date…ever…" She giggled a little, squeezing her pinky against his a bit.

He nodded at her, so happy as well. "Yeah…" He chuckled warmly, speaking quietly back. "We should have done this together the first time I came up here…" He squeezed her pinky back a bit.

Helga just laughed a little to herself and rolled her eyes, blond hair fanning out behind her. "Arnold, you were too nervous that night to even give me a peck on the lips _outside_ of my closet…No, No…_this_ was the right time…for anything romantic to happen up here…" Her eyes and his eyes were melting into each other.

He just let out a content sigh and had to nod in agreement again. "You're right, Helga…And also...I'm so happy you're more comfortable now with me being up here. It's…It's a wonderful place." He sounded so adorably dazed. "I can understand why so much of your time got spent here over the years. The candlelight and how the incense smell…and your smell's everywhere too…" He blushed more.

She smiled and blushed more as well. "I'm happy you're so happy, my love…And, it…it's extra wonderful up here now that I'm here with you. A shrine can never compare with you, Arnold. You complete this place…you complete my love."

"Everything feels complete when we're together, Helga…" he assured with a loving smile.

She smiled beautifully back and nodded. "I agree. Arnold and Helga…meant to be."

"Yeah…" he breathed out, "Together forever. _United_…" He winked.

A mad blush spread over Helga's features and another little shake went through her. She just closed her eyes and shook her head with a smile. "Arnold…shut up…"

He just laughed. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

She laughed a little as well. "Hey, Arnold?" She opened her eyes and looked to him again.

"Yes, my Helga?" He looked back at her.

She smiled more. "By the way…thanks for the whole gum thing before…and especially the direction it started going in at the end. I meant what I said to you behind your couch—I'm so proud of you for playing our first kissing game." She winked at him.

Arnold blushed brightly…though a proud little smile was obvious upon his face. He gave a tiny shrug. "Oh…Th-Thanks, Helga. Our…first kissing game. It was fun. And, um…like I said once about just sharing the gum in general…we should definitely…try kissing with gum again sometime." He just barely found it in him to give her a little wink back.

She giggled happily, blushing almost as much as he was. "Whatever you say…Arnold…" She let out a sigh. "Oh and, thanks for the chess lesson too…It was fun. Too bad we didn't get to finish our game though."

He chuckled a little. "You're welcome, Helga…And, well…even if we didn't get to 'technically' finish the game at least we got to play through the entire thing…" He let the tiniest bit of a playful smirk come to his lips. "After all, I _was_ about to put you in checkmate just before we started kissing with the gum and then Gerald and everyone came in…"

She just smirked a little back, a gleam in her eye. "Ah, you were 'about to'…but you didn't actually 'get to'…As far as I'm concerned, that puts us at a draw, Arnold." She shrugged, trying not to laugh. "Guess that means that _next time_ will technically be our first official game…and who knows, maybe instead of just holding my own I'll actually beat you!"

Arnold, trying not to laugh as well, just rolled his own eyes and feigned a deep sigh. "Well, okay, I guess technically you're right as usual, Helga…I didn't technically get you in checkmate so the game was technically a draw which means you technically get a second chance at trying to beat me during your first game…"

She grinned at him. "There you go, Arnold."

He grinned back at her. "…And I technically get another chance to enjoy beating you at something, Helga G. Pataki." He winked.

Helga just chuckled, shaking her head a little at him in amusement. "Oh whatever you say, Arnold…Whatever you…say…"

Between that last 'you' and 'say', sadly a yawn escaped her…(she had actually been fighting one escaping her a few times over the course of the last several minutes they had just been spending lying here surrounded by candles and looking into each other's eyes.) But now she had to admit—she was feeling sleepiness…which must mean that it was getting close to bed time and their curfews, unfortunately.

"Are you tired, my angel?" Arnold asked so lovingly at the sight of her little yawn. "Do you want me to get you a blanket? A pillow? Anything…Anything in the whole world."

Helga rolled her eyes with a loving grin and just sat up a little, shaking her head. "No…Thank you, my darling, but…I think we have to face facts. It's getting late…and our little private time in the raptures of our love must sadly come to an end."

Arnold let out a sigh…but then he had to nod and sit up with a smile as well. "I know…I'm getting a little tired too. It's been a long day after all. But at least we'll see each other again tomorrow morning at school…and until then we'll always have your shrine." He took her hand of the pinkies they had been hooking and lifted it up, and then placed a gentle kiss upon the back of it.

Helga let out a happy sigh and then went forward after his kiss ended and wrapped him up in a tight little hug. "Yes, we'll always have my shrine…" Then she pulled back just a little and looked into his eyes with her hands on his shoulders and let out a sigh, some of her normal witty and sassy tone returning to her voice. "Alright, Arnold…now that 'getting to know each other better' time in my shrine is done we just have to worry about getting you out of here. Me, I can always fake like I slipped in when no one was looking or something, but…Miriam and Bob really like to know when you're over and if they think I snuck you up here…things might get a little awkward, especially with Bob. Heh…" She smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

Arnold nodded, feeling a little nervous about completing this last part of their day together but having faith in her skills for getting him out of here. "Okay, Helga. Just tell me what you think we should do and I'll do my best."

She smiled at him. "You got it, Arnold. One bona fide Helga G. Pataki escape plan coming up." She winked and then released his shoulders, gesturing first to him and then to herself with a grin as she spoke. "You just wait here and then I'll give you a signal when it's okay to come down."

He nodded at her advice and then even threw in a small bow, smiling widely the whole time. "As your shrine, I humbly obey."

She just giggled and rolled her eyes at him as she headed over the attic space exit and then dropped her feet to the stepladder below and finally slipped out of the shrine.

Arnold heard her leave the closet and then with a sigh and a smile just crossed his legs on the floor and savored the sights of his surrounding for a few moments longer. This really was such a beautiful place. A place full of his precious Helga's precious creativity… She was some kind of artistic genius—all prejudices his love might cause aside, he just knew it. Somehow she would amaze people with the things she would do with her life.

His eyes eventually fell to his sweater on the floor (almost forgotten at this point considering how perfectly comfortable he really had gotten with being with Helga with just his plaid shirt on) and he reached over and took it up and put it on…not wanting to have to explain to his grandfather when he got home why he had left with a sweater and had come back with none…and when he had been going to Helga's house, no less.

The sweater was back on in a moment and then with his time remaining to himself up here Arnold just did his best to straighten up, blowing out some of the candles so that only the few that had been lit initially were glowing and blowing out some of the incense sticks as well, and then he just looked over to the shrine base Helga had started with his little daisy and chocolate bar for her in front of it…Such a cute idea, all those little paper cranes, all with happy memories on them…all so she could have a wish.

So cute…a shrine to the one you loved.

'_A shrine…to the one you love…'_

He let out a breath and just savored the warmth and scents and ideas of this place for a little longer while he awaited Helga's return…

* * *

About fifteen minutes in total later from the time of Helga's departure, Arnold's eyes moved back over to the entrance to her shrine at the sounds of someone climbing up the step ladder below, and eventually the face of his lovely Helga appeared before him, her hair still down, only this time she was wearing her familiar purple nightshirt...and Arnold was just kind of frozen because, well...he'd kind of been 'exploring' up here while she had been gone. And now he was...well...

Making her way up entirely into the little attic, Helga let out a sigh and smiled, and then sat down upon the floor and looked over at him. "Alright, Arnold, here's the plan…" she commenced to explain...but then froze...and her jaw fell.

Arnold was sitting in the middle of her chalk heart with her football headed Arnold tribal helmet half way onto his head.

She burst into such laughter that she thought she was going to die. Literally thought she was going to die.

"H-Hey, you're the one who made this thing in the first place..." was all a totally mortified Arnold could respond with as he started to desperately try and pull it off of the half of his head he had gotten it on. "I...Helga, please stop laughing and help me-I can't get this off!" He blushed, feeling so sheepish, and yet smiling at the same time and almost laughing himself.

"Oh my...I can't breathe!" She rolled around on the floor of the shrine a ton more but then finally managed to get herself up and pulling at the helmet along with him. "A-Alright...on the count of three. One, two, three!" She yanked and he yanked and the thing finally flew off of his head, Helga flying back with it in her arms.

"Arnold, what the heck were you doing?" She was still grinning completely, trying not to die with laughing again but it was hard.

Arnold just let out a deep little sigh and shrugged. "It was in the corner and it caught my eye and then I realized it was a helmet and before I knew it I was trying to see if my actual head would fit into it! I can't help it-I told you, this place...gives me an ego." He started chuckling, and just grinning at her so sheepishly, unable to help i-

He blinked. His eyes were wide.

Helga was sitting before him, the helmet completely on her head. She half smiled at him. "For future reference, it only fits people with normal heads. And I wear it during my prayer vigils to your love godliness." She winked.

Arnold just stared at her blankly for a bunch of seconds.

"Uh...Football Head? You okay or did getting that helmet off rattle your brain?" She smirked a bit.

"Uh..." he blinked a few times, looking at her funny, "No, it's just...Helga, I never thought there'd be anything that could do this but...I really don't think I could kiss you while you're wearing that helmet. I'm sorry, it's cute and creative and funny but it...it would feel too much like kissing myself. I really don't think I could do it." He seemed utterly fascinated by the concept-that there was any state of being in which he couldn't bring himself to kiss Helga G. Pataki.

Helga just looked at him with a trembling lip for a moment more and then instantly burst into total laughter and fell to the floor of the shrine again. "O-Oh, Arnold...I...I love you!" She kept laughing for a little bit longer and then finally managed to sit up, taking a few breaths, and removed the helmet from her head. "Don't worry, I don't exactly plan to be bringing this thing on any of our dates or anything anytime soon. You'll just have nice normal me to kiss." She winked, tossing the helmet into a box. "On a side note though it's interesting to know that I can't leave you up here alone for fifteen minutes without you almost getting your head permanently lodged in a custom carved worship ornament, Football Head." She let out a sigh and shook her head in amusement. "But then again I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from my naturally curious little love." She giggled and winked.

Arnold laughed a little and shrugged and blushed. "Couldn't help it-you fascinate me, Helga. Any chance I get to find out more about you and every wonderful thing about you, I just have to take." He winked back at her.

His reply just made her blush as she giggled this time. "Oh Arnold...and on that note I would love to say 'oh, go on' and to have you sweetly offer to stop if I'm getting too embarrassed and then I'd say 'No, really-go on!' but sadly it's almost 9:30, my darling, and we really do have to talk about our options for getting you out of here..." She pouted a tiny bit and let out a little sigh.

Arnold let out a little sigh as well but nodded. "I know...but we'll see each other tomorrow and I can tell you more and more about how wonderful you are then!" He smiled and took her hand, giving the back of it a little kiss before bashfully releasing it.

Helga smiled and grinned. "Flirt." She enjoyed how calling him that made him blush more, and then let out a breath and got down to business now that the comedy was over. "Alright, so, here's what we've got to work with, Football Head: like I said it's 9:30 and when I went down there convinced Bob and Miriam that I'd been here for at least an hour working on homework and junk quietly, which they bought thankfully. So now we just have to worry about getting you out of here. But don't worry, I've already come up with a few possible plans." She grinned at him proudly.

Arnold nodded at all of this information. "Okay, Helga. But…" he half grinned a little at the sight of her, "Um…why exactly are you in pajamas?"

She shrugged. "Hey, I had to fake like I was getting ready for bed. Like I said, it's late." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, paste for brains, here are our options for getting you out of here, at least as I see it." She counted them out on her fingers. "Option one: we wait a couple of hours until my parents go to sleep and then I sneak you out by the front door…which will make you very late for getting back to your house and probably result in you grounded, which would make both of us very sad of course." She faked a pout and then smiled again and went on. "Option two…I open my window, let as much of my lamplight shine out there as possible, and you sneak back down my tree and make it home just on time…and then there's no grounding so we can continue to be just as attached at the hip as we usually are without any little delay of you being locked up in your room for a couple of afternoons…" She winked at him. "Or…option three…" and then she grinned extra mischievously and blushed quite a bit as well. "At least one of us is already in our pajamas so you could just…spend the night here…I mean, if you're going to get in trouble for being late you might as well make it worthwhile…You could even just crash up here since technically you still are my shrine…" She giggled and then just smiled more and shrugged. "Your call, Arnoldo. Option one, two or three…"

Arnold just grinned back, blushing a lot, and then did his best to reply as casually as possible, "W-Well, um…not that option three isn't, um…a-a good one…" he gulped and went on, "But, um…I think option two would be best… And besides, I...like getting practice with your tree…you know, for any future times we might have to sneak me up here…" Amid his blushing and bashfulness, he managed a wink at her in follow up to this playful little bit of reasoning.

Helga just blushed and giggled and gestured with her head over to the exit. "Okay, okay…Come on, then, Arnold…we'll sneak you down the tree. And hey as for option three—you can't blame a girl for trying…" She winked at him and then proceeded to head back over to the attic space exit, and then to lower herself down to the top of the stepladder below. Seeing her finally drop down and out of sight, a chuckling Arnold quickly followed suite.

He was down into the closet now and as his feet hit the floor Arnold's eyes saw Helga walk out of her open closet door and into her room, and he started to follow behind her (though not before stopping for a moment to take a little very much desired inhale near her clothes that had suddenly and irresistibly caught his eye…So pretty smelling…)

"Hey Arnold! Quit trying to inhale my dresses and get out here!" Helga whispered in amusement from just outside of the closet door.

Arnold blinked a bunch of times at her blunt observation and then smiled sheepishly and quickly scurried out of the closet, closing the door behind him. "Heh…s-sorry, Helga…" He shrugged and blushed and looked down bashfully.

She just chuckled and shook her head at him as she turned in the direction of her bed. "Whatever you say, Arnold…Whatever you say…"

A still blushing (though also chuckling a little) Arnold's eyes now just went over to Helga's window by which he was supposed to leave her on this evening…and a touch of nervousness couldn't help but come to his features at how dark out it really was now. Getting down that tree wouldn't be easy. And if he fell and they had to get Helga's parents outside to help him if he got hurt…that would be a pretty bad situation to say the least.

"Oh and Arnold," his love's voice met his ears again, "…to help you with the tree, I've been working on this on and off since our one week anniversary…just in case."

Arnold's eyes went over to her pulling something out from behind the headboard of her bed…and suddenly she turned to him with a proud grin…and a long makeshift bed sheet rope in her arms.

He blinked at the sight…and then smiled extra wide. He chuckled. "Uh…very impressive, Helga," was all he could say.

"Thanks, Football Head." She grinned at the compliment and then crawled onto her bed and opened her window wide and began to lower the rope to the ground. "Here, I pulled my lamp as close to the edge of my nightstand as the cord would let it go so you should have some extra light, and now I'll just lower this thing to the ground and tie the end of it to my bedpost and then you climb down it and when you're done I'll pull it back in and hide it away again until the next time we need it." The rope being fully lowered she then proceeded to secure it accordingly and then she pulled back her covers and slipped into bed sitting up. "There…Easy as pie, Football head." She turned back to him with a proud grin.

A satisfied and smiling Arnold walked over to her bed now that she was all finished putting another one of her brilliant ideas into motion. "Works for me, Helga…" And then (with an awkward blush) he crawled onto the edge of that bed of hers he liked so much and over her as quickly as possible (unable to bring himself to make eye contact with her the entire time) and finally made it to her window sill and to the start of the rope hanging out of it. Gripping the rope in both hands, he turned himself to go down feet first, which made him face her (and now that he wasn't crawling over her he had it in him to actually look at her again)…

She was just smiling at him, leaning back on her pillows a little. Then suddenly her eyes lit up. "Oh, wait, Arnold, before you go, I've got something I've been meaning to give you!" She turned away from him to her nightstand, opened its drawer, rummaged around in it a little, and suddenly pulled out a small envelope and turned back, offering it to him. "Here…Remember those pictures we took with my camera back when I needed a new one for my locket? Well, I finally got them developed and I had them make double copies. Here're yours—they came out kind of cute actually."

Arnold's eyes lit up and he happily took the envelope. "Wow…Thanks, Helga. I'll look at them as soon as I get home." His eyes went a little half lidded as he put the envelope in his pocket. "I bet they came out beautifully…"

Helga just smiled and blushed a little more and let her self lay down completely in her bed now. "Well, we're both so incurably smitten with each other that I don't think we could look at pictures of us being together _without_ finding them beautiful…"

Arnold chuckled a little. "Good point…But we can't help it if us together makes something beautiful." He winked.

Helga giggled warmly, snuggling down into her pillows a little extra.

At the sight of her doing that, warm under her pink covers, a nice idea suddenly came to Arnold and for a moment he released the rope and crawled just a tiny bit back over the sill and toward her. "Sweet dreams, Helga…" And then he started adjusting and tightening her blankets a little around her.

Helga blushed and blinked at his strange action. "Arnold, what are you doing?"

"Tucking in my love…" he merely replied with a little grin. "And then giving her a goodnight kiss…" Finished with the tucking he leaned over and gave a little kiss to her forehead and then crawled backwards towards the window again…but not before noticing a bit of familiar red and yellow plaid sticking out from under Helga's pillow. He reached for it and pulled out his shirt that he had given her and then placed it gently beside her to sleep with.

Smiling and blushing Helga eagerly took the precious object in her hands and brought it partly under the covers, snuggling her head against the still visible part. "Well…thank you, my darling…for the tucking in and the goodnight kiss…and for remembering how much I love to sleep with your shirt…Yes…" she snuggled extra closer to it, "So very nice to cuddle with as I fall asleep…Nights without you are so lonely after all, my Arnold…" She giggled and winked at him.

Arnold, about half out of the window and holding the bed sheet rope firmly, just blushed madly and smiled at her. "I miss you when we have to go home too. Goodnight, Helga."

"Goodnight Arnold." She whispered back…and then giggled and began to snuggle with the shirt some more. "Oh Arnold's shirt…so very warm in my arms at night…It's a shame that Arnold's still too modest and shy to take your place…even though he secretly _wants_ to lie down with me in my nice pretty pink bed…"

Arnold just smirked and rolled his eyes, only his head visible over the windowsill at this point. "Very funny, Helga…I'll see you in the morning. Goodbye for now…Sweet dreams." He placed a little kiss on his palm and blew it to her.

She just chuckled and blew him one back and then gave him a little wave. "Bye Arnold…Sweet dreams to you too."

Her Arnold slipped away entirely and then Helga could see the bed sheet rope move and tighten a bit as he climbed down, and then she heard the faint sound of feet hitting the soil outside and then the rope went slack and she knew he was safe and heading away. And so she reached out from under her covers and pulled the rope in and then untied it from her bedpost and tossed it behind her headboard for safekeeping.

These actions complete the young blonde girl then went back to snuggling under the blankets Arnold had tucked in around her (and after handing her her Arnold shirt no less)…and, with shrines on the brain, she did indeed have those 'sweet dreams' that Arnold had wished her before he left. Specifically, dreams about that wish she was planning for her paper crane shrine…the important one that she couldn't tell Arnold about lest the legend be true and it didn't happen if she spilled the beans to anyone.

'Helga…will you marry me?' The proposal…leading to the wedding day and wedding night and honeymoon and him finally carrying her home in his arms across the threshold of the boarding house…and as they passed over that threshold their life together would officially commence…but it all needed that simple question from him to start the process…and that was her wish—the initialization of their true unity as man and wife with those five simple words from him. 'Helga, will you marry me?'

She wanted it more than anything in the entire world, and though it had always been on her mind ever since meeting her beloved, it had never felt more real or possible than it did now so deep into their mutual relationship which by some miracle she had been blessed with… Any other dream in Helga G. Pataki's life, she knew she could make happen on her own with perseverance and strength and passion…but that one…the 'Helga, will you marry me?' one…that dream was one involving two people…and she needed the means to make it happen, at least in part, from him.

And, just as Arnold had said back up in her shrine in his ignorance, Helga too hoped that it would happen soon…

* * *

**BRAINY'S GIRL WHO'S A FRIEND**

On an average day around week four of Arnold and Helga's budding romance, Helga G. Pataki was walking swiftly down a street on her own, glancing here and there like she was searching for something (or someone…)…and occasionally (actually more than occasionally) glancing over her shoulder and letting out a frustrated sigh. '_Crimeny, the one time I WANT to find him randomly by my side and he's nowhere in sight…_' Helga finally paused in the middle of the sidewalk near an alley, considered her options…and then just shrugged and let out a sigh as she finally had to accept that, when all else failed, there probably was at least one sure fire way to bring around whom she was looking for (since, unfortunately, never having been actively close to him, she knew 'around' where he lived (somewhere within the couple of blocks she had been walking for the last half hour) but not his specific address). '_Eh…what have I got to lose…?'_

She checked over her shoulder one more time (this time actually to assure herself that she was alone on this street so that no one else but who she was looking for would see her doing what she was about to do) and then ducked into the alley to her right, pulled out her Arnold locket, and, with a gulp, commenced to do her best to fake her way through an Arnold monologue. She blushed the entire time, her voice plagued by embarrassment and nervousness. "Oh, um…Arnold…How I wish I could tell you my…I mean, how I wish…you were here right now so we could talk about my feelings like we always do…Um, oh how I long for the day when I'll be in your arms…which is actually probably going to be in a few hours after you have dinner at my house again so…not a huge among of 'longing' to do, heh…Oh, my…" she swallowed and cringed, "…my perfect little love god…" '_Ugh it is so much creepier saying these things when you're actually HOPING someone's listening in_…' "How wonderful it would be…I mean how wonderful it _is_ to be your girlfriend?" Finishing up she glanced to the left and then right over her shoulders, but in vain…still no Brainy.

Helga let out a disappointed sigh and her locket still in her hands dropped a little. "Well, that might have worked if I hadn't _stunk_ at it. Sheesh though, why bother gushing about my feelings in private anymore when I can just do it to Arnold's face…" And then her eyes fell upon her beloved's image in her locket once more…and she had to smile, lifting the object up just slightly again. "Oh Arnold…you really have been wonderful these past few weeks. You've made just about every dream of mine come true and for that of course how can I help pouring out my heart and affections directly to you from now on and forever, my darling…" She giggled, getting a little lost in the memories of her blissful romance with her beloved. "And then of course there's my total inability to help gushing and monologuing in the presence of that little flirtatious streak of yours…" She blushed and grinned more at those particular memories. "Oh Arnold, how I wish you really were with me right now so that I could just—"

_WHEEZE WHEEZE  
_

Helga's eyes flew open and on instinct her fist flew back!

There was the familiar sound of glasses crunching a bit and a loud thud, and then the sounds of some lighter things falling too. Total surprise upon her face at both her obvious sudden visitor and at the fact that she had actually just hit him even though that had not been her intention at all with this whole 'fake a monologue to make Brainy appear' plan, Helga instantly spun around to be met with the boy in question on his back on the ground, a couple of brown paper grocery bags now slouching beside him on the pavement. "Brainy?" she exclaimed and quickly bent over and started to help him stand. "Crimeny, don't DO that surprise stuff to me—you know I've never handled that well, and especially when I'd really given up on you coming!" She smiled a bit, releasing him as he had his balance back, and then she bent down and scooped up one of the grocery bags she had caused to drop. "Guess I went a little 'accidental actual monologue' there without realizing it huh?" she had to admit with a little shrug, now standing up straight again with both of her arms wrapped around the grocery bag. "Oh and sorry for almost breaking your glasses again and for making you drop your grocery bags," she added sincerely with a small sheepish blush.

Brainy, who had been glancing away shyly from her the entire time Helga had been speaking and just doing his best to unbend his (thankfully not broken this time) glasses, leaned over to pick up the other shopping bag from the ground and then, straightening up once more, finally made eye contact with her and just said nervously, "Uh…sure…Helga…"

At this typical little reply Helga just smiled more at Brainy and leaned against the opposite wall of the alley, propping the bag up more against her side so she could hold it in one arm. "So, anyway, how the heck have you been, Brain Boy? I feel like we haven't seen each other around too much over the last few weeks…You been finding things to do ever since I stopped with the random rants of unrequited love?" She raised part of her brow at him, still just smiling nicely. And in truth Helga really was curious about how Brainy had been filling his time lately because ever since this whole Arnold thing, he wasn't just not stalking her anymore…she really barely saw him around at all! Even in school! And part of her hadn't been able to help but feel like he was actually…specifically avoiding her…which made her worry just a little. What if he was upset with her about something? What if he had a problem? What if he really was brokenhearted or something even though he had said that he accepted her and Arnold? Well, whatever it was, she was determined to figure it out now that she and Arnold were pretty well established because… '_Brainy's a good guy…He…cares about me…And if we can be friends I want that because…I think I care about him too…_' It was a little strange to her this sudden realization that she had come to that now that he wasn't a steady part of her life anymore, she really did miss Brainy sometimes: she would pass an alley where she had given him a lot of face punches over the years and chuckle to herself, she would hear someone wheezing on a bus and be unable to help thinking about how it differed from Brainy's wheeze…she would recall that one single small bout of jealousy from Arnold back when she had let Brainy down but Arnold still hadn't admitted his feelings yet and find herself blushing and smiling like mad.

Anyway, the point was, she was determined, now that she had a free afternoon (which had been happening more and more frequently lately ever since she had cut Dr. Bliss down to one day a week), to figure out what was up with Brainy, and so she waited with an eager smile for a reply to her inquiry to him on the matter.

The boy before her however…just blushed a little and took a step back at her obviously unexpected question about why he hadn't seemed to be around lately. "Uh…I don't know…." was the best he could come up with.

Helga blinked at first at that reply, but then just chuckled and rolled her eyes at the silly familiar vague response. "Heh, you're a riot, Brainy…Anyway…" She took a step toward him. "Seriously, I've been thinking about trying to get you aside to talk to you for a few days now, but…I don't really see you hanging around the neighborhood a lot, and as for school it…kind of feels like you keep avoiding me there…" she finally admitted, looking to him now with part of her brow raised and obviously earnestly awaiting an explanation now.

Brainy, obviously still getting used to her suddenly having a full blown conversation with him like this, just adjusted the bag in his arms a bit and swallowed and blushed more. "Uh…well…" there was longer hesitation before he finally finished with, simply… "…Arnold…"

Helga blinked several times at this reply…and then it processed with her what he might mean (and why he might look so extra nervous right now)…and then she almost burst into laughter. "Oh come on, Brainy—you're afraid of Arnold? Come on, he's not going to 'bite you' or something just because he knows how you feel about me. He's just a big pushover." She rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement. '_He's just been afraid this whole time of what Arnold might do if he talks to me? Well, at least he's not mad at me or anything…' _She felt a touch of relief come over her. "Anyway," she went on, "I'm just glad my monologuing strategy 'kind of' worked today. Along with figuring out where the heck you've been, to be honest, I…have something else I'd kind of like to talk to you about, Brainy…" She couldn't help blushing just the tiniest bit.

Brainy blinked and looked at her curiously at this announcement. "Uh…really…?" And then he gulped…and Helga noticed just the tiniest bit of a blush tinge his own features. "Uh…what…?"

Helga just put down the grocery bag for a moment and crossed her arms over her chest and cleared her throat (and also tried to ignore his slight blush…and tried not to blush more herself…because now that she thought about it… _'Heck, back during those days between his confession and my confession, if __Arnold__ and come up to __me__ knowing my feelings and suddenly announced he had 'talk to me about something'…I-I might have thought that he maybe wanted to tell me that…w-well…_' She gulped, and shook her head and just reminded herself that her intentions here and now were strictly platonic). "Well, um…" she started with a little shrug, focusing on Brainy again, "First I just wanted to congratulate you, I guess…" She smiled at him a little sheepishly. Of course she was met with a puzzled look and so she had to elaborate. "What I mean is…considering that I haven't really seen you ever since that last talk we had together last month…I figure that, well, today's around the day that would be your one month anniversary of having successfully resisted popping up behind me every time I get a little gushy and scaring the living daylights out of me." She chuckled a little and her smile grew warmer, and she hoped she could break the ice a bit with this little joke.

To her happiness Helga saw Brainy smile more warmly too in reaction to her words. In fact, even though it was a small smile overall it was the largest one she had ever seen him give. He wheezed a couple more times then let out a sigh. He even put down his own grocery bag for a moment, really seeming to relax for just a second. "Uh…" he shrugged, "Thanks…Helga…"

"Ah, no problem, Brainy." She waved him off casually. "Anyway," grinning she put her arms behind her back, "As for my second reason for searching you out…well…" She sighed (and did her best not to blush again since this was arguably an awkward topic she was bringing up but…she really did want Brainy to be as happy as he could be so she was willing to work through it if it would help him). "Well, Brainy, I thought you deserved something for being so, um…you know, okay with…you know, _everything_…" She looked at him sincerely. "I mean…you were really really cool about me and Arnold, Brainy, and…I appreciate that. Very much. I've never had a lot of people looking out for me and…it seems like you always have been even though I didn't really appreciate it until now…A-And I've been thinking about a way I might be able to show my appreciation for that and even pay you back a little…especially since I've been having some luck in the area lately…" She couldn't help but grin to herself just a little proudly.

Right now Brainy could see that the girl before him was definitely building to something but he himself was still rather unsure about the whole thing, to say the least. And so, "Uh…what…?" he just wheezed out curiously.

Helga smiled more and finally dropped the bomb, her tone full of eagerness and a desire to really and truly help. "Well, I was thinking…that I would put my crazy matchmaking 'slash' scheming skills into…finding you a girlfriend! You know, kind of like how I helped hook up Gerald and Phoebe (who are doing great together by the way, I might add). What do you say?" She looked at him hopefully, obviously really sincerely happy about this intended course of action. And in truth…Helga really did feel sad that...she had ended up with Arnold (and Gerald had even ended up with Phoebe) and…Brainy had ended up alone. It didn't seem fair. Here was this guy who had secretly always liked her just as much as she had secretly always liked Arnold, someone who was a nice guy, who cared for her and stood up for her and who she thought was okay…a sort of a secret friend who had been a part of her life just as long as Arnold had, when she thought about it. And…she'd had to leave him in an empty classroom with a rejection to his love after he had sacrificed what little reputation he had in claiming in front of all of their classmates that HE had written the love poem for her that Mr. Simmons had read to the class instead of Arnold. _'Guilt….stinks….Arnold, wherever you are right now, I blame you…' _Even despite this slightly sarcastic thought though Helga knew that it was natural for her to feel guilt about all of this…about being the cause of a broken heart when having her own heart broken had always been her biggest fear. And so she wanted to help: and what better way than finding someone for Brainy to be with? Yes, it would be perfect! He would have someone to love and who would love him, and maybe then Brainy and his girl and herself and Arnold could even double date! Yes, everyone would be happy and the final loose end would be tied up! '_Helga, you are genius…' _She almost wanted to pat herself on the back just a little.

"Uh…no, thank you…Helga…"

Helga had been so wrapped up in her proud thoughts that at first she didn't process this response but then suddenly it sank in and she blinked and looked at Brainy in bewildered confusion, her thoughts returning entirely to the present moment. "E-Excuse me?" was all she could say, genuinely unsure if she could have heard him right…Turning down the chance of finding love?

The asthmatic boy before her just let out a sigh. He was just standing there now with sort of a listless look on his face, glancing off to the side. "Uh…no thank you…" he just wheezed out again.

And Helga, of course, still looked totally confused. "But…why?" She couldn't help asking it, couldn't help pushing the issue. Why wouldn't someone want to find love? She had found it after all and it had been…quite a three weeks and change, to say the least. Yes, a lovely nearly four weeks indeed… She managed to keep the heart flutters at bay though and still looked at Brainy with part of her brow raised.

Brainy just wheezed a bunch of more times and shrugged.

A silence between them continued for several seconds.

And now Helga scowled, not really feeling angry though so much as…frustrated and still confused. Why was he being so cryptic and what was his problem with her lately? Sure he had thrown out the excuse of Arnold but…Arnold was nowhere around at the moment. Right now Brainy was just flat out rejecting her and her efforts even in private…and it bugged her. And it especially bugged her that he was preventing her from relieving some of the guilt plaguing her conscience which finding him a girl would have definitely done. _'Grr…doing good deeds is so frustrating sometimes!'_ "Oh come on, Brainy," her hands went to her hips, "I know I spent quite a few years in the lonely hearts club but I know what I'm doing now when it comes to getting people together, and I just want to help you. Really! You deserve someone, Brainy. You're…a fantastic guy. There's gotta be a fantastic girl out there waiting for you. Let me help you find her. Please." The scowl was still there but her eyes spoke total sincerity.

Brainy's little blush turned rosier. He glanced down more obviously and wheezed quite a bit more. And he mumbled out in between asthmatic breaths… "Uh…no, thank you….Bye."

And then suddenly Brainy had scooped up the one grocery bag beside him again, gone forward and scooped up the one beside her, and was walking past her out of the alley now, leaving her behind.

It didn't take Helga a second though to instantly have her hands on his shoulders, stopping him in his tracks and turning him to face her just outside of the alley on the street, scowling with a touch more anger than frustration or pity this time. "Brainy…For crying out loud…Look, okay, I admit it, part of why I want to do this is that I feel guilty as heck about breaking your heart because I really like you even though I don't like-like you, but like I said part of it's also because you deserve it! So for Pete's sake, for my SANITY please cut the cryptic stuff and just pull out that inhaler wherever you've got it and talk to me already!"

The bags had dropped to the sidewalk once more upon her grabbing him and turning him around like this, and now Brainy was just staring into her eyes, his own eyes rather wide, and for a moment he just remained like that, held in her grasp…and rather close to her…And being so close and seeing her so…full of fire…it was making that blush of his even worse.

And he knew the only way to get her to stop and back off and end this strange tête-à-tête between them would be to do as she asked.

And so with a gulp he reached down into the pocket of his pants, pulled out the item she desired, lifted it up and placed two puffs into his mouth, put it back in its familiar pocket and then gently reached both of his hands to her shoulders and pulled back from Helga's grasp. Now standing entirely on his own he took a moment to straighten his collar a little and clear his throat, trying to subdue his blush and to regain some of his composure. Then he finally spoke at length (well, at length 'for Brainy', anyway…at least, for now…) "Helga, I'm…trying to make this situation that you've just introduced to me as painless to me as possible. Believe me, I don't mean to offend you by rejecting your help…It's just…" he sighed, seeming to consider his words for a moment, a slight bit of distress in his eyes but nothing extreme. Finally he went on, looking at her sincerely again. "I could explain to you specifically _why_ I keep saying no, I guess…and also specifically why I've been, um…avoiding you a bit lately…if you'd really like to know. But…unfortunately my inhaler can only buy me five, maybe ten minutes at a time to speak freely, and what I have to say might take longer than that…" He sighed and considered once more, and then looked back to her and asked. "Would you be willing to come back to my house with me for a little while, Helga… As long as you don't have any plans? I live rather close by and I was actually just coming back from the store with a few items to drop off there anyway—I suppose just this once it was luck that made me find you as you were talking to yourself." He smiled a little, obviously intrigued at the coincidence, but then shook his head to clear it and came back to the present moment. "Anyway, I need something from my home if we're going to have… this…discussion…." And suddenly he was back to wheezing between every other word. '_I need a new prescription…_' he thought to himself for about the millionth time in his life in frustration.

Coming back to the situation at hand though, Brainy watched Helga blink curiously at his explanation and proposition and then she just nodded. "Um…okay. I-I mean, I don't have anything to do until later. I'd…be happy to come over, Brainy." She smiled encouragingly.

Brainy just did his best not to let his heart flutter. Helga G. Pataki…over at his house. That was certainly fulfilling a lot of fantasies. But…he knew it would be as a friend only. And he accepted that fact. His Helga had been happier lately than he had ever seen her and that was what was most important to him. "Thank you…Helga…" He gave her a small grateful nod for her acquiescence and then bent down to grab the grocery bags again…

"Oh, Brainy, here, at least let me carry one of those…" Helga started to bend over as well.

However, Brainy was already standing with both bags in his arms and shook his head with a smile. "No…Wouldn't dream…of it…You're my guest…and a lady…But thanks…for the offer…" He nodded and then began to head up the street again in the direction in which he had been initially been walking, beckoning with his head for (a now wide eyed and intrigued looking) Helga to join him on his way.

* * *

Helga and Brainy had been at Brainy's house in Brainy's living room (which, along with the rest of his house that Helga had gotten a glimpse at ever since they had come back here and she had helped him put his groceries away, looked rather normal—considering Brainy's 'eccentric qualities' she had honestly half expected a castle or a dungeon or at least multicolored furniture, but no it was just a normal brownstone on a normal street with a normal beige couch and a normal brown leather easy chair with a normal wood coffee table in the middle of the normal living room room). Helga was seated on said brown easy chair, Brainy was seated perpendicular to her on said beige couch…and on said wooden coffee table sat a little machine like a plastic box with a tube coming out of it that was emitting a few white looking vapors through a mouthpiece that Brainy had been inhaling and exhaling out of for about the last ten minutes ever since they had come in here from the kitchen and the groceries.

Helga watched as Brainy took one more deep inhale of the white, vapory stuff, then checked the little container under the mouthpiece out of which the vapors came, and, seemingly satisfied with something about it, finally reached over and shut off the small machine, placing the mouth piece on top of it.

He turned to Helga with a smile. "Thank you for helping me with the groceries, Helga, and for waiting for my treatment to be done. I'm sorry that took so long. Like I said the inhaler only gives me about five minutes of speaking time…I prefer to avoid the prescriptions that have steroids for health reasons, even though they would allow me to speak more. But this is a nebulizer machine and after a ten minute treatment with it I'm okay for up to an hour or even two sometimes. So now we can talk…Can I make you some tea or anything, Helga?" He smiled politely and sincerely at her.

Helga blinked a few times at his eloquent explanation and sudden gracious offer, still feeling rather confused at times about the fact that Brainy could really talk…and could really talk so well and eloquently…even though she had been aware of the fact for several weeks. "U-Um…no, I'm okay. Thanks though, Brainy." She smiled as sincerely as she could back at him. "S-So…you're really okay, now? To talk, I mean?" She just wanted to be sure.

Brainy nodded assuringly. "Absolutely, Helga. Thank you for asking."

She smiled more and actually felt herself really start to relax. "You're welcome, Brainy. And it's nice to hear your voice more." She couldn't help adding the compliment. She liked the way he talked. It was hard to describe but it was just nice to listen to and he had an interesting way of putting things.

Helga watched as this unsolicited and unexpected compliment from her made the boy near her clear his throat a little awkwardly and blush a tiny bit again on this afternoon. "Um…Thank you, Helga…That's…nice of you to say."

Helga wanted to mentally smack herself. _'Watch the compliments, Helga old girl. Seriously—think about how it would have felt a couple months ago if __Arnold__ had popped over and started complimenting the sound of __your__ voice…_' The idea made her heart flutter and she did her best to keep such things in mind and to keep on her guard lest she upset or embarrass her little unofficial good friend in any way further. "U-Um…a-anyway…" she went on, crossing her legs and wringing her hands in a tiny bit of nervousness, "I…So, um…will you tell me now why you don't want my help? You know, about…finding you a girlfriend?" And then it suddenly occurred to Helga that she might have just opened the door for Brainy to dramatically confess that he 'didn't want to find someone new because he only wanted her and would pine for her until the day he died' or something… '_Honestly, if Arnold had rejected me and I was pushed…I'm not sure if I wouldn't have gotten all desperate and determined like that myself, at least for a little bit_…' She bit her lower lip and squeezed her hands together extra hard.

In response though rather than going all 'roof of the FTi building on her' Brainy just sighed at first in reply to her question…and then just kind of half smiled at her. "Helga…I think the only way to answer your question is with another question." He cleared his throat, considered his wording and then went on. "Helga…not that this could have happened, all things considered…" that little blush had calmed but something about it still persevered nonetheless, "…But…if Arnold _had_ rejected you after you told him your feelings and then come to you a few weeks later and offered to find you a new boy to love…how would you have felt?"

Helga…actually almost felt a tear come to her eye. Because…the idea of that situation…of that take on what she was now trying to do for Brainy…was pretty painful if you thought about it. Not only getting rejected by someone and maybe still wanting them (the biggest fear she had been able to come up with for him in this whole thing)…but then having the object of your love and affections suddenly popping up and specifically trying to set you up with another person—trying to push off your feelings as much as possible and at the same time, even though they were trying to help, just reminding you more and more that they were the only person for you…the only one you wanted. "Brainy…" Helga stood up and walked around the coffee table to sit next to him on the couch. "I'm…I'm sorry…" she said firmly and sincerely. "I didn't think of it like that. And I should have."

She glanced over at him to see him let out a little sigh and do his best to keep smiling at her. "It's alright, Helga. Your heart was in the right place. It always has been…"

"Um…thanks…" Helga shifted a little uncomfortably, suddenly aware that she was kind of close to him now…and also he had just…made a comment about her heart… She scooched just an inch or two farther away from him. It was so weird feeling like the 'Arnold' in an unrequited love situation…And she was now alone with Brainy on his couch in his living room…And thanks to Arnold she had seen many times first hand what boys did to girls they loved alone on couches together…

At her action of shifting away and looking so obviously uncomfortable and blushing, all of which she was doing as all of these thoughts had been going through her head, Brainy just sighed and smiled a little more as he finally settled on just addressing something outright before she could get herself unnecessarily worked up about it any further. "Helga…please relax. I'm not going to snap and announce that I 'can't possibly live without you' and dive on you and start madly kissing you, alright?"

Helga instantly turned utterly scarlet and then spazzed so badly that she fell right off the couch and right onto the carpet between where she had been sitting and the coffee table. "What?" She squeaked out as she looked up at him from her place on the floor, breathing heavily and wide eyed and now full on blushing like crazy.

Brainy, with only a light blush in his own cheeks, just shook his head in a bit of amusement and reached down to give her a hand up. "You keep getting very nervous whenever I say something nice about you or blush around you, and now you're nervous about being close to me," he explained simply and with compassion and understanding. "It's alright, though, Helga. I assure you. I…still have _some_ feelings about you, of course." His smile became just a little more awkward looking. "After all, it's only been a few weeks since you and Arnold became official…but I've known this was coming for quite some time and I respect your relationship, and also I'm a civilized person…and a gentleman, I'd like to think. So I'm not going to pounce on you or anything. You have my word." He smiled down at her sincerely, his hand still outreached for her to take and assist herself up with.

Helga just blinked once more in her state of blushing panic…but then shook her head like she was realizing something, and then finally she reached out and took his hand and allowed him to help her up. "Um…" she cleared her throat, standing now, feeling so incredibly sheepish and silly. "S-Sorry, Brainy…I…I'm just…I just keep thinking of you as me and me as Arnold and some of the stuff that _I _was usually a hair away from doing with _him_ whenever _we_ got too close to each other, and then I-I'm not really used to being able to make guys blush except for Arnold even though that's different, and then you said you didn't want me to help find you anybody which started to make me think you wanted me back or wanted me _to begin with_, I guess, and I…" She let out a deep sigh and then finally just sat back on the couch, slumping down a little. "Anyway…I'm sorry…Brainy. Look, when it comes to love the only things I don't completely stink at are things involving Arnold and this has nothing to do with Arnold so the whole thing's kind of throwing me off…" And then she turned her head to him again, looking a little sad once more. "Plus…I'm worried. As long as you're comfortable with it, I really would like to have you as a friend, Brainy, but…like I was saying back out on the street, it feels like I haven't seen you at all ever since Football head and I hooked up, and that's not fair to you and also…I miss you…" She blushed a tiny bit and gave a sheepish smile, and then added, "And also my backhand is getting pretty weak at this point…"

Brainy chuckled at her little finishing joke, but then in response to all of her other points and concerns just shook his head and waved off the girl beside him with a smile. "Helga, please, really, don't apologize so much. You're a very good person, and I think I understand now why all of this is concerning you so much: after all, you're very…intuitive about love and you understand how sensitive the subject can be… But don't worry. I'll be fine. I promise. And I'd…like to be your friend as well." He looked at her sincerely and seriously.

Helga absorbed his words with wide eyes and a blank face…and then finally found in herself the courage to ask a question she'd been dying to ask ever since Arnold had made it hit her in the head like a ton of bricks four weeks ago that Brainy might actually have feelings for her. And now it felt like the door had been opened with all this talk of getting Brainy a girlfriend and…she just said it without even thinking about it first. "Brainy…do you…really feel like you love me…like I'm your true love?" She knew it was selfish to bring up such a painful question but…she was still a little fuzzy on the specifics of this boy's feelings for her and they really hadn't said much to each other ever since her rejection of him…and she wanted to know…she needed to know. Not only because she cared for him as a friend but just for her sanity so that she could know where she stood if and when in the future they had more lengthy conversations together like this one.

The question made Brainy gulp…made him wring his hands a little nervously…even tug at his collar (Helga gulped herself as well, feeling some of her former worries return about all of these actions…and just what they might mean for what Brainy's heart had been going through over these past few weeks).

Finally though the boy beside her managed a small smile and said back to her, with all of that usual sincerity with which he spoke, "Helga, I really apologize for answering another one of your questions with another question but…I think that's the only way for me to do it again." He looked into her eyes (already knowing the answer but needing for her to say it in order for her to truly understand his current situation and feelings), "Helga, are you happy loving Arnold?"

Normally intimate questions about Arnold from other people always made Helga hesitate, maybe avoid the inquiry for a moment or two, or at best answer kind of shyly. However…she felt this sort of…dull connection with the boy beside her that she could not deny. She trusted him like a very dear friend: this person who had known more about her obsession with Arnold over the course of their lives than even her best friend Phoebe had, this person with whom she'd had more physical and personal contact than even with Arnold over the last seven years, this person who had known her secret ever since the first day she'd had it and had kept it without threats or begging and despite all of the physical torment she had put him through…and simply because he just hadn't wanted to ever hurt her by telling others.

As a result of all of this… "Yes." She nodded. "Loving him has always been the happiest thing in my entire life." The response just flowed out of her without hesitation and with total sincerity.

She almost cringed as she realized how blunt she had just been about things though, expecting a look of hurt to come to Brainy's face…but instead he just merely nodded, still smiling at her. "And…" he then went on, "Do you believe Arnold is happy loving you?"

Helga nodded once again, thinking back on all of her and Arnold's times together so far as a couple. "Yes. I think he's very happy too. We're very happy together." She smiled more, unable to help it. Her and her love, happy together. It made her warm all over.

"So then…" Brainy went on, letting out a breath and looking at her a bit more seriously now, "It stands to reason that…in a very hypothetical world of course since, as I already explained, I'm not going to try and kiss you or anything, Helga…" Helga blushed again but this time at least she chuckled a little as she did so, which gave Brainy a bit of personal relief as it signaled to him that she at least wasn't as nervous as she had been before. He went on. "Well…it stands to reason that if you and I were to suddenly…start a relationship…you would not be happy, Helga. I would be happy of course…" He gulped and blushed a little, but then went on firmly, "But…not you. Helga…I believe very much in true love and…that's not a real true love between two people, is it? One being happy and the other being miserable and deprived… Not like you and Arnold where both of you are happy. Helga…everyone deserves someone to love who loves them back. And you don't love me back. So we're not meant to be…which means if we got together I might be happy at first but then we would both just end up miserable—_you_ because you could never love me like you love Arnold, and _me_ because I would be with the wrong person and…and also because I would be making someone I care about very unhappy. So…do you understand now, Helga? I'm not some alternate version of you and you're not some alternate version of Arnold for me. We're all three different people with two different situations entirely…and you _should_ be with Arnold. You belong with him. And I accept that and wish you both well." His speech was over and now Brainy just smiled happily at Helga and with a little sheepish shrug added, "And I'm sorry if that was all a little verbose, but it was the only way I could think of expressing it. Did it make sense?"

Helga, eyes still wide…still taking all of that in and weighing it and understanding it and absorbing it…just nodded at him. "Uh, y-yeah, I…understood it." And then half of her mouth picked up in a smile and she almost had to chuckle a little. "And it's sweet Brainy…to care that much about…me being happy." '_Just like Arnold does…Hmm_…' Helga couldn't help but smile a little more to herself, liking the idea that both of these boys in her life felt the same way in regards to her well-being. She blushed a little but all nervousness was gone now. "Now you know why I'd love to have you as a friend. You're a good person, Brainy…You care about me and I feel close to you," she admitted a little shyly, unable to help herself. "I-I mean…" she tacked on with a shrug, "Not that I'm getting all mushy 'BFF' on you or anything but…you know…You're okay." She reached out gave him a nudge in the shoulder.

"Um…th-thank you…." He gulped and blushed a tiny bit again, obviously unable to help it.

"Uh…sorry…" Helga instantly said sheepishly, giving him a little smile and a shrug, "Just a little too much mushiness considering the situation? I…Remember, even though I know you're fine and accept me and Arnold no matter what, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She looked at him seriously.

Brainy's smile came back. "Don't worry about it, Helga…I assure you." He took in a breath and let out a breath and the little blush subsided. "I'm just…still getting used to moving on from you, as I said. But please, say whatever is on your mind. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable either…since I like you as well…" Just the tiniest tinge of a blush was back as he qualified with a little nod, "As a friend, of course."

She nodded, only blushing a tiny bit now and still smiling. "Okay…B-But, um…speaking of making things uncomfortable…um, I won't bring this up again if it's really upsetting to you but…I think that you still getting used to getting over me, like you said, is maybe more of a reason for you to think about…finding a girl, even if it would be too weird having me help you with it… "Helga shifted a tiny bit closer, no longer feeling weird about being near him now. "You're a caring, romantic, loving, good guy, Brainy…" She raised part of her brow, a thought occurring to her just then. "Um…by the way, is your name really Brainy?"

Brainy, obviously in the middle of processing her bringing up this topic again now that she had fully accepted that he was getting over her, just gave a small chuckle and rolled his eyes to the side at her random finishing question. "Yes…" he explained with a nod and a smile, "Old family name…But Helga…" he looked at her, and shook his head a little…in what appeared to be…amusement? "I know you want me to be as happy as you and Arnold are, but…first of all…who says I'm not dating someone new right now?" He looked at her just a tiny bit smugly.

Helga instantly blinked and blushed, this time in a little but of humiliation and sheepishness instead of shyness. "O-Oh! I, um...hadn't thought of…Well is she, um…nice?" she asked…and tried to avoid the very slight pang of jealousy that went through her. Of course she wanted Brainy to get with someone new but…the idea of being gotten over so soon was a little…disconcerting to her. Nothing that a peck on the cheek from Arnold couldn't cure in an instant but…still a little funny-feeling for her nonetheless.

Brainy chuckled at her response…quite a bit actually. After a moment or two he got himself under control enough to assure her (with just a touch of pride), "There, there, Helga, no need to feel jealous. Just…a little joke on my part. And I also wanted to prove a point, I guess." He looked at her. "I could find someone on my own if I wanted. I just…would rather not at the moment. It's…a little too soon for me…okay?" He shrugged.

Helga just observed him…and though he really was being casual and making sense and obviously doing okay, she couldn't help but be a tiny bit amazed_. 'After all, if I was in his shoes and, like he said, Arnold had r-rejected me and it was only a few weeks later, I…I would not be nearly as okay as he is…I mean, I would have been—_' She quickly stopped the thought though, reminding herself that, just as Brainy had also said, she wasn't some version of Arnold to him and he wasn't some version of herself to her—they were indeed three people with two totally separate situations: a boy and a girl who had found true love together, and another boy who had mistaken that same girl for his true love but now realized just as she did that friends was all they were supposed to be. But anyway, the point was, '_My heart's in the right place…but I'm being pushy again, aren't I?_' And so… "Okay, Brainy." Helga nodded and smiled. "You're right. Again. I shouldn't push. You'll get out there when you're ready. But…if there's any way I can help ever, just promise me you'll let me know, okay? Anything at all." She grinned at him sincerely and happily.

Brainy smiled a little more at her response. "Well, actually…you just caring enough about me to come over here and wanting to make sure I'm happy, and saying you want to be my friend…all of that means a lot to me in and of itself, Helga. I, um…" he glanced to the side, his smile faltering just a little for just a second, "I don't have many acquaintances…Mostly I just had…you. And that was enough for me." He let out a sigh and his tone firmed and brightened up once more. "But…you've moved on from that and now I have to as well…But…if things have to change, I really would very much like them to change with us having a real friendship, Helga…That sounds nice." His eyes went back to hers…but then something seemed to occur to him and he frowned a little. "But…Helga…what I said before out on the street when you accused me of avoiding you in school a little…about Arnold…Are you…sure he would be okay with that, Helga? With us as close friends? You're happy with him and I don't want to do anything to possibly upset that ever." There was so much concern in his eyes all of a sudden.

Helga just blinked at how sincerely he seemed to care about the potential of 'threatening' her and Arnold… '_Okay, wow, yeah, he is DEFINITELY not some alternate version of me because I would be throwing myself between me and Arnold if I was him…' _And then she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at and spoke to him very seriously. "Uh…Brainy… listen, it's sweet that you care about rocking the 'Arnold & Helga' boat but…I call my own shots. I'll be friends with whoever I like enough to be friends with. If Arnold's really got a problem with that then we'll talk it through and work it out, but I'm not going to not be friends with you just because there's some history." A firm and determined scowl was now set upon her features.

To Helga's surprise, at her announcement, Brainy's smile grew quite wide for just a moment and his eyes went just a little half lidded. "Hmm…always strong and independent, even with the one you love…while I was cowering behind street corners and wheezing behind your neck and taking punch after punch…I always did like that about you, Helga…That certain spark you have..."

Helga blushed considerably now and glanced down with wide eyes, biting her lower lip and crossing her legs and gulping.

At her reacting so strongly and obviously and suddenly Brainy blinked, seemed to come out of something he had obviously almost slipped into, and then shook his head and spoke in a tone so apologetic that it left no doubt to Helga for even an instant that what had just happened had been entirely accidental and that he truly regretted the slip up. "I'm sorry, Helga. So sorry. I didn't mean to, um…reminisce too much. But I won't do it anymore, I promise.…I-I mean, you start blushing and I…" He shook his head and cleared his throat, taking a breath to recompose himself as he quickly finished, trying to end on as much of a joke as he could all things considered. "Well, I'm sure I don't need to say it—Arnold's probably let you know more than enough what your blushing can do to a guy."

A still warm in the face Helga just shook her head, not wanting him to feel at all bad. "No, it's…Don't worry about it, Brainy. I'm just not used to getting too many compliments from people, you know? It can throw me off sometimes, heh. But it's okay, really…And, um, thank you…for saying I'm strong, I mean." She smiled encouragingly at him, indeed feeling a certain degree of happiness at another person in her life not ridiculing her for being both a lover and a fighter but rather accepting and liking her for the complicated girl she really was.

A much less flustered looking now Brainy smiled thankfully back at her for her words. "You're welcome, Helga."

For a moment there was just a warm silence between them.

"Um…Brainy?" And then Helga had to ask another potentially awkward question…though this time it had nothing to do with romance.

He nodded. "Yes, Helga?" He just looked at her with a curious smile, waiting for whatever she wanted to discuss now.

Helga gulped…and asked it…hoping the answer wouldn't be what she thought it was. "Did you…really mean before that except for me…you don't have any friends?"

Brainy cleared his throat again at her personal inquiry and shifted a little on the couch. He shrugged…and then almost smiled again just a little. "Hmm…And now I'm starting to miss the wheezing because I could just simply say 'uh yeah' and not have to elaborate…But, um…Yes, Helga, I meant it…"He looked into her eyes, still trying to smile. "I'm sort of an outcast…I tend to fall through the cracks. I don't talk much, can't really play sports because of my asthma, and I'm rather shy around people in general, and few people seem to share my interests…"

Helga frowned now. "Brainy…" she moved in closer. "That's not okay. So what if you're a little different, you still deserve to get to hang out with our friends. Hey…" she smiled again, an idea coming to her mind, "You know, Phoebe's been getting pretty okay lately at right field in baseball so we could always use a good score keeper to replace her…That's something you could do! And it would kind of reintroduce you to everyone and maybe help you with feeling less shy. And then of course besides helping out with baseball, there's always you and me being better friends, like I said. I mean, Arnold and I take up a lot of each other's time, especially with all the secrecy since we're still not public yet, but you and I could always take a free afternoon to hang out. What do you like to do, Brainy?" She looked so eager and happy…and that was how she felt too. _'Okay, yeah, the getting him a girlfriend thing was pushing it…but maybe this is what it's right for me to do. Just help him help himself to be a little more out there and open.' _She liked the idea a lot.

In response to her question about 'what he liked to do' Brainy just smiled and shrugged and couldn't resist. "Besides stalking you?"

Helga had to laugh a little at that and she nodded. "Yeah…" she grinned at him, "Not that an afternoon of that for old time's sake wouldn't be fun but just in general…what are your hobbies?"

Brainy smiled and shrugged. "Oh…Reading, poetry…I like to go to art museums as well and the opera and the theatre. The aquarium sometimes is also nice…" He smiled more at her, genuinely enjoying getting to have a conversation and share things about himself with another person, and especially with her.

"Ah," Helga looked at him with an intrigued smile, "So I'm dealing with a cultured man…Not one of those usual run of the mill dweebs out there licking telephone polls in winter on bets and chugging gallons of Yahoo soda to have belching contests, huh?" Her grin picked up on one side.

Brainy chuckled a little again. "Well, normally the words I hear are 'geek' and 'dork' and 'loser' but…I like your word for it. Yes, I-I guess you could say I'm…cultured. Thank you again, Helga." He looked at her happily.

"No problem, Brainy." She gave him a wink. "And anyway, maybe we could do some of that stuff together one day since I like a lot of those things too…" She let out a sigh and did her best not to blush as she added in amusement, rolling her eyes to the side, "Though I'm guessing, considering the stalking and stuff you know that already…"

"You could say that…" He confirmed for her with another chuckle, finally in this conversation being able to find romantic jokes between them more funny than awkward just like she was. "And thank you for your offer, Helga…It would be nice to have a companion for one of those activities….Someone to go to nice restaurants and the opera and the ballet with…and then maybe trying my hand at scorekeeper to fill my afternoons as well…" He shrugged. "A-And I guess, perhaps, I could try…being a little more open with our peers sometimes…and that perhaps others among them really might take a liking to some of my interests and turn out to be 'cultured' like me…" He blushed a tiny bit again at her having been kind enough to apply that word to him. "Although even if I can just have the honor of _your_ sophisticated society on occasion from now on, I'd be very happy." He smiled more at her.

'_Sophisticated_…' The word struck something in Helga. And then she realized something and then she could have just face palmed herself because along with squaring things with and wanting to make sure that from now on she spent a little more time with Brainy, she had also had someone else on her mind lately who was involved in with her secret whom she had been meaning to have a talk with and to stop neglecting now that she and Arnold were so well established…and suddenly it was so freaking obvious to her that maybe these two people could maybe be giving each other a little extra company (especially since Olga still wasn't home for at least another week from Alaska to spend 'oodles' of time with that second person she had in mind).

And so she let out a breath and suggested with a smile and a shrug to the boy beside her, "Hey, what about Lila?"

Brainy blinked and then looked at Helga curiously…and he seemed to consider his words before he spoke. "What about…Lila?"

Helga nodded and explained. "Yeah, why not? She's a pretty sophisticated person…likes all that opera, ballet, fancy schmancy stuff. And her best friend is my sister and Olga's either up in Alaska teaching Inuit children or volunteering all over the place half the time. And I'm personally planning to try and spend some more time with Ms. Perfect soon but like you said between Arnold and Phoebe my schedule's already pretty booked. And also, well, she's in the loop about all the stuff with me and Arnold too, so at least there wouldn't be that pressure of not spilling the beans. And then on top of that she's really good at breaking the ice with people and being social, so she could help you with that. So why not ask her to be your friend?" She grinned with satisfaction at the idea.

Brainy considered and then smiled and then looked at her with a little chuckle and shrugged. "Well, I suppose all of the stuff that's been going on recently _is_ all about new beginnings and trying new things…having new relationships with people. And I have always highly regarded your opinion, Helga, so…if you think Lila would be a good candidate for another close friend for me and that she really would enjoy the company and really could help me get more involved with our peers then…why not?" He smiled more. "You _are_ an excellent judge of people's characters, Helga…" He swallowed and added, trying not to chuckle, "…Another reason I fell for you, you know…" He blushed and smirked just a little.

Helga blushed a tiny bit this time but nothing major. "Yeah, well, I AM quite a catch, you know…" She laughed a little and gave him a playful little punch in the shoulder. "And Brainy," her tone became just a touch more serious now, "I really do think Lila might like the company…" A touch of guilt came to her eyes. "I mean, besides the fact that she just loves operas and museums and junk, Football head and I have been so wrapped up in each other that I feel like we've been neglecting her a bit over the last few weeks, just like I feel like you've been getting left behind too." She shrugged. "But…" and then her smile regained some ground again, "But if I start spending more time with you and you start spending more time with everyone else and we all start spending more time with Lila then I think we could all become really good, really close friends for a really long time. And I'd love that, Brainy…" Her warm smile grew and the idea made her happy inside. The whole gang but especially herself and Arnold and Gerald and Phoebe and Lila and Brainy being a part of each other's lives for the rest of their lives. She liked that very much.

Brainy's smile warmed as well. "If I could have the pleasure of your company and guidance and of seeing your happiness for the rest of my life, I would like that as well, Helga. And…I really am excited to have our friendship become an active instead of a passive one. It'll be nice to get to know you …"

Helga smiled and couldn't help smirking and giving a small chuckle and asking, "What, the years of stalking didn't teach you everything you could ever possibly want to know about me? Because if they didn't, I've gotta say, Brainy, from one obsessed in love person to another, maybe you were doing it wrong?"

Brainy laughed along with her. "Very funny. But you know what I mean, Helga—that it'll be nice to get to know you for real as opposed to just observing and observing and observing…And as for me doing the stalking correctly, believe me, I think I could teach _you_ a thing or two." He looked at her with just a touch of playful smugness. "After all, how else do you think I always knew where you would be and especially when you would go and break into a monologue about Arnold?" He chuckled a little more to himself.

Helga's grin picked up on one side. "Okay, the next time we are together we are definitely having a full scale debate about this whole 'who's the better stalker' thing."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Helga…And may the better basketcase win." He winked at her.

Helga laughed and he laughed, and then Brainy said something he had been dying to say ever since the first day he had encountered Helga G. Pataki. "You know…I'll never understand how our classmates can be so blind about how wonderful and good you are, Helga G. Pataki."

He watched the comment make Helga blink a few times, and then she played with her hands in her lap, and then just made sure to stare with interest at the floor or the ceiling for several seconds. And then she finally replied, "Uh…thanks, Brainy…and, uh, before you say anything I'm not…getting all flustered right now because of 'us' or anything…I-It's just the…compliments thing again…Heh, I've only been getting them for a month and only mostly from one person so I'm still working on reacting to them, you know?" She shrugged and smiled sheepishly at him, finally bringing her eyes back to his. "And, uh, hey—like I've been saying all along…you're pretty wonderful yourself, Brainy…and I'm sure everyone'll see that sooner than you think."

He smiled more and nodded. "Thank you, Helga."

Helga smiled more and nodded back.

They just sat, smiling at each other for a moment. And then Helga smirked again and leaned over to nudge him with one of her elbows once more. "So…as long as we're here and you're still able to speak in full sentences…wanna make a 'play' date for sometime soon, good buddy?"

Brainy chuckled and nodded affirmatively. "Certainly…old friend. Um…there's an exhibit of Baroque art at the museum downtown. Would you like to go sometime this weekend…or whenever you're free, really…?"

"How about Sunday?" Helga's eyes brightened. "Phoebe's got a cello lesson and Arnold and Gerald are going to a ball game." She smiled hopefully at him.

He smiled happily back. "That sounds lovely, Helga. I'll meet you at the museum."

"Sounds good to me." She winked…but then let out a breath and looked at him a little seriously. "And…Brainy…I know you're not me and I'm not Arnold, yada yada yada, but…putting myself in your shoes for a just second I've just…gotta ask…" She looked right into his eyes, wanting a sincere and true answer. "You're SURE us being close friends won't be weird for you, right? I…don't want to make getting over the past harder or impossible or something for you. I want you to be able to move on."

Brainy just let out a breath…and looked at her seriously in the eyes too. "Helga, you have my word…Something to distract me and time to spend with people other than myself sounds like just the thing I need. I want to move on with us as friends, if that is what you would like as well." He smiled at her.

Helga looked deeply into his eyes for a moment more to make absolutely sure he was telling the honest truth and not just going along with all of this to please her or anything…and then, satisfied that he was being earnest, she smiled again as well. "Alright, then…And hey as for stuff to do with Lila, if you're looking to start small and don't mind getting a few cavities she loves those cutesy, fluffy, 'so sweet it can make you cringe' movies. Actually, seriously, if you could take her to one of those every now and again and save me the agony of getting dragged there by her or her and Olga, or at least come with us so that I at least have a sane human being to talk to while we're there, I would owe you indescribably." She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "And also I'll pay all the dental bills for those cavities I mentioned—sheesh, give me a good old fashioned Evil Twin movie any day, you know."

Strangely, though, Helga noticed that Brainy didn't smile and agree with her joke about the fluffy and cutesy movies, as she had imagined he would. Actually he just sighed and gave another little shrug. "Actually Helga, movies is one of the places where yours and my tastes tend to differ. Horror movies have always seemed a little showy and obscene to me…I prefer movies based on classic novels or romances." He grinned a little more sheepishly.

Helga blinked…and then just shook her head with a smile. "Okay, it's official: on days I need off just to stay mentally sound, you are _definitely_ taking over the whole Lila & Olga chick flick thing because you would officially be perfect for it."

She laughed and he chuckled a little once more.

Then an old grandfather clock in the corner of the living room bonged four o'clock…and Helga had homework to complete and dinner to help prepare before Arnold came over to her house at six to eat…and also it just finally occurred to her that she had been here for an hour and the time had just literally flown by. '_Wow…Brainy really is nice company—mostly I can't stand being around anyone that isn't Phoebe or Arnold for this amount of time without getting at least a little annoyed but…I'm actually sorry I have to go so soon. Heh, bosom buddies with Brainy: wonders never cease._'

As the last bong finished Helga now stood up from Brainy's couch and gave a quick stretch up and a yawn. "Well, I'm sorry to say this, Brainy, but considering the time I guess I should get going…" She brought her arms down and behind her back and gave a little shrug. "…I've got dinner with Arnold at my house and a nice amount of stuff to do in the middle of all of that."

Brainy stood as well and nodded. "Of course. Let me walk you to the door, Helga."

"Thanks, Brainy." They both started heading for the hallway and the door. "Oh and uh," she glanced at him, looking just a little embarrassed as she added, "Before I leave I just wanted to officially formally apologize for all the sockings and the broken glasses and the tossing you random places over the years…I always have been really secretive and extra defensive about my love for Arnold and my privacy." She gave a sheepish little shrug.

Brainy just shook his head and held up his hand. "No worries, Helga. I understand." He smiled. "And I'm sorry for always sneaking up on you and spying on you like that."

"Perfectly fine, Brainy, all things considered." She smiled more.

They had reached the door and Brainy opened it for her and gestured outside with one arm. "Ladies first…" He bowed a little.

Helga just chuckled warmly, getting a very obvious sense of déjà vous from the scene of a boy who liked her insisting she leave a room ahead of himself to be polite (similar to how he had insisted on carrying both bags of groceries back to his house before, which had also stuck with her), and rolled her eyes, heading out in the direction he indicated. "I swear, Brainy, not only would you and _Lila_ get along but you and _Arnold_could be buddies too if you guys put aside the topic of me for five seconds…" Now outside on the top of the stoop she turned back to Brainy with a grin, crossing her arms over her chest.

Brainy walked out onto the stoop with her as well now and she saw him gulp and blush just a little nervously at her words. "Um…perhaps…just one step at a time would be best, Helga…Heh…" He shrugged. "I'll just start with baseball scorekeeper and the art museum with you and maybe seeing if Lila wants to see Rigoletto with me…Work my way up to your potentially jealous boyfriend with the blackbelt." He gulped.

Helga just laughed and rolled her eyes again, letting out a sigh. "Okay, Brainy, whatever makes you comfortable but I promise you, Arnold will NOT hurt you or anything, alright? He's just a big old eternally understanding and optimistic softie. And…I really do think that one day, and probably one day soon with me connecting you, you two could be really good friends." She gave him another little playful nudge in the shoulder again on his stoop.

Brainy shrugged but had to crack a smile again and even chuckle a little at her assurances and the very idea in general… '_Good friends with Arnold…_' "Well…I suppose one never knows, Helga. Maybe we will end up being able to be friends too at that."

She gave him a wink. "There's the spirit." And then she let out a sigh and smiled at him. "Well, see you Sunday then I guess, Brainy…Uh…" Before stepping back though to start heading down the stoop to the sidewalk, Helga rolled her eyes to the side sheepishly and gave a small swallow. "And…if it wouldn't be too weird…could I hug you goodbye? Sorry, this whole thing just feels like a mushy moment kind of deal to me, and I get all 'huggy' when things get all mushy." She almost scoffed at her own sentimentality right now.

Brainy though just nodded, his smile growing a little. "Of course, Helga. Can I…hug you back?" he asked almost hesitantly.

That silly question made her laugh fully and just nod and shrug and shoot back with a touch of playful sarcasm, "Sure, why not?"

Chuckling, the two kids came together in their little hug and then pulled apart. "Bye Brainy." Helga gave him a wave, smiling as she headed down the steps of his stoop. "See ya!"

"Goodbye, Helga…" He waved back to her. "And thank you…really."

She winked from the sidewalk. "You're welcome…and thank you really too, Brainy."

With shared smiles Helga departed, and Brainy went inside, closing his front door behind him.

* * *

From behind a trashcan far enough away that he really couldn't make out what they were saying but close enough that he could definitely see what they were doing together, Arnold watched Helga and Brainy obviously saying a very 'friendly' goodbye as Helga left Brainy's house after a rather 'lengthy' (in Arnold's opinion, at least…and he hadn't even been here for the entire thing!) visit…And by the time the scene before him was complete the snow cone in the young football headed boy's right hand that he had been walking holding had been unintentionally squeezed and crushed by his little fist into a ball of cardboard and melted lemony ice, even though he wasn't really aware of it…many other things and feelings on his mind at the moment.

* * *

_About 10 minutes ago…_

A smiling and content Arnold Shortman was walking around the city, just enjoying the fresh air and lovely sunshine of another late spring day and really without much of a care in the world (he was an A student, he had gotten the final out as shortstop yesterday in the baseball game at Gerald Field against the fifth graders to win the game for himself and his friends, he had a loving family, he had a few dollars in his pocket, and did he mention he had a gorgeous and witty blonde bombshell as a girlfriend? Yeah, life was pretty sweet). Actually, though, the young man in question did have one small want at the moment: it had occurred to him a couple of minutes ago that he could go for a nice, sweet, cool, refreshing snack right about now…and since his dinner with his girlfriend at her house tonight wasn't for a few hours, he figured he couldn't possibly spoil his appetite with just one little ice cream treat. So, he was heading right now in the direction of the Jollie Ollie Man's usual spot at this time in the afternoon…and as he rounded the corner to come upon the familiar ice cream truck he was also surprised and happy to see some of his closest friends getting some cones and ice cream bars as well.

He approached the truck, waving to his friends. "Hey, Sid, Stinky, Harold, Eugene…how're you guys?" He turned to the Jollie Ollie man at the counter quickly. "A snow cone please…lemon lime…" He placed a dollar on the counter and turned back to his buddies.

"Eh, I reckon I can't complain, Arnold," replied Stinky, who then put his lemon pudding pop back into his mouth to continue enjoying it.

"Yup. Same old, same old." Sid nodded and took another bite of his Mr. Fudgie bar.

"Yeah," Harold nodded, chomping down on his own Mr. Fudgie, "Pretty average day."

"I agree!" Eugene nodded and smiled, eating some more of his chocolate ice cream cone. "How're you today, Arnold?" Along with Eugene all the boys smiled at their friend and nodded at the question.

Arnold, now finally receiving his snow cone from the Jollie Ollie man, turned his attention fully to his friends once more and just smiled at them and shrugged. "Um…nothing 'too' new to report…" He tried not to blush…and it had only been getting harder and harder over the weeks not to do so whenever he got asked by anyone out of the 'Arnold & Helga' loop 'how things were going' as that inquiry instantly always brought to the young blonde boy's mind daydreams and memories of Helga in his arms, smiling and blushing with her sunshine hair falling around her shoulders and her perfect lips puckered and maybe sweetened with gloss as they awaited the touch of his own…

Arnold shivered a little at the image and feelings it elicited, and was thankful that he could use his fresh and frigid snow cone that he had just taken a lick of as an excuse just in case anyone noticed the little tremor that had just gone through him. "J-Just…walking around and…felt in the mood for some ice cream…" he finished and then shrugged and went on eating as casually as he could manage, doing his best to banish distracting thoughts of his girlfriend for now.

"Well that's nice!" Eugene offered with a smile in response to his reply. "Hey are you coming with us to Dino Land after dinner today? We're all going and even though you're a jinx, Arnold, I'd be happy to try going on a roller coaster with you again. I'm sure we wouldn't get stuck this time." From anyone else, all of this would have sounded sarcastic and snarky, but of course all of it was said by Eugene with total sincerity and niceness.

As a result, Arnold finished another lick of his cone and just shook his head with a smile and sigh (and tried not to laugh) at it all. "Um…thanks, Eugene, but I might just catch up with you guys next time. I've just…got some plans." He tried to still be casual but it was SO hard. Certainly all he had plans for with Helga tonight was dinner but…dinner always had a tendency to lead to…other things…between them… (especially since the afternoons and evenings (not including those that had baseball games and practices) were the only times he could be affectionate with Helga since their secret was still a secret after all). And Arnold liked 'other things'…loved them…couldn't imagine his life without them and sometimes couldn't understand how he had gotten through life before them, actually.

Anyway, the point was, (before all of these thoughts led to Arnold dangerously daydreaming right in front of the guys about giving Helga kisses on her bed as their 'real' dessert after dinner while they played 'a la mode' together), that Arnold would go with the guys to Dino Land next time around.

"Suit yourself, Arnold…" Stinky shrugged (and thankfully the sound of his voice brought Arnold fully back to reality)…but then a funny look came to the slightly southern boy's face (and Arnold noticed it), and he added with a shrug, "Garsh, it seems like you've been awfully busy lately." He took another lick of his lemon pudding pop.

Harold nodded, biting a huge chunk out of his Mr. Fudgie and chewing and swallowing it, and smiling a little as he added, "Yeah. You're barely around to do anything anymore."

Sid and Eugene nodded in some agreement. "Yeah," chimed in Sid with a smirk, "What's going on with you? What's the big secret?"

'_Okay…Just stay calm, Arnold_...' the young football headed boy reminded himself with a calming breath in and out. He then turned to his friends with the most casual smile he had in himself to muster and replied, "I know guys…I haven't been spending as much time with you lately and I'm sorry. It's just been, um…really busy around the boarding house. I've had a lot of, um…projects and things to work on in my room and stuff….um…G-Gerald's been helping me out a bit sometimes…" He shrugged in a 'no big deal' kind of way and then took another small bite of his snow cone and secretly felt a little proud inside that he had not only come up with a smooth excuse for his own mysterious absences but had even helped explain away a few of Gerald's a little bit.

"Heh, yeah, plus there was that sweet prank you played on Helga the other day with her shoes!" Sid quickly added in with a grin—a comment that was quickly followed by laughter, which all the guys joined in heartily.

Arnold blushed a tiny bit and shrugged modestly, having been really trying to encourage them over the last day or two of school to _not_ make too big a deal about his 'prank' (and especially to Helga…since, every time they did say something and he was nearby, Helga made sure to flick him really hard in the ear to make a water fountain squirt all over his shirt or to lightly kick out the back of one of his knees and make him fall to the floor with all of his books…all of which things were annoying though Arnold had managed to take them in stride considering her reputation and how he had been the one to hurt it a little by making up and bragging about that prank in the first place…plus the extra, random passionate kisses he had been spontaneously getting behind the dumpster at recess or in janitor's closets as her way of making up for things had been a pretty nice compensation for all of his suffering).

But anyway, he knew it was best to just brush past this topic right now so that they would get over it faster, and so, "Oh, uh, yeah, that…heh…" was all he said in response to his friends' laughter about it. He then cleared his throat and decided it might be time for him to go now since, along with having some homework to do before he went over to Helga's and along with wanting them to forget about his 'prank', he was very much aware that he was technically lying to his friends every time it got brought up since the whole thing had been completely made up by himself and Gerald…and he really didn't like having to lie even though he'd had to make it sort of a part of his life in order to continue keeping his and Helga's secret. So, anyway, he just kind of wanted to get out of here before could dig himself any deeper in this particular falsehood. "U-Um…anyway…" he went on now with a small smile and a shrug, and then took a step back away from the guys and the Jollie Ollie man ice cream truck. "I have to get going now guys…I've got some homework to do …B-But, um…" he let out a breath, calming himself more as he prepared to walk a fine line between the truth and a lie again in his young life and all for the sake of the girl he loved. "None of you guys have seen Helga yet today, have you? I just, um…think it would be better if I avoided wherever she is, all things considered, heh…" He smiled a little sheepishly…In point of fact, he was actually feeling like catching up with Helga right now and having someone around him who he could be totally honest with, and maybe she would even like a little homework help or a walk near one of their houses before dinner…and if his friends could unintentionally help him find her sooner under the pretense of letting him know where he should 'avoid' being to avoid being near her, he wasn't about to complain.

Three of the boys shrugged with blank, unknowing faces at Arnold's question but a smiling Eugene replied helpfully, "Oh I think I saw her walking off with Brainy a little while ago…in the direction of his house actually."

"Oh, okay, thanks, Euge—" Arnold's words stopped…and a curious look came to his face. "She…went to Brainy's house with Brainy…?"

Eugene just nodded, taking another lick of his ice cream. "Yup. I was walking up his block going to my clog dancing class about, oh, close to an hour ago I guess, and I saw them go up his stoop and inside his house and everything. Looks like you're in the clear, Arnold, at least if she's still there with him. And, gosh, I didn't know they were such good friends but she was smiling and laughing with him and stuff, and even opening the door for him since his hands were full of grocery bags."

"Um…" Arnold cleared his throat and interjected with a small smile, glancing down at his snow cone and giving it another little lick. "I-I don't think they're really good friends or anything, Eugene. I mean they're friends, I guess, but…I'm sure there was just something going on that was making them act like that." '_Yeah…Besides…Helga only really smiles and laughs when she's with me…That cute little giggle…'_ He almost chuckled at all the memories of it, feeling all melty inside just like his snow cone was getting kind of melty._ 'Eugene probably just saw a fluke or something…' _ Still…Eugene said they had actually gone _into_ his house together…and that idea stuck with Arnold a little. Not too much of course…but just a little. He wasn't aware of her ever having gone into any other boy's house but his own ever in her life.

Meanwhile, back in reality (and not in 'Arnold denying his impending jealousy' land) Sid snickered and looked to Eugene. "Hey, maybe she's got the hots for him or something now—remember how he wrote that love poem for her last month that Mr. Simmons read?"

The other guys all laughed.

The snow cone wrapper clasped in Arnold's grasp became crushed just a little…The result of his fist tightening considerably around it. Still though his countenance was calm. He just shrugged and took another lick of his treat. "Um, guys…I don't think that's what's going on. L-Like Eugene said first, they're probably just friends… And I'm really sure Helga does NOT like Brainy like that…" He shook his head at the absurd idea._ 'Helga and Brainy…heh…_' He reminded himself that even he had made a silly, not serious 'Helga/Brainy' joke once, that time after Helga had told him that it had been her who had written 'Arnold Loves Lila' on the alley wall and he had joked about writing 'Helga Loves Brainy' there to make them even. Yes, just a silly stupid joke, just like what Sid had said…No big deal.

"Heh, naw, Arnold, I bet Helga 'the poet' got suckered in by Brainy's poem for her and now she's all girly gaga over him!" Harold laughed to himself, finishing off his Mr. Fudgie, and the guys joined in again.

The thin little paper snow cone holder was crushed just a little more in Arnold's grasp and now the young boy felt a tinge of a blush coming to his cheeks though he still did his best to maintain. "U-Um…I don't think that—" (As he'd started to say this sentence an image had fuzzily started to form in his head of Helga giggling and doting on Brainy…And it made a certain feeling go through him that he wasn't willing to admit just yet).

"Yeah!" Sid agreed with Harold, cutting off Arnold's small little protest. "Could you even imagine! Helga in 'like like' with Brainy! Hey maybe she'd even write him a love poem or something!" Sid nudged Harold and glanced at Arnold with a little smirk…and Harold glanced at Arnold with a little smirk too (though Arnold didn't notice).

And meanwhile everyone (save Arnold of course) was now laughing again.

The poor little snow cone in Arnold's hand suffered an even deeper crush. "She…wouldn't do that…" he merely said quietly…that look of frustration on his face and his slight blush both growing more distinct. And, really, was he trying to convince them or himself at this point?

"Ha! Well garsh I reckon that's an interesting coupling, Sid." Stinky swung the fist of his free arm through the air. "Helga smitten with Brainy!" He started to chuckle a lot and none of the other guys had stopped from the previous bout of laughter about this new fun topic of conversation. "Don't ya think so, Arnold?" he finally very specifically asked the young football headed boy (who was still not laughing…at all.)

"Mmm…" A small little sound of frustrated indignation made it's way from Arnold (though again no one seemed to notice). '_Just…ignore it. They're just making jokes, none of it's the truth…Just ignore it…Helga…write a love poem for another…Helga ever liking…loving another…Insane_.' Yes, they were just speculating and exaggerating and joking…and Arnold could take comfort from knowing deep in his heart just how dead wrong they were and how their ideas were just entirely based on nothing but their own prejudices about his lovely Helga and a single lie Brainy had told about a poem to save his love's secret. '_Yes…they're not basing any of this on fact_…' He really did take a good deal of comfort in that notion.

"Well, gosh, guys," Eugene just added brightly as usual, finished laughing for the moment and taking a big lick of his ice cream cone, "I don't know about them being a couple or anything but like I said I did see them smiling and talking and going into Brainy's house almost over half an hour ago.."

And now these words reminded Arnold that at least one thing was fact: Helga was over at Brainy's…and had been there for…over an hour if she hadn't left yet?

"Although I guess if they were a couple or were thinking of becoming one, that would be kind of sweet…" Eugene finished his happy observation and took one more lick of his ice cream cone…smiling a little.

Okay, that did it. A deep sigh escaped Arnold (who was still holding his half mutilated snow cone in one hand, though his really couldn't feel it anymore, his mind was so focused on other things at the moment). "Okay, um…So, like I said, guys, I'm, um…trying to avoid Helga considering that whole prank thing so…Brainy's house would be in…what direction exactly, Eugene?" Arnold did his best to smile normally at his friend.

Eugene pointed to his right. "Oh I guess about two blocks up that way and then one street over. It's a big purple house on the left. You can't miss it."

Another deep, level sigh escaped Arnold. "Okay. Thank you, Eugene." He looked to all of his friends. "Enjoy Dino Land. I'll see you guys later." And with that he turned on a dime and proceeded to…well, he knew he should walk casually but, unable to help himself, he began to swiftly stomp across the street to the other side of the block. A car happened to be coming as he was in the middle of his journey to the far sidewalk but rather than pausing and waiting to cross (as he usually did) this time Arnold just kept going steadily and unceasingly on his way and just held out his hand to the side in front of the vehicle in a FIRM stopping motion (not once even looking anywhere but forward and down…scowling slightly), causing the car to stop quite suddenly just at the force of his gesture. Reaching the far sidewalk then he turned in the opposite direction Eugene had pointed and proceeded to walk off that way…still stomping though he was cursing himself for doing so in front of the other guys when he should have been playing it cool.

Once he was down the street he ducked into an alley and of course headed up one block so he could follow Eugene's directions to get to Brainy's house in private and out of sight of the other guys.

And of course, as he did all of this, Arnold wasn't seriously entertaining the idea of any of the Helga/Brainy stuff his friends had just been joking about being true…mostly…Still though…his girlfriend was over at another guy's house…a guy who was probably practically in love with her if he had seriously been stalking her all these years (and just in general who wouldn't be in love with his precious lovely Helga…such a perfect woman…). Ugh, and to top it all off that image was still trying to form in his head…of Helga doting all over Brainy…smiling and laughing with him like Eugene had said…her affections fueling and igniting his…and who knew what could happen all alone together in Brainy's house…probably sitting on the couch with one another all comfy cozy. (The panic didn't fully set in until he recalled that it had only taken a little time alone together on a couch for himself and Helga to get together in the first place…on their first date…when she had thrown him down upon the table…and he'd thrown her down upon the couch…and their lips had all but burned together in new love. He instantly blocked out any pending image of anything like that between Helga and Brainy…It was too horrible to even picture!)

At this point his pace picked up quite considerably, naturally…that little half eaten snow cone just being melted and crushed more in his fist as he went along.

* * *

So now Arnold stood there, in an alley in view of Brainy's house, watching his girlfriend…no scratch that, it wasn't a strong enough word anymore…watching the LOVE OF HIS LIFE interacting very closely with another boy…a boy who had romantic feelings for her…a boy who, strictly speaking, technically had had first dibs on her. His only genuine competition now that he thought about it…and the ONLY guy in the world whose lips had EVER touched ANY PART of Helga G. Pataki ( 'Shortman' he added mentally to himself) besides his own…

And Arnold did not like this.

He continued to watch, his blush growing, his heart pounding, his stomach twisting in knots as Helga smiled and laughed with Brainy… _'She…She only really smiles and laughs like that around me though…'_…Watched her give him a playful punch… '_One of MY playful punches!'_…watched them…HUG! A coherent thought couldn't process at that sight. Another guy with his arms around Helga's perfect body! And she was ENJOYING IT!

A very firm look came to Arnold's face…

Though his first instinct upon seeing them out there on Brainy's stoop (after he had arrived at and situated himself in this alley for a good ten minutes of 'staking out the joint' to see if Helga would actually walk out of there) had been to unhide himself, stomp right over to that stoop, give Brainy such a karate chop that he would never even LOOK at Helga without his permission ever again, and then scoop up his love and carry her down the street and to ANYWHERE that didn't have other boys…Arnold had managed to stop himself and instead had chosen to wait in the shadows and watch things play out, as he was continuing to do right now…Helga would come back this way (it was the direction her house was in after all and she was supposed to be meeting him there in an hour or so for dinner anyway). So he would talk with her when she passed by.

He shouldn't be jealous. He knew it. There was no need for that. She loved him. But he still felt it…and it burned…searingly. He was Arnold and he was jealous.

'If it wasn't for you, I'd be his girlfriend right now…' Those words of Helga's from so long ago…the first time he had ever genuinely and truly felt jealous in his life, repeated in Arnold's head yet again during his wait in this alley…But he just buckled down and did his best to chant them away with his own little memories of another quote of his love's. 'Arnold, I love you, I've always loved you…Arnold, I love YOU, I've ALWAYS loved YOU…'

Arnold shook his head to clear it, then focused his eyes back on Brainy's stoop and let out a sigh as he saw Helga finally descend to the sidewalk (though not before giving a smiling little wave to Brainy that, quite frankly, made Arnold roll his eyes and want to barf up the little bit of his snow cone he had actually managed to eat). He watched as Brainy shut the door and then watched as Helga, now alone out on the sidewalk, began to walk away from Brainy's house…and sure enough to head his way, right towards the alley…

Arnold took a breath in. _'I know this is silly…but she's…she's…Helga…My Helga…and I'm her Arnold…_' He let out a breath. Over the course of his life, Arnold had fought for a lot of things he loved…getting Mr. Simmons back as their new fourth grade teacher after Ms. Slovak had retired, keeping Gerald Field for the fourth graders instead of the fifth graders, saving the neighborhood from Sheck…but…Helga…The way he felt like responding to any threat to his relationship with her—it wasn't just the determination to fight. He would fight…and win, plain and simple. Failure would simply not happen. True love conquers all, after all, right?

Yes, true love would conquer all…

…And he was going to remind Helga of and explain to her that fact right here and right now.

* * *

Brainy's door shutting behind her, Helga, now on the sidewalk again, just proceeded to walk down it with a spring in her step and a happy, satisfied smile on her face. That had been very good talk…She and Brainy had needed that. And she felt a ton better right now about their relationship. '_Mental note to myself: seriously make sure to have one of these powwow days with Lila soon…_' Nodding at this idea, she let out a sigh, glanced around to make sure she was alone, and then reached inside of her jumper and pulled out her Arnold locket, looking at its face with a smile. "Ah, my Arnold…it really is best to just openly work out your feelings with people instead of sweeping things under the rug, isn't it? And now I have Brainy back in my life! Isn't that wonderful! Heh, bet you never saw that coming, huh? Me actually being able to work out that quagmire all on my own and bring something good from it. Oh I can't wait to tell you all ab—"

Helga…stopped talking…and stopped walking. She had just passed an alley with a trashcan…and it was funny but she was getting one of those familiar feelings…one of those familiar 'I should be tossing a backhand out right about now, shouldn't I?' feelings… She smiled and actually scoffed at the idea. She let out a sigh. '_Oh brother…_' She took a few steps back now toward the trashcan in question which she had just passed, a smug smirk on her lips. "Well, I suppose once more for old time's sake is more than understandable, Brainy…" she mumbled out with an eye roll, "But I promise I'll only make it a soft one…Oh and seriously, nice stalking…How the heck did you get out of your house and get out here when I _just_ left? Heh…." Her hand went back for a 'soft one' and…

"Helga, I—OW!"

Helga's eyes flew open…She had just raised her fist and then flicked it back a little (as gently as possible of course, in more of a kidding gesture than anything) to just maybe give his nose a little nudge…But… '_Brainy doesn't say Ow!'_ She suddenly whirled around and gasped at the sight of her beloved half way out from behind the trashcan with both hands clasping his nose and his eyes shut tightly.

Instantly Helga was all over him, holding him, caressing him, looking at him with such worry and sorrow. "Arnold, Arnold, I hit you! I'm so, so, so, so eternally sorry, my darling. I didn't mean it! I thought you were Brainy sneaking up on me again! Oh I'm just thankful it wasn't a couple months ago or I'd have really clocked you one! My darling, please, let me see! I have to see if it's okay!" She tried to gently pull his hands away from holding his nose so she could see the damage and hoped with every ounce of her heart that no injury at all had befallen him.

Arnold, meanwhile, absorbing all this doting and fretting over himself, finally blinked open his eyes and removed his hands from his face to reveal only a slightly sore looking nose. "Helga, i-it's okay, I promise. Really…I'm fine…" He cleared his throat and blushed sheepishly, doing his best to move out of her grasp. He felt so silly having this happen and then on top of that to have her coddling him like this (even though he loved her affections this really was such a small thing and he wanted her to know that he was tougher than this)… "I-I can take a little hit…" He added with a small, stubborn frown, his little hands behind his back. '_Yeah, if Brainy can take I life time of them then I can take just one at least…'_

Helga, her eyes still wide with worry, just looked him over for a second longer and then finally took a step back and gave a small nod. "I-I know you can, Arnold, it's just…I don't ever want to hurt you, my love. I'd never forgive myself if I did something like that…Not ever…"

Arnold touched his nose once or twice more just to make sure that it was indeed fine and then his eyes went back to Helga…Her eyes shone a little, like there were tears waiting just under the surface to come out, and her pink lips were pushed into such a sincere, deep pout. She was really sad, wasn't she? He went forward and took one of her hands in both of his. "Helga…" he looked into her eyes with a small, reassuring smile. "It's okay. I'm okay, see? Nothing wrong. And you could never hurt me. You're too good of a person. You know that and I know that…alright, my bright, precious angel?" His smile grew a little.

His words had done the trick. That smile he loved came back to cute lips and she nodded and squeezed one of his hands a little. "Okay. Thank you, Arnold." A touch of worry returned for just a second though. "But you're sure you're alright?"

He nodded once more in total affirmation. "Absolutely. You have my word."

Her smile came back fully. "Okay, then…Um…" She blushed a little and glanced down coyly, and even let their hands drop and swing a tiny bit. "Wanna walk me home then maybe? We could, um…start our date early…and I could really _really_ make up for that little bop on the nose..." She giggled a little and brought her big blue eyes back to his green ones and winked.

Arnold gulped and felt a little spark run through him, his green eyes so wide at the sudden offer. Oh it was so tempting…Just going off up to her room with her for an hour before a lovely dinner together to snuggle and kiss and to have her coo and cuddle him and pretend that they were the only two people in the whole world…

But then this…image entered his head…of her doing things like that with Brainy in her room…how it would look and how it would make him feel seeing it…and he was instantly soured on the whole concept…and that little burning, smoldering emotion that had been pulsing deep within him ever since he had left the guys to go off and find Helga returned. He was jealous. Deeply so. "Well…" he merely started to reply in a level tone, "I guess that all depends…"

And then suddenly, his face all stubborn looking, Arnold shrugged and took his hand from hers and walked out of the alley past her, crossing his arms over his chest with a pensive look upon his features.

Helga meanwhile, was still just standing in the mouth of the alley and she just blinked at this response from him…and at the slight attitude that had seemed to accompany it (though she couldn't help the compulsion to maybe chalk up her perception of an 'attitude' to her imagination or something considering how 'un-Arnold-like' that whole concept seemed). But still he had just turned her down for kisses and cuddles and was now walking away from her, so obviously there was definitely some sort of issue. '_What's up with him?'_ Shaking her head to clear it, Helga quickly raced out of the alley in the same direction her beloved had started to go and caught up with him, determined to figure this out. '_Maybe he really is angry that I hit him or something?'_ It seemed unlikely and yet it was all her head could come up with. "Depends on what, Arnold?" she asked curiously and cautiously now as they were walking side by side.

Arnold beside her just shrugged, still looking a little miffed and looking downward the whole time. "Depends on…what you were doing before you found me in that alley…" A touch of a blush came to his cheeks and another quick image entered his mind of Helga and Brainy….together…and it made him shudder and cringe so badly he almost couldn't stand it, and that little emotion inside of himself burned acidicly .

Part of Helga's brow raised. If she had been stumped before about him not taking the bait of her flirting, she was he was extra stumped now about the origin of _this_ question from him…. "I was coming from visiting a friend…" she replied, really NOT getting what he was getting at. "And…what were YOU doing before I found you in that alley…and why were you there in the first place, Arnold?" she couldn't help but tack on just a little patronizingly, starting to feel a touch defensive now. And he still wasn't looking at her which was really bugging her a lot too.

"Oh…" He just shrugged a little, trying to seem casual (and Helga could totally tell he was just _trying_ to seem that way…Yes, something was definitely bothering him). "A friend, huh?" he went on, with a slight nervous tick in his tone that only someone who knew him as well as Helga did would ever be able to really detect. "Who exactly…?" Arnold could seriously feel his gag reflex almost going off: he could almost see her trying to deny her visit to Brainy or something now, thus confirming for him that maybe she visited Brainy regularly like this…maybe she really was considering him…maybe she was at least keeping the possibility open of him and her and….

His ears were met with the causal reply of, "Brainy, actually…" from the girl beside him.

Arnold's eyes flew open wide and before he could think better of it he suddenly whipped his head around to face Helga, stopping dead in his tracks. "So you admit it then!" he shouted accusingly!

Okay now Helga stopped as well, thoroughly puzzled by the weird way her beloved was acting at this point. "Admit _what_?" she asked in confusion and with a scowl starting to form on her features and her hands held out in front of her.

Arnold blinked and then put his hands on his hips. "That you were with Brainy this whole time and in his house! Why didn't you tell me you were going to see him?" He even scowled now, deeply and sincerely, almost like he had picked it up from Helga through osmosis over all these years.

Helga scoffed at the accusing question, crossing her arms over her chest. "Uh, I don't know—maybe because you're not my mother, you're my _boyfriend_!" She full on scowled as well now, no longer in the mood for patience or games or his attitude (which he definitely had at this point) and having NO tolerance whatsoever for an actual scowl from _him_ to _her_ for once! "Sheesh I wasn't aware that I had to check in with you about every place I go and person I see when we're not together!"

"Helga!" Arnold shot back, just looking at her in frustration like it should be totally obvious why he was right and why she was wrong or something!

"Arnold!" Helga just shot back (slightly sarcastically), equally frustrated! '_Who the heck does he think he is?'_

"Why were you hugging him?" The desperate question was out of Arnold's mouth before he even had time to really think about it.

Helga had been about to shoot back a sarcastic answer when suddenly his question really processed with her and then she blinked and looked at him with extra fury, realizing something now. "YOU WERE SPYING ON US?"

Arnold blinked a few times at the (quite true) accusation, which actually threw him off a bit for just a second. However he managed to scowl again and retaliate with, "You were at another boy's house who likes you! What was I supposed to do?"

Helga scoffed and rolled her eyes. "TRUST ME, for starters! And before you go on with your lunatic accusations, so what if I was over at Brainy's house for an afternoon? YOU'VE probably hung out with LILA at some point since we started dating. What's the difference?" She threw her hands up in the air.

"LILA doesn't 'like me like me' anymore! THAT'S the difference!" Arnold shot back, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"Hmph!" Helga crossed her arms over her chest and looked up defiantly. "Well, I never _dated_ Brainy so I guess we're even then!"

"Mmm…" Arnold felt such a wave of frustration pass through him at her excellent point…so many burning emotions inside of him (and there was this little part of him screaming for this to end and for them to just go back to Helga's plan of making out in her room until dinnertime). "Yeah, well…well…I don't give Lila _hugs_ when I'm with her!" he shot back, unable to think of any other argument.

Helga rolled her eyes and scoffed at that. "You're a BOY. Boys almost NEVER give hugs to friends! I'm a GIRL! If I like the person enough I hug them! Capiche, paste for brains?" Her hands were on her hips.

"O-Oh yeah, well…I hug YOU!" he just replied back stubbornly.

"Well, that's because we're DATING, EINSTEIN! It's different! Doi!"

"Well…why did you have to go IN HIS HOUSE?"

"Grr…" Helga's fists clenched at her sides. She was so completely losing her patience, but still trying to keep her cool nonetheless…This was her beloved after all and…and really all she wanted was for them to be happy together again, hugging and smiling like usual. But still he was pushing her buttons SO much right now! "I had to go in his house because…" she began in an acidic (though at least level) tone, "Brainy is seriously asthmatic and he needed to take a nebulizer treatment so he could talk to me because we had some stuff to settle. Excuse him for not being able to breathe, Football Head!"

Arnold blinked at that very reasonable and understandable excuse. He cleared his throat and though that frustrated look remained on his face…there was something of sheepishness and apology there as well. "Helga…I…It's just…" for a second his tone started to calm but then it couldn't help but pick up again a little, "…he…he still likes you! At least a little! He _must_! No boy could get over you in less than a month!" He looked at her painfully, finally voicing the unthinkable. "What if he tries to kiss you!"

Helga, with a few seconds to think and to let her temper cool since the back and forth shouting had slowed for just a moment, finally let out a breath at this last desperate little question from her beloved, her own countenance finally calming a little now as well. She even _spoke_ a little more calmly as she responded to him seriously and reassuringly, "He wouldn't do that, Arnold…He told me so—he accepts us and he's too much of a gentleman to try something like that anyway!" She actually smiled at that idea…and at the fact that maybe this little argument was winding down between them…

"YOU GUYS ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF YOU TWO KISSING!"

Helga actually cringed at how loudly and in how high of a pitch Arnold had shouted these words all of a sudden! '_Ugh, never mind, spoke too soon…_' She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes again, her scowl starting to return. "OH ROPE IT IN, Arnold—_I _was the one who made it get brought up!"

"THAT'S WORSE!" her beloved just exclaimed, his eyes so wide, his face all full of panic and worry. '_Why…Why would that…even be on her mind? Why would she want to talk with him about it…? Why…?'_ He was so confused he almost felt light headed at this point.

Meanwhile, Helga felt her scowl not only firming up but darkening and she was seriously ready to get very nasty with the boy before her and very quickly…but then…then she just barely got enough control of her temper to…to think for just a second about how pointless a bunch more yelling back and forth would be…and how if they were finally going to have a first official fight or something she did NOT want it to be about something as stupid and silly as her spending an hour in Brainy's living room…

And so…Helga's scheming brain went for an alternative solution to just more back and forth senseless denial and arguing and accusing.

The young blonde just looked at Arnold squarely, sighed 'dramatically', (double checked that no one else was around right now)…and then began in a loud, forlorn voice, bringing the back of one of her hands to her forehead in an 'over the top' gesture, "OKAY, YES, ARNOLD, YOU CAUGHT ME! SECRETLY ALL OF THAT WHEEZING IS JUST SUCH A TURN ON TO ME THAT I STARTED DATING YOU JUST SO I COULD USE YOU AS A LOVE TOY AND PRACTICE KISSING AND CUDDLING FOR MY REAL TRUE LOVE, BRAINY. CRIMENY, I TRY TO HIDE IT BUT ALL I WANT TO DO IS TAKE THAT WHEEZING LITTLE HEAD OF HIS, LOOK RIGHT INTO THE EYES BEHIND THOSE GLASSES, AND GIVE HIM SUCH A PASSIONATE MAKE OUT WORTHY KISS THAT HE WOULDN'T NEED ANOTHER INHALER OR NEBULIZER MACHINE FOR DAYS WITH HOW MUCH THE STEAM OF OUR LIPLOCK WOULD CLEAR OUT HIS LUNGS AND CLEAR UP HIS SINUSES. YES ARNOLD, THE SHRINES AND POETRY AND LOCKET TO YOU HAVE ALL BEEN A DECOY JUST SO I COULD PRACTICE FOR THE MAULING I CRAVE TO GIVE BRAINY! I, HELGA G. PATAKI, AM _HOT_ FOR BRAINY! JUST PLOP THE TWO OF US ON A DESERTED TROPICAL ISLAND AND LEAVE THE REST TO ME! YOU FINALLY FIGURED OUT MY REAL MOST INTIMATE GUARDED SECRET, ARNOLD. CONGRATULATIONS!" She finished by just smiling brightly at her beloved following her delivery of this little sarcastic speech to remind her beloved that, really…after all they had been through together…how the heck could he even begin to think she was just using it all or something to take her on to someone else.

And now Helga was just waited for Arnold's reaction.

For a moment her eyes were met with her football headed boyfriend just standing there before her, his own eyes kind of wide, just watching her almost blankly as he had been for her entire speech…but another second passed…and then she saw his mouth tremble…and then smile. And then it was so very obvious that he was just trying really really hard not to laugh (and she had been figuring on something in the laughter department as his reaction) that she almost had to laugh herself.

And at seeing Helga smiling and snickering like she was, finally a chuckle or two did escape Arnold, and then some more and some more, though he was trying to keep them at least kind of under control (and yet failing miserably of course, and especially since every time he laughed more it made Helga laugh more which in turn made him laugh more…). But anyway, pretty quickly the two of them were just laughing and laughing together and then eventually, once Arnold had gotten most of it out of his system, he just shook his head and turned it so that he was facing forward up the street again. "That…" he chuckled again, some of all that she had just said playing over in his mind once more…deserted islands and wheezing as a turn on and…and… '_L-Love toy_…' "That wasn't funny, Helga…" he finally got out, laughing a little more as he did so.

Helga just smirked and laughed a little more herself, crossing her arms over her chest and facing forward again as well. "Oh please, you and me both were busting a gut and you know it."

Arnold chuckled a few more times to himself and just shrugged, bringing his arms behind his back. "M-Maybe…a little…" He looked back to her eyes now, letting out a sigh, his normal calm demeanor and warm smile returning to his features. "I'm sorry, Helga…I shouldn't have gotten so upset like that."

Helga just grinned. '_Whew…thought for a second that actually was going to end up in a full blown, 'stomping away from each other' fight between us_…' "Oh no, Arnold… 'upset'? I don't think so…let's call that what it was. You were _jealous_!" Her grin grew more. "Welcome to my world for those six year with you and those other girls, Football Head." She reached out and gave him a playful little nudge.

Her love blushed and swallowed. "I…Well, I…um…" he shrugged a little again, "I guess I was…um…Okay, I guess I was jealous…." He let out a sigh as he finally admitted, bringing his eyes back to hers again and letting his arms drop to his sides, "Really really jealous…And I'm sorry for all the times I ever made _you_ jealous, Helga…and for getting jealous myself right now. I-I…" he looked down again, a bit of that frustrated look of his from before returning, "I guess it was just…the idea…the image of you two…together…" He shuddered and scowled for a moment. But then the scowl left and he just gulped and glanced back up at her with a small, worried blush. "A-And then I…I guess it all started because I ran into Harold and Sid and Stinky and Eugene before and I asked if they'd seen you and Eugene said you'd gone to Brainy's house and then they were all making these stupid jokes about you and Brainy 'getting together' or something since he said he wrote my poem for you last month (Don't worry, though, I-I don't think they'll say anything to you about it—they weren't serious and I think they know you'd deck them if they did, heh…)…But anyway the whole thing just…" He let out a sigh…but then closed his eyes and took a breath…and then when he opened them again he seemed to be back in his normal centered happy place once more. "Anyway…" he continued on quietly and calmly, "Like I said…I'm sorry, Helga. And of course I should trust you…" He smiled more as he looked into her eyes. "What's love without trust after all?" He winked.

Helga gave a little giggle at his cute response and admittance of jealousy and then just looked at him with her usual loving gaze, happy they were on good terms again. "Apology accepted, my love…And I'm sorry if I yelled at you too much." She chuckled more and blushed a little as she added, with a small eye roll, "And, uh, hey, as for that little Brainy speech I just gave, yeah maybe some girls go for that strong silent type thing with the wheezing but…I'm personally _much_ more partial to straight-talking, heart-poundingly gorgeous football heads…" She gave him a coy little wink.

"I-I know…" Arnold glanced around to make sure they were alone and then took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. "Just like I prefer fiery, brilliant, blonde future professional poets to silly older women or nice, quiet, red heads with braids. Sorry again, Helga…" He smiled a little more and then asked with a light blush, "Um…there's no one around here, so…can we…stay holding hands when we start walking together again this time? It'll be a nice change of pace from the shouting before…"

He was smiling at her with one of his half lidded gazes and her fingers were already wrapped around her own extra snugly and there really didn't appear to be another soul around at the moment, so of course Helga melted on the spot and gave him a blushing nod in reply. "Of course, my love…Come on…" And then she started walking in the direction they had been going, giving him a gentle pull by his hand that was quickly followed by him walking beside her and both of them swinging their hands just a little as they kept pace with one another.

They came upon a small can on the street in front of them after going a few feet and Arnold let himself give it a little casual kick along, feeling quite sheepish, to say the least, for letting himself get so worked up before.

At his side, Helga giggled. "Oh, and, um…as for you being sorry about being jealous…you _should_ be." She let out a tiny chuckle and squeezed his hand. And then out of the corner of his eye Arnold saw her smile as she continued on with, after that little ice breaker of sarcasm, "And really, Arnold…Brainy's just nice and a friend…I don't have a lot of people I can be open with about you and me, remember? But he's one of the few. And besides the fact that he's so nice about my secret, we just…kind of get each other a little because he's smart and cultured and understanding and interesting an—" Helga hadn't realized the degree to which she had suddenly been kind of going on about Brainy.

She stopped now though (both the speaking and the walking) as a loud, metallic sound met her ears and then she blinked and looked forward…very far forward…where the tin can Arnold had been kicking (and had apparently just given quite a kick to) was still soaring in a high arc far, far away from them.

"Helga, I'm not…you know, jealous anymore but…can you STOP talking about him like that? Please!" came the frustrated little plea from her beloved likewise stopped beside her (and it was accompanied by a desperate little squeeze of his hand to hers).

Helga just blinked, more concerned with the sight of that can he had practically just kicked a full block than his question. "Whoa, sheesh, Arnold…what the heck was _that_?" she asked in total puzzlement, still looking forward at it soaring.

At this question from the girl at his side Arnold blinked himself, seemed to come out of something…and then, pretty far away, the can clinked to the ground as it finally fell from it's soaring arc…He realized now what he had just done and instantly blushed in a ton of embarrassment. "O-Oh…" he started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and looking down in discomfort, "Sorry…W-Wow, nothing like that's happened in a while…" He swallowed and then shook his head to clear it before straightening up, squeezing Helga's hand a little once more, and then just doing his best to keep them walking on like nothing had happened.

Helga, though, of course, wasn't buying his little avoidance tactic for a second though, and instantly she was all over him. "Uh…Arnold…you still didn't answer my question. What _was_ that, exactly?" She looked at him with curious expectation.

Beside her Arnold sighed. He could have tried putting her off the question but he knew she would just insist and insist so…probably better to just say it now and save some time. He shrugged and started as casually as he could, hoping that they could just blow past this because it felt more stupid to him than anything else. "Oh…well…Helga, you…you remember that time I came to school for a few days and was kind of going overboard with the karate stuff?" He glanced at her a little.

Walking at his side, her hand still holding his, Helga nodded. "Uh…yeah…" she replied quietly. "I remember." A small little frown couldn't help but come to her face—it was kind of a bad memory for her, after all. She had never seen her beloved so…angry. And her beloved, optimistic and always sunny love angry was one of the saddest concepts in the world to her.

Arnold, still looking forward and down as they continued up the sidewalk, just shrugged again and went on. "Well, you see, that was right when I had just started learning it from my Grandma and also I was kind of having an issue with someone…" He shook his head, moving on with the memory. "Anyway, all of that training and stuff left me with a lot of strength but kind of out of control about it and then I ended up getting really carried away with it in the street one day and I really regretted the whole thing…But then my Grandma explained some stuff to me about it being the art of 'self defense' and about how it's about waiting and listening for the right time to let it out, and that's why I stopped being so intense with it after those few days. But I still train with her and learn it, of course. I just know how to keep my strength under control now." He blushed a little more. "That's actually, um…you remember that whole 'practicing kissing with the pillow thing' I mentioned the other week…about how it was to practice holding something as soft as you gently but firmly?" He glanced at her just a little again now.

Out of the corner of his eye he could just see Helga nod, still with that curious look on her intently listening face.

Arnold let out a breath and finally finished with, still blushing quite a little, "W-Well…that's part of what I meant by that. Our kissing can get a little…i-intense sometimes, and it's so that, in case I lose my head in it a little, I can practice keeping control and not squeezing or pushing too hard…" He cleared his throat and looked away from her again as they walked, trying to just move past the awkward moment…and he really did hate those moments when he had to admit that she could make him almost unable to control himself when it came to her. "A-Anyway, that's why that thing with the can happened just now…" he had to smile at least a tiny bit at having gotten that much unintentional distance with the little item, "I guess I was so wrapped up in feeling jealous over you that I forgot to maintain my control for a second when I kicked that can…"

Letting out one more sigh Arnold finally looked to Helga fully now…only to see her looking back at him with very wide eyes. She stopped walking.

"Helga?" he had to ask, raising an eyebrow. He stopped again as well.

At him saying her name, some of the wideness went away from those blue orbs he had come to know so well and then she almost scowled at him a little, though it didn't seem to him to be in anger so much as in…concern or even fear. "Arnold…" she then started, and he knew that the tone was definitely one of concern and not anger, "Are you…trying to tell me that this entire past school year basically…_every time_ I told you to shut up or I'd clock you one…you could have clocked me RIGHT BACK! What the heck is that matter with you Arnold?" Her scowl went darker and pointed at him with her free hand. "Now you listen to me, if ANYONE ever threatens you EVER in the way I used to threaten you, you punch their lights out and ask questions later, got it? I'm _not_ taking any chances!" She put her free hand on her hip looked like she expected an answer and an affirmative one at that!

Arnold blinked at first…but then just gave his love a loving smile. "Helga…" he began warmly, and he was seriously trying not to laugh at all of this, "First of all, I always knew you'd never actually hurt me…at least not on _purpose_." He rolled his eyes and touched his still slightly sore nose a little with his free hand. "I could just feel it. Like I said, you're a good person." He sighed and brought his eyes back to hers. "And second of all…" and now he looked at her with a touch more seriousness, "...and I don't care what you have to say about this being annoying or too gentlemanly, but second of all I would NEVER hit a girl ever no matter what. And third…" his normal, warm smile returned. "I'll be fine, my love. I can take care of myself and I know when I have to." He looked forward with his little smile and let out a breath. "But, don't worry—I'm calm now and centered and back in control. So let's just talk about anything else with this jealousy thing that we need to talk about and no more flying cans from me, okay?" He did his best not to chuckle too much at the reminder of his little slip-up with didn't seem so embarrassing to him now anymore.

At first Helga opened her mouth as though to question him further…but then she smiled and let out a breath and nodded. "Okay, back to the jealousy then, I guess…for now, at least…" Then she giggled and shook her head to herself. "Which is such a cute emotion on you, by the way, Arnold…All worked up over making sure I stay all yours." She winked and then squeezed his hand a little, and then gave it a gentle tug and resumed their walk once more with him following beside her again. "So…if you feel like sharing, my beloved…what exactly was going through your head during your little spying moment?" She grinned at the very idea of him hiding behind those trashcans like that, feeling all sneaky and secretive while that little flame of jealousy burned within him…Seeing once again in their lives that she could make him feel like that…something about it made her blush and smile.

In response to her sudden coy question she watched as Arnold blinked and blushed. And then he swallowed and glanced down shyly. "U-Um…well, besides those…images of you and him that I mentioned…" he cringed a little again, but then managed to go on, "The only thing I could really think of was…going up to the door…maybe, um…letting some of my control go and hitting Brainy using some of my karate and then, um…" He reached up and tugged at his collar with his free hand as he finally finished with a blush, "…s-scooping you up and carrying you away to anywhere in the world I could find that didn't have other boys…heh…" He looked to her with a sheepish grin, hoping she wouldn't laugh at him too much about admitting all of that.

At his side though a smiling Helga just giggled a lot at his cute little admission, but didn't break into any hearty and unstoppable chuckles or anything. "Ah," she began with a slight smirk, ending her giggles for the moment, "socking another little boy for 'playing with your toy' and then carrying me off to a place where you would literally be the only man in the world for me…Interesting strategy, Arnold…" She giggled a little again. "Personally though whenever _I_ used to get jealous I'd imagine putting every other girl in the world on a rocket to that far away 'some other place' and then just sticking around here with you and only you forever...But I guess it's each to his or her own." She winked at him.

A still slightly blushing Arnold had to smile and chuckle a little bit as well. He was so happy they were back to laughing and smiling and joking. But then though…he let out a little sigh and glanced over at her again. "Helga…? Um…all jokes aside…can I ask you something that I guess I've kind of been…taking for granted lately?" He looked at her with sincere curiosity.

Helga, her giggles over, looked back with interest and nodded, giving their hands a little extra special swing. "Of course, my love. Ask away."

Arnold gave a nod and then cleared his throat, facing forward now…and squeezed Helga's hand a little. "Um…does Brainy still…stalk you…at all?" His blush went extra rosy instantly.

He just barely glanced over at Helga out of the corner of his eye for her response…and was relieved to see her smiling in amused understanding at him…and shaking her head (and just that gesture alone was enough to make him feel extra happy inside). "No, Arnold…" she replied reassuringly, "No more appearing behind me in random places and breathing down my neck for Brainy…And even if he was, Arnold…Even if he kept pursuing me morning noon and night for the rest of our lives or something…" her voice took on a sweet, tender and honest tone that touched his heart completely, "Arnold, I have been in love with you for seven years! My first memory in life is falling in love with you…How could you ever be jealous of anyone else, Arnold—I couldn't get over you even if I tried. Not ever." She then rolled her eyes, a memory suddenly coming to her. "Whoo, and believe me I did try once—worst experiment ever!"

Arnold had been feeling like just about the luckiest guy in the whole world during the last half of her speech…until that last sentence of hers, that was. And now eyes shot open wide in panic and incomprehension and pure shock! "You did _**what**_?" _'She…She tried to…She tried to…stop…?_' He had never felt so…utterly just…helpless! What if she had succeeded in that—in getting herself _over_ him? Then…she never would have confessed…he never would have realized how perfectly lovable she was for him…None of their kissing or hugging or dating or laughing…Never knowing that giggle, that blush, that pout…her warmth and her touch and her love… The very idea was a thousand times more unbearable to him than just that stupid image of her suddenly going off with Brainy. The idea made him feel…so sad inside…so lonely.

Helga, meanwhile, (not really thinking of what kind of big deal finding out something like this might be for Arnold) just sighed and raised her free hand, waving him off. "Oh calm down, Arnold, I was just getting a little fed up with myself for always liking you but never being able to say it so I tried to see if I could stop…Obviously it was an epic failure, Football Head." She shrugged. "I mean, if you're interested in details I'd be happy to go into them one of these days but for right now we're getting way off topic." She put her free hand on her hip, still just casually smiling at a still slightly distressed looking Arnold as they turned a corner together. "Football Head," she explained simply, letting out a breath, "Brainy had a crush on me and I know you don't like that. But he's also a really nice guy and he's always kind of looked out for me and I consider him a friend so…I'd appreciate if you could try and be okay with him…and not destroy cans every time I might bring him up. Okay?" She grinned a little more and couldn't help but add, "I mean, after all, _you_ don't see _me_ jumping down Lila's throat every time you two say something to each other in school or smile and wave hello at baseball games and stuff, do you? I mean, not anymore, at least. And why is that? Because Lila's been more decent than I could have imagined about this whole thing and I'm willing to give her another chance despite stuff from the past because she's a good person and a good friend and I trust both of you. Okay?" She smiled happily at Arnold.

Arnold just let out a sigh, taking all of that in…and then nodded his head and smiled at her sheepishly. "You're right…as usual. And I'm…I really am sorry, Helga…for the spying and being stubborn and stuff…and for doubting us even for a moment." He looked at her sincerely. "And, it's not that I don't trust you…what's love without trust, like I said, right? And of course I know that you love me…it's just…" He glanced down for a second like he was really trying to consider how to put what he was feeling. Slowly he continued. "I guess it's just…somewhere, at the back of my mind, I can't help but feel like it would actually make a lot of sense for you to like Brainy instead of me. I mean, he's given you a lot more attention and shown you a lot more affection than I have over the years…In a way it…it's like he deserves you more than me or something, if you think about it…" he finally finished with a blush.

Arnold heard Helga sigh…though not in exasperation or annoyance but almost…happily…and then she stopped walking and finally he glanced back to her again, stopping alongside her once more this afternoon. She just looked at him with a smile, shook her head, and then she spoke. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…do we have to go over the first day of preschool again? Not to mention all of those times over the six years of unrequited love when I basically treated you like dirt and you still kept clinging to the idea that I was a decent person…all of which makes you MORE than 'good enough' for me?" She half grinned at him

"I…I know," started Arnold, glancing down again. "But it's not the same as…I mean…"

Helga just took a step forward and put her free hand on his shoulder, causing his eyes to go back up to hers. "Arnold, who I'll spend the rest of my life loving is _not_ a question of 'deserving' me…it's a question of…" She sighed, considered, and then looked deeply into he eyes. "Okay…Arnold, do you remember last month…before you confessed…after we worked out things with that chaos-causing love poem of yours about me…and then I talked everything over with Brainy…and then you found out about him liking me and the kiss on the cheek and the fact that I couldn't deny that I at least thought he was a decent guy and might have been willing to give him a shot?" She giggled just a tiny bit. "You remember, Arnold…your first little bout of jealousy?" Her smile grew.

She had been merely expecting a nod or something in return but to her surprise her beloved's response consisted of Arnold getting that frustrated look on his face yet again today and only managing a slight up and down motion of his head accompanied by a dull, "Yes…I remember…that except for me Brainy's the only guy whose lips have ever touched you…."

Helga blinked at his strange and serious way of putting that. '_Wow, he really __is__ caught up on him being my one and only…and me being his one and only…Sheesh, I think he's even more worried about someone snatching __me__ up than I used to be about other girls snatching __him__ up…_' Still though, she was in the middle of an explanation to ease his jealous and fretting mind, and even though she'd had to bring up that kiss on the cheek from Brainy as part of it she knew it would be worth it in the end. And so she let out a breath, went back to smiling warmly and went on. "Well…okay, Arnold, so, going back to that day…Brainy likes me, I can't find any real problem with him and he just confessed…which, by the way is basically the same situation between you and Lila (you have to admit, on the outside you two look like you go together like two peas in a pod with all the do-gooding and the politeness and the modesty)." She chuckled a little to lighten the mood some more and then went on. "Anyway, despite how epically perfect you think me and Brainy are together, do you know what the last thing I said to him was before we left that room…the thing that makes it so that I could never just go off with him or anybody else for that matter just because it 'makes more sense'?"

Arnold blinked and looked up at her again, and shook his head, his look genuinely blank.

Helga just laughed some more and finished simply, "I said 'I love Arnold, Brainy…and I don't love you.' So, don't you understand, Football Head? No matter how right someone else might 'seem' for me, I love specifically you and only you and nothing in the world could ever change that." She watched with satisfaction as a truly happy smile came to Arnold's face and suddenly to her surprise he released her hand and came forward and hugged around her warmly in that cute little familiar way of his.

"Whoa! Ouch, okay, Arnold—seriously, does Olga fly you into Alaska for some kind of nightly lessons in how to crush someone's lungs with hugs that I just don't know about?" She laughed and he laughed, and his hold on her only tightened and she just snuggled into and savored the warmth of his grasp, (thinking for a brief moment about pulling away in fear that someone might come along and see them…but then disregarding it…just not caring for a moment…just enjoying his grateful touch.)

Eventually, his laughter diminishing, Arnold pulled away from her slightly, though he was still hugging her, so that he could look up into her wonderful blue eyes…her blue eyes that shone with love for only him. "Sorry, Helga, but it's just…well, thank you for that…" He spoke so eagerly and so joyfully. "You really said that to him that day…even though you were teasing me after it about you going off with him if it wasn't for me…?" He just wanted to hear it confirmed one more time.

Helga, looking down at him warmly, nodded with a smile. "Yup. And just to convince you that you don't have to treat the poor kid like a hungry puma waiting to jump me or something, do you know what he said back?"

Arnold blinked and shook his head.

Helga laughed once more and then continued. "He said, 'I know, and I think he loves you too and I want you to be happy so don't worry about me, I'll be okay'…And today, when that topic of him and me and, um…kissing came up…" She blushed. "Which really was something that I made get brought up—I-I was just so nervous being alone with him and I wasn't sure if he really would just snap and dive on me or something, and it got so obvious that eventually he felt like he _had_ to say something…B-But anyway, when we talked about it he said that he'd _never_ kiss me knowing how we feel about each other, Arnold…knowing that we're dating and so deeply in love…" She smiled a little coyly and blushed. "So, um…even if you're not the only boy whose lips have ever touched any part of me…You're still the only boy who's lips have ever touched mine…and I have every intention of keeping things like that for the rest of our lives, you know…if you'll have me of course." She giggled extra in his arms and winked, blushing more.

Arnold blushed right along with her and smiled quite a bit at this point of hers…and her offer. "Well, um…that's definitely a privilege…" He chuckled…really aware now that he was still holding her in his arms, and of all the warmth that simple action always created between them. "I mean, part of me feels bad for all the other boys in the world who'll never experience those magical, passionate kisses of yours…but most of me just doesn't care as long as I'm the one who gets you." That little joke made her giggle, and her giggle made him smile more. He then released her and took her hand in his once more, gave a little kiss to the back of it (which got an extra little giggle out of her) and then gently went on to lead her up the street once more, resuming their walk (which, honestly, at this point with how much talking they had been doing and how distracted they had both been, wasn't really heading to any specific destination that either of them seemed sure of…though as long as they could ramble together, they were both more than satisfied). "So…" Arnold let out a breath and smiled, "Brainy's really okay about everything?" he asked, this time obviously more with concern for a friend now rather than jealousy over a rival.

A smiling Helga let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah…Cares more about _me_ being happy than _himself_ being happy…which is another plus in his court…" she let the sentence hang for just a second, causing a bit of panic to flicker over Arnold's features for a moment, before he blinked and his former smile returned at her little joke, and she went on with, putting his mind at ease once more. "But like I said, there's no love there so…no contest. I'm _your_ obsessive and enamored stalker all the way!" She winked.

The two of them shared a warm laugh at that.

They walked on for a few moments more.

Then Arnold looked forward and sighed, still smiling to himself. "Helga…I think there's something else I need to explain to you about this jealousy thing…Because…you should know that it's not just…Brainy seeming like he'd be good for you and me liking being the only one who kisses you…"

Helga beside him half grinned. "Really? But what else could there be, Arnold?" she asked casually, wondering what other cute little worry could be on his mind.

Her love let out a sigh…and blushed. "It's…It's how perfect you are in general…The perfect woman…"

Helga blushed considerably and blinked and looked at him in confusion. "A-Arnold, what are you talking about?" She almost had to laugh again now. "You know darn well I'm not p-perfect…. I-I'm just…me…"

Arnold stopped walking again and let out a sigh. He smiled and shook his head to himself. His eyes went to her once more. "Helga …don't you realize that…you are…so wonderful and...and not just to me. You try and hide it but…even with all the scowling and yelling and pushing people away…I could still see bits and pieces shining through all this time. That's how strong and undeniable it all is. If you didn't hide anything about yourself…if you let yourself shine in front of other people the way you shine in front of me…any guy would just jump on the chance at you. Helga. How can I…" He let out a breath, glancing around first at some shop windows…and then his gaze fell on something leaning against a dumpster at the end of an alleyway up ahead: an old, long mirror with only a slight crack in the corner. His eyes lit up and Arnold eagerly pulled Helga over and set her in her confusion in front of this mirror, smiling at her cute, confused reflection in the glass. He stepped slightly to the side so that she would only be able to see her own reflection, and then asked, his smile only growing, "Okay, what do you see Helga…?"

"Um…_me_…?" she just replied, obviously really unsure of where he was going with this. "Your average slightly insane ten-year-old girl?"

Arnold just smiled more and shook his head. "No, look…look closer." He leaned closer to her, still smiling warmly at her and her lovely reflection…speaking so sincerely. "Because…me and everyone else…if you didn't try and keep yourself safe so much…well, we see a…loving, smart, funny, caring, brilliant and talented, strong, sassy, beautiful young lady." He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her, in her surprise, so that she was facing him now. "You could have anyone you want, Helga. Your pick of anybody…any boy in the whole world. Even if you don't realize it. Any guy could find a way to see you as the perfect girl for him…and I don't think that me and Brainy are going to be your only two love confessions in life…not by a long shot." He looked at her with such sincerity. "You're a real person with real feelings and…you're a girl guys would want…a girl they do want, Helga."

She was just quiet…and blushing so much…her eyes so wide. She hadn't expected any of this at all to say the least. All she could say eventually, in response to all of that from him, was, "I…" she shook her head a little, "No…No, I…" She had to correct him—he was just blind with love. She couldn't be so very special to everyone—just to him…and just because he loved her. Yes, she had to correct him.

But in response her smiling love just shook his own head and insisted on his case… "Yes…Yes you are….You _are, _Helga…"

"But…" she shook her head again, "But I don't want a bunch of stupid love confessions from stupid other boys… I only want _you_, Arnold. You…could never…lose me…I'm…I'm you. You're me. We're pieces of each other like you said once. Remember…how it feels when our loves come together… I know with everything inside of me that nobody else could ever be for me what you are for me. Only you, my love," she just said back so very quietly and sincerely. "Only you…"

"I know…" he nodded understandingly, blushing more… "…And I don't understand it sometimes...how I could be that lucky…but…it makes me happy every day that I _am_. But it just scares me sometimes how…wantable you'd be to every other guy." He smiled a little sheepishly. "E-Even when we're just hanging out with the other guys in our class I feel it just a little, Helga…They'd be stupid NOT to fall in love with you a little at least once in their lives…A-After all it already happened with Stinky that one time…" he raised an eyebrow, "And then I think you mentioned once that Harold said he loved you even though he didn't actually mean it…"

Helga, her face all rosy from all the things he was saying, almost had to laugh a little at the memory. "Oh yeah, that…R-Really, I just saved his life and he was really grateful so he hugged me and yelled that he thought he loved me but then I pushed him off into some water and went on a rant about him being an idiot…Very short lived, I assure you…A-Although…" She blushed a little more now…a tiny look of discomfort coming to her features.

Arnold removed his hands from her shoulders and looked at her curiously, waiting for her to go on.

"Although, um…Arnold…" she wrung her hands together a little, "Just so you know…since, well, I have a feeling that since he's family we might be running into this again but…your cousin Arnie's sort of…in love with me. Heh…" She shrugged sheepishly.

Arnold just stood there, his eyes wide.

"I discouraged the HECK out of him though of course when he confessed the last time he was here!" Helga quickly assured. "Just…wanted to let you be aware…in case he visits anytime soon."

And then a firm little look came to Arnold's face and he replied simply, "Oh…he won't be visiting anytime soon…" Helga smiled and was about to say something when he crossed his arms over his chest and went on with, "Because he is no longer invited. I'm not sharing my room with a rival…"

Helga blinked and then had to chuckle._ 'Okay, this little jealous streak of his is officially the cutest thing in the world…_' "Arnold, he's family…you have to be nice to him. Besides, he can't help having fantastic taste in women—must run in the family." She winked with a proud little grin.

Okay, that point made Arnold smile. "W-Well…" he shrugged a little, "I guess I can't really fault him for that…"

Helga nodded. "There you go. And besides—what, he makes a move on me, I punch his lights out…or you karate chop him or something in your jealous rage!" She laughed warmly.

He laughed warmly along with her. "Okay, okay, Helga…" he finally conceded with a sigh, "Arnie's allowed to come visit…We're too strong together to ever let him get away with anything." He smiled up at her.

"Exactly, my love!" She smiled down at him and winked.

The two headed up the street some more now…with Helga feeling so special and Arnold feeling so much better.

And then Helga got one of her classic coy little smirks.

"So…Arnold…now that all of this jealousy stuff is taken care of…." And suddenly she was clinging to her (suddenly blushing) beloved's arm and fluttering her eyelashes and giggling as they walked, "Going back to you kicking that can before…Hmm, I never knew there was so much raw, manly power hidden under that mild mannered exterior, Football Head…Always just barely kept at bay by your intense diligence and do gooder ways….But secretly ready to snap." She snuggled against him a little and giggled even more.

"H-Helga!" Arnold instantly rolled his eyes away from her with a shy, amused smile…his blush starting to burn quite a bit and his heart pounding in his chest. "Come on…you know that's not…what it is…"

His Helga just shook her head though, still fluttering her eyelashes and snuggling and smiling. "Oh no Arnold, I'm not letting this go…There's something kind of attractive about it all, you know…" She giggled again, cuddling her head into his shoulder. "Kick another can for me, Arnold—please!" She batted her eyelashes up at him

"Helga…" Arnold just let out a sigh, trying hard not to collapse at all of her sudden affection.

"Oh at least flex or something for me!" she went on brightly.

"HELGA!" He was getting so flustered.

"Oh come on you KNOW you like this…." She winked at him.

Finally Arnold just let out a deep sigh and looked to her once more. "Helga, how long are you prepared to keep this up?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Sorry, Football Head, can't help it." She shrugged a little, still all over him as they strolled up the sidewalk. "There's something about you with access to extreme amounts of raw power that I find kind of appealing…All of that control…" she let her voice go to a whisper and brought her free hand that wasn't still clinging against his arm up to play with his collar a little, "…And to top it all off being afraid of losing it with little old me…." She giggled a little and looked 'pleadingly' back into his eyes. "Oh come on, Arnold, at least snap a pencil for me just by squeezing it between two fingers…? Rip a phone book in half? Tip a car? Come on, my big strong Arnold…please just for me!" she begged in a cooing and enticing voice.

And Arnold, knowing full well she really wouldn't let this go, just sighed and smiled and stopped their walking, putting the hand of his free arm to his temple and shaking his head in pure amusement. "Alright, alright…Whatever you say, Helga…Just let me think…" He glanced around for something that would…He blinked. Mighty Pete was before them. '_Wow, I didn't realize we'd walked that far together…_' He was about to keep looking for something to use to show off his strength for her with…but then he blinked…and his eyes went back to the tree…the 'rather full with foliage' tree, considering how late in spring it was…that even had a few apples dangling from its large boughs. '_Oh boy…_' He chuckled to himself and then took Helga's hand and squeezed it and looked to her. "Alright, come with me…"

Helga giggled and nodded her assent and then allowed herself to be gently though swiftly pulled along by her love forward and then across the street and soon they were both before Mighty Pete. She smiled with interest at the sight of the tree and then turned that same interested and intrigued smile back to her beloved.

Arnold, rather than explaining anything or why there were here right now, just took her by her shoulders, looked up at one of the boughs, considered some things, and then positioned her in a very specific spot under the tree.

He let her go, stepped back a bit to the trunk of the tree and then looked at her with a blush and a smile. "Alright, um…hold out both of your hands together please, Helga…like this." He stuck out his hands and cupped them together.

Helga followed his example. "Okay, Arnold…" she smiled more, "Dazzle me, please."

He nodded. "The perfect woman deserves nothing less…" he replied with a wink and his grin picking up on one side at the little blush his compliment made come to her smiling features. And then the young boy let out a breath and closed his eyes, took a second to center himself…then opened his eyes again. He turned back to the tree trunk…considered his aim…and then made a fist with one hand and wrapped his other hand around it…and then swung his hands forward together in this fashion and slammed them into the side of the tree.

Helga, meanwhile, had just been watching all of his preparations in adoring amusement. '_Oh he is so adorable with all of this…I can't wait to see what he makes happen, and all for me…! I just really hope it works out for him though! He was so sad when his first magic tricks for me didn't work out the other week on our date… I feel like if whatever he's trying now doesn't work out for him, and especially after all of this jealousy stuff, he'll be extra sad_…'

Then she watched as Arnold swung at Mighty Pete…and watched how what her small little love did with that move actually made a visible tremor go through the huge, ancient tree.

Helga's eyes went wide and her jaw fell a little at that sight. To…actually send a little wave of power through something as big and sturdy as a hundred year old tree… A quick blush came to her features. _'W-Wow…he really is a little strong one, isn't is?'_ A brief image of rippling muscles came to her mind and made her blush even more…

…And then, into her outstretched and cupped hands, an apple perfectly fell.

Helga almost jumped, she was so surprised! For the first few seconds she just…looked at the apple…and then it processed with her that…the apple had fallen from the tree…the tree that Arnold had just hit. Arnold had it the tree in such a way as to have it give the apple to her.

"Um…f-for my lady, heh…"

The cute little addition caught Helga's ears and she looked forward and to her beloved…He was just standing there by the trunk of the tree, smiling sheepishly, blushing…waiting for her approval.

Which he would definitely get…as she liked this…_very_ much.

Helga smiled…she brought the apple behind her back…She walked very coyly forward. "_Arnold_…" her voice cooed… "My my my… 'your lady' certainly approves…" She giggled and winked, making her last steps forward to him extra slow and extra coy. "And also your lady…is very pleased to know that she has gotten herself quite a strong little gentleman…Yes, such a strong young man…" She was up close to him now and blushing and her eyes, half lidded, were saying a lot of things to his.

And Arnold meanwhile was just all goofy looking now. She'd liked it…she was flirting with him…blushing and giggling…all because of something he had done that had obviously impressed her so much…that had obviously touched her and was making her love for him bubble up and out.

He wanted to be somewhere alone with her once again in his life. To hug and snuggle…kiss…all quiet and private like they were the only ones in the whole world. Part of him wished they hadn't walked so far accidentally. It would take them at least fifteen minutes to get back to either one of their houses though actually it was probably more like twenty or twenty-five with how much ducking and hiding they'd have to do to avoid their friends once they got closer to the main part of the neighborhood…If only he could find some little place with her right now…some little private place.

And then a place occurred to him, as he realized that none of their friends really were all the way out here today…and the occurrence of this 'place' to his mind made him blush furiously… But then, as had been happening a lot lately in regards to things that his modesty had formerly tended to paralyze him with guilt about…he quickly started to accept the idea a little…and why it was actually kind of a good idea when you really thought about it.

Thus, Arnold decided to bend his gentleman rules just a bit and invite Helga up to the Mighty Pete tree house…to do something he had never had the opportunity to think the tree house useful for…until this point in his young life of course.

"Hey…Helga…" he started shyly, lovingly, sweetly…his eyes narrowing just a tiny bit… "You know, the tree house is empty right now…We're…the only ones here…"

He watched his smiling, blushing, love filled angel blink a few times in response to his observation…His smile trembled at how adorable she looked—still so very eager to get close and yet obviously not quite getting what he was trying to say. "I know, my darling…" she replied, "But…I don't see what the big deal is…To be honest, I'm more concerned about what's going on…down here…" She fluttered her eyelashes again, longing to entice him into scooping her up and carrying her back to her house for kisses.

Arnold just chuckled goofily, moving a little closer to her. "Well…I only mention it…that the tree house is empty…because…we've been talking about how incredible you are all this time…I just got over feeling very jealous…you've been clinging to me and giggling and talking about how strong I am…" he blushed so much more, "…And…the tree house is free…private…and right here…just waiting for us, really…if we wanted to use it…for…_stuff_…"

The spark of recognition of what he was saying…what he was suggesting…came to Helga's eyes quickly…And she smiled more…and so did he…

But then rather than scrambling up to the tree house with him as he was longing for her to do, his lovely princess instead popped the little apple he had gotten her into her side jumper pocket, and then took a large, coy step backward around the tree…and away from him, only allowing her head to peek out from behind the trunk at him. " Hmm…you know, I'm…still not quite exactly sure that I'm following you, Football Head." She winked though to let him know that she understood it just fine. "Now, what exactly are you saying about you and me and the tree house?"

Arnold almost laughed and had to roll his eyes to the side, taking his own coy step partly around to tree, leaning his head around to look at hers. "Helga, what I'm asking is…would you like to go up into the tree house and…do one of the things we do best together, my bright angel?"

She just chuckled. "Uh…drive each other insa—"

"Helga…" he interrupted, shaking his head in amusement, "I'm asking you to sneak up to the tree house with me for a kiss…or two…or more…" A shuddery sigh escaped him. "A lot more, maybe…"

His love just giggled like crazy (it was pure music to him) and then she instantly slipped herself more around the tree (and coyly away from him again). "Why Arnold Phillip Shortman," he heard her start in feigned appall, "Are you asking me, a lady, up to the tree house unsupervised for kisses…and more?"

His heart thrummed and he blushed so much and didn't care. He went and slipped around the tree a little more in his mini pursuit of her. "Don't worry, my sweet Helga Geraldine Pataki…" he assured her in a low, loving tone, "Of course I'll be a perfect gentleman with you, as always."

At this point, every time she spoke she was coyly slipping away around the tree and every time he spoke he was eagerly slipping toward her around the tree.

"Oh of course you will." She giggled again. "But what about my…reputation? If anyone found out about a sweet, charming, polite, lovely lady like me doing something so very unladylike, I mean…"

Arnold's grin picked up. He liked this new take on the whole 'reputation' thing…it was very intriguing. "Aw, but no one has to know, my angel," he began in coaxing reply, "We'll just sneak up there…and then sneak right back down. Just a little adventure between you and me…like we're the only two people in the whole wide world…" He winked at her.

Helga faked a gasp. "Oh but Arnold—that seems so…wrong! And here I thought you were a little goodie two shoes! But instead it turns out I'm dating a 'bad boy.' Who knew?" A lot more giggles.

Arnold just shrugged, still grinning quite a bit…and decided, at being called a 'bad boy' by her yet again in his life (which sent a deep little tremor through him that could probably come close to that tremor that went through Helga whenever he purred, he decided), that he was done with the chase, however exciting it had been…He was ready to catch her. "Oh but is it so very wrong for a boyfriend to want to kiss his girlfriend…" Is it really? If you think about it, it's only natural, Helga…" Instead of taking one of his steps toward her he decided this time as she spoke he would take a large one back, putting her right in his path behind the tree.

"Well, I suppose you've got an argument there, Football He—" And suddenly Helga gasped in genuine surprise because Arnold was before her and he had her by the shoulders and was lightly pinning her to the back of tree with a content grin on his face.

"Gotchya!" He smirked at her a little, moving closer. Yes, he had her in his grasp—his perfect love. And he never wanted to let her go.

His angel just smiled more and giggled again and looked at him with a grin. "Alright, and now that you've got me, what in the world will you do with me?" She batted her eyelashes at him a little.

Arnold's eyes narrowed and he moved his face and grin closer. "What do YOU think?"

The forward response made her blush and giggle and stammer. "A-Arnold…you're such a charmer…I bet you chase ALL the girls around Mighty Pete."

He just sighed longingly, already feeling the warmths of their bodies mixing. "There are other girls in the world?"

Helga just blushed and smiled more and rolled her eyes at him. "You are SO corny, Football Head!"

"And _you're_ so cute…" he supplied, moving extra close so they were all but pressed together, "…especially when you blush…" He looked at her so longingly. "It's such a shame…all those other boys in the world…missing out on making the most beautiful girl in the world blush…"

She giggled even more and actually seemed to tremble in his arms. "Arnold! Stop it! I can barely keep on my feet! My knees are practically ready to give out from under me."

He just held her shoulders more firmly, moved even closer to keep her up…smirking a little…his eyes still slightly narrowed. "All the more reason to get you up to the tree house, my love…. You know, so you can 'rest' before I walk you home for dinner." He winked.

Her smile went all goofy, and she just barely managed to get out with a touch of playfulness, "O-Oh well I SUPPOSE that's a perfectly reasonable excuse for me to go up there, my strong little love…just so you could 'comfort me' and 'care for me' until I was strong enough to get home…" She winked back.

Arnold's smile grew, loving when they were 'secretly' on the same page with one another like this. "I would be very much obliged, my love…" He was so very close to her that he knew that if he pressed any more against her he would feel her heart pounding under his own yet again in their lives. "Now, um…" he started, reigning in the charm, the flirting, the bubbling over passion just a little, "…before we kind of…end up kissing on the ground or something here…because really you deserve to be on a pedestal or just any place soft and perfect just like you when you give kisses, Helga G. Pataki…why don't we head up inside of the tree house and continue this conversation there…"

His love, likewise reigning things in a tiny bit until they could get up to their destination, nodded with her cute smile. "Sounds like a plan to me, my prince."

Arnold just chuckled and released her finally. '_Just for right now_…' he reminded himself because he really was so very looking forward to having her in his arms once more in only a minute or two… Then he took her by the hand and smilingly led her around to the ladder leading to the tree house. He bent low, sweeping his arm forward gallantly. "Ladies first, Helga."

His love blushed and scoffed, blinked and smiled…rolled her eyes… and then replied with a small cough, "Arnold, um…_you_ have to go first…up the tree…"

Arnold just looked at her with an amused eyebrow raised at first. He straightened up and said to her in his sultry way… "Helga, do you really want to spend time debating the gentleman thing when instead we _could_be…" He paused…letting the possibilities linger…

Helga blushed even more at his suggestive words but then shook her head with a shy smile. "A-Arnold, it's not that…It's…You have to go _first_ for the same reason I always make sure to go _last_ whenever we're climbing up here with you and the other guys…"

Arnold just looked at her curiously…and yet he couldn't deny, thinking back on it, that she was right…She always seemed to go last. '_Huh_…' He wondered why that was now. He turned his eyes to his lady.

And his lady, at his little bit of denseness, sighed…and finally explained with a smile, "It's because…it's a long climb up there, and I'm…wearing a dress…and people tend to look up when they climb…get it?" She looked shyly and sheepishly at him.

Her love considered for exactly one second longer. And then he instantly blushed furiously and stepped in front of the ladder and cleared his throat and just mumbled quietly, "Um…I'll go first," and then proceeded to climb, just doing his suddenly shy little best to move along from this little moment.

Meanwhile, still standing on the ground, Helga just smiled to herself and shook her head, and then finally proceeded to head up after him. "Knew the gentleman in you would win out over all, Arnold…" she had to call up to him as he disappeared into the tree house…though despite this attempt at a little extra levity she was still blushing quite awkwardly herself.

A few more rungs and Helga slipped within the tree house as well.

The grassy lot containing Mighty Pete seemed calm and quiet…as though not a soul was about.

Anyone standing right around the _base_ of the tree though (though luckily no one was about in that area)…could hear certain words and phrases coming from above that showed the scene was indeed occupied…and by two thoroughly in love individuals.

At first there was quiet…and then the sounds of a giggle or two.

And then some more giggles started to erupt.

"Arnold…Come on, let's not get TOO carried away up here! Someone really could come up, you know…"

"I know…and as a 'bad boy' I have to say the risk is kind of exciting, don't you think? Like when we kiss in school but almost better…" Some chuckles. "Now come here…I'm…trying to enjoy the fact that I'm the guy lucky enough to get a girl as wantable as you…" Some silence, then, "Such a beautiful, bright, wonderful angel I have."

Some giggles and even squeals were heard now. "Arnold…! Oh that's it, I'm through with the coy stuff…Come here, you!"

"H-Helga…" A sigh. "Okay, okay, _you_ can take my sweater off of me again…" Chuckles. "You know, it really is not so bad being your 'love toy'…"

"Hmm…and what an excellent love toy you make…And hey, see, I even got the sweater over your head this time without any help!" Some feminine chuckles. "Now just try and keep that intense, masculine strength of yours at bay, Mr. Strong Man…"

"Whatever you say, my pretty precious pink and soft, Helga Geraldine…"

A sigh and swoon. "I secretly love when you call me that, you know, my dear Mr. Shortman…"

A sigh of his own. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you talk too much, Ms. Pataki?" Chuckles.

"Hmm, then maybe you should shut me up, Arn—Mmmm….! _Mmm_….."

Some silence…and then when air got scarce the sound of deep breathing as the two kids came apart to get some air.

"A-Arnold…" Helga spoke in a TOTALLY dazed voice. "Okay, m-my legs really are about to give out from under me so maybe we should take this over to the sofa?"

Arnold let out a deep, loving sigh. "Yeah, okay…I-I can barely stand up anymore too…" and then there were the sounds of two people indeed shifting the action elsewhere. "Just like on our first date…remember, Helga?" Arnold then went on. "You and me and a sofa…"

"Hmm, why remember when we can relive?" came her sultry, breathy reply, and then… "MMM! Mmm…_Mmm_…." as someone took her request to heart.

Eventually, they must have broken apart. There was some panting.

Arnold spoke first.

"I love how you moan, Helga…It's the most beautiful sound in the world. The only thing better than your giggle."

"Oh…and I love how you _make_ me moan, my darling…" And then she giggled all coyly, both at his adorableness and at some more tickles happening…and then at a novel thought occurring to her. "Hmm…Hey Arnold? Think of the never-ending chorus that people could break into of 'Helga and Arnold Sitting in a Tree' if they ever caught us here. "

"It'd be music…" the sound of lips kissing, "to my ears."

"Me," the sound of lips kissing again, "too…"

Arnold's voice went lower so that really the only way a person could have heard it would have been to be standing right outside the door of the tree house. "You know…my grandparents used to come up here for dates when they were little…."

Helga whispered back… "As will we…and our children…and our children's children…"

Blushing and laughing and kissing went on.

* * *

_The next afternoon…_

A pensive looking Arnold Shortman dressed in his usual attire (and with a very subtle blush upon his features) walked up a stoop he had become familiar with just yesterday, took a small step forward, knocked three times, and then took a step back.

As he waited for the occupant of the house to answer he went over in his head yet again several things he had talked with his girlfriend about yesterday…both before and after the stuff in the tree house. Things about jealousy and Brainy being a very good friend for her and him caring about her happiness above all else...and then things about planning on spending time with Brainy whenever their schedules lined up and wanting to make sure he got included in more stuff their classmates did as a group and being determined that he always felt like he had a friend no matter what…and then a very important final thing about her wanting to be very sure that as soon as it could be managed her boyfriend and her dearest guy friend could…maybe become good friends themselves…

Arnold swallowed, reminding himself of all those things one more time…as the front door opened.

There before him stood a familiar wheezing, glasses-wearing boy.

"Um…hi Brainy." Arnold gave a small smile and a small wave, and felt a tiny blush come to his cheeks.

Brainy…stopped wheezing. Stopped BREATHING, really, would be the correct term but…since normally wheezing and breathing were basically the same thing for him, either way of putting it was pretty accurately.

Arnold just stood there looking at him silently…not really sure what to make of this reaction to his hello.

And then Brainy (a light blush coming to his own features now, Arnold noticed) glanced down and reached into his pocket, pulled out what Arnold recognized as his inhaler, lifted it up and sprayed two puffs into his mouth, brought it down…but then hesitated and then brought it back up for a third puff, then put the item back into his pocket, swallowed and finally made eye contact with Arnold again.

He spoke…

Arnold had never heard him really speak.

It captured his attention and he listened closely.

"Hello, Arnold. It's nice to see you. I thought you might be by soon enough, all things considered." He let out a sigh, obviously summed up a tiny bit of courage, and then finally said (quite sincerely), "If you're going to hit me now, may I ask for leniency considering the six years of punches Helga gave me until recently?"

Arnold blinked and his eyes went wide. '_Hit him?_' "Hit you?" he asked in total curiosity and in total surprise.

Brainy just nodded. "Of course. Arnold…I know you can't possibly like me being around her or her wanting to be around me…knowing what you probably know about my past feelings for her. And with how open you two are I know she must have told you about her visit yesterday…and even though she assured me it would be fine with you I can't imagine how unhappy the knowledge that she and I were alone in my home for so long must have made you feel. So…I'm ready, Arnold." He straightened up a little more, feeling some more courage now that the idea had had time to absorb. "Hit me if it will make you feel better and make things better between yourself and Helga…but like I said, if it could not be too hard, I would really appreciate it." He smiled sheepishly. "This is the first time in six years after all that my nose hasn't felt sore constantly."

Arnold just…continued watching the boy before him for another second or two…and then he smiled…and then he started to laugh...warmly and happily, even holding his sides a little, his eyes closed in mirth.

He heard Brainy sigh but speak good-naturedly. "Arnold, I promise you, I'm quite serious—I have no intention of running away if you want to hi—"

"Brainy!" Arnold got himself under control now and just looked at him with a warm smile. "I'm not going to…hit you!" He shook his head at the very notion. "I just…wanted to say hi…and, um…some other stuff to you too…" Now his blush grew a little more pronounced. He cleared his throat, and shuffled his feet a little shyly. "I just…well…I wanted to…to thank you, Brainy." He looked back to Brainy's eyes again.

Brainy…hesitated…seemed to consider his words…and then finally asked, "You wanted to…thank me?" almost like he couldn't understand the desire.

Arnold nodded and shrugged. "Of course, Brainy…I…wanted to thank you about Helga, actually…" He glanced down, still smiling though, with his arms behind his back gently digging one of his feet into the top of Brainy's stoop again.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't follow you, Arnold…" Brainy merely replied, quite sincerely unsure of things at the moment.

Arnold just let out a sigh and looked back up at Brainy with a smile. He stepped toward him a little more and crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly feeling a lot calmer and better about all of this all of a sudden. "Brainy…I've been thinking…and talking to Helga…and you…um…" he cleared his throat and blushed more, the first word coming to mind having been 'loved'… "Um, you 'cared' very much for…someone I care very much for…during a time in her life when…she really had no one caring for her the way she deserves to be cared for. So…thank you, Brainy. Thank you for…" he let out a breath, willing himself to say the word, "Thank you for loving Helga before I…really could…in the right way." He ended on a deep sigh, a little proud of himself for actually having said the L word (even though it cost him a ton in the blushing department).

"O-Oh!" Brainy just blushed all the more himself in response to all of that and blinked a few times. "Well, um…you're welcome, Arnold. Of course, I…I just…She's special and I…couldn't help but…I just wanted to be a part of her life and to…to be there in case she needed…" He blushed even more, actually stumbling over his words at this point, a little stunned by this conversation to say the least. "But, um…so…no hitting me?" He looked at Arnold unsurely once again as he just double-checked this fact.

Arnold just shook his head and even chuckled a little again. "No, no hitting, Brainy. From me or Helga anymore. I promise." He smiled more. "Come on, Brainy…you know I'd never just go and hit anyone…and especially not someone who makes Helga happy. I…I like you, Brainy."

Brainy…smiled…all fear and unsureness leaving his eyes finally. "I like you as well, Arnold. You make Helga…happier than I've ever seen her. You're very good for her."

Arnold smiled more. "Thanks Brainy. You make her happy and…you're good for her too."

The two boys just stood in content silence for a moment.

And then even two guys as sensitive and caring as Arnold and Brainy started to feel a little awkward about this big squishy moment going on.

Arnold cleared his throat, smiling a little sheepishly. "O-Okay…well then…maybe we could, um…be friends, Brainy? Better friends, that is. I-I mean, I never considered us NOT friends but…I'd like us to be, um…closer, I guess. Like you and Helga want to be closer. Helga, um…she told me about how she asked you to start being scorekeeper for our baseball games. I…I think that's a good idea, Brainy. Really. That way you could spend more time with everyone…and people could get to know what a nice person you are. If people really got to know you…I know they'd want to be friends with you, Brainy." He smiled at the boy before him sincerely.

Brainy, however…just looked back at him hesitantly for a moment. "Arnold…" he started slowly, "I appreciate the efforts…both yours and Helga's…and I _will_ be taking you up on the scorekeeper offer, I suppose, and on Helga's invitations to spend time together since you really are alright with us doing that, but…as for anything involving just diving head first into the young society of P.S. 118…I-I tried to express it to Helga a little yesterday but I'm not certain she really got it. It's just…although I'd like to get out more I'm just not very…adept in social situations. I want to be more open, Arnold…But I just…find it difficult." A small frown came to his features.

Arnold looked at him with a touch of concern…And now the whole 'Helga' situation was out of his mind, and his natural need to help and assist others was taking over. He considered his new friend's reservations, then spoke again with all sincerity and desire to assist. "Well…why do you think you get so worried about being more open with people, Brainy?" Arnold blinked and then added, the thought suddenly occurring to him. "Oh, and, um…I don't mean for this to come out the wrong way but, is your name really Brainy?"

Brainy had to almost laugh in amusement—Arnold and Helga asking him the exact same question separately and without even realizing it. '_Soulmates…Of course_…' "Yes," he nodded, "It's really Brainy, Arnold. Old family name." He chuckled a little. "And anyway, as for your question about why I worry…well, I…suppose the answer is similar to why Helga spent so many years worrying about opening up to you…and why she's still afraid of opening up to the rest of our classmates about her true nature and your relationship in general…"

Realization came into Arnold's eyes. He understood now. "You're afraid of rejection," he said simply, waiting for the observation to be confirmed.

Brainy, still smiling, gave a small nod. "Something, like that…It's just that…you see, Arnold, right now, with keeping to myself, my life is stable and feels secure. But," he shrugged, "being a little different from others, if I was to open up to them, instead of that quiet stability I might be subjected to taunts and pranks and other such upsetting things. You understand…" He swallowed, his arms behind his back.

And indeed Arnold understood…so very well actually from knowing so much about Helga's own fears and concerns about how unfair other kids could be no matter how good and wonderful of a person you were. And so he did his best to say the right thing to Brainy (things like he had been saying to Helga all these weeks of their courtship whenever the topic came up). "Brainy…I understand that you're scared and worried but…A life that's just about keeping yourself safe…can't be much of a life at all, in the end. No one likes being lonely, even if it does make you feel like no one can hurt you, and so even if it's risky…you have to try doing at least something to change things if you really want to connect with other people." He smiled more. "And see, you opened up to Helga and now you're good friends with her and you opened up to me and now…we're friends. And Helga also told me that she suggested you maybe try hanging out with Lila too since it sounds like you two might have some common interests and since Helga feels like she's probably been getting a little neglected lately, and I know that'll turn out fine too." He shrugged and chuckled. "So, see, you're already almost three for three…so I think you'll be fine with everyone else too, Brainy. Just…go slowly like Helga is, one step at a time…and don't be afraid if anyone actually does tease you for being yourself…because you'll always have the people who already like you for you right here." He smiled reassuringly at him.

Brainy just smiled…smiled and shook his head in amusement. "Oh Arnold…Kind and considerate and caring even to a former rival. Along with everything else I'm sure Helga told you about why I'm very happy for the two of you, you have to know that your unflappable morality and goodness was another reason I would never want to come between you both—she needs that, Arnold. Someone who can remind her everyday no matter what that there's good in the world, who can bring constant light to her moments of sadness, someone whose capacity to forgive will outshine every mood swing and moment of lashing out defensively that she might ever have. And, also…" he shrugged, "From an outsider's perspective, I believe she's doing wonders for you as well, Arnold. You just seem…very complete with her. It's nice to observe." His words were sincere.

Arnold, blushing just a little again, smiled and nodded gratefully at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Brainy. We, um…y-yeah…complete is a good word to describe it, I think."

Brainy nodded. "Yes. I just…as I told Helga yesterday, I just hope that one day I can find the right person to be complete with too."

Arnold looked up at Brainy. "I hope so too, Brainy."

There was a little moment of silence.

Then Arnold spoke again.

"Hey, um, Brainy? You wouldn't want to, um…I-I don't know…come with me and Gerald to the aquarium now would you…if you're free, of course?" He spoke hopefully and genuinely. "I mean, Helga said that's one of the things you like to do and also it'd be nice since you're one of the few people Gerald and I wouldn't have to pretend around about Helga and Phoebe." He smiled a little more, looking a tiny bit sheepish this time. "And also, when it's just me and him hanging out together at this point we both basically end up in a girlfriend gushing contest and I feel like we've both got to be sounding pretty sappy at this point…so it'd be nice to have a third person there to bring us back down to earth and remind us to just kind of enjoy hanging out for a little guys only time." He chuckled a little, then just looked at Brainy sincerely again. "So…what do you say, Brainy? Up for a friendly outing?"

Brainy smirked just a tiny bit, almost laughing really. "And once again, just to be sure…this isn't a trick to get me away from the safety of my home…so that you can take me to one of the nearby alleys where I used to stalk Helga and hit me, right?"

Arnold blinked, just a touch of his denseness showing for a moment…before then smirking and almost laughing as well, and replying with a shake of his head, "No, just a straightforward trip to the Aquarium. Come on, Brainy, I'm Arnold—would I lie to you?"

Both boys shared a laugh.

And then Brainy just sighed and smiled more and nodded to Arnold's initial request. "Alright, Arnold, I'll take your advice and at least try to let things change a little for the better. Who knows? If, after the Aquarium today, things work out with Gerald too and I'm four for four…maybe I really do have a chance…with the…other…kids." His wheezing had started to come back all of a sudden. He stepped out of his doorway and closed the door behind him. He pulled out his inhaler and took a few more puffs, then put it away again. "Sorry about that, Arnold. There may be a few silent moments for me during this outing just because of my breathing. I don't like to use the inhaler more than four times a day, and even then only if necessary. But before baseball games I think I'll use the nebulizer machine in my house just to make sure that I can actually respond whenever someone asks me the score." He chuckled to himself as he headed down to the sidewalk.

Arnold laughed a little as well, joining beside him on the sidewalk. "Yeah, it'd be good for that…and also so you could talk more and open up to people at the games of course. But only one step at a time, and only when it feels right for you and when you're ready."

"Of course," replied Brainy with a nod to Arnold's always excellent and understanding advice. "Well, shall we then?"

Arnold nodded back with a smile. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two boys proceeded to head up the street together away from Brainy's house.

"Hey Brainy?" Arnold was heard to ask after a few moments.

"Yes, Arnold?" replied Brainy.

Arnold almost chuckled again. "Did you _really_ think I'd come over to sock you or something about her?"

Brainy almost chuckled again as well. "Well…when Helga and I ran into each other in the hall before lunch today, she did mention how you were quite jealous at first when you had found out that she had been by here to see me, even though she managed to talk you down…" He tried not to smirk. "And besides over the course of those six years there were quite a few times when I was considering walking up to you and giving you a good sock in the nose myself, Arnold…just for the denseness." He tried not to laugh. "Arnold, really, I don't mean to be rude but…the Cecile costume, the kiss during the school play, the poetry book you found with an acronym of her name as the final poem…I was getting very close to letting you know myself by copying that attempt she almost made one day and writing 'Arnold Loves Helga' on a wall…or on the inside of your locker door maybe just to be as effective as possible."

Arnold had to laugh. He couldn't help it. He shrugged. "Hey, it was hard putting everything together—she's not exactly an easy person to figure out, especially when you don't even know what it is you're supposed to be figuring out about her until she yells it at you on a rooftop." He sighed to himself. "But I'm happy she did yell it at me…happier than I've ever been in my entire life."

"And…I'm happy for you, Arnold. For both of you…" Brainy smiled sincerely.

They walked along for a few moments more in silence.

"Brainy?" Arnold then spoke again.

"Yes?" Brainy replied.

Arnold sighed. "I agree with you that Helga was pushing things a bit trying to set you up with a girl all of a sudden…"

Brainy blushed a little. "She told you about that, huh?"

Arnold nodded. "Yes. But, even though that was a little…premature…I hope you find the right person and have a happy life with them as soon as possible, Brainy."

Brainy smiled more. "I hope so too, Arnold. And thank you. But for right now…just…getting to be friends with all of you…and seeing her happy…that's more than enough."

"I'm glad, Brainy." Arnold swallowed and cleared his throat. "S-So…you and Helga are going to a museum this weekend?"

Brainy just smiled in understanding. "Yes. And rest assured, Arnold…even if I did try something with her which I never would in a million, million years…you know as well as I do that I'd have a black eye and a broken nose and probably find myself with a head through one of the painting's before I even suggested the concept."

The last ounce of Arnold's worry left him and he just laughed along with Brainy as the two rounded the corner together, and he knew once again that not Brainy not Arnie not Stinky not anybody would ever really come between himself and his lovely Helga…both from his own jealous efforts whenever the situation might arise, as well as from his love's fighting spirit to keep them together and reject all other suitors (as she had been doing unintentionally over the years with socking Brainy, the thought suddenly occurred to our football headed hero who grinned to himself in amusement at the interesting concept).

* * *

**ARN—ER, _HELGA_ & LILA**

"Thank you ever so much again for buying me lunch, Helga, and for this popsicle from the Jollie Ollie man!" Lila beamed and took another small lick from the frozen treat currently in her hand as she all but skipped in her usual bubbliness down the sidewalk while her blonde companion just walked normally beside her. "I'm sure it was just oh too nice of you to do all of this for me…"

As the two girls turned a corner in the afternoon sun and proceeded to walk down another street, Helga shrugged, taking another bite from her Mr. Fudgie bar, a smile on her face. "Yeah, well…" she rolled her eyes to the side with a smile, "You know I just really wanted to thank you again for helping out so much with me and Arnold last month and for keeping things a secret and for stuff with my sister…" A touch of guilt came into Helga's face. "I mean…I know that I wasn't always the nicest person to you before all of this and I just wanted to…you know…kind of show you again that I'm sorry, and also to just give us a chance to become better friends. I mean, we shouldn't need Olga as a mediator—you and I can just…hang out together…shoot the breeze. You know? " Finishing up the last bite of her ice cream, Helga tossed her stick into a trash can they were passing, and awaited Lila's reply.

Lila just smiled (as usual), taking another bite of her popsicle, and nodded sincerely. "Of course, Helga…I'm ever so certain that being friends with you is something I've always wanted and just because Olga's not here doesn't mean we can't be just ever so special friends." She giggled. "But you didn't have to buy me lunch for me to accept your apology for not liking me before, Helga. I'm oh too certain how you might have acted around me sometimes never bothered me all that much, especially in light of the situation with Arnold." Lila shrugged, now tossing her own now clean stick into a trashcan. "To be just perfectly honest, it only seemed natural to me that you'd be a little jealous about his crush on me considering your feelings…" She looked at Helga understandingly. "After all, _I_ actually felt a little jealous when Arnold's oh so interesting cousin Arnie dumped me during his visit and declared his love to _you_." She blushed just a tiny bit at admitting to that memory, though of course her smile still remained.

Helga beside her, meanwhile, had to blink at this unexpected bit of information that had finished up Lila's acceptance of her friendship. "Really…? _You_ were jealous…of _me_?" It wasn't that the way Lila had explained the situation or the comparison she had made didn't make perfect sense to Helga, it was just that…it surprised her a lot, the irony that Ms. Perfect—with her flawless braids, and cute smile, and her witty stories and all the boys always fawning over her—had actually felt such a non-cheery and optimistic emotion…and toward herself of all people! '_What the heck?'_

Beside her, a slightly sheepish looking Lila just sighed but had to nod and affirm the true fact she had just shared. "Of course, Helga…A boy I felt like I was practically in love with and who I'd been spending time with and caring for suddenly dumped me in the cafeteria and then went over to you when he didn't even know you and told you he loved you…I'm ever so sure I was more sad than anything but there was still some jealousy there of course…" She laughed a tiny bit. "I mean, I always knew that Arnold liked you deep down a lot more than he probably realized, and then you had Arnie for a minute too…I'm ever so sure it just didn't feel…fair, I guess." Then she took in a breath and let out a sigh and then just shrugged, her smile returning. "But of course once Arnie left I was able to get over things and went back to just waiting for Arnold to come around about you." Her smile remained cheerful for a moment longer but then faltered just a tiny bit and she couldn't help but let out a sigh. "I really do wish things had worked out between myself and Arnie, though sometimes…" A half lidded look came to her face and for a moment her smile got dreamy and she kind of stared off ahead as she and Helga continued on their way together. "He's just such an oh so interesting boy…with all those cute little habits…and that glazed but ever so intellectual look…and the way he wears those suspenders on his ever so strong shoulders and—"

"OKAY! If I promise to try and get Arnold to give me his number for you or something can we please find a new topic of conversation! I'm BEGGING YOU!" Helga finally couldn't take it anymore and had to cut off Lila with these words, cringing and with a hand to her mouth as though gagging.

"Oh would you really, Helga?" Lila suddenly beamed, looking at her with a hopeful smile and coming out of her lovesick trance (and totally oblivious to Helga's apparent disgust as the concept of calling up Arnie suddenly precluded any other thought from her mind).

"Ugh…" a scowling Helga removed her hand from her mouth, a shiver passing through her, "Yes, ANYTHING! Just please—no more about the little weirdo!" She let out a breath and turned to Lila, raising part of her brow. "I mean, Crimeny, Lila, I'm trying really hard to respect your feelings here but I do not know what you see in that kid…"

Lila just put a hand to her mouth and giggled. "Oh, I don't know…I guess he's just my oh so special someone…"

Helga rolled her eyes. _'Oh brother—her and Olga and all that sappy, romantic, mush they buy into…'_ Still she almost couldn't help a half lidded gaze coming to her own face though as of course she had to mentally add to herself, '_I mean unless you're applying all that stuff to me and Arnold in which case, hey, bring on the sugary sweetness…_' She giggled a tiny bit to herself and felt her heart flutter.

"I don't know how to describe why I like him so much Helga," the beginning of this statement from Lila started to bring Helga back to reality and the young blonde turned her (unavoidably now smiling) face back to her red headed friend, who was just smiling and shrugging now as they continued to walk on, "I know he seems a little strange to you, but…I guess it's just kind of like how _you_ can be head over heels in love with Arnold but I can only see him as just a friend."

That second part of the sentence brought Helga completely back to reality and even made that slightly dreamy smile that had been on her lips go away. She blinked and looked at Lila just a little bit skeptically. "Um…I don't think it's quite the same thing, Lila. I mean, I've never looked on Arnie with anything but disgust, but you had romantic thoughts about Arnold at one point, at least." Despite the fact that it was water under the bridge, and despite the fact she was just mentioning it just casually in passing, Helga couldn't help the slightly frustrated look that came to her face upon making this observation. She _was_ technically talking to a rival after all, albeit a former one…and there was a slight sense of unease that seemed able to crop up at bringing the subject of Arnold to the forefront of a conversation between them.

To Helga's surprise, though, rather than having to concede her point, Lila just responded by shaking her head, still with that same cheery and open smile. "Helga, how I feel about Arnie is not at all like how I felt about Arnold…" She shrugged. "I mean I'm ever so sure that nothing could make me stop having romantic thoughts about Arnold's cousin, but to be just perfectly honest the only thing I ever really felt for Arnold that one time was just…I don't know, a sort of excitement that a boy liked me and I guess I just felt like things would work out ever so perfectly if I liked him back…" She frowned, looking a tiny bit sheepish. "But then when I realized he didn't like-like me, I realized I'd never like-liked him…not as a person, not really. I just wanted…" she sighed, seeming to be doing her best to word what she was trying to say correctly, her eyes cast down to the sidewalk they were walking over in thought. "I don't know what I wanted…I guess it just _seemed_ like Arnold and I would be an ever so perfect enough match but then it just…didn't _feel_ as perfect as I thought it would…and I wanted to be nice about it when I let him down after he confessed to me but perhaps by pushing him so hard about the two of us becoming a couple in the first place I was just being ever so selfish…" She let out a small sigh and turned her eyes back to Helga again. "Does that make any sense, Helga? I'm ever so certain I didn't express it very well…"

To Lila's interest and relief though, rather than looking back at her with confusion or skepticism or even her former usual anger…Helga was actually smiling at her. And then the young blonde almost chuckled as she replied to her new little friend, "Actually…all of that makes a lot of sense…and it kind of makes me feel a little better too…" Helga sighed and looked forward, a touch of sheepishness coming to _her_ face now. "And I know it seems stupid for me to still care a little about something from the past when Arnold and I are together now but…well…" She blushed a tiny bit and then glanced back at Lila again just a little. "Lila…you were the only girl who ever really liked him back for any amount of time…so I guess the reason I was always kind of harsh with you was because you were like the biggest threat or something…" She shrugged and rubbed one arm with the other a little nervously. "I mean, on top of being practically perfect in every way, you weren't just some 'never gonna happen' crush he was chasing after—if he'd decided he had a crush on you before he rejected you that first time…when you still had a crush on him…then…" And then she couldn't help an uncomfortable look coming to her face once more and averting her eyes from Lila's again. "…Then you two might be…I-I mean…" She blushed even more…unsure of how to go on or even if she should go on…What she was getting at had to be pretty obvious, after a—

Helga stopped walking and her eyes went wide at the feeling of a hand suddenly on her shoulder. She turned to see Lila stopped alongside her…and just smiling warmly at her. "Helga…" the red haired girl spoke sincerely and reassuringly, "I know that you and so many other people have always seemed ever so convinced that Arnold and I would make an ever so charming couple because we're so similar in certain respects…But…to be just perfectly honest, I think that's what would have made us break up if we had ever gotten together. And rather quickly." She almost chuckled.

Helga just raised part of her brow in confusion.

Lila continued to explain, removing her hand from her friend's shoulder and placing both of her own behind her back. "Helga, I'm ever so certain part of the reason you and Arnold get along so well is that you compliment each other: you bring out different things about each other and challenge each other and add something ever so unique to each other's lives." She sighed and shrugged a little as she went on with… "But Arnold and I would have just…sat around all day smiling and…" she chuckled a little, "Well, I guess how you would put it would be 'being a couple of do gooder little shrimps'…" She smiled more. "But you seem to let Arnold have some fun and Arnold seems to help you be a lot calmer and happier…Now that's a _real_ relationship, Helga."

Helga smiled…a really, really happy one. "Really, Lila?"

"Mmm hmm…" Lila nodded. "Of course, Helga."

Helga smiled a little more to herself, her eyes full of warmth and gratitude. "Thanks, Lila."

"You're welcome, Helga," Lila just replied amiably back.

The two girls now resumed their walk, keeping stride one again beside each other.

Helga let out a happy sigh, musing on some things to herself a little…_ 'Heh…she really isn't so bad once you get to know her…I'm kind of glad now that I didn't go through with all those plans I used to hatch about tricking her into a large crate using a stuffed bear or something as bait and then shipping her to Siberia, or sending her a note saying she'd won a free cruise for being 'just ever so perfect' and then letting her go down to the docs and get shanghaied! Heh, heh…'_ The ten-year-old girl couldn't help grinning to herself a little more at the funny and sudden turn of events her life had taken in regards to this girl at her side.

"Besides," Lila then continued brightly, bringing Helga out of her thoughts and causing her to look to her with her content smile, "Like I said, something about Arnie's much more my type. I'm ever so certain that there's so many things about Arnold that just…" She stopped speaking suddenly though and blinked, and then glanced hesitantly at her companion. "Well, Helga…I'm ever so certain I don't want to say anything against him as he's your boyfriend but…let's just say that I'm ever so certain that some of the stuff about Arnold that you might find appealing just bores me ever so much!" Lila finally had to admit with a relieved sigh and little smile.

Helga had to blink and raise part of her brow at the girl beside her once again at this new interesting little statement. '_She likes a guy who collects lint and she thinks Arnold's boring? Oh I've gotta hear the logic behind this one!'_"Hey, don't feel bad—go into details!" Helga grinned with interest and shrugged, holding out her hands. "I mean what could possibly be boring about Arnold?"

Lila just glanced away and shrugged, still smiling. "Well…not that there are things that are 'boring', but...I guess they just don't…appeal to me like they might to you…" She rolled her eyes to the side a little. "Like, how he's always getting lost in daydreams instead of being ever so focused like Arnie is…" A little bit of that dreamy look returned to her features at the mention of the beanie-wearing boy's name.

Helga gave a full on amused dramatic eye roll and scoff at this comparison! '_Arnie? Focused? Yeah on driving me insane maybe…_' "Well…to each her own I guess…" she managed understandingly though. She then crossed her arms over her chest with a smile as she had to add though, in defense of her beloved… "Personally, I think it's adorable whenever Arnold starts fantasizing about who knows what, and that when Arnie stares straight ahead for hours it's the creepiest thing in the universe, but…like you said, Lila, we like different things…" She glanced at her companion.

Lila chuckled and nodded. "Yes, I'm ever so certain you're right…" Then the red head blinked, her grin picking up a little on one side. "Oh and I'm ever so certain it also always bothered and bored me a little how persistent Arnold could be sometimes with trying to impress me when he liked me liked me…I'm oh too sure he meant well but it was just a little much sometimes, never being able to spend time with him as friends without him always trying to make me like him like him again…" She giggled and got dreamy looking again. "That's another reason why I like Arnie—he's always just being himself and never trying to do anything for anyone's attention, you know? He's just ever so independent and the strong silent type and I love that…"

Helga did her best to suppress a serious amount of laughter at this new point from her friend. "Wow, okay, I hate to say it but when it comes to the Arnold stuff with that I actually kind of know what you're talking about." She shrugged and brought her hands behind her back. "I mean, I love that Arnold's always trying to impress _me_ now that we're dating but sometimes he gets so wrapped up in stuff that he can get just a little carried away…" She raised part of her brow and almost smirked. "You know a couple weeks in his room we were having this conversation with Gerald and Phoebe, and Gerald mentioned that him and Arnold skipped school once and Arnold started getting all embarrassed about it until I told him I actually thought him doing something risky like that was a little cute…and then out of nowhere he gets this goofy smile and starts listing any past minor misdeeds he can come up with until Gerald and I finally got him to rope himself in!" She laughed warmly to herself.

"Oh, Helga, he really got that carried away and started telling you every ever so wrong thing he'd ever done?" Lila replied in amusement, laughing quite a bit herself. "Oh I'm ever so certain that reminds me of the time at the cheese festival when he went with me and spent almost twenty minutes trying to win me a stuffed bear just because I'd mentioned I liked it…"

"Hey now," Helga replied, arms crossed over her chest and giving Lila just a bit of a look with a half smile, "You know, you didn't exactly make it easy for him that night…batting your eyelashes when you knew he was all 'in like' with you…" A touch of the jealousy and anger she had felt that evening of Arnold and Lila's near-date warmed in Helga for a second, but she knew it really was just residual and, honestly, her liking of Lila now and how much she was enjoying this current conversation were far more on her mind than anything else.

Lila, meanwhile, just blinked at Helga's valid point. "How did you know, Helga?" she had to ask with genuine curiosity.

Helga's eyes went wide for a second (but only for a second) at her little slip up, but then she just grinned and shrugged. "Uh…why don't we just say I was 'hanging around' the Cheese Festival that night to see just how well that little outing with you two would go…" She rolled her eyes to the side in an innocent little look.

Lila blinked once more but then had to almost laugh at the revelation, and then she glanced down with a slight blush and a shrug and a little smile. "Oh, I see, Helga. Well…anyway…I know I probably shouldn't have done that to him that night but as I said before, Helga, I'd never had a boy like me before and even though I really didn't feel the same way back and had told Arnold that ever so many times and really wanted him to accept it…it was still nice just to have a bit of attention…" She shrugged again, the smile still there. "I mean, he was so nice wanting to win that for me…no one ever offered to do anything like that for me before…so I suppose I sort of just told myself that it was a friendly gesture and let him do it because of that…" She glanced back at her friend with an inquisitive look. "Do you think that was ever so selfish of me as well, Helga?"

Though Helga wasn't exactly about to clap Lila on the back and assure her that all of her little 'looks' and 'smiles' to a smitten Arnold that night were 'ever so fine'…her conscious wasn't about to let her condemn her for it either. After all, she herself had done more than her fair share of 'less than right' stuff over the years to Arnold just for some attention from him…faking amnesia and causing him to put his own life on hold just to walk her around everywhere, stealing his precious hat until he had become so depressed that he had barely been able to crawl out of bed, and of course sneaking around the Cheese Festival in question and messing up his and Lila's evening to an extent that was almost dangerous considering the thing with the boat sinking in the Tunnel of Love. And so…"Maybe a little…but not totally selfish, Lila. And, if it makes you feel any better, I can see where you were coming from…" she finally replied, glancing down with a sheepish smile. Then she rolled her eyes and added playfully with a glance to Lila again, "Ugh, but I'll still take Arnold's head in the clouds stuff and his almost stifling need to please over Arnie's monotone voice and loner phlegmy snort! Yuck!" She faked a cringe and chuckled.

Lila chuckled as well, looking as chipper as ever again. "Thank you, Helga…" She smiled a little more. "And as for the boys, personally I'm ever so certain all of that stuff about Arnie just contributes to his mystery…Besides…" Lila added slowly, a slight blush returning to her features, her eyes glancing downward, "He's also kind of…cute."

"Ah ha!" Helga instantly began in triumph, her eyes lighting up and a big, slightly teasing grin on her face. "So you admit that at the very least you're into the 'football shaped head' thing which means you did at least have a physical attraction to Arnold!" She smirked at Lila…and was actually starting to really enjoy all of this talking about past feelings and crushes…Something about it felt very…cathartic. She figured Bliss would approve.

Meanwhile, Lila's eyes went wide and looked to Helga in a touch of embarrassment for a second at Helga's bold observation, but then to the blonde's interest her red headed friend just swallowed and glanced down once more and then shrugged and replied honestly, "Well…I suppose that strange family head shape of theirs is ever so interesting, Helga, but…to be just perfectly honest it always seemed just kind of average on Arnold…but ever so adorable on Arnie!" She broke into a full dreamy grin and blush again.

Helga's eyes went absolutely wide and her jaw actually dropped. "Oh you CANNOT be serious!" was out of her mouth in an instant. "Arnold is TEN times more gorgeous than Arnie and in EVERY way!" And it took everything for her to only add mentally as opposed to out loud, _'Hey, I want to respect our different opinions but…let's face it people, Arnie's a dud and my Arnold's a stud!' _

In response to her exclamation, Lila just let out a sigh and smiled and shook her head, looking to Helga again with a grin. "Helga, I'm ever so sure this is another thing that's just a matter of opinion between us. Like I said Arnie's my oh so special someone so I like his slightly larger head and his softer, lighter hair and that strange but ever so interestingly shaped nose of his and those light colored eyes like sea foam and…"

"…And I like Arnold's wider, smaller head, and the unruly dark blonde hair and the cute little nose and those pulsing jelly bean green eyes that consume my soul…" Helga finished for her in an understanding and much calmer tone now and with a sigh and a smile of her own. "You're right, you're right," she held up her hands, "I forgot—respecting each other's differences…"

Lila chuckled a little and nodded. "Exactly, Helga."

Both girls walked on for several more seconds with content smiles on their faces.

"Oh!" Then Lila's eyes suddenly lit up. She turned to Helga eagerly once more. "I'm ever so sorry I keep mentioning things I don't particularly care for about Arnold, but I've never had anyone to say them to until now so…"

Helga just laughed and waved her off. "Oh just get it out of your system, Ms. Perfect—letting you vent's the least I can do for all you've done for me lately and everything I've put you through basically since you moved here…Besides, I'm having a really good time right now. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a conversation so much with you in my entire life." She chuckled again, sincerely meaning it.

Lila smiled affectionately and happily back at her. "Oh thank you, Helga. I'm ever so certain I'm enjoying our talk too!" She giggled a little and then went on good-humoredly, "Well then…alright, from that brief time when Arnold was humoring my 'affections' and pretended to be my boyfriend…the way he's just a little too ever so impressed with his own room and the remote control…"

Helga didn't miss a beat. "…And how he's always gotta make the couch fly out of the wall and readjust all of the lights even though it's the middle of the day and he's not exactly expecting company, and flip between a bunch of records or CDs all at the 'mere press of a button' whenever he walks in with anyone, for absolutely no reason other than that he can and wants you to know it!" she suddenly finished for her friend…and then burst out into full blown laughter. "O-Okay, yes, I will give you that one, Lila…" she finally managed to say after a few seconds of walking with her arms holding her sides and tears of mirth nearly in her eyes (and Lila chuckling right along with her beside her), "Arnold is more than aware of how cool his room is and he just loves letting people know it…in his own little shy indirect modest way of course." She chuckled some more and winked, finally managing to straighten up completely again as they walked on.

Lila finally managed to tame her laughter as well and nodded now at Helga's summation of the situation. "Oh, I'm ever so certain you've got him down perfectly Helga!" Her eyes lit up again! "Oh and how about all of those ever so boring Purdy Boy books he keeps around…"

"THANK YOU!" Helga suddenly announced, with her hands held up to the sky as though receiving a miracle. "Sheesh, I mean he's got great taste in music and movies…and then you get to literature and except for my poetry it's all those lame mystery books!" She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "I mean, I read one of them to him last week when he was sick and I guess it was entertaining but not exactly 'classic lit' or anything, you know?" She shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh with an amused grin. "I don't know—Geraldo seems to like them too…Maybe it's a boy thing…"

Lila shrugged and grinned and nodded… "I'm oh too certain it probably is, Helga…"

"Okay, wait…" then Helga was grinning even more, her own eyes lighting up this time around. She looked to Lila eagerly. "What about how Arnold can be just so UNBEARABLY dense!"

Lila just let out a sigh, obviously trying to hold back a ton of laughter again. "You mean like how I'm ever so certain that I told him dozens of times that I didn't like him like him, I just liked him but he continued to ask and ask and ask…"

Helga burst into a little chuckle fit. "A-Actually, I was going to say like how I could spend all those years giving him all of that bullying attention and he could still not realize that I was head over heels for him, but, yeah, your example's a good one too!" She gave Lila a playful little punch in the shoulder.

Lila giggled and smiled more at the gesture. "Thank you, Helga. I'm ever so certain I like your example too." She was just practically grinning ear to ear and then the red head's eyes lit up again and once more she was addressing Helga. "Oh and then there's how Arnold's shirt is always untucked." She sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "I'm sorry, Helga, I'm ever so certain you think it's ever so adorable but something about it just bothers me oh too much…" She shrugged. "I guess I just like things nice and neat and in place and tucked in…" A half lidded look returned to her face. "Kind of like with Arnie…"

Helga giggled a little and couldn't help admitting with a tiny blush and shrug, "Hey, actually, the whole 'kilt' look didn't appeal to me right away either, Lila—he started in with that in third grade and it took almost half a year for it to grow on me…" She considered and then looked to Lila again, obviously with something on her mind once more, "And then of course there's Arnold's need to not wear the incredibly small blue cap facing forward but ALWAYS just 'slightly' to the side…" She smirked quite a bit.

"You know," Lila began with a little laugh or two to herself and a little sigh, "I'm ever so certain that the cap always leaning to the side might have bothered me even more than the shirt always being untucked, Helga." She chuckled more.

"Yeah," Helga chuckled more as well, "Arnold and his fashion statements. At least when Arnie tries to stand out he's not subconsciously trying to get on the cover of a fashion magazine." She turned her smirking sights to Lila…who was just smiling in amusement back at her...

There was a second of silence and then both girls instantly burst into full blown and mutual laughter as they rounded yet another corner together on their walk.

Then…

"OOF!"

"OW!"

"Oh gosh…are you both alright?"

And indeed, as so often happened when Helga was rounding a corner and not thinking about where she was going, she had just crashed into…

"Arnold!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise and her heart pounding in her chest.

Her love upon the ground before her (a baseball mitt on one of his hands) blinked once or twice in his own surprise…but then his eyes focused in on her…and then he smiled...and then his smile became just a bit goofy, his look just a bit dazed. "Oh…hi, Helga… Um, sorry about that…"

Likewise, now, after a moment to process the sudden presence of her beloved, a dreamy look came to Helga's face as well…

…But then (and to Arnold's total and complete confusion) she now suddenly burst out into hearty laughter, holding her sides and practically rolling on the ground.

At the sight of her doing this Lila, who had been just standing by in surprise at the sight of her friends suddenly upon the ground, now felt a giggle or two escape her…and then she very quickly couldn't help joining right along with Helga in a bunch of side splitting laughs and chuckles.

And Arnold, meanwhile, still just sitting on his butt on the sidewalk, just raised an eyebrow at this whole random (VERY random) display. "Uh…" he stood up now (picking up his cap which had fallen to the ground in the crash) and then popping it back on his head…and subconsciously turning it slightly to the side. "Are you two okay?"

Both girls stopped laughing for a second to look at him at this question (and at this action with his hat)…But then Helga's trembling lower lip instantly gave way to laughter again and Lila quickly followed suite once more.

Arnold just raised an eyebrow, even more totally confused if that was possible.

"S-sorry, Arnold…" Helga managed to get out eventually, getting herself under control and sitting up a little bit on the sidewalk. She cleared her throat, still grinning like crazy. "It's—N-Never mind…" She got herself standing and brushed herself off. "Sorry, Football Head. Didn't mean to take you out like that. I guess I was a little…distracted." She shrugged and smiled at him sheepishly (and on the inside was just doing her best to fight back more laughter).

Lila giggled once more and then managed to look at Arnold with a pleasant, in control smile. "Oh yes, Arnold. We didn't mean to bump into you like that. Are you ever so sure you're alright?"

Arnold's confused look left and now he just smiled at them normally. "Oh, uh, yeah—I'm okay." Then his eyes fell to Helga again and his gaze became a bit more half lidded. "And…I didn't hurt you or anything when I bumped into you…right, Helga?" he asked with love and concern.

Helga just giggled and blushed a little waving him off. "Nah, I think I'll survive, Football Head. After seven years of slamming into you around corners I know how to take it in stride." She winked.

He just chuckled goofily at her cute and funny little reply, his eyes still all dreamy looking again. "That's good, Helga…" And then he swallowed and put his arms behind his back shyly. "Oh, by the way…I really liked the poem of yours that Mr. Simmons read in class today…" He raised an eyebrow at her playfully and just had to ask, "So now I'm 'an angelic vision of life and love's delight', huh?"

Helga blushed, her eyes going quite wide for a moment. "Oh…uh, heh, heh..." But then embarrassment quickly ebbed and she just let out a breath and shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, just trying to find new ways to talk about you without using your name. Don't want to blow our cover after all, heh…" And then she giggled a little and added, part of her brow raised playfully at him, "Oh but, for Pete's sake Arnold, can you try and stop blushing like crazy and smiling all goofy to yourself every single times Simmons reads something I write? Someone besides me is bound to notice sooner or later…"

Beside her Lila giggled and couldn't help but interject, looking to the boy before them now, "Oh, Arnold, is that why you always look so funny when Mr. Simmons reads love poetry out loud in class? Because it's Helga's and it's about you?"

Helga chuckled a little. "See, there you go, Football Head ! Lila's noticed…Granted that's probably mostly because her desk is right next to yours but she still noticed you going all lovesick over me like you do."

Arnold just blushed a lot and sighed in touch of embarrassment. He then glanced away, a small smile on his face… "I know, I know, you guys, I should try and not let it get to me so much when we're in class…but…" And then he looked to Helga with just a touch of something in his eye that Helga couldn't place, "_You_ try trying to keep a straight face when someone starts reading out loud about how the love of your life thinks you're the most desirable creature in the whole world…"He blushingly shifted toward her so that his face was right in front of hers and gave her a little wink.

Helga's eyes went wide at his sudden closeness and she felt her heart skip and flip and a little spark go through it…and instantly a dazed smile came to her face and her eyes were all half lidded and it was all she could do to keep standing. "O-Oh, well…that's just…uh…heh, heh…Uh, y-you know me, Football Head— 'Guess maybe you could even say that I like you a lot!' Heh…" She just smiled cutely at the reference to her confession and felt her blush burn a little brighter.

Arnold just chuckled to himself at her reference and pulled back a bit, letting out a breath and giving his flustered love a little of space. "A-Anyway…" his gaze turned to both Helga and a (now slightly giggling) Lila. And then he blinked as it really processed with him who he had just randomly bumped into: Helga and Lila…together…laughing…spending time like friends. He had to raise an eyebrow, the smile still on his face. Certainly, Helga had explained to him after the whole Brainy thing the other day that she was planning on renewing her acquaintance a bit with Lila but…he hadn't expected it to happen nearly so quickly…or for them to suddenly be walking up the street paling around like sisters within twenty-four hours of it commencing. He smiled more. "Um…Helga…Lila…did you two spend the afternoon together or something?"

"Oh yes, Arnold," Lila confirmed with a nod, "Helga was nice enough to buy me lunch and ice cream to sort of celebrate our new ever so wonderful friendship now that things have worked out with you and her!" She smiled happily.

"Mmm hmm…" Helga chimed in, crossing her arms over her chest, her dazed grin having finally subsided a bit into her normal sassy smile, "Just two friends catching up, fully burying the hatchet, shooting the breeze…talking about friends, memories, hobbies…boys…" At this last addition Helga snorted and Lila even contributed a small giggle.

A slightly confused look came to Arnold's face again…and this sign of his continued denseness didn't exactly do much to deter Helga and Lila from going off into another fit of laughter (which they readily commenced upon doing). "Um, guys?" He was so in the dark. "Really…what keeps being so funny…Did I fall in something or something?" And suddenly he glanced down and gave a quick look over to his sweater…and then lifted it up a bit with his free hand to get a better look at his shirttails.

At this point Helga just plain collapsed to the ground in laughter and Lila was actually leaning against the side of a building, just holding herself and doing her best to keep herself propped up as she laughed and laughed and laughed…

"A-Arnold, Arnold!" Helga finally managed to choke out, doing her best to stand again but failing quite a few times before finally managing to get it right. "Please—stop! It…oh it hurts!" She wiped a tear or two from her eyes, holding her sides with one of her arms. "Ha, ha, ha—I can't…." And then she was gone again.

"Oh, Arnold, I'm…" More giggles from Lila, though she was really trying to compose herself, "I'm sorry. I know it's ever so rude of us to be laughing at you but…you just…" She looked to her other female companion. "Oh Helga …" And then she was gone once again as well.

"Arnold! Hey, Arnold!"

Arnold finally turned from looking at both girls with total befuddlement at the sound of his best friend calling to him as he walked across the street to join their party, a baseball mitt on one hand. "Hey man, there you are—I thought we were gonna meet to play catch in the park fifteen minutes ago?" He jerked his thumb back in the direction from which he had just come. Then with a blink he noticed Lila and Helga in their epic giggle fit. "Oh, uh…hey…guys?" He raised a curious eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry Gerald," Arnold just replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and suddenly recalling that he actually had already been late for meeting up with his best friend, "It took me a little while to find my mitt and then I bumped into Helga and Lila here…" He gestured to the two girls.

Finally Helga and Lila let out deep sighs and, composed and standing once more, turned their attentions to the boys with smiles. "Hey Geraldo, what's up?" Helga asked with a grin, giving him a quick wave (and still totally flushed in the face from all of her laughter).

"Yes, Gerald," Lila chimed in (also smiling…and also totally flushed in the face), "How are you? It's ever so nice running into you."

"Uh," Gerald just replied back slowly and curiously, "I'm good guys…and nice to see you both too…" Then he glanced back and forth from the girls to Arnold. "So, what's the joke?" he finally asked with a grin slowly forming as whatever it was Helga and Lila had just been laughing about must have been a doozy considering how incapacitated with chuckles they had been.

Instantly both girls gave short laughs at the back of their throats but thankfully managed to avoid yet another repeat of all but rolling on the ground in hysterics, and instead just looked away with innocent smiles. "Uh…nothing, nothing…" Helga assured casually. She cleared her throat and looked back to her beloved. "Anyway, it sounds like you're running late, head boy, so get to playing catch with your best friend, and, uh…" She grinned and glanced back to Lila, "…and Lila and I will finish our afternoon hanging out together, right, Ms. Perfect?" She suddenly she reached over and actually hooked arms with her new red haired companion.

"Oh! Yes…I'm ever so sure that would be lovely," Lila replied with a wide smile at Helga for her action. She then looked back to the two boys and gave a little nod. "Helga and I will just be on our way then!"

Helga just grinned at Arnold and Gerald and nodded. "Yup! See you in the funny papers, Arnoldo and Geraldo!" She gave them a little fake salute with her free hand and gave Arnold a wink and then blew him a quick kiss, and then with that she started stepping forward and Lila instantly followed beside her, both girls still arm in arm as they went off up the street.

"Uh…bye, Helga, Lila…" Arnold just stared after them with a confused look…especially as he noticed Helga turn and glance back at him very quickly after she and Lila were a few dozen feet away and then whisper something to Lila which made both girls share another giggle…and then Lila repeated the strange action (once again leading to mutual laughter between them), of all things… '_And I thought the two of them just spending time together all of a sudden was different…but…what's going on with them now?_' the football headed boy had to wonder at the back of his dense little mind.

"Mmm. Mmm. _Mmm_…!"

Arnold blinked at the sound of one of Gerald's familiar exclamations of disbelief. He turned back around to face him. "What?" he asked innocently with a little shrug and a blank look.

Gerald, standing before him with a wide grin, just chuckled and shook his head back and forth slowly a few times and then reached out and put his free hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Man…you know, _really_…most guys have to wait until high school or at least junior high for this kind of girl trouble…"

"Gerald," Arnold almost started to scowl at this point—he was really getting sick of people talking circles around him, "What are you talking about?" he asked with a tone that really (though still politely since this _was_ still Arnold, after all) called for an answer.

Gerald just rolled his eyes and took his hand away, crossing his arms over his chest. "Man, isn't it obvious? The laughing, the strolling down the street together, the glances at you…" However, Gerald could see that Arnold still wasn't getting it (and was really starting to look frustrated at this point) and so he just let out a sigh and finished sympathetically in explanation, "Arnold—your current girlfriend and your ex-girlfriend…are talking about you together…"

Arnold blinked once more. "Talking about me together?"

"Oh come on man!" Gerald gave him a look. '_How can he still not get it?'_ "You know—swapping stories about you, discussing things they like and don't like about you, sharing embarrassing little things they've picked up on about you in the past…" He smirked. "Like I said, most guys don't have to deal with that until high school but of course you, the boldest kid on the planet, are right in the middle of it before fourth grade's even out."

As Gerald had finished his full explanation…Arnold had gone pretty much pale. His jaw dropped. And now he just glanced almost in panic back in the direction Helga and Lila had gone and then back to his friend and then repeated the process once or twice more.

"Arnold…are you okay?" Gerald had to ask at the almost sick way his friend suddenly looked, raising an eyebrow.

Arnold just gulped and then shook his head a little and finally seemed to regain the power of speech. "Gerald…" he swallowed hard, looking at his best friend sincerely (and with just a touch of desperation), "You said, um…you've always said that I'm pretty bold, right?"

Gerald eyed his friend for a second…but then he realized where this might be going and just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Man, are you thinking…what I think you're thinking?" He almost had to smile at the whole freaking thing.

"That I…" Arnold began slowly, in worry, "…really kind of want to know what they're saying…and might want to follow them just to, um…hear what they really think of me?" he finally suggested hesitantly, looking just a little guilty as he did so

Gerald just rubbed his temples with his free and then held it out to Arnold. "Oh just give me your glove—I'll drop it by the boarding house later…"

Arnold smiled and handed his friend the object in question. "Thanks, Gerald!"

"No problem, man," Gerald smiled back, "Just do me a favor and don't get caught though—that's about the only thing you could do to make this situation worse than it already is, you know?" He chuckled a little.

Arnold sighed but nodded. "I'll be careful, Gerald… Oh and maybe we could go to the park after dinner instead?" He looked to his best friend with a grateful and apologetic little smile.

"Sure, man, sure" Gerald waved him off with a grin, really more than okay with having to postpone a game of catch for the hilarious antics and story that would obviously come from _Arnold_ actually stalking _Helga_. "Now get going—you're gonna lose them if you don't hurry up!" He winked.

"Oh, yeah!" Arnold blinked, almost having forgotten how much of a lead the girls had on him, and then instantly turned in the direction in which they had gone. "Thanks Gerald!" he called back once more over his shoulder before racing off like a shot in Lila and Helga's direction.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm…" Gerald just watched him go and shook his head to himself again. "The life that boy leads…"

"Yes, he's certainly in a situation right now that's both unusual…and amusing…"

Gerald nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of that familiar voice suddenly and surprisingly speaking from right behind him. "PHOEBE!"

He turned on a dime to see the young girl in question smiling and holding a popsicle in one hand. "Konnichiwa, Gerald. Ii desuka?"

Gerald blinked a couple of times…and then his head cleared and he shook it for a second before replying…in a much smoother and more casual voice, "Oh, uh…yeah, I'm fine, babe…How are you?" He half grinned at her.

Phoebe just giggled a little, also with a small half grin. "I'm likewise quite well, Gerald." She took a step toward him. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to schedule a date in the last few days—your schedule _has_ been 'rather busy', hasn't it…?" She smirked just a tiny bit.

Gerald just gave a casual shrug. "Yeah, well, you know…just been spreading my coolness to the masses…" His smile grew.

(To fill everyone in, the basic situation in the last half a week between Gerald and Phoebe ever since the whole 'Arnold told Phoebe about Connie and Chloe, Helga told Gerald about Ronnie Matthews' thing had been Gerald making a casual excuse or two to get out of another date with Phoebe for two reasons: one, to act like he was nervous about seeing her again (though he was FAR from it) and two, to give him a chance to work out the most perfect way imaginable of delivering the 'Ronnie Matthews' blow when the time came…and he had by now luckily come up with a doozy, by the way.)

(Anyway, back to the subtle and coy exchange at hand…)

At Gerald's reply, Phoebe just smiled more. "Hmm…" she shrugged a little, taking another bite of her popsicle, "Yes, I suppose that makes sense…although to an outside observer it might seem like you were avoiding something…"

Gerald just shrugged, still acting cool as a cucumber. "Hey, I wish I knew what you were talking about, babe. But anyway, since Arnold just bailed on me for a while," he held up the extra glove in his hand, "Wanna go for a walk? If you're free, of course." His grin picked up on one side and he winked.

Phoebe looked…about one part stunned by his obviously eager suggestion (considering his obvious avoidance of her lately) and two parts intrigued by it. "Um…well, of course, Gerald…" and then a bit of her own grin returned. "I'd like that…After all it feels like we haven't conversed in ages…and as a couple there really are so many things we can talk about…" She began walking as she talked and Gerald followed alongside her. "The weather, our feelings, upcoming dates…" she dropped the bomb, "…The sixth grade dance a few months ago that you took that sixth grade girl Connie to and also your next door neighbor…in junior high…Chloe, right? And she was only about six weeks ago if Arnold explained the math to me correctly…and she was also rather pretty…and once again at least three years our senior, if I'm not mistaken, as was Connie…" She let out a sigh, though really she was more amused by this whole thing than angry or jealous (although maybe she was a tiny bit miffed at Gerald having avoided these topics of these other girls so far in their relationship). "Helga really is right, you know—what is the deal with men and older women?"

Beside her Gerald just let out a deep dramatic sigh. "Oh alright, Phoebe…you caught me!" And now he was looking at her with a face feigning forlorn. "Yes, I went off the reservation with Arnold for one night to get a dance with a sixth grade girl and a kiss on the cheek—call that one a fella's night out. Ah, but Chloe…" And then a serious look came to his face and he let out a sigh and shook his head, facing forward 'pensively'… "Chloe…What can I say about Chloe…" A small smile formed on his lips (he was trying so hard not to laugh really).

He glanced to Phoebe out of the corner of his eye and saw her looking at him with wide eyes as they walked, and a very distinct almost indignant blush on her features, the popsicle still held in her hand but melting, seemingly suddenly forgotten. (And inside really Phoebe's heart was pounding…He was supposed to react to her bringing this stuff up by being flustered and apologetic and embarrassed like Arnold had been when Helga had grilled him out on Ruth and Summer and Maria…He wasn't supposed to be…going on about this 'Chloe' girl and SMILING about her of all things! She felt…She gulped…Jealous. Like during that week in school when all of her friends had won her usual awards and honors and she had sunk to cheating at the class's poetry contest but…deeper. And also there was a touch of panic because…Gerald and her secretly liking each other had been such a constant and stable part of her life for all of these years that…it had never occurred to her before that there would ever be any threat to it that would call for jealousy as a response in the first place. After all, _'I…I've only ever liked Gerald…He's the only one in my whole life_…' In short, she didn't like this whole entire situation, and now she just waited in confusion and anticipation for what he would say next about this Chloe girl. )

Gerald, back in reality, went on with that little smile… "Yes, what can I say about Chloe…" he cleared his throat, and just did his best to keep a straight face as he continued, speaking his words…even though they were the words to a song… "I just…saw her face and…wow…I mean, right then, I…took a vow!" (He layered in some dramatic gestures and emphases as he went on), "That we'd be together, girl…just her and me! You know, I hear that's the meaning of eternity…" He looked fully at her as they walked, totally grinning ear to her. "I mean, I saw…I saw…her face…and wow…Heh, you know, I feel like those are the words to…a song or something…Now, what brilliant bard wrote "I Saw Your Face and Wow"…?" He seemed to be in genuine thought on the matter.

And then he stopped…walking and talking. Phoebe's hand was over his mouth and she was stopped too now. And she was blushing and trying to look stern…but she was trying to hold back laughter just as much as he was. "Gerald…"

Gerald reached up with his free hand and gently removed her palm from his mouth. He smirked. "Hmm…No, I'm pretty sure _I_ didn't write that classic hit single…Now let's see, who could it be? I wanna say it starts with an R but…"

She just let out a deep sigh, bringing up her hand to massage the bridge of her nose for a second between her index finger and thumb. She still smiled so very much though. "Gerald, that wasn't funny…"

Gerald just smiled more and shrugged at her. "Yes, it was," he replied simply. "And it's…kind of adorable that you had that big crush on Ronnie Matthews…" He chuckled a little, and then crossed his arms over his chest and looked into her eyes. "And also, just for the record, Connie was a silly guys night out thing, like I said…and Chloe's a ditz…and I was stupid for throwing myself at her like an idiot for two days when, if I had half the coolness I always say I have and half the brains you have, babe, I should have just sucked it up and finally knocked on _your_ door and confessed that I've been kind nuts about you since before I can remember." And then he suddenly popped forward and gave a surprised and blushing Phoebe a peck upon her lips. He pulled back after a second with a deep blush of his own (his eyes half lidded and a grin on his face) and shrugged. "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about those stupid older girls. Now…will the grooviest chick in this whole city do me the honor of a walk…and then maybe a movie later tonight after dinner?" He smiled at her hopefully and sincerely.

Phoebe, just flustered and blushing and blinking, only managed the shyest little nod.

Gerald smiled more and chuckled a little. "Righteous. Come on then, let's go!" He winked and then reached out and lightly took Phoebe's and then slipped forward and recommenced their walk, pulling a still surprised Phoebe along a little at first until she blinked and seemed to regain herself a little and then started keeping stride with him.

"Besides, I've missed you…" Gerald added with a little shrug now that they were walking again as he just admired that light, pretty blush on her features out of the corner of his eye. '_Red works for her…I mean, I love the powder blue, but her and __red__…'_ He recalled the red outfit she had chosen for their first date about three weeks ago and started to feel himself blush a little but cleared his throat and did his best to let it subside and to just go on saying what he wanted to say to her. "I mean, I wanted to wait to see you again until I could come up with a good way to bring up the Ronnie Matthews thing…but I don't think it was worth it." He glanced at her and she was just watching him with interest and still blushing as she walked beside him. "I like being with you, babe…To be honest, I don't think I could go back to that whole 'liking each other from afar' thing even if I tried. I like dating you, Phoebe…being your boyfriend…" He blushed again and glanced down once more with a smile at having used that term out loud.

There was just silence for a moment as the two walked on.

Then Phoebe…smiling, blushing, never happier before in her entire life actually…found her voice again and spoke. "I like dating you too, Gerald…and being your girlfriend. And even though there were a lot of endearing moments between us before, I never want to go back to liking you from afar either. P-Perhaps we should, um…start scheduling dates with more frequency…like Arnold and Helga do…" She gulped and looked down, taking another bit of her popsicle as a distraction (and only just barely glancing at him out of the corner of her eye) as she made the suggestion… Bringing up doing stuff in a more similar fashion to Arnold and Helga was a mutually agreed upon awkward thing between them…it seeming like kind of a slippery slope following the example of their entirely enamored best friends.

Gerald swallowed at her words…but then he smiled…and nodded. "A-Actually, I could get behind that babe…And it makes sense since we've been going out for a few weeks now that we might want to be seeing each other more often. I mean, we don't have to spend every waking free second making goo goo eyes at each other like 'Mr. and the future Mrs. Psycho Blondes in Love'…" He smirked and rolled his eyes and Phoebe giggled. He went on. "But I think a little more private time officially is a good thing. Wanna check out that antique book store you like so much and then get pizza on the pier after baseball practice tomorrow, babe?" he finished by asking with a hopeful little smile.

Phoebe, feeling just great, nodded. "I'd love to, Gerald. And thank you."

"Hey, dooitashimashite." He winked at her.

The two kids shared a brief laugh and then their walk continued on in silence for a few seconds longer.

Then Phoebe, recalling something, looked to Gerald with a smile and asked with amusement and interest, "So…speaking of our rather attached best friends…Arnold's off trying to spy on Helga for a change now?" She almost had to laugh at the ironic concept.

Gerald smiled more and nodded at her question, trying not to laugh at the irony himself. "Yeah, I know—things have been getting mixed up all over the place around here lately." He let out a breath. "He's just all worried because he just caught Helga and Lila talking together and laughing at him and I pointed out they're probably critiquing him a little as a boyfriend and now he's just 'gotta hear' what they have to say…" He shrugged.

Phoebe couldn't help but roll her eyes, the smile still on her face. "Oh dear…well, I hope Helga goes easy on him when she catches him…"

"Yeah," Gerald agreed, with a smile and without doubt, "I figure it'll take a couple of blocks though before that happens so why not let him have some fun and get his curiosity out of his system before he gets busted, right?"

Phoebe, with a chuckle, just shook her head. "Believe me, Gerald—Helga's quite a master of stalking at this point in her life. It would be a miracle if she wasn't _already_ aware that he's trying to listen in." She took another bite of her frozen treat.

Gerald chuckled. "Yeah, you're probably right…But hey you know just as much as I do that the whole thing, no matter how it turns out, will end with the two of them all over each other and giggling and sucking face…so I figured I might as well encourage him to make the ride getting there a little more fun."

Phoebe nodded. "I agree, Gerald. I'm sure they'll both find the experience rather amusing."

He nodded as well. "Well, if you think so too then I know I'm on the right track…" Then he blushed a tiny bit and cleared his throat and looked to her again. "And, uh…babe? We really are okay with the whole Connie, Chloe thing, right?"

Phoebe swallowed as well…and then she stopped walking and turned to Gerald, tossed what remained of her popsicle in a trash can right near them, then took his shoulders and leaned up and planted a kiss upon his lips…and one that was a little deeper and longer than ones she had ever done before. It made his arms go straight down to his sides and both his and Arnold's mitts drop to the sidewalk, and his heart just…just danced!

She pulled back after those several seconds and with a blush and a shrug replied shyly and sweetly, "Yes, I think we're 'okay', Gerald." Then she winked and resumed the walk up the street (unable to help the big smile on her face as she went on. '_I kissed him for more than two seconds! Finally! That was at least 5.4! Oh this is…exhilarating…'_ Phoebe, in this moment, now understood why Helga had taken to swooning so much over the years when it came to Arnold as she was about half a second away from doing so herself here and now!)

And Gerald, meanwhile, was just standing there on the sidewalk, still unmoving, his jaw actually widely agape…lips trembling… breaths shallow…and then increasing… '_That was a…long kiss…_' He finally let out a shuddery breath and blinked a few times and then instantly recalled that there was a world outside of Phoebe's cute soft little lips on his own and quickly snatched up his and Arnold's mitts from and ran to catch up with her. "Uh…" his voice came out in a little crack as he ran for her, "C-Cool then, heh…" And now he was grinning ear to ear with the heat all built up in his cheeks. "Just, uh, making sure…"

Phoebe giggled as he caught up with her at this response from him, still blushing madly herself.

The two continued their nice walk, now just discussing more casual things and just enjoying each other's company in silence…

…And taking every brief break between sentences and conversation topics and just whenever each of them really could to think about that 5.4 second kiss they had both just taken part in….and how it had made their hearts just…burn…Though they were too shy to openly admit that fact to each other… (yet)…

* * *

A couple of blocks ahead of Gerald and Phoebe already, a wide eyed Arnold was just doing his best (after having caught sight of Lila and Helga again a few minute ago) to stay hidden in alleys and to duck behind dumpsters as he tailed the two girls…anything to stay within earshot (and he was finally close enough now to maybe actually make out more than just a word here or there of what they were saying) while still not blowing his cover.

'_Okay, okay, just duck here and then…Okay wait I think I can hear them!'_ Yes, now he could hear the full sentences strung together of what they were talking together about.

Helga chuckled at something now that had been said to her by Lila, and then seemed to glance over her shoulder (which made Arnold gulp) but it was only for just a second and her grin didn't falter and her eyes went right back to focusing on Lila. She nodded in agreement with whatever funny thing the red haired girl had said. "Yeah, I know—what a weirdo!" Helga then chuckled once at that and Lila let out a few giggles too.

Arnold blinked at this exchange from his place behind a mailbox. '_Is she talking about me?_'

"Oh Helga…" Lila smiled at her now, "You're ever so hilarious…Oh and about Arnold—how even though he's bright about everything he's just particularly oh too dense specifically when it comes to love?"

Helga laughed again. "I know what you mean…" Then she leaned in a bit closer, but interestingly enough, Arnold noticed, still spoke in a rather loud voice though she tried to give it the quality of a whisper. "Did you know he had this dream once where he was actually visiting Arnie and everyone in the class was there but they were all the opposite who they really are—like their personalities were all switched and messed up. So I was all sweet and Arnold fell in love with me…hmm, and the dream me actually had a thing for Arnie, he mentioned…" Helga seemed to fake a cringe and she laughed again, and then she went on with a mischievous look, "And you were there too, Lila…apparently your name was Lulu or something…ANYWAY…" And then she leaned in close and proceeded to quietly whisper the rest of whatever she wanted to say into Lila's ear.

Arnold, now behind a trashcan, felt like his heart had just dropped into his stomach. He could feel the color drain from his face as he recalled that dream…that rather embarrassing if very amusing dream that he had shared with Helga on their second date…and Lulu… "Oh boy…" he whispered to himself in distress, willing himself to sneak into another alleyway by the still walking girls… "Gerald's right: This can't be good…"

* * *

_Fifteen minutes later…_

"Well, Helga, it's been a lovely afternoon but I'm ever so certain that I have to get home to help my father start dinner." Lila stood up from the park bench upon which she and Helga had been sitting to end their walk…a very familiar park bench actually (the one that Lila and a certain football headed someone else had once sat under to end a near relationship together, as a matter of fact)…and said bench was near a very familiar tree (the one that Helga had possibly fallen out of upon that day Lila had rejected Arnold, as another matter of fact)…

"Okay, Lila…" Helga nodded to her, and then with a grin gave Lila a departing wave…but then she considered some things and finally let out a sigh. "Ah, what the heck—come here, you perfect little lug." And then suddenly she leaned over, gave Lila a quick hug and then pulled back with a blush. "See you…And thanks for the interesting afternoon of conversation…and hey if you ever tell Olga I actually hugged you goodbye…" And then she made a familiar gesture with her hands of wringing someone's neck (the same gesture she had made in threat to Lila about spilling the beans about her love for Arnold during the school play, only this time the gesture was accompanied by a grin and a chuckle rather than a scowl and a serious amount of intent.)

Some rustling occurred in the tree.

Lila's smile just beamed at Helga having been so affectionate. "Oh of course, Helga!" she exclaimed in happiness and then instantly (and so very predictably) the red head's arms were around Helga's torso to reciprocate the gesture, crushing her in their eager grasp. "I won't tell my big sis! Oh but I really am ever so happy we're good friends now, Helga—I feel like you're my sis just like Olga is! And thank you ever so much again for asking me to lunch and then for buying me ice cream! It was an oh too wonderful day." She glanced up at Helga's face, her arms still wrapped tightly around the (_rather_ surprised) blonde girl, a hopeful look in her eyes. "Maybe we could 'hang out' again sometime?"

A blushing Helga just blinked a few times at all of this sudden affection…but then of course she smiled down at her new 'sis' and nodded and shrugged. "Hey, you keep me this entertained with fun stories and comments about dating Arnold and I'll even personally organize the next sleepover with you and Olga! Oh but…for the sake of my lungs, um…c-can you let me go now, Lila?" she had to ask, her voice cracking a little from lack of air. "Plus, sheesh, last thing I need is anyone seeing this and thinking I've gone soft or something, you know?" She managed a small breathless chuckle at the joke.

The sound of creaking wood.

Lila just smiled and nodded and instantly let Helga go. "Oh I'm ever so certain that would be wonderful, Helga! Sleepovers with you and Olga are oh too fun!" She giggled.

Helga just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes (though she was still smiling of course). "Yeah, yeah, I'll set it all up and it'll be a bunch of girlyness and you and her can pump me for more stuff about Arnold…It's a date. As soon as Olga gets home."

Lila clasped her hands together and stood up from the bench. "I'm ever so certain I'll be looking forward to it, Helga. Well, have a good evening! Oh and thank you for letting Brainy know I like the opera, Helga—I haven't had anyone to go with ever since Olga's been in Alaska and I'm ever so certain that it'll be nice to have a companion for it again. You should join us if you're free."

Helga just smiled and shrugged. "Eh, a good wrestling match is more my thing but I'll think about it. And thanks for the invite."

"You're welcome, Helga." Lila nodded. "Well, bye, Helga!" And with that she turned to leave…

"Oh and, Lila?"

Lila turned back once more at her friend's call. "Yes, Helga?"

Helga let out a breath and looked at her sincerely from her place still upon the bench. "I really will talk to Arnold about Arnie…but even if it doesn't work out, you should just know that…well, I wouldn't admit it while Arnold was still chasing after you since I was so jealous, but…you're a great catch, Lila…and any guy would be lucky to have you." She smiled and even winked.

Lila actually blushed a tiny bit and then smiled warmly back at Helga. "Thank you, Helga…I'm ever so certain you're a catch too and that Arnold's just the luckiest boy in the whole world.

Helga blushed a little now herself. "Oh! Uh, thanks, Ms. Perfect..." And then she chuckled a little. "And hey I'm holding you to that nightmare of an upcoming sleepover." Her grin picked up a little on one side.

Lila nodded, her own smile growing. "Certainly, Helga. Bye!"

"Bye, Lila!"

And with that and a final wave between the two girls, Lila was off and heading out of the park.

Alone now on this pretty late spring evening, Helga let out another small laugh to herself at so much of what had passed this afternoon, and then for several seconds of peaceful, evening silence just sat there and enjoyed the end of another fun day of actually opening up to and bonding with other people in her life rather than shutting them all out.

Eventually, she let out a sigh. '_Now to deal with one more thing…_'

She cleared her throat.

"Arnold, you can come out of the tree now…And try not to hurt yourself oka—"

_CRACK! CRASH! _

"OW—"

"GOTCHYA!"

The cause of these interesting sound effects was that thanks to Arnold practically jumping at being addressed by Helga so suddenly and unexpectedly right now, the branch he had been desperately clinging to while he spied on the end of Helga and Lila's afternoon together had suddenly broken, thus causing him to fall out of the tree, and Helga on protective instinct (of course) to jump off the bench just under the tree and dive for him to catch him and cushion his fall.

Now, breathing slightly heavily, the two of them were on the ground between the tree and the bench, Helga on her stomach with her arms held out before her and Arnold on his back laying in her arms.

"Crimeny, Football Head!" Helga took several more deep breaths and then, satisfied that she had definitely helped cushion the blow and that no immediate or serious damage seemed to be done to her little love, removed her arms from under him and then sat him up, putting a hand to her heart as she tried to calm herself down. "Don't _scare_ me like that! Sheesh, you almost hurt yourself!" A look of serious concern came into her eyes as she surveyed his slightly worse for the wear form. "You _didn't_ get hurt, did you?" '_What if it's something internal? Oh my darling, please speak the words that will assure me you are well!'_

Arnold, meanwhile, now sitting up on his own, blinked and coughed a few times and then started to dust himself off. "No, I'm…I'm okay…" He caught his breath and then his eyes went wide and he turned bright scarlet…reality crashing down on him all of a sudden. "Um, I…" '_Uh oh_…' Arnold recalled Gerald's parting words about not getting caught no matter what... "Heh, heh…" He grinned innocently at Helga. "Um…I…you're probably wondering why I'm here, Helga…"

Helga just blinked…and then had to try very hard not to laugh. She shifted so that she was sitting beside him, her legs bent in front of herself as she leaned back on her hands on the grass. '_Oh it's official: he is just the cutest thing on the planet…' _"Hmm…why you're here…Well…" she crossed one leg over the other, stretching them out before her, and smirked even more at him, "I have a 'pretty good' idea of why you've been following Lila and me around for at least the last three blocks and then into that convenience store for those candy bars we bought and then here, but…" She shrugged, "Hey, I've got nothing to do for the rest of the night so, yeah… I'd _love_ to hear your story about 'why you're here', Arnold…"

Arnold just swallowed, knowing it was futile but still feeling too embarrassed to actually outright admit suddenly on the spot like this what he had really been doing to bring him to this place at this time. "W-Well…actually, um…" he swallowed, speaking haltingly and sheepishly, "Uh…Gerald and I, uh…decided to play catch _after_ dinner instead of before. B-But, um…I still wanted to get some exercise so I just…gave him my glove and went for a walk…Heh, heh, was I following you and Lila? Really?" His sheepish smile grew but then quickly faltered and with another gulp he went on. "Anyway, then I thought…uh, well, like I said, I wanted some exercise and so I remembered that one time when you mentioned to me that you were exercising by climbing this tree that day you fell out of it, and so I came over here to climb it…And, uh, heh, I was really surprised to find you and Lila sitting on the bench right near it actually, heh, heh…And, um, then I—" And then finally our stuttering and stumbling little hero just couldn't keep his attempts at an excuse up anymore and just let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes and blushing a little at the sight of his girlfriend's face at this point. "Helga, if you want to laugh that badly then please just do it—I know it all sounds ridiculous…"

And with that ok from Arnold, Helga burst into the warm laughter she had been trying to contain during his entire little pathetic attempt at a lie, while Arnold just collapsed backward on the grass, blushing incredibly.

"I'm—I'm sorry, Arnold!" Helga finally managed to get herself control after a moment or two of mirth, and then looked to him with a wide smile as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh you've always been so good at giving me a good laugh, Football Head, but that was the best ever by far!" With another chuckle or two she leaned over a little to look at his face as he lie there in his little state of blushing embarrassment. "Besides, I just love watching you get all worked up over things, Arnold."

Arnold let out another sigh and opened his eyes, looking to her shyly. "Helga…did you have to tell Lila about the Lulu/Hilda dream?" He cringed just a tiny bit in discomfort…there having been a lot of aspects of that whole theatrical production of his subconscious that were a little…awkward, to say the least.

Helga just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh what—afraid her knowing that you imagined her asking you to go for an 'ever so private swim' might not exactly impress you're old little crush?" Despite the joking nature of the question, Helga couldn't help just a touch of jealousy coming over her at Arnold's seeming worry about what she had revealed to 'Lila' about his, well…obviously pretty mature little subconscious thoughts about her even though in the dream he had rejected her and her advances entirely…

Her doubts were instantly erased though as her love blinked at her question and then sat up, looked at her, and finally smiled…and went forward, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug and giving her a deep, loving kiss upon her cheek that made her heart skip a beat and a half grin instantly appear on her face. "Helga…first of all…" he began near her ear in a low and quiet whisper when his lips finally separated from her face, his arms no longer tightly around her though he was still cuddled up against her on the grass. "…I'm so busy always trying to impress _you_ and caring about what _you_ think of me that I don't think I'd have time to ever worry about anything like that with anyone else…" He chuckled (and Helga tried very hard not to laugh at him unintentionally confirming that trait of his about his need to impress the girls in his life that she and Lila had been discussing before just prior to bumping into him). "…Especially someone who just likes me instead of likes me likes me…" he went on, rolling his eyes and pulling his arms from Helga now to count things off on his fingers as he continued, "And who thinks I'm nice except for the fact that I'm 'oh too dense' when it comes to love, and who finds it annoying that I've always gotta do that dramatic little wind up thing before I hit a baseball, and who can't help but feel like I'm just a little too short for her…though my cousin's the _perfect_ height apparently…" And these were just some of the things Arnold had overhead while stalking Helga and Lila for the last fifteen or twenty minutes.

Helga, who was still feeling all warm and happy inside about her love admitting that strongly his need and desire to impress her and only her as the girl in his life, absorbed his little bit of sarcasm about some of the stuff in regards to him he had overhead herself and Lila swapping opinions about and then just let out a sigh and looked to her beloved with a little smile and a shrug, unable to resist… "Hey, if you think _all that's_ bad you should have heard some of the stuff we were dishing about you _before_ you caught us talking…" Seeing him look a little pouty all of a sudden at her joke even though he was still smiling a little, she reached over and ruffled his cute hair a bit to make him feel better, and then added in a more sincere tone, "But as for what you did overhear, my darling, just know that personally I like you no matter how short you are! And that little wind up thing is cute and signature with you…" She giggled and then scooched just a little closer to him on the grass as she finished, "And I don't even mind that you're dense about love…It's made my life…interesting…for the last seven years…" She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek in reciprocation for the one he had given her…and then added in a lower voice, smiling dreamily at the way he sighed goofily just at her kiss… "Besides…you being dense like that has given me the chance to… 'educate' you a bit about some things…" She reached out and placed the tips of her index and middle fingers on the back of his hand on the ground, brushing lightly against it with her touch and then tiptoeing her way up the side of his (now completely stiff) arm, "And you've been _such_ a receptive 'student', my darling…Good at being tutored in poetry…_and_ in the art of passionate and heated romance…" She let one fingertip brush lightly up under his chin as her little walk up his arm had completed, and then just placed her hand back on the ground and observed with delight the bright blush upon her beloved's features now, the way his breath had just caught in his throat at her final touch, that daydreamy look in his eyes…the way his smile trembled. She thanked her lucky stars once more in her life that the power to make those feelings and reactions of love go through him had finally been bestowed upon her and her alone.

"U-Uh…" just came out shakily from Arnold's cute little mouth, "W-Well, I h-had a good t-tutor…." A lovesick chuckle escaped him and he was definitely off in daydream land for the moment.

Helga gave him a few seconds to play with whatever little fantasies about the two of him that his mind was indulging, but then (knowing full well that if she just waited for him to come out of things himself they could literally be sitting under this tree and behind this bench all night) she finally reached out and snapped her fingers once or twice in front of his face. "Alright, love, that's enough time with daydream Helga for now. We're still in the park, remember? Plus, you can play with her all you want when I'm not around, but right now I've still got you all to myself." She pulled her hand away from in front of his face and brought it to her mouth, giving an amused little giggle.

She watched as Arnold blinked a few times and slowly seemed to come back to reality, and then he blushed in the adorable way he had of doing and cleared his throat, tugging at his collar a little. "O-Oh, um…s-sorry, Helga…heh…" He grinned sheepishly. "O-Okay, no more…" he gulped, "…daydreams until later when we're apart again." He smiled a little more to himself, unable to help it.

His love just chuckled and sighed, shaking her head at him. "Good. Thank you, love…" And then Helga let out a breath and finally stood up from the ground, dusting herself off a bit. "Oh, and, about me telling your Lulu/Hilda dream to Lila, Arnold, don't worry…" She held out a hand to help him up, "I didn't fill her in on all the juicy details—I just knew you were following us and so I kept talking like I was going to say something big but then every time I leaned in close and whispered to her I kept it all tame." She shrugged. "Just wanted to bug you for trying to stalk _me_ for once!" She chuckled more.

Arnold just let out a breath and did his best to get his blushing under control. "Oh, uh…" his eyes fell upon her outstretched hand ('_Her outstretched…pale…soft…delicate…beautiful…' _He blinked and shook his head quickly, bringing himself out of a near internal daze and all about her hand no less), and then he took it let her help pull him up. "Right…That makes sense," he said in reply to her explanation about the Lulu dream, and then he swallowed, looking away sheepishly. "And sorry, Helga…I really didn't mean to spy on you or eavesdrop like that. I guess I was just…curious…" He shuffled his feet a bit. "I mean…I don't know, when you guys left Gerald said you two were probably talking about me and teasing each other about me and then you were laughing so much, and I just…never thought about the idea of you two…talking about _me,_ and how embarrassing and awkward that could be, and I—"

"Arnold…."

The young football headed boy blinked and stopped speaking at the sound of Helga addressing him…and also at the fact that she had just placed her hand gently over his mouth.

"Arnold," she went on, smiling and obviously trying not to chuckle, "You're talking to someone who spent the better part of her life spying on and obsessively stalking _you_ just because she was 'curious', remember? It's okay." She gave him a reassuring little nod and then removed her hand from his mouth and shrugged. "Just…at least be a little less obvious about it next time, alright?" She chuckled. "I mean, I'd at least like to think you've learned something from our relationship _besides_ how to manage to breath regularly through your nose when we kiss so you can keep a make out session going into double digit minutes." With a little blush now she added… "….Or you could just ask me what Lila and I were talking about next time around, Football Head, since of course I'd tell you each and every single thing since after six years of secrets I couldn't possibly lie to my love anymore in my entire life. Whatever floats your boat." She gave a little shrug again.

Arnold, the warmth still strong in his face, just rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and replied sheepishly and with a little smile and nod, "O-okay, I'll…I'll ask next time, Helga. Or try to be better at the stalking…" He chuckled a little as well.

In response, Helga's smile brightened and then she, on total impulse and fancy, reached up and suddenly popped the cap off of his head and placed it on his nose. "Thank you my love." She winked and giggled.

He just chuckled a little goofily at her cute little action and stared back at her lovingly. "Wh-Whatever you say, Helga…" On instinct he slowly reached out and look her hand and placed a little kiss on the back of it and then let their hands drop, still with fingers laced together though.

Several seconds of the two ten-year-olds just making goo goo eyes at each other passed.

Helga was the one to come out of their mutual lovesick stupor first. She cleared her throat and blushed extra at having been just gazing into her beloved's warm green eyes for so long… "Um…" she started quietly with a little smile, "I think you might want to put the cap back on your head before you start to head home, Arnold…Just _slightly_to the side of course…" She winked and did her best not to break into hysterics yet again today at the idea, though some extra giggles did escape her nonetheless.

Arnold blinked…then blushed extra like she was doing at realizing how lost in just looking at one another they had just gotten, and then he smiled back at her and proceeded to replace his cap accordingly. "Let me guess…" he had to ask, something about the way she was giggling extra about something as simple as his hat (and how he now recalled she had laughed at him extra back in the street when he had placed it back on his head from their fall) tipping him off a little, "…Another one of Lila's complaints about me?"

Helga just giggled a little more. "No…more of a common observation between us about you. I find it adorable, though, if you're interested." She glanced down coyly.

He blushed a bit and glanced down coyly as well. "Well…as long as you find it adorable…that's all that really matters to me…" He heard her giggle a little more and then his eyes, still looking downward, fell to their hands still interlocked and he blinked and then let out a small, melancholy sigh (though he maintained his smile for Helga's sake). He looked back up to her and lifted their hands just slightly. "And I guess I should probably let your hand go before I head home too, huh? And…head out of the park in a different direction than you too…so no one sees…"

Helga blinked and a slight blush came to her face now as she glanced down at their indeed still clasped and interwoven hands (she had almost forgotten they were holding hands, the action felt so natural and right) and then she looked back up to her beloved. "Oh, well…yeah…" something in her own tone deflated just a tiny bit as well, "I…I guess…you should…" Though she wanted to maintain her in love grin, the smallest bit of a pout unintentionally came to her features at the prospect of having to separate so thoroughly from him…and all because of their stupid friends… '_More like because of your own stupid fears, actually_…' her subconscious kind of mumbled to her, but she did her best to ignore it (as she had been fighting to do a lot lately).

Arnold, though, seeing how displeased with the concept of suddenly abandoning each other right now, rather than letting her hand go…considered…and then smiled just a bit more to himself as a thought occurred to him…and then he just squeezed her hand and looked warmly and hopefully and supportively into her eyes as he asked, "_Unless_…"

Helga blinked at this word coming from him and then brought her eyes fully up to his with a curious look. "Unless what, Arnold?" she asked sincerely.

He shrugged and shifted closer, his eyes locked all the more into hers. "Unless…well, as long as we're in the same spot as the last time I asked this question after a situation involving Lila…and as long as nobody ever said anything about seeing us like that that day…could I maybe walk with you? Home, I mean, Helga…"

Helga felt her heart skip so many beats at his spontaneous and adorable little re-creation of that scene from so long ago when Lila had dumped him. "Uh…" was all that came out of her trembling and blushing self at first… _'I should say no. Okay, yeah, by a random fluke no one grilled us about him walking with me through the park that day but…what if someone sees us now and what if they DO start asking questions? What if they remember the last time we were walking together and link that together as a pattern and guess that we're a secret couple? What if something makes one of us blush or swoon or something and someone sees or hears? What if… What if…?'_ But then…the young blond girl couldn't help abandon her worried thoughts and fears…as the unavoidable sight of those warm, inviting green eyes of Arnold's just keep looking at her so hopefully… more than obviously wanting so very badly, (even though he had to know she would never ever actually want to say no to such a lovely request) for her to say yes to him. "W-Well…" _'Darn it I'm such a softy…'_ "Well…" she let out a breath and her smile returned, "I guess you're right… The _last_ _time_we managed to walk together and it didn't matter to anyone who saw us…so I guess it wouldn't hurt to do it again today. Heh, hiding in plain sight, right?" She smiled and chuckled a little more…but then with a touch of that pout returning she had to bring attention to their hands once again by raising them up. "Um…it might be a little different if they catch us holding hands this time though…I-I don't think we could chalk that one up to just two people calling a mini truce for a day, you know?" She shrugged and looked to her beloved with a touch of sheepishness…and also a touch of guilt. She really had grown to hate more and more hiding their love, and especially making him do it when he really obviously didn't want to in the least.

Her patient darling just let out a familiar understanding sigh though at her request, and then squeezed her hand once more and nodded. "Okay, Helga…I know, everyone in the park seeing us holding hands wouldn't be easy to explain away…and either way I don't mind waiting a little while until I can hold your hand again…" he blushed a bit more, "Just as long as I really will get to hold it again…and as long as you forgive me for the eavesdropping and we really can walk together, of course." He smiled more.

She had to giggle at his response, and then she responded in cooing voice, her free hand shyly behind her back… "Well, then, um…sure then, Arnold…You can walk me home…" She had to chuckle just a bit more as she added, completing the nostalgia of the scene, "I mean, whatever floats your boat, Football Head!" And then she stepped forward and nudged him with her elbow as she finally removed her hand from his warm grasp. "And oh brother, paste for brains, I already explained to you there's nothing to forgive about the spying! Now come on, my curfew's in five hours and I'd like to get back to my place before I miss it." She laughed some more to herself.

Arnold just smiled and then bent low and gestured with his arm for her to go first out from behind the bench. "Whatever you say, Helga…" he responded in his familiar and coy little way.

She actually did a little curtsey in response to his formality and replied with a grin, "Why yes, thank you, Arnold…Whatever I say…" And then she headed out from behind the bench into the public eye and Arnold followed with her.

The two looked in the direction they would have to go to walk home and then began to head along the path leading out of the park…side by side…obviously walking together…in a place teeming with people they knew just playing games and hanging out before dinner.

"Hey, Helga?" Arnold finally asked after several seconds of walking in smiling silence with one another (and occasionally seeing a classmate or two in the distance, and maybe getting a brief look or two but nothing that seemed _too_ accusatory (all of them probably just assuming that Helga was on an advice run to Arnold or something like that—not a very common occurrence but certainly something every fourth grader, even her, was entitled to once in a while).) Arnold let out a relieved sigh as he reassured himself of this assessment of the situation and awaited Helga's reply to his address.

"Mmm hmm?" she said back with a smile, glancing at him.

The young blond boy swallowed…and then sighed…and then rolled his eyes to the side and finally asked in a hesitant little voice (though still with a small smile), "I-I know this is stupid but…going back to one of the things you and Lila were talking about about me...do you really like the fact that I'm…sort of short, Helga?" His cheeks burned with a deep little blush and his stomach quivered inside from a touch of insecurity on the subject which he hadn't brought up once outside of his own mind since their relationship had begun…and the fact of their pretty obvious height difference had started to make itself more and more apparent to him… Having to press up on his toes just to kiss with their heads at the same level whenever they did it while standing, her being much more able to pick him up and spin him around in a quick hug than he was able to do with her, having to gaze very specifically _up_ into her eyes while she gazed very specifically had to gaze _down_ into his all the time (unless he pushed up on his toes in the first place and took her in his arms and dipped her back)…And all of it together…could get to a guy every once in a while…

Out of the corner of his eye, a slightly nervous Arnold could just see Helga, after blinking a few times in obvious surprise at his question, just shaking her head and smiling. "Arnold…" she started in an understanding tone, "…is this some kind of 'guy' thing? And is this why whenever we kiss standing up you push up on your toes?"

"Helga…" He blushed a little more, glancing completely down and forward now with a little shrug, "P-Probably…and y-yes, but…I…"

He heard her just let out a sigh, and then his eyes went back to just barely glancing at her and he saw that she was shaking her head again. "Arnold," she started again, "You know, that day in your room…when you asked me if I ever thought of you 'older'…I really did mean that I liked daydreaming about it on occasion…on _occasion_." She made sure to look at him a little extra while she emphasized that last word. "But…Arnold, really…" she spoke seriously and with a smile, "…did it ever occur to you that I probably really prefer you all short and cute and milk it right now in our lives with the 'shrimp' comments and calling you my 'little' prince because…I'm more than aware that in another five or ten years you're going to be the tall one of the two of us?" She crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, smiling a bit more. "So, yeah, me and all the other girls might be taller than the rest of you guys right _now_—which is how it should be in my opinion…" she chuckled a little and rolled her eyes, "…Intimidation works so much better when you can tower over someone, after all…" But then the serious supporting tone came back and she finished with, "But anyway, you now you're gonna _more_ than catch up and soon, right? And until then…you're perfect just the way you are." A little blush flowered upon her own features.

Arnold, still blushing himself, smiled very appreciatively at her…very warmly and appreciatively. "Thanks, Helga…You're perfect just the way are too…I think it's really really beautiful that you're so tall…" His smile went goofy just a little bit.

Helga grinned uncontrollably. "Oh! Um…th-thanks…a-and no problem…about letting you know that you're perfect too, short like you are now or tall like you will be later…" Then suddenly Helga blinked, recalling something as she and her beloved finally came in sight of the park exit. "Oh, um…and speaking of taller versions of you, can I get Arnie's number from you at some point, Football Head?"

Arnold's eyes went wide with just a touch of fear and he couldn't help but turn to her and ask with a gulp, "Oh, um…yeah, sure, Helga. But…why?"

Helga just smiled and waved him off, recognizing that little '_She's MY Helga!' _look coming to his face. "Oh relax, Mr. Jealous—Lila just wants to give him a call since she's still all 'he's my oh so special someone' about him, and I told her I'd help her out." The blonde then rolled her eyes and had to add, "Even though I still don't understand what she sees in his creepiness, and especially with you right here to compare him with. Ugh!" She faked a shudder and chuckled.

Arnold let out a sigh and the touch of jealous fear went all away, and then he just chuckled as well and nodded. "Oh. Okay, Helga…I'll get his number for Lila…" He raised an eyebrow at her and couldn't help but counter with a grin, "And don't forget _you_ were a little jealous of _Lila_again just now when you thought I was nervous about her finding out about Lulu…" He couldn't help but smile a bit more…finding her so cute as usual when she was jealous.

Helga let out a breath and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh please, I am completely over being jealous about anything involving Lila! Didn't you hear when you were stalking us—we're like best girlfriends now or something." She chuckled at the silly idea and then couldn't help but grin at the boy beside her and add just for the fun of it, "Oh but you just keep your eye on me and Arnie though, Football Head. You never know…maybe next time he rolls into town he and his lint collection and his love of plain flavored gum will sweep me off my feet and before I know it I'll be eloping with him away back to his country home for an 'ever so private swim'!" She winked and then let out a snort, doing her best not to collapse in laughter.

Her love beside her was in a similar condition, and blushing quite a bit on top of it all. "W-Well," he managed to get out though without breaking, "I'll just have to keep my eye on you two then, won't I…?" '_An ever so private swim…with Helga_…' Arnold's heart thumped in his chest for just a moment at a quick daydream of giving Arnie a shove out of the way into the muddiest part of the swimming hole, and then taking his pretty Helga off to a private, warm little lagoon…Him in his plaid swim trunks and her in her white tank top and cute pink shorts like from when they had gone to the beach together last…And him maybe not caring, as long as he could be with her splashing and having fun, that she would be looking at him without a shirt on the whole time… A little happy shudder went through Arnold at all of that and then, with a nice little blush, he rolled his eyes to the side and couldn't help saying, despite the fact that they were in the public eye and he knew it would be better for them to keep romantic compliments (and the blushing that they always inevitably made ensue) to a minimum… "Hmm…my cousin, Brainy… Stinky had a crush on you once too…Harold spontaneously yelling that he loved you…and then of course _me_…" Arnold looked to Helga playfully. "You just have the boys lining up for a chance at you, don't you, Helga G. Pataki?"

He watched as Helga instantly blushed very brightly and glanced to the side her eyes wide. She crossed her arms over her chest and responded in a very flustered voice. "A-Arnold…I…Oh…" A small smile came to her face, "Oh just shut up, you little shrimp….I don't…I'm not…I mean…I couldn't…even if I wanted to…that's just a bunch of coincidences…I'm not… 'Lining up'… No, no, no, no, no, I…I'm just…"

Arnold just chuckled and shrugged though, not about to let her write herself off or anything about this. "What? It makes sense—smart, funny, sophisticated, talented, beautiful, creative…and you play a mean catcher...What guy could ask for more?"

"Arnold, stop it…" she responded with a grin, still blushing quite a bit and doing her best to seem casual as they approached the exit of the park (but failing at it pretty much). "I-If people see us just walking somewhere together that's one thing but if they see me looking like this…blushing and grinning and all around you so much…they're going to start asking questions…" Still this little worry of hers didn't stop her flattered grin from remaining…or a little giggle from escaping her lips. "Oh and, uh…speaking of Brainy…I heard about what you did the other day…going over and thanking him for caring about me and inviting him out with you and Gerald. Thanks, Arnold…" She looked to her love happily.

"You're welcome, Helga," her love replied happily back. "And I'm happy you suggested it…It's nice that you can be friends with Lila and I can be friends with Brainy," Arnold finished warmly, and then as to her request to cool it with the flirting for the time being he just sighed, understanding her point but so very happy that she really didn't seem mad about it (and also very happy for the sight of her blushing and smiling like this, and all because he had made her realize just a little more again how very wantable she really was as a girl). "And okay, okay, Helga…I'll…save making you blush and giggle about all of your 'suitors' later…" He winked at her though upon making this assurance, which only made her blush extra though once again she didn't seem _too_ upset about it really (and of course _he_ wasn't complaining about the sight of cute cheeks all full of rosiness). And then Arnold considered for a few seconds and with a chuckle suddenly added, "Hey, you know…maybe I should follow your and Lila's example and get all of us guys who have gotten hooked on you over the years together and we can have a little talk about how it is trying to have a relationship with _you_ just like you did with Lila about _me_. What do you think, my love?" He did his best not to laugh.

Looking toward the ground with a smirk and doing her best not to laugh herself, Helga just replied quietly, "You ever do, and I'll pull Ruth, Summer, Lila and that Maria chick into a room to give you a going over so fast you boys won't even know what hit you, Romeo!"

Arnold just sighed and smiled. "Fair enough, _my_ _fair_ _Juliet_…"

"Ugh!" Helga finally stopped walking right at the mouth of the park exit and sighed and rolled her eyes, still smiling like crazy though. "Okay, that's it! No more of this mushy romantic garbage. Time for some fun—" She looked at him mischievously. "Besides, we _have_ been getting a few looks for being together like this…and you did go and make me lose some credibility by blushing, Arnold…Gotta make sure at least _some_ of our time together looks like I was just purely and unmercifully torturing you…" And suddenly she snatched his hat off of his head and held it up high. "Now, come on, Football Head!" She announced loudly for anyone around them to hear, putting on a scowl (though it was more of a playful one than anything else). "If you want your precious hat back, work for it!" And with that she proceeded to run first out of the park and then up the street like a shot.

Just smiling like crazy at her spontaneity, Arnold started to chase after her, announcing loudly as well in case anyone was in earshot as he pursued her, "Helga…give me that back! Come on—I know that deep down you're a really good person even if you don't like to show it!"

"Shows what you know, paste for brains!" she just called out to him from half a street ahead. "Now come on, I'm giving you a sporting chance—And we all know how you can't live without your 'precious' hat! Ha ha!" She turned back forward and was running full force again.

Arnold just let out a forced exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes in response to her 'taunt'. "Helga, why do you always have to pick on me in particular?" he asked familiarly, trying not to blush at the real answer to the question.

She laughed over her shoulder and yelled back, "Why else—I just _hate_ Football Heads!"

Trying to seem more annoyed than amused (once again as part of the show for anyone who might be watching them), Arnold continued to chase Helga up the street…hoping that when he did catch her it might be in a private place where he could hold her hand again…or possibly continue to 'get educated' by her considering how dense he was when it came to love.

And then he had to finally let out a laugh as the thought occurred to him. '_Hmm…another difference between Arnie and me: he had the ability to recognize the perfect woman at first sight…when it took me almost seven years to the same thing…'_

The chase went on.

* * *

**HITTING THE BOOKS/WHAT ARE YOUR INTENTIONS WITH MY DAUGHTER?**

Arnold's eyes scanned the tall row of library books before him, first at eye level and then with his gaze slowly moving higher…until he stopped and a small smile came to his face as his eyes finally lit upon the volume he was looking for. He stretched up as far as he could, getting on tiptoe right now in this little area of space in between two tall, long bookshelves in the library of P.S. 118, straining just a bit to reach his goal…but sadly to no avail. He could only just touch the bottom of the shelf that the book he needed was on. With one more failed little reach, a slightly frustrated look came to Arnold's face…and then a defeated look. And then he let out a deep sigh. '_I am NOT asking her to help me…_' he instantly firmly told himself, feeling a blush building in his cheeks, '_That would be way too embarrassi—_'

"Hey, my vertically challenged little love god. Need a hand?" came a familiar female's familiar voice quietly from just behind him.

Arnold almost cringed and felt that slight blush in his cheeks deepen. _'Great…she noticed…'_

And indeed, Helga, who had been reading a book and facing in another direction in the same book aisle as her beloved, had heard the small sounds of his struggle for what he needed and had decided, her caring nature in regards to him coming to the forefront, to turn around, shove her book back on it's shelf, and assist him. They had book reports due that they were supposed to be researching and that meant a trip to the library today…which luckily they had realized, upon arriving, was a place where they could actually kind of sort of hang out near each other and not get caught, provided they did it right. Certainly they couldn't sit alone together at one of the tables in the public area once they got their books (they might have been able to pull that off had Gerald and Phoebe been there but…once again those two had snuck off somewhere for a little alone time)…but they _could_ find each other among the high shelves of books and bury themselves in a private and otherwise deserted aisle for a while if they felt like it and as long as they were quiet. And if worse came to worse and someone did come along…well, hey, could Arnold and Helga help it if they had just 'happened' to each need a book from shelves that were close to each other? So anyway, they had been quietly in this aisle together now for about ten minutes just to be with each other and also because Arnold really had needed a book or two from this area.

Anyway, now Helga easily reached up and popped the volume in question from the high shelf it was on and then handed it to Arnold with a smile.

Still blushing a little, Arnold just glanced to the side and reluctantly took the book in his hands. "Uh…thanks, Helga…" he mumbled out in a low voice.

Helga just gave a quiet, coy chuckle and whispered back to him (both trying to keep their voices down not only because this was a library but because they didn't want to be discovered by any of their friends who might be hanging around in nearby book aisles). "You're welcome, Arnold. And you know, you could have just _asked_ me to get it when you saw it was that high up. Not that it wasn't sweet of you to try and save me the trouble, though, love…" She looked at him with a coy and grateful smile at his cuteness in not wanting to trouble her, bringing her arms behind her back. '_Such an adorable little gentleman I have…'_

Arnold swallowed, knowing that she wasn't trying to tease him or anything about what was currently bothering him at the moment but still feeling a bit more frustration come over himself nonetheless. "Well…I…I mean, I COULD have…reached it…if I'd tried a little more," he just replied quietly and then he shrugged a tiny a bit and shuffled his feet around and went back to looking at the book shelves before him though he really didn't have anything to be looking for…He mostly just wanted to get past the awkward moment.

At first Helga couldn't help but just raise part of her brow at the slight bit of annoyance apparent in his face and tone, which she really hadn't been expecting at all… "Uh…whatever…" She looked at him just a little curiously. "You okay, Arnold?" she had to ask sincerely.

Arnold was silent for another second, but then he just let out a breath and closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and turned back around and did his best to sincerely smile at her. "Sorry, Helga… I'm fine. I…think I was just a little frustrated with myself for needing to bother you to get that book for me. But thank you, though…I needed it and I really do appreciate it." He gave her a loving smile and then turned back around, this time genuinely scanning the shelf at eye level in front of him for another volume to go with the one she had just helped him reach and already feeling himself getting over his slight frustration…

'_Oh…I…_' the thought instantly broke onto Helga's mind in a sudden realization_. 'Crimeny, I didn't even think about how it might embarrass him a little for me to just reach that book for him, did I? And what—not even TWO days after he admitted to me that he feels weird sometimes for being so much shorter than I am!_' Helga finally recalled that little insecurity of his about his height and now she just could have kicked herself. '_Hmm_….' She put a hand to her chin, still glancing at him as she considered what she might be able to do to make this better…

And then her smile picked up considerably on one side as she got a little idea.

Arnold's back was still to her as he stood there glancing at the title on a book spine or two and with the book she had just retrieved for him held in one hand at his side.

Helga took a quick step over, partially behind him, her arms behind her back. "Oh, good…." She let the reply linger for a moment, and then added seemingly casually and with a small chuckle, "Heh…you know, honestly it was the least I could do…getting that book for you, I mean…especially after all good things _you've_ done for _me_ in libraries over the years…" This time she let her little laugh, as she finished, come out right between a chuckle and a giggle all with the design of further peaking his interest in her cryptic words.

And indeed, her final observation about him doing 'good things for her in libraries over the years' (and the sweet little laughing sound that had accompanied it) did make Arnold blink and turn from his current book search to look at her over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "What do you mean, Helga?"

'_Perfect_.' Helga just shrugged, smiling innocently enough…and took a coy step to the other side of him (still standing somewhat behind him though). "Oh, well, you know…remember how Phoebe brought up the whole thing about me 'staring at you for hours' over the years when she and Gerald went on that first date of theirs? Well, I always found the library to be one of the best places for that actually... You'd just be sitting somewhere reading your little heart out or studying for something important, and I could just hide in the stacks and gaze at you and you'd never notice…" This time she did let out a pure giggle.

Arnold blushed in that familiar way he had of doing and blinked a couple of times. "Oh…" he swallowed and turned his head in shyness back towards the books…though Helga could see that he was managing to glance just slightly at her out of the corner of his eye. "You…really…liked just looking at me…that much?" His voice had a slight crack to it that made Helga want to giggle entirely involuntarily.

Instead though she managed to keep her cool and just nodded shyly. "Mmm _hmm…" 'He really has to realize that he's the most wonderful guy in the world even if I can reach a stupid shelf that he can't_.' She went on, still close behind him. "You being here would always give me some much needed time to just gaze at the most handsome guy on the planet…studying so diligently like the smart football head you've always been…every once in a while carrying a large stack of books back to the librarian when you were done with them with those strong arms of yours…" And then she put the cherry on top of the sundae. She reached up from behind him and put her hands on his shoulders…rubbing them just slightly as she whispered delicately right near one of his ears, "Wow, they even _feel_ strong…All of that intense karate training really has been paying off. You aren't just a guy with a gorgeous face…you have the muscle to back it up too, don't you, my darling?"

The book in Arnold's little hand dropped to the floor…He was stiff, unmoving and unbreathing…and Helga had to try really hard not to laugh at this whole response of his to her words. And then, since she was behind Arnold, her eyes feel to the back of his neck…and he was blushing back there just like he must be on his face…and just like she had seen him do earlier that week when she had been stuck behind his couch…And, well…she had promised that day to give the back of his neck some extra special attention for neglecting it the next time she got the chance…so….

She leaned in close to it and blew a tiny bit upon it, and then whispered, "The back of your neck is blushing again, my darling. Is it embarrassed? Shh…let me make it feel all better…" She puckered her lips and placed a soft kiss right back there, just below where that little part in his hair began…then pulled back gently…and let out another breath on the back of Arnold's neck. "Making my girlish heart unable to resist your boyish charms even in a library…What a man…" The flesh on the back of his neck turned such a deep fiery red and from her position still holding his shoulders she felt a little tremor go through him. She smiled extra to herself. '_Well, I bet __he__ feels just a little bit better about himse—'_

Her thoughts shut down completely as Helga suddenly found her (now) wide eyes locked onto Arnold's wide eyes, and now that she processed it she could feel his warm hands gripping the sides of her arms tightly. Apparently, in his shock, she realized, he had whipped around and grabbed her like this, his face that same full fiery red color as the nape of his neck and been, and an almost panicked look upon his features!

She waited for what he would d—

'_Oh boy… he just got 'the eyes'…the April Fools Day 'you're in good hands' eyes... I knew kissing his neck and tossing in that 'What a man' thing would be too m—'_

_CRASH!_

"SHHH!"

The 'Shhh!' had been a collective thing coming from people in other parts of the library.

The crash was the result, Helga realized after a few seconds, of Arnold suddenly snapping and diving against her to kiss her with such force that she fell right down against the floor, with him more than coming along for the ride.

He was still holding her upper arms so firmly and she could now feel his mouth moving upon hers with so much force and so much desire, his breathing coming steadily and heavily through his nose as he continued to kiss her with a passion that made her wonder how he could EVER think he had any shortcomings as a guy or a boyfriend just because of a few silly inches of height! '_O-Oh, I…__O-Oh__….'_

Eventually (like, 'she didn't understand how she could go without a full breath of air for that long but somehow the amount of love coursing through her body let her get by' eventually) Helga got her utter shock and surprise and euphoria under control enough to remember to start breathing regularly through her nose. She then moaned just slightly before finally proceeding to reciprocate the kiss, still letting him be the one to hold her and do most of the work though, but at the very least moving her lips against his delicately as she felt her heart pounding like crazy against his, almost vibrating it was going so fast.

Another minute or so passed and she had to let out a mental sigh in amusement eventually, the power for thought finally coming back to her now too amidst this sudden spontaneous and rather heated make out session. _'I-I probably should have waited until the next time we were here to say all of that stuff to him if this was how he was going to react. Last time I checked it was already 3:30 and I told Bob I'd be home at 4… Eh whatever, we'll work it out! I could always just sneak in or something if we're a little late, after all, and fake like I got home when no one was looking and have been up there for hou—_' And then Helga's power for thought shut down again as she now strangely (yet interestingly) enough felt Arnold's mouth pause in it's all out ravenous actions for just a moment…only to then resume them but…now focusing specifically on her lower lip more than anything else…like there was something about it pulling him there for a moment…like he wanted to give it extra special attention…And something about this simple action of him shifting his kiss like that made her just…come undone inside…made her melt into a big puddle of warm love goo…made her just melt all over, really.

Though somehow in the midst of all this melting it occurred to Helga why he might be doing this right now… '_G-Guess he's been liking the pouting…heh, heh_…' she managed to gurgle out in thought as she felt herself go absolutely limp in his arms, what he was doing felt so good….Her brain shut down and she just let herself feel all of the love with nothing to distract from it.

She continued to contentedly allow Arnold's mouth to consume her own for as long as he cared to.

* * *

_Let's rewind about five to ten minutes and look at the situation of what just went down (and maybe what happens right after where we just left off) but slightly more from Arnold's perspective. No real reason why we're doing this—just for fun! _

'_I know it's stupid that it bothers me that she just reached a book for me…and of course I'm not angry at her or anything—she was just trying to help, after all..._' Arnold let out a small sigh in his head, really hoping that he hadn't offended his girlfriend by his initial slight unintentional attitude in response to her assistance with getting him the high up book he had needed, and also hoping that he had made her forget all about it by the sincere smile and genuine thanks he had just given her. He continued to glance at a few titles before him on the bookshelf, not really looking for anything specific now so much as just anything that might be of interest to help him with the book reports he and Helga were supposed to be doing a little research on today. '_Sometimes though I really do wish she could see me as more than her cute, adorable, little boyfriend…even if she does like me that way right now…But sometimes I just wish that I was just a little more…a little more—_'

"Oh, good…"

These words…and the quite intriguing tone in which they were said, got Arnold's attention for a moment, to say the least. And then he became aware, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, that Helga had shifted to his side a bit though she was still somewhat behind him.

He heard her chuckle…and it made one of those small twists happen in his stomach…those ones that always happened when, even though he wasn't sure why, something inside of him felt sure that Helga G. Pataki was planning something…Anticipation.

"Heh…you know, honestly it was the least I could do…getting that book for you, I mean…especially after all good things you've done for me in libraries over the years…" Helga's laugh this time sounded more like a giggle, and it made his breath catch in his throat…it didn't help that now she was so close to him that he could almost feel the warmth coming off of her body in the cool library…What was she doing…or rather going to do?

'_Wait a minute, what am I thinking?'_ He almost shook his head to himself in disbelief at the very notions that had been going through his head. '_We're in the middle of a library! She's not going to 'do' anything, and I'm…probably being a little assuming thinking she is…_' Then suddenly though what she had just said really hit him, and Arnold had to blink and glance back at her fully now in curiosity. "What do you mean, Helga?" '_I've done good things for her in libraries over the years…Huh?'_

He watched as Helga just shrugged, smiling innocently (and further convincing him that she indeed was probably just trying to be a little extra nice to him or something since he probably had come off as a little bothered before with the book thing). She took a step to the side again, which wouldn't have meant much to him…except for how she was smiling when she did it…and how she was now so close behind him that he could truly feel her warmth practically upon his back. "Oh, well, you know…remember how Phoebe brought up the whole 'staring at you for hours over the years' thing when she and Gerald went on that first date of theirs? Well, I always found the library to be one of the best places for that actually... You'd just be sitting somewhere reading your little heart out or studying for something important, and I could just hide in the stacks and gaze at you and you'd never notice…" This time she let out a giggle.

Arnold instantly felt that familiar sensation of blood rushing to his face that he had come to know so well from spending so much time with her over the last near month. He did his best (and failed) to keep his voice from cracking as he tried to casually ask, his mind all but blank with embarrassment, "Oh…" he turned back in shyness to the books before him but did his best to look at her out of the corner of his eye... "You…really…liked just looking at me…that much?" Though Arnold had learned to take Helga's comments about his appearance and her deep attraction to him more than in stride some time ago…still the idea of her searching him out all of these years just to gaze at him like that…something about it sent this strange shivery feeling through him. He could feel his palms going sweaty.

"Mmm _hmm_…" he heard her reply in a delicate, light way. "You being here would always give me some much needed time to just gaze at the most handsome guy on the planet…studying so diligently like the smart football head you've always been…every once in a while carrying a large stack of books back to the librarian when you were done with them with those strong arms of yours…"

'_My…My strong…'_

And then she put the cherry on top of the sundae. She reached up from behind him and put her hands on his shoulders… those warm delicate fingers he'd come to know so well over the weeks gently caressing him just slightly as he felt her whisper delicately right near one of his ears. "Wow, they even _feel_ strong…All of that intense karate training really has been paying off. You aren't just a guy with a gorgeous face…you have the muscle to back it up too, don't you, my darling?"

The. Book. In. His. Hand. Dropped. To. The. Floor.

Arnold felt his ecstatic heart pumping the adrenaline through his body, and yet at the same time he was stiff, unmoving and unbreathing…like he was all ready to go off like a rocket and just needed something to light the fuse…

And then, a second or two later…he felt the sweet breath of an angel blow upon the back of his neck in a familiar way.

"The back of your neck…" the angel spoke in such a light, beautiful whisper, "…is blushing again, my darling. Is it embarrassed? Shh…let me make it feel all better…" He was still unable to move…The angel's lips came upon his neck…An action that made him almost unable to bear living, life was so good at the moment…And then the angel finished her kiss only to return the sweet puff of her breath once more to his skin. "Making my girlish heart unable to resist your boyish charms even in a library…What a man…"

Arnold's heart went into overdrive. Blood pumped everywhere. Where the angel had kissed actually burned with blushing!

And the fuse was lit.

And then suddenly young Arnold had turned on a dime and caught Helga on either side of her shoulders. He could feel the heat burning in his cheeks as his eyes locked onto her now wide blue ones and remained that way. The idea of her…of her looking at him and on top of seeing someone she found 'cute' and 'adorable'…thinking…thinking he was strong and being…impressed…impressed by him carrying things…impressing a girl with how strong he was…impressing Helga G. Pataki with how strong he was…and her…touching him like that to feel it for herself…

…And…making her unable to avoid, even in a place as innocent as a library, that she was a girl and he was a boy…Their attraction to one another an unconquerable force that nothing could every truly distract from…

And Arnold was very very much aware again in his life all of a sudden that Helga G. Pataki was indeed a girl…

Thoughts raced in his mind…Thoughts about how, just like she could look at him and see a strong young man just as often as she could see her adorable little boyish love, Arnold likewise could see Helga as his pretty and cute little first love sometimes…but then other times he could also see her as…as this…practically intoxicating and beautiful and stunning and spectacular creature…The way she could let her golden hair fall over her shoulders and one of her eyes so enticingly whenever she felt like it, the way she could lean with her hip against a wall or a streetlight in just the right way to make his smile pick up a little whenever she did it, how every once in a while she would saunter over to him so very coyly…and of course how she could do that perfectly distracting thing with that little pout of hers…her soft, rosy lower lip pushing out ever so slightly…just like, in her shock and surprise, she was kind of doing now!

That lip was so pink and so perfect…

'…_Just like __her__!'_

A smile came to Arnold's face…and it felt like something burning had just burst inside of him!

_CRASH!_

"SHHH!"

The next thing Arnold became aware of was several seconds later…and though realizing what he was doing made him blush insanely he didn't make a single motion to end it. They were on the floor, he was on top of her, and he was kissing her in that way she had first introduced him to on the roof of a certain building…only with more passion and insanity than even Helga might have put into it that one time: holding himself against her, pushing and pressing and squeezing and caressing. His thoughts formed as he frantically kissed her as though he might never kiss her again after this. _'I know we're in a library, I know we're supposed to be studying, I know this isn't like me and I know I should have asked her first before I just dove on her! And I also know that I __don't__ care!_' And it just plain felt so good to finally admit that last point to himself, because at times like this he really _didn't_ care about all of his fears and worries and inhibitions. '_She's_….' his thoughts continued as he became fully aware of that beautiful feeling of their hearts beating against each other…or 'vibrating' against each other might have been the better word with just how quickly each of them seemed to be pulsing with love… '_She's_…' He felt her starting to kiss him back…softly, ironically enough…though of course she gave one of those moans of hers… He had to sigh through his nose and think once again in his life in regards to Helga G. Pataki, _'She's some kind of woman to be gone about_…'

And then eventually, a couple of minutes later, realizing that she had about as little intention of ending things as he did, an amusing idea…and something he had actually been kind of almost thinking about doing sometimes lately maybe…came to Arnold's mind, courtesy of the memory of some of the thoughts he had been having about the girl currently underneath him before he had started this whole thing they were engaged in right now. And well…in his defense…it was that beautiful lower lip that had started it!

He let his mouth pull back just the tiniest bit from its deep, pleasing movements over his angel's own angelic mouth…and then he shifted his lips down so that they were perfectly around her lower lip…the one that could make her look so cute when she used it just right…and then he went back to passionately kissing, but this time he was passionately kissing _just_ that lower lip of hers that had tempted and teased him for so many weeks…and it felt like heaven to feel his mouth firmly yet tenderly upon it, and to feel it melting into that space between his two lips…right where it seemed to fit…right where it seemed to belong…

It then didn't help Arnold be any more inclined to stop things as he felt this new kissing strategy of his make the girl he was holding onto go absolutely limp with love in his arms underneath him.

Arnold remained with Helga like this for as long as possible, never wanting it to stop, never wanting to not be just giving in to every emotion she had filled him with and made bloom within him ever since the FTi building…ever since the day they had met!

But then eventually he really did have to stop…to take a just little break…to separate their mouths for even a moment just to take a few light pants and catch his breath and let her catch hers…

His lips pulled back from her and, his eyes glazed over in pleasure, Arnold just looked down at Helga's flushed, panting, pink face…. Wow she was beautiful after a kiss…the most beautiful woman in the world… "I…" he spoke as quietly as he could, "I'm sorry, Helga…" still though he was smiling, "I'm sorry…I know I should have asked or something before I…" a few more breaths, "I didn't hurt you or anything did I? Are you alright? On a floor…" he shook his head a little, the smile still continuing. "No, you should be…on a lovely pink cloud or something…for kissing…I'm sorry…I should have waited before I…" more breaths, "B-But I just…couldn't…Should I stop?"

Helga just took some more breaths underneath him…eventually seemed to process his words… and then her trembling lips spoke again… "A-Arnold…" she managed to whisper out to him then, her eyes just barely fluttering open as she remained still panting quietly beneath him. "A-Arnold, I…don't want you to stop…ever… B-But…Oh, I…I hate to be a buzz kill…but…I…" Suddenly her eyes closed again and a quiet moan randomly escaped her, like a residual effect from what they had just done together or something, "Oh my…intoxicating little kisser…Oh _Arnold_…" Her eyes opened again and she giggled dreamily…but then she took another breath and did her best to speak coherently again, her eyes meeting his. "Arnold…believe me…I…I wouldn't be bringing this up if I didn't have to…but…I…told my Dad…I'd be home by…by 4…that I just had to spend an hour at the library and then I'd be home by 4…and it was…3:30 when we started, and…I'm not even sure how much time just passed…and…" Suddenly her eyes closed again and shuddery sigh couldn't help but pass through her, and her voice changed to the tone of a dramatic coo again… "Oh you just…have an untamed wild love inside of that mild mannered little exterior, don't you, hot lips…?" She took in another breath or two, then swallowed…and then her eyes fluttered open once more and she seemed to come back to reality, speaking normally once more. "A-Anyway…Arnold…we've only been 'hanging out' for a few weeks and my Dad…he'll…he'll never leave us alone if I don't get back…or call or something…when I said I would be home at a certain time…You…You know that…Arnold…I…" Her eyes were so close to closed now once again though, and a pleased smile was on her face, and she really seemed to be struggling with not wanting Big Bob to freak out on them…but also wanting, well… him, Arnold…very badly. "I…should get up…we can…meet up after dinner…do more later…" she finally managed to get out just barely.

At all of these words of responsibility of hers Arnold just felt his heart beating faster and faster…What they had to do…versus what they wanted to do…

"I have to…get up…Arnold…" She cleared her throat and finally managed to unfortunately say again in a more normal sounding voice…though she wasn't even trying to move out from under him…and he was more than aware of this fact. "And we're in a library of all places and there are people…so close by…even though we're hidden from them now…and…and…"

"Hmm…" In response to all of her worries though a low chuckle just escaped Arnold…and his eyes narrowed a little…they were full of a mix of sympathy and fire… "Helga…" he soothed gently in a low whisper, "We've…We've got time…and also…don't you find doing something like this in a library…kind of exciting if you think about it? Having to be extra quiet so no one finds us…even though whenever we ki-…whenever we make out you just want to moan and I just want to yell from rooftops that I love you, I love you, I love you, my darling…" A low chuckle escaped him again, his nose lightly pressed to hers now. "Just stay here like this for a little bit more with me…please? Since we only have a few minutes I'm sure no one'll find us…and as for making sure you're not late…Shh…just relax…I'll make sure you get home…Eventually…"

Helga G. Pataki's heart practically trembled at what Arnold was saying…Her mind fuzzed and blurred. His eyes so…so close…so sultry looking…Looking like that night at the April Fools Dance when he had dipped her back but even more intense thanks to all the love he had felt and experienced with her ever since their relationship had begun. "A-Arnold…" she half whispered, half cooed, trying to maintain…but failing so miserably… "I…I should…We should…" There was no conviction in her voice. Absolutely none. He knew it…and he could see from the sheepish look in her eyes and the totally enamored smile on her face that she knew it too…

And so… "Shh…" he whispered again and closed his eyes and shifted his head down, giving her little kisses on her lips as he spoke…still holding her so firmly… "Are you…SURE…we have to get up…Mrs. Helga Geraldine Pataki…Shortman…?" he finally whispered to her with a smile and a deep blush. For the first time in his life…finally just admitting his natural inclination to give his name to her. He let the little kisses stop and just gazed down at her in blushing shyness… "I thought we might hyphenate…" he explained, almost wanting to laugh he was so full of happiness and love, "…sort of a compromise."

Her eyes dilated fully…and then went completely closed…and then the future Mrs. Helga Geraldine Pataki-Shortman just lie there in blushing, smiling, shivering silence for so many seconds, just…glowing… "I…" a deep sigh escaped her, "I…Oh…ARNOLD!" she squeaked out and he felt her twist a little beneath him. "I…" her eyes opened and she looked at him with that same seductive and enamored quality his own possessed, no more hesitation in them whatsoever. "I don't know what I…what I woke up inside of you with all this love stuff and just kissing the back of your perfect neck, but whatever the heck it is…I like it…!"

He just chuckled (as quietly as he could, of course) at her wonderful response, and then came down again to bring his mouth to hers…this time focusing on her lower lip once more…savoring the small little pink piece of flesh…He heard her moan deeply (and yet manage to not make it too loud for the sake of their not getting caught)….

He pulled back after savoring this new kiss as much as he felts like, only to be met with the sight of Helga's eyes still closed in bliss and her flushed lips still puckered in desire. He whispered to her. "Shh…we'll back on time…we'll figure something out…I promise, Helga. But just stay here with me now for a little bit longer…I…I want us, Helga G. Pataki…like this…I want you like this…I can't help it…Just for a little while longer…just like this…" He blushed more. "Besides with how I usually am…who knows when I'll have the courage to do something like this again with you, right?"

He had whispered all of this right near her ear and then had let out a breath right near her ear too, blowing the tiniest bit into it.

Helga just nodded a little, speech obviously still not in her power again just yet. Unable to think of any other way to bring her lovely voice back into commission for her to finally confirm that it was okay for them to stay like this for just a bit more…he snuggled his neck to hers…and… "_Hrr_…."

His little purr finished…she shook like usual in response to it…and then he lifted his head to look back to her eyes. She was blushing so much, her eyes only barely open, and now that he had done _that_ to her a deep breath escaped her and her mouth started to move in speech again. "Wh…" he heard her barely get out with a light sigh, her eyes still closed… "Whatever you say…Arnold…You want us…me…here I am…We'll…We'll figure something out with my Dad…Besides…I want to be here too…So really and truly want to…We'll be quiet…No one'll find us…Oh just kiss me my darling…" Her whispering ended.

He collapsed his body even more warmly against hers, just savoring the feeling of holding her in his arms, a low little chuckle escaping him at her words… "Yes, mam…"

"Oh Arnold…"

His lips came down to her lips again, feeling hers ease into his.

Arnold was feeling all squirmy inside and for once…he just wanted to give in to it entirely…even if it was just for the smallest bit of time.

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey, Helga, you back from studying with that Arnold kid yet? I was looking through some catalogues and I just wanted to know what color you were thinking of for that belated birthday present of your—"

Big Bob Pataki, who had just entered his younger daughter's room while flipping through a magazine, paused as he had now glanced up to look to his daughter…only to see her sitting on the edge of her bed, her legs crossed and her arms crossed, looking away innocently and with a slight red tinge to her face…her pigtails slightly…ruffled? He raised an eyebrow.

Helga swallowed and smiled more seeing him look to her so strangely. "Uh, hey, Dad—sorry, what was that about colors?"

Bob stepped more into the room, still eyeing her slightly as he closed the magazine and rolled it into a cylinder to hold in one hand… "Uh…I just wanted to know if you wanted me to go with the same color you have now or if there was anything else you wanted…"

"Uh…" Helga grinned more, shifting a bit on her bed, "No, no…what's there now is good with me, heh, heh…Like they say, pink's the new pink!"

She was acting nervous. And she knew it. '_But Crimeny_,' she thought to herself, '…_at least Miriam waits til I say 'come in' before she opens the door—Sheesh he nearly scared me to death just strolling in like that on the heels of a quick knock…_' Helga couldn't help but recall some of the things that she had done alone in her room over the years (mostly the 'worshipping Arnold' related ones)…and especially some of the things that she along with the actual Arnold had done together in her room just over the last few weeks…She felt herself blush a little more…The idea of her father walking in on _any_ of that stuff… (And when it came to the 'stuff Arnold and I have been doing up here lately' category of stuff there had been quite a few close calls so far, to say the least, what with Bob, whenever he knew Arnold was over and upstairs with her, always seeming to find at least one reason to pop in for a second…and usually (ironically enough) just when something small would have happened to make Arnold and Helga be right in the middle of leaning in close, their eyes locked in a mix of curiosity and love and surprise and just a touch of fear of the fascinating experience of their loves combining once again in their lives inevitably to come…

"Okay…" Bob just replied hesitantly to Helga's obviously slightly on edge response (the sound of his voice broke her for the moment from her frustrating memories.) However, though he had gotten the information he desired…he didn't make a move to leave. "Helga…" he then went on, an eyebrow raised, "…is, uh…everything okay up here?"

Helga took in a breath (maybe a little too obviously sharply) and replied as calmly as she could considering the degree to which his question had slightly startled her, "Uh…yeah, Bob. Everything's A-Ok. You just, um…surprised me a little. I mean, Miriam usually waits until I say 'come in' before she opens the door, you know? Heh…" She gave a little shrug and a smile.

Bob scratched the back of his neck, still looking at her. "Right, right…" he cleared his throat, "And, uh…you had an okay afternoon studying at the library with that Arnold kid, right?"

Helga swallowed hard. Though she had been getting more and more okay with Miriam bringing up her romantic behavior with Arnold she did not like it when Bob talked about them together _at all_ (even though she was still making sure to keep him under the impression that she and Arnold were just 'really good buddies')…and on top of that she _really_ did not like the way that Bob was looking at her right now. "Yeah…" she replied slowly, rubbing the back of her own neck now, "We, uh, met there after school…and I got back a little while ago…" She raised part of her brow, deciding to put Bob on the defensive a little bit now. "Is there a problem, Bob?" A bit more force was behind her voice now, and a touch of a scowl even came to her features as she added, "And by the way thanks for the random phone call at 2:59 to double check that I was definitely going to the library with him, and then the random phone call at 3:59 to make sure I was out on the stoop…THAT didn't make me feel like I'm on probation or anything!" She crossed her arms over her chest. And really, though Bob actually _had_ been very good about not calling during her and Arnold's 'outings', he _did_ have an incredibly annoying habit of calling exactly when said outings started and exactly when they ended…which could get to a girl eventually…especially after three and a half SOLID weeks of it.

Bob scowled slightly back at her and spoke in a bit of firmer voice himself now. "Hey, hey, hey, I told you, little missy, when you're out with your friends and especially with that Arnold kid I just want to make sure you're safe so I'm going to be calling you if I feel like it. That's the point of the phone."

Helga just rolled her eyes dramatically. "Grr…Bob, I thought we got past all of this stuff with that first dinner I had him over for last month. Arnold's a nice guy and…" she felt herself blush a bit but continued, "…and I am more than capable of handling myself with him." She glanced down, still trying to seem indignant. "So you don't have to keep checking up on me when we're alone together, okay?" She managed to look up to scowl at him again. "I mean, the two of us do deserve _some_ privacy and to be 'let off the leash' _sometimes_ after all…" She glanced to the side in annoyance and couldn't help but add in a grumble, "Crimeny, the second I explained things like this to Miriam and she backed off right away…and so did Olga!"

At the mention of his other daughter's name Bob, still scowling, opened his mouth like he was about to reply…but then paused…and his eyes went wide for moment. And then he looked very closely at Helga…

…And then he turned his head…and looked very closely at Helga's…closet door…

…And then he slowly walked across her room toward it…

…And before Helga could react he had reached out with his free hand and opened the door…

Only to see…

Nothing.

Bob looked around in the closet pushing aside some clothes, but still nothing—just an empty closet (with a little step ladder in the middle of it). _'Oh so that's where that thing went. Hmm…maybe she's gotta reach stuff on the top shelf in here or something…'_

The sound of Helga suddenly and sharply addressing him brought his head from just double checking once more the emptiness of her closet back to looking at his younger daughter still seated upon her bed. "Hey, Bob—mind _asking_before you just start going through my stuff? Crimeny, do I have to start putting a lock on my closet door or something?" There was definitely starting to be full-blown anger underlying her tone, no question.

Bob let out a breath and rubbed his eyes, stepping out of the closet fully now and shutting the door behind him. "Uh…" he spoke in a much calmer and even sheepish voice now, "Sorry, Ol—uh, Helga…I…I just thought for a second that…" He shook his head to clear it. "Never mind…" he smiled to himself and then at her, "I forgot for a second…Like your mom keeps saying you're different than your sister."

He couldn't help but notice Helga's face was just a bit rosier now than it had been before (though he (thankfully) chalked it up to the last remains of her anger at being intruded upon.) He knew her temper after all…it was about the equivalent of his only with a woman's prerogative and attitude to bolster it all the more. She cleared her throat and just shrugged, glancing to the side with only a weak scowl now. "Uh, y-yeah. Me and Olga are different." She tried to firm up her glare a bit again as she turned her eyes back to her father. "And Olga might be all flighty and sensitive, but I'm tough and independent so no more third degree about me being alone with Arnold! Okay!"

Bob, with a breath, was about to nod and say he would try and then turn to leave his daughter's room, shaking his head at the idea that he had even for a moment suspected what had just for a moment suspected ('_Miriam's right—they're ten-years-old. What are they gonna do together?_'), when Helga added (with a serious swallow…as it finally clicked with her why her father might have just gone over and flung open her closet door after she had been talking about a boy she had been spending a lot of time with…and had then mentioned her older sister…), "A-And no more random checks for him in my closet, okay? Crimeny, if I wanted to bring a guy up here I wouldn't go and shove him behind a locked door in secret like _certain_ Pataki girls—I do have _some_ dignity you know. Hmph!" Her arms were crossed over her chest and she stuck her nose proudly in the air.

Bob blinked…and blinked some more. His jaw hung open for a second. And then eventually he recovered the power of speech and could only say in a totally stunned tone…"Oh, uh…your, uh…your sister told you those stories, huh?"

Helga rolled her eyes to the side, still feeling heat in her face but trying to seem casual about all of this. She shrugged. "Actually, Miriam's the one who told them to me—Olga just confirmed them…"

Her father still just stood there. His jaw had now dropped fully.

Helga let out a sigh at the sight and instantly waved him off, just doing her best to keep her blushing under control. "Oh relax, relax—the ultimate point of the story was to NOT go hiding a boy in my closet, Bob." She swallowed and tugged nervously at her collar. '_Ugh, this is awkward…Why didn't Olga tell me that acting like a real family would lead to so many moments like this?_' "And anyway like I said…" she began to go on and then suddenly stood up from her bed, a smile on her face, and walked over to her father, grabbing him by the arm and slowly leading him over to her bedroom door, deciding he probably wasn't going to make his exit any time soon unless helped along a little, "…Come on, Bob, you know Olga and I know Olga—all that dressing up and giggling and gossiping and boy crazy her entire life…" Helga shook her head in amusement with a half grin. "Not for me—I'm far too sensible and stubborn and set in my ways. I mean, yeah, I like Arnold a lot but I'm not gonna…I don't know," she rolled her eyes to the side and scoffed, "Show up at the door with him next week and announce I'm dropping out of elementary school because we're getting married, you know?" She shrugged and grinned at her father. '_Yes, sadly that is the one fantasy Arnold doesn't seem willing to fulfill for me… Oh why oh why are we so young?'_ She swooned a little inside but still managed to stay focused on the here and now.

Bob, a little perplexed at all of this and just doing his best to take it all in, had at first just let Helga lead him over to her door, but at that little joking reference to Olga's engagement he had to crack a smile. "Heh…yeah…good one, Helga…" He let out a sigh, finally reaching the doorway with her, and started to relax just a bit. "Yeah, okay, you're right…" he nodded, "I'll try and go a little easier on you two with the phone calls…" Now standing in the hallway just outside of her room, Big Bob turned back to look at Helga with a smile…and couldn't help but add sheepishly… "I just…like I always say, you're my girl, Helga, and I worry about you…But I also know that you're a fighter—if that Arnold kid wasn't being a good, uh, friend to you, you wouldn't stand it for a minute, right?" He smiled at her encouragingly.

Helga just crossed her arms over her chest and nodded at her father with a satisfied smile. "You got it, Bob!" She winked. "No one pushes around a Pataki, right?"

Bob grinned more and winked back. "There you go, girl! Pataki's always come out on top!"

Helga almost chuckled. "Good, we have an understanding then…" And then she gave a very large yawn. "Well, if you don't mind then, Dad, I think I'd like to take a quick nap now before dinner. All that studying with the Football Head kind of wore me out, you know?"

For a moment just a tinge of that blush was back in Helga's cheeks…and Bob almost felt himself questioning it…before he recalled the conversation they had just had and decided to let it go. '_Eh, what am I worried about—she's right! She's __Helga__ for crying out loud! If anything when she finds a boy she likes __he's__ gonna end up being the one who needs to watch out for __her_!' And so Big Bob just sighed and smiled and nodded at his daughter. "Okay, Helga…I'll let your Mom know you'll be down for dinner when she gets home."

"Thanks, Bob!" Helga smiled brightly and gave him a quick wave. "See you then!" And with that she shut her door behind her.

Bob just walked down the hall, rolled up magazine still in hand, shaking his head in amusement. '_Yeah right…like she'd actually have a guy stashed in her room. This is Helga—she likes throwing herself in the mud with all of her friends during football games and giving that Arnold good razzings during baseball games. That's how she shows affection and that she likes something, __not __by primping for dates…not at all like Olga used to be with boys. What was I thinking_…' Bob was about to head down the stairs (all settled on these thoughts) when he blinked and recalled another reason he had come up here besides checking with Helga about colors. Miriam had asked him to call her while she was out shopping with her friend Susie Kokoschka and let her know, when Helga got home, if she would prefer chicken or meat loaf tonight.

And so Bob turned around and headed back toward her room to accomplish this second task of his.

* * *

"Thanks, Bob!" Helga had smiled and given her father a quick wave. "See you then!" And with that she had then shut the door behind her…

…And then she practically collapsed to her floor in relief. After letting out a DEEP breath her eyes flew open and she ran across her room, whispering in a panicked voice. "Football Head, get the heck out from under my bed and out into my yard before he comes back! Now!"

Instantly, a very terrified looking Arnold scrambled out from under Helga's bed, clothed only in a plaid shirt and his hair just everywhere and blushing like mad! "Helga," he began in a more than anxious tone, "First of all, I think we've both got to make a promise to stop interrupting study days with things like this because sooner or later it's going to hurt our grades…" Helga had been digging behind her headboard for a few seconds while he had been talking and now suddenly pulled out the familiar bed sheet rope. "And second," Arnold crawled onto her bed now and opened her window wide before turning back to her and going on in his sincere yet very nervous tone, "Not that it wasn't a really perfect way of handling things today to spend that ten really…incredible…minutes in the library…" he was blushing…a lot…, "…a-and then to have you come back here and race inside just at four while I climbed your tree to get in here secretly so that we could f-finish up…but I think I shouldn't sneak into your room much anymore—it's okay getting down to the ground thanks to that rope you made but climbing that tree and tumbling in here aren't as easy as they look…and also to be honest your dad terrifies me a little!" He grabbed and tied the bed sheet rope around his body now and tossed the other end to Helga so she could lower him out of the window.

Climbing onto the bed along with him and taking the end of the makeshift rope firmly in her hands now, Helga just sighed in understanding (and with some tiny degree of blushing as well…after all this really had been…_some_ afternoon they'd had together…). "I-I know, I know, Arnold…but don't worry I think I just fixed the second of those problems you mentioned (at least for a little while) and I'm working on the first one. Besides…" Arnold had been getting ready to crawl over to her window and climb over…when suddenly though Helga stopped him in this endeavor by diving on the bed and throwing him down on his back and kissing him once passionately upon the lips. She broke away after several seconds, breathing heavily, a happy smile on her face. "Besides," she went on as she did her best to catch her breath, "It's just so much fun to watch you go from being Mr. Responsible trying to get your work done to tossing me on the floor in the back of the non-fiction section and all but kissing my lips off all because I admitted that sometimes way back when I'd go to the library and just drink in the sight of you for hours…" Her eyes brimmed with love and warmth as they gazed down at him now.

Arnold, still on his back and still under her, just took a few more heavy breaths as he admired her with his own loving gaze…and then finally managed to sit up a little, realizing that he really couldn't let anything ELSE happen up here under these conditions with them…after such a close call just now with her dad. "Well," he just replied back warmly and humorously as she eased up her hold on him a bit, allowing him to sit up just a little more, "…the fact that you started giving me a surprise shoulder massage that made me drop my book on the floor and then how you started trying to make out with the back of my neck didn't help things much, Helga…" He chuckled a little and now the two of them were just sitting side by side on her bed, just smiling in love to one another. "Anyway…" he went on, his responsible nature coming to the forefront once more in his life, "Not that I wouldn't like to stay up here with you adding some more fun memories to our 'incredible' day together…but remember your Dad's downstairs, Helga…and I think he's kind of suspicious at this point that something's up with you…"

Helga, still grinning warmly, just let out a sigh and then had to nod in agreement with him. She shifted a little away from the open window now to give her love room to climb up and over the sill as she took up her end of the bed sheet rope once more. "Okay, my love, I'll cut you a break for now…" she spoke in that light airy voice he had been coming to know and love so well.

Arnold just smiled all goofy and nodded back as he crawled close to the sill and then got his legs and lower body out of the window, and for a moment let the weight of his feet rest upon the limb of her tree as he had his final parting moment with her. "Thank you, my Helga…" He let out a perfectly content sigh as he looked up at her.

Helga just smiled more and leaned out of her window down a bit closer to him, looking so very pretty in his opinion. "Hmm…hey, you remember the last time I was leaning out of this window looking down at you standing on that branch?" she asked with a coy little smirk.

Arnold let out another sigh (this one a bit shuddery)…a slight blush crept into his face. He gave a little nod. "Uh huh…it was during our one week anniversary…and I was worried about liking kissing you too much or something..." He chuckled a little at the memory.

"Mmm hmm…" she replied dreamily, leaning out just a bit more, "And I proved to you once and for all, just like I told my Dad just now, that I was more than capable of handling myself with you…"

He leaned up just a bit more using the sill for balance and leverage, lost in her eyes... "Y-Yeah, I remember…you grabbed me and pulled me close and kissed me…hard…" He gulped in blushing reminisces…and anticipation.

She let out a sigh, locked into those green pools she had always so adored…and the little set of lips just below them. "Hmm…sounds like a plan…"

_KNOCK KNOCK_

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Hey, Helga, your Mom also wanted me to ask you if you'd like chicken or meatloaf for dinner…."

"UH…uh…chicken's good, Bob! Thanks!"

Big Bob Pataki (once more popping into his daughter's room barely announced today) had to pause and eye his daughter once again this afternoon. She was sitting on her bed, right in front of her window this time though as opposed to the last time when she had been on the edge of the bed…and her eyes were completely wide and she seemed to be catching her breath…and her arms were distinctly behind her back…and she was definitely…blushing…and a lot, actually.

Bob continued to stare at her…and then he glanced over to her closet again…and then glanced back to his daughter…while Helga's just heart pounded in fear!

"Okay…well…I'll…call her and let her know..." her father finally said hesitantly, and then he reached out and went to lightly shut the bedroom door behind him again as he stepped out into the hall…but paused once more before exiting entirely. "Are you _sure_ you're okay, Helga?"

Helga just smiled as best she could, feeling herself starting to calm down a little bit now that a few seconds had passed to let her process this intrusion once more. "Uh…of course, Bob, heh, heh…" She rolled her eyes. "You know, just, uh…you surprised me again." She let out a breath and explained 'casually', "I laid down and was actually starting to fall asleep and then 'knock knock' you're back! Nearly jumped out of my skin! Crimeny, like I said before, can you be more like Miriam and wait for me to say 'come in' before you walk in here?" She shrugged and grinned.

Bob seemed to consider her words carefully at first, a slightly scrutinizing look upon his face…but then he just let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Uh, sure, Helga…Sorry about that. Well, I'll let your mother know about dinner…Have a good nap."

"Uh, thanks Dad!" she replied cheerily.

He paused once more though before finally leaving her, the door half closed. "And you're _sure_ you're okay?"

Helga just smiled at him reassuringly. "Heh, Dad, come on—if no one takes advantage of a Pataki then no one lies to one, right? I'm better than ever!" She grinned brightly.

Bob smiled brightly back at her. "Heh, that's right…" He chuckled to himself. "Well, I'll leave you alone then, Helga…and I promise I'll wait for you to tell me to 'come in' the next time I knock." And with that and a nod he left the room, the door closing fully behind him.

* * *

Left to her own devices once again, Helga instantly regripped the bed sheet rope she had been sitting on and hiding behind her back and then whipped around and looked anxiously out of her window to see Arnold just clinging desperately to both her sill and to part of the rope and barely balancing on the tree limb upon which he had been standing (the surprise of Big Bob Pataki's sudden return obviously having thrown off his balance a little). "Helga!" he whispered up to her a bit desperately. "Help!"

Helga let out a breath of total relief, just happy that he hadn't fallen or been hurt in his shock at the surprise reentrance of her father. "Sorry, Football Head. My dad came back. Here…" she whispered down as she did her best to help him get a full grip back on the rope and then slowly and cautiously began to lower him down to her yard. "And don't worry," she called out in a louder whisper as he descended, "I'll find a better way of getting you in and out of here every once in a while. I promise!" She winked down at him.

"Thanks, Helga!" Arnold whispered back up to her with a grateful smile as he finally reached the ground "See you later!" He waved to her with a dreamy smile.

Helga waved back, smiling dreamily as well, and then just watched in amusement as he untangled the bed sheet from around himself so she could pull it in, and then snuck over to her fence, climbed over it using her Dad's barbecue to reach the top, and then slipped away to the sidewalk, totally home free.

Losing sight of him now Helga just pulled the rope in and then recoiled it and tossed it behind her headboard once more.

Then she took in a nice big deep breath and allowed herself to collapse back upon her bed. "Hmm…" she almost laughed to herself after a few moments, "_Told_ Bob I wasn't like Olga—letting how I feel about Arnold cloud by better judgment—yeah right! Of course stashing him under the bed just before Bob opened the door would be _a lot_ less suspicious than tossing him closet! And on top of that Bob's got that bad back—no way he wants to stoop that low to look under the bed. Yes, all of that plus the pre-made rope…and then us being so used to scrambling and hiding things anyway…" She let out a happy sigh and then almost squealed. "And I thought being with Arnold was dulling my sneaking around skills…instead they're better than ever!" She giggled to herself at this latest incident…and at the memory of the library (which also brought a blush to her features, naturally)…and couldn't help but swoon girlishly as she admitted to herself in an ecstatic whisper for about the millionth time over the last few weeks. "I love being Arnold's girlfriend!"

* * *

_About five minutes later…_

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Big Bob Pataki opened the front door of his house…only to glance down and see a smiling Arnold Shortman with his arms behind his back standing upon his stoop…strangely without his usual sweater.

"Um…hi, Mr. Pataki. How are you?" the young boy asked as casually as he could, running one of his hands through his hair (for good measure with fixing it up and making it look like a 'certain someone's' hand _hadn't_ been tangled in it recently for a good half an hour, little did Bob know).

Bob blinked in a little surprise at first but then smiled at the young boy before him. "Oh, uh…hi, Arnold. Fine, fine…Something I can do for you?"

Arnold cleared his throat and shrugged. "Oh well…actually I was just wondering if I could see Helga for just a second. I…um…I think she accidentally grabbed something of mine when we were leaving the library before and I just wanted to get it back from her…if that's okay." He smiled up hopefully.

"Oh…" Bob opened the door a little wider and nodded with his own smile, "Uh, sure. She's right upstairs. You know where, heh…"

Arnold smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Mr. Pataki. I'll just be a second." And with that he raced up the stairs to the room he really did know so well…

* * *

"_Helga G. Pataki_…" Arnold Philip Shortman couldn't help but lightly say in a singsong voice before popping his smiling head into Helga's room with a quick knock.

Helga, still just lying on her bed and relaxing from the excitement of her love's narrow escape from her room, practically jumped out of her skin at his sudden reentrance by her door! "Arnold?" She sat up and turned around to him in surprise, and then instantly stood up and ran over to him, pulling him completely into the room and pushing shut the door behind them.

Now lying against her door and breathing just a little heavily, Helga looked to her beloved once more. "Crimeny, Arnold, don't scare me like that!" she couldn't help but scolding a little. But…then she smiled…and giggled…and coyly stepped away from he door and toward him. "Now what are you doing back here, you little angel turned devil?" She touched the tip of her finger to his nose.

Arnold blushed deeply and glanced down shyly…though there was something mischievous in that smile of his which remained on his face. "Well…I started to walk home once I got to the sidewalk, Helga, but then I realized I felt chillier than usual…and then I realized I forgot my sweater under your bed…and I just figured that coming back to get it would be the perfect excuse to get a chance to say a real goodbye to you…You know, one where I _wasn't_ half falling out of a window." He chuckled a little, feeling his heart do little flutters at just being in the same room with her again. He had no idea what was going on with himself today but…even though it was a little overwhelming he sort of liked it…a lot. It was like he had suddenly found himself in a long-term episode of that darker side of himself, and it was an interesting state of being to explore… '_Especially with a great girl who wants to explore it with you_…' he had to add to himself with a deepening blush.

Helga, meanwhile, just crossed her arms over her chest at his reply and smirked at him. "You are just a little addict, aren't you?" She giggled and just shook her head in amusement. "Crimeny I love when you get like this, Football Head—and it's rare that I get you in this long of a groove. I can definitely guarantee you plenty more shoulder massages and neck kisses in your future if it's gonna result in you like this." She winked and blushed even more

"Hey…" Still blushing and smiling like crazy, he shrugged, "There's always a _chance_ that right now I'm back in control of myself again and might have just come back to say a nice, sweet, normal ten-year-old goodbye to you with maybe a small kiss on the back of your hand or something…" He reached out a took her hand, slowly lifting it up, and then gave it a deep little kiss.

Helga just giggled more as he did so. "Yeah…" she rolled her eyes to the side, "…OR you came back to play 'caress Helga's lower lip with your own perfect lips' again…"

Helga watched with amusement as Arnold's eyes instantly went wide and his entire body froze at this blunt observation of hers. His jaw dropped and his hand still holding up her own released it, his arm dropping limply to his side.

She just giggled again and looked at him with a little smirk. "Uh, Arnold? You who? It, uh…it was kind of obvious when you did that…especially since it was _my_ lip you were doing it to…." She leaned just a little closer to him, her smile growing just a bit smugger. "The pouting finally got to you, didn't it…?"

Helga watched as Arnold's eyes went just a tiny bit wider for a second if that was even possible…but then his face just melted into an amused smile…then the blush overtook him and he seemed more than fine with going along for the ride. He let out a happy sigh and spoke warmly to her again. "Everything you do to me really is just part of some grand plan to drive me nuts, isn't it?" He couldn't help but be reminded of his grandparents just a little…It all made him feel so warm and good inside.

Helga just glanced to the side coyly. "_Maybe_…"

Arnold chuckled, leaning closer to her now. "And it always works…"

Her smile picked up on one side and she winked at him. "_Definitely_."

The two kids just gazed at each other lovingly for a few seconds more…and then suddenly burst into warm chuckles, all the memories of driving each other a little nuts and still liking each other anyway over the years washing over them.

"Hey, Football Head?" Helga said after a little bit, coming out of some chuckled for a moment. "You maybe wanna stick around and watch a movie or something before dinnertime? You really do crack me up you know." She giggled a little more.

Arnold nodded, letting his laughter likewise subside a little so that he could reply to her. "I'd like that, Helga. Not that what we've been doing up here…a-and in the library before…hasn't been…incredible, like we said…" He smiled more at the small blush that crept into her face…and at the deeper blush that he felt creep into his own… "But I think maybe just spending some time enjoying being near each other's company would be nice too. No homework, no losing it a little...just having fun and enjoying a movie together…"

Helga scoffed at his words good-naturedly and replied without missing a beat, "Yeah, well trying selling that story to our first date, Football Head. You know as well as I do that a movie and the two of us on my couch can turn into something, and pretty quickly." She winked.

Arnold blushed more and sighed and rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Helga, whatever happened to that promise you made to me last month when I was still so very worried about getting carried away with you about at least _trying_ keeping me in check?"

Helga just shrugged and gave him a half grin. "Eh, I realized that if I abandoned that plan I'd get days like today out of you."

He gave her a look and a smirk, but then just sighed and chuckled to himself. "Well, I guess I can't complain then…since I kind of like days like this a lot myself…" He blushed extra once more but then swallowed and quickly went on with a shrug and a smile, "A-Anyway, before we head downstairs, can I have my sweater back, Helga? That way when I see your Dad down there he'll know that I really did have a real reason for coming up here…" His grin picked up a little on one side. "Unless you already turned my sweater into part of another new Arnold shrine?"

Helga just scoffed and chuckled. "You're a pistol, Arnold." She then walked across the room, snagged Arnold's sweater from under her bed and tossed it back to her beloved. "Now come on…" She walked back across her room to her door, opened it wide and then gestured to him to go first. "Let's get to that movie! And it's your turn to go first this time, Mr. Chivalry."

Arnold nodded and thanked her and did so, and she followed suite.

* * *

"Helga?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"Are…Are you sure your it's okay for us to be sitting like this…you know, with your Dad in the house?" Arnold swallowed. Not that he exactly wanted Helga to stop laying most of her body in his lap while he sat on the couch with her as they watched Evil Twin II but…Big Bob Pataki seemed okay only with Arnold being 'Helga's special friend'…and Arnold had a pretty good feeling that the beeper king wouldn't take it well if he caught Helga cuddling her body against him on a couch like this in a _much_ more than friendly way.

Helga, meanwhile, in response to this question, just let out a content sigh, not even bothering to glance up at her boyfriend. "Oh relax, Football Head. He's out in the garage working on some stuff…Besides…" She snuggled a little more against him and let out a small chuckle, "I'm really starting to like this whole 'lying in your lap' thing. It grows on a girl, you know?"

Arnold felt himself blush and just let out a sigh, now finally giving in to the small desire he'd had for about twenty minutes now to play with one of her pigtails a little again just like he had done the first time she had lain like this upon him. "Okay, Helga." He nodded with a smile, taking up the blonde strands gently in his fingers. "But I think we should just keep it at this…just in case, alright?"

He felt her shrug. "If you insist, Arnoldo…"

He smiled contentedly…until he had to raise an eyebrow as Helga suddenly pushed against his legs and shifted up, looking into his eyes with a grin and her own eyes just a little narrowed. "Or rather, if you can _resist_…considering how you've been today…" She specifically pouted just slightly…and then winked and giggled and then shyly went back to her former position of resting herself against his lap while watching the movie, leaving any further move for him to make…and leaving him to return to playing with her hair (a feeling which she LOVED.)

She heard Arnold just let out a sigh again from above her. "Very funny, Helga…" he said in an amused voice.

She laughed a little. "Hey, I just work with what you give me…Crimeny, you're a sucker for me, Football Head!"

Arnold's smile picked up on one side and he now indeed went back to twirling a piece of one of her pigtails around one or two of his fingers. "Yeah, but…I got it all out of my system back at the library and then up in your room. So now we really can just enjoy a nice quiet movie together."

"You got it, my love."

The movie continued.

"Oh but…" Arnold suddenly interjected casually, grinning just a little more to himself, "If you get scared at all or think you're going to yelp again like that one time at the movie theatre, then please feel free to hold my hand, Helga…or just _me_ if it makes you feel more comfortable…"

Helga just giggled more. "Eh, it's easier for me to squeeze your knee considering how I'm currently laying, Football Head…" And then she did move her hand up and place it on one of his knees…

Arnold instantly felt himself blush furiously…and felt his eyes fall uncontrollably to Helga's knees just at the hem of her dress…the one he had squeezed once or twice in their lives in particular… "Helga…" he just said shyly, doing his best to pull his eyes away and back to the TV screen.

She just giggled once more. "Hey, once again, you started it, Arnold…Remember that knee squeeze in your room when you egged me into poetry tutoring everyone? And anyway do NOT give me that Mr. Modest act after this afternoon…" She shifted a little bit in his lap to look up at him with a blush and a loving smirk as she announced proudly, "You mauled me in a library, Arnold, so me putting a hand on your knee should be the least awkward act you participate in today!"

Arnold just did his best not to let his pounding heart completely flood his body with heat at her way of putting his most recent snap. "Uh…" he went for his default, "Wh-Whatever you say, Helga…"

"Actions speak louder than words head boy…"

Before Arnold could question this random statement, Helga just turned back to the movie and snuggled deep inside of his lap…letting her one hand rest permanently upon his knee now, gently swirling a fingertip or two over his jeans over the knee cap. "You know, Arnold," she began, the flirtatiousness dropping from her tone and her normal, nice way of speaking around him returning, "I want to respect your feelings about everything in life…but I've gotta say…going back to how that library thing today started in the first place…I still don't get how you can let something like me being a few inches taller than you get you down about yourself as a boyfriend _at all_. I mean, sure every guy you know probably could have reached that shelf back in the library all on their own, but…how many guys do you know who could make an apple fall from Mighty Pete right into someone's hands just by hitting the tree with all of their strength…or who could…make a girl feel like everything inside of her's just come undone in love just by using only their lips?" She sighed girlishly. "I'll nab a thousand books for you from the fourth shelf if you keep sending feelings like that through me, my love…"

Arnold, his fingers buried extra deeply into her hair and pigtail now, just let out a deep, happy breath. "Thanks, Helga…" And then he chuckled. "Is that why it felt like you were limp for a while when we were on that floor? Because I made you…feel like everything inside of you came undone?"

"Mmm hmm…" she nodded, "I just got a little too overwhelmed by a patented Arnold kiss. And F-Y-I, I was loving every minute of it…" She snuggled more into him again. "A-And Arnold…" she added with a tiny shudder, "Please keep playing with my hair…I _love_ that feeling…" A little giggle finished her request.

Arnold nodded and twirled the fingers of his hand more and more into her long, golden locks. "Sure thing, Helga…I love the feeling too…"

Another scene of the movie came and went.

"So…Helga Geraldine Pataki-Shortman…" Helga mulled aloud then. "Hmm…yes, I'm definitely okay with that, Arnold. A wonderful compromise, my darling...And to tell you the truth even though I really was gung ho about the idea of _you_ taking _my_ name instead of _me_ taking _yours_…a little part of me always has wanted your name to be a part of mine, all gender bias and gender equality aside…"

Arnold just gulped at this topic (now recalling that he had indeed confessed his thoughts about their last names as adults out loud to her in the middle of all that library stuff)…He replied to her in a shy voice. "I, um…I'm happy, Helga…th-that you like it…I-I've been, um…thinking about it for a little while…" He even _played with her hair_ shyly at this point.

"Hmm…Good to know…" she just replied back sweetly…nuzzling into him a little more, massaging his knee a tiny bit with her hand. "Oh and, um, just so you're aware, basically every inch of my notebook paper for school is probably going to end up with 'Pataki-Shortman' doodled in hearts in purple ink all over the place…and pretty quickly."

Arnold's smile grew a tiny bit…and the tiniest chuckle escaped him (though luckily Helga didn't question it.) '_I already have you beat by almost one full notebook, Helga…'_ he couldn't help but think to himself…recalling the margins of the notebook he liked to use to try and write his next poem about her.

And Helga was just savoring over and over in her mind… '_Pataki-Shortman, Pataki-Shortman…Helga Geraldine Pataki-Shortman…Arnold Phillip Pataki-Shortman…Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Pataki-Shortman…Mrs. and Mr. HELGA Pataki-Shortman_…' She gave a little quiet chuckle too.

Arnold smiled, and Helga smiled, their eyes remaining upon the screen but their thoughts remaining upon each other.

The film went on.

* * *

Sometime later (after the kids had fallen asleep together like this watching their movie)…Arnold's eyes fluttered open a little and he yawned…Something had disturbed his slumber enough to wake him and he realized, blinking a couple of times and looking forward, that the movie had ended and now there was just a soft sounding static coming from the TV. Smiling and fully recalling where he was and the circumstances of his being there he glanced down and saw with a little extra beat of his heart that Helga's head was still snuggled into his lap, her eyes pleasantly closed in blissful sleep. So pretty when she slept…especially near him…Arnold sighed dreamily…but then other things besides Helga started to process with his senses and the first thing he noticed, with a blink, was how strangely dark it was in the living room now. He glanced over to wall clock and just barely made out the time by the dim glow of the staticy TV…and his eyes went wide. Nearly 6pm! It was almost dinnertime and he hadn't been home yet and his grandparents didn't even know where he was!

Taking a breath and being as gentle as possible, Arnold slowly shifted himself out from under Helga. He noticed bit of a fretful look come to her features at his action (much like that time several weeks ago when he had carried her to her door and had transferred her, after she had passed out from one of his kisses, from his arms to her mother's), and it made a touch of concern come to his eyes. The young boy glanced around for a moment, considered, and then the smile returned to his face as he got an idea. He grabbed a throw pillow from one end of the couch and managed to lift Helga's head a little and shift the pillow underneath it. He then took a step back and observed her to see if that was any better.

As Arnold watched, Helga's sleeping form snuggled into the pillow a little and a degree more comfort seemed to come over her…but still the tiniest bit of a frown remained… "Arnold…" she whispered out in some form of dream…

Arnold let out a sigh…He knew he had to go but he hated leaving her looking…so very slightly disappointed and all because he was no longer there for her to sleep on. There had to be something he could…And then his eyes lit up as they lit upon something draped over the back of the couch…something that he had forgotten to put back on after being up in Helga's room actually.

Not ten seconds later, Helga was smiling in her sleep…as Arnold had laid his sweater over her back, covering her cozily with it. "Oh Arnold…I do…I do…" she whispered with a giggle in her slumber…

He sighed and smiled goofily. Dreaming about their wedding again…It was so adorable that she dreamt about it so very often… "I do too, Helga…forever and ever…" he whispered back with a smile…and then he sighed again and for his last moment there just admired his handiwork in terms of covering Helga. _'Oh well…she was bound to get a sweater from me sooner or later…_' He almost chuckled to himself. '_And to be honest I…was kind of ready to give her one at this point, anyway…She's so cute wearing my clothes…_' he couldn't help but think shyly. And in particular her all cuddled in and cozy like that with his sweater over her…this little piece of him protecting her…Not only did it obviously make her happy about continuing her nap but it made HIM happy about knowing she would truly be comfortable when he left her. He let out a breath in the semi-darkness… and leaned a little close to her… "Goodnight, my beloved Helga…" he whispered with a smile…and then he puckered his lips and prepared to lean in to give her soft cheek a parting little…

"Hey, uh…Alfr—uh, Arnold…"

Arnold instantly froze at the sound of that familiar voice…Then blushed hotly and straightened up. And his eyes fell upon Big Bob Pataki, standing in the doorway leading to the hall.

Arnold took in a sharp breath in, and then just crossed his fingers behind his back that the very VERY large, very VERY short tempered man before him had not just seen and put two and two together about what Arnold had just been doing…leaning in…to lay a gentle kiss upon his sleeping daughter's gentle cheek.

Arnold swallowed and then smiled a little sheepishly, and was about to open his mouth with the most innocent greeting he could come up with (all the while trying not to think of phrases like 'your strong arms'… 'something wild and passionate inside of you'… 'caress Helga's lower lip with your own soft perfect lips'… and of course 'hey, you MAULED me in a library, Football Head…')…But then a little slumbering sigh from the girl before him caught his ears, and he instantly recalled Helga's sleeping form. So instead for now he just looked to Big Bob Pataki and brought a finger to his lips, making a small shushing sound.

Arnold watched as Bob blinked at the action at first until he gestured to the couch and Bob leaned up and over, just making out the edge of Helga's sleeping form there. Understanding now, he nodded, and waited for Arnold to lightly side step away from Helga and then around the couch and toward the room's exit. Bob then turned and headed back in the direction of the kitchen…and then much to Arnold's terror beckoned him with a hand wave to follow.

Arnold took a deep breath. '_Okay, okay…relax, he didn't catch us doing anything…Probably just wants to talk about some more sports stuff or something…And you like that…_' Still though Arnold gulped as he shuffled off to some alone time with Helga's father. '_But then…why do I have such a bad feeling about this…_?' He took a deep breath and secretly wished, even though he didn't want to disturb his love, that she would wake up and join them in the kitchen or make a good excuse to put off her father so that Arnold could just leave this house now instead of having to…go where he was going…with whom he was going with…

The hall had been crossed and now Arnold took his first steps upon the kitchen linoleum.

"Hey, uh…Arnold…" Big Bob, who had been leaning over as he rummaged in the fridge for something, stood up and turned his head to Arnold…with a smile. "Oh, uh, thanks for letting me know the gir—uh, Helga was still asleep….I just figured that when you woke up she would have woken up too but…I guess she was just tired out."

Arnold…having decided to play this whole meeting very VERY much by ear and very very VERY close to the vest…just nodded a little, not taking any further steps into the kitchen. "Um…yeah…she…she's a deep sleeper…" He instantly blinked and then quickly added with a gulp (suddenly realizing that he had just unintentionally admitted the number of times he might have been close and cozy with a sleeping or at least nearly sleeping Helga)… "Uh, I know that because…she's mentioned that to me a couple of times…" He let out a breath and went on, trying really really hard not to let himself get really really nervous lest he have any more slip-ups like that one. '_Remember, Helga still wants to keep us a secret from her Dad, and I have to respect that…_' "Uh, a-anyway…" he went on, "I-I guess when the movie stopped just now it woke _me_ up but she was still asleep, so I just slipped out from und—I, I mean…" he barely caught himself, "I, uh…" He swallowed hard, feeling a touch of heat building in his features and…unsure of what to say or do next now that he had backed himself into such a corner (and not thirty seconds into this chat with Big Bob)… And so he just stood there, his hands clasped together in front of himself and his eyes only just barely glancing up at the older man across the room, his mouth unable to find words to go on with.

Arnold's ears were just met with a sigh after another second or two of this awkwardness…and then Bob finally stood up straight from the fridge (two Yahoo soda bottles in his hands), and brought all of his gaze and attention entirely to Arnold. "You, uh …slipped out from, uh…under her…" he supplied…and then gave Arnold a really unreadable look.

The rosiness built in Arnold's cheeks. The young boy let out a breath he felt like he had been holding in forever…and just…at least just tried to be calm. He gave a small, shaky nod. "Y-Yeah. She, um…while we were watching the movie she was resting her head in my lap and I guess she fell asleep like that…And I slipped out from…under her just now…" He took in another breath, and found it in himself to add, still managing to hold his own a little, "And I put a pillow under her head, and um…she should be warm too because I covered her with my sweater…" The little blonde boy waited for whatever response there would be, still just barely looking up at Mr. Pataki as he did his best to maintain eye contact and not seem like he was just a little plain terrified.

There was no yelling though, no kicking him out, no chasing after him and threatening to 'wring his neck' or something… Bob just nodded a little at his words…and then he seemed to let out a small sigh. "Okay…" He pushed the fridge door shut. "Hey, uh…Arnold…" Arnold had just been inching his way back to the hallway a little (hoping to see if he could get out of this by just wishing Mr. Pataki a fond farewell now quickly and bailing)…but now he paused at being addressed again. "Uh…if you have a minute…" Bob's voice went on and Arnold was all ears, "…sit down, would ya? Have a soda…" The older man smiled a little and went over to the kitchen table and placed down the two drinks in his hands…

Arnold felt everything in side of him lock up (but not in that good Helga G. Pataki way, to say the least)…He felt panicked, plain and simple, and just wanted to run—all of this was so sudden and so unexpected and so unplanned for after all! But…what could he do? After all, technically he was just being asked to have a soda…He didn't want to be rude. And a small part of him at the back of his mind also had to admit, '_And maybe, um…m-maybe this has been a…a little while in coming…_' After all Arnold _had_ been kissing and caressing and courting Big Bob's younger daughter for over three weeks now and kind of under his nose since Helga really wasn't too keen on the idea of explaining to her father (whom she was still getting used to having a good relationship with and who could be a little 'protective' of his girls at times, according to Helga) that she was not just 'hanging around' with Arnold the Football Head on occasion, but actively dating him, sneaking into his room, tossing him down on beds and getting tossed on beds, kissing, hugging, moaning, snuggling, hearts racing, together forever…He felt his head spinning and his face blushing and somehow, coming more back to reality, he realized that his legs had managed to guide him to the kitchen table and get him seated in the chair opposite to Big Bob. He reached out and opened and took a sip of cold soda to calm his nerves. He let out a breath.

"So, um…" Bob then started just a little uncomfortably, taking a sip of his own soda…and Arnold immediately knew that this was going to be the most awkward talk of his life. Ever. "How about those Hillwood Sox this year…Heh, look like they might even make it into the series…"

Arnold nodded. "Uh, yeah…they're doing pretty good…" He actually even managed to smile a little. "Me and my friend Gerald actually went to a game the other week…It was fun. Heh…"

Bob smiled back. "Oh. Good…"

Arnold swallowed and added shyly. "O-Oh and, um, speaking of baseball…th-thanks for that dangerous lumber tip last month, Mr. Pataki…I've been trying it and it's really been helping."

Bob nodded. "Uh, you're welcome and, uh, glad to hear it."

The boy and the older man just sat drinking their sodas in silence for a few seconds.

And then finally Arnold cleared his throat, instantly realizing that he did not have the stamina for small talk or beating around the bush and really just wanting to get this over with…whatever _this_ would entail… And so… "Um…Mr. Pataki…" Arnold began, just wishing that the blushing he could feel going on in his face would stop…though he knew, with the topic being Helga, that wasn't very likely. He brought his soda bottle to his lips again.

"Uh…" Bob swallowed the sip he was in the middle of taking and cleared his throat. "Just…just call me Bob or Big Bob, Arnold, okay?"

Arnold almost choked on the drink in his mouth and actually had to cough several times to clear his throat but them finally managed to regain himself. "O-Okay…" he squeaked out at first…and then cleared his throat and resumed a deeper tone, "I-I mean, okay, um…Big, um…Bob…heh…" He took an innocent sip of his soda and swung his legs a little.

Bob smiled a little more, almost laughed actually at the young boy's reaction. "Heh, good…." He drank some more. "So you…you're Helga's age, right, Arnold…ten?"

Arnold nodded, just playing with his soda can a little. "Yeah, we've…we've always been in the same class, actually." He managed to nervously smile a little again at Helga's Father.

Bob smiled again back. "Good, good…" He let out a sigh.

A few more seconds passed and then Arnold managed to psyche himself up and resume taking the plunge now that the 'name' thing was out the way. "Um…so…Mr. Pata—uh, Big Bob…" It still sounded so funny to Arnold to say but he figured he'd get used to it, "Um, did you have something you needed to ask me?" He swallowed but did his best to keep his breaths level and even "…S-Something about me and, um, Helga, maybe?" Arnold couldn't help letting the advice giving side of himself take over for a moment with this prompt, but after all Bob obviously had something to say and he obviously just needed it pointed out to him…even if it WOULD lead to humiliation for Arnold.

Tension. Silence and tension in the kitchen.

And then Bob just let out a deep sigh and pushed his soda bottle a little away. "You're Helga's boyfriend or something, aren't you, Arnold?" he just asked simply.

Arnold blushed fully and couldn't help a cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck… (Instantly the memory came over him of how good Helga's lovely breath felt on the back of his neck but he quickly just did his best to plunge that thought deep inside of himself until later and to get back to just not passing out right now). "Um…well, that's…um…We're, uh…I'm not sure if that's the best way to…I mean…" He stuttered and stumbled in his reply oh so very badly.

"Kid…" Arnold stopped at the address and looked with panic right to Bob Pataki…and Bob just gave him a blank look with small, wry little smile, and said simply, "I may be a little selfish and insensitive to things sometimes but I already raised one preteen daughter and also I wasn't born yesterday…Now, you're Helga's boyfriend…right?" This time the question was asked with a touch more firmness…and an obviously implied expectation of a straight answer.

Arnold swallowed, took a breath…and then just did his best to say his honest feelings on this whole matter and this whole conversation in general. "Um…Big Bob…to be honest…Helga's very, um…she's really guarded about a lot of her feelings with people and I try to respect that so, um…I don't think I'd be comfortable speaking for _her_ in all of this… I think she should tell you her own feelings when she's ready." He looked at Bob sincerely.

Bob looked at him with an eyebrow raised for a moment but then considered and finally nodded. "Okay…That's fair. When she's ready to tell me how she feels she will…I can respect that and wait, I guess…" He glanced down and to the side a little with a small frown. "We haven't exactly had the best relationship after all…"

"So I've heard…" Arnold couldn't help it coming out of his mouth in a flat voice as he took another sip of soda, a sort of defensive look coming to his eyes…Yes, he had certainly heard some 'stories' to say the least about a few of the things Helga's parents had put her through over the years and even though things were good between them now and he was more than willing to support Helga's fresh start with them…it didn't stop him from reflecting back every now and then…and getting just a little angry. Hurting her like that…neglecting her…rejecting her…The most special girl in the whole world! His love. Someone he would do anything to keep safe and happy and to love forever and ever. (And at the same time though maybe…maybe some of that anger was also directed at a touch of guilt he couldn't help but feeling himself for likewise not getting a chance to really be there for Helga fully until now in their lives…But anyway back to Arnold and Bob and the two of them chatting in the kitchen).

At Arnold's sudden blunt comment, meanwhile, Bob blinked a few times and a scowl initially came to his face…but then it faded a little and he just shrugged and sighed in a touch of defeat. "Yeah, okay…that's fair, Arnold. I know—I barely deserve any chance she's giving me now…And I remember with Olga—boys is a just very big thing in general. So Helga probably won't admit anything about that to me until she completely trusts me…" He sighed once more, and then his gaze turned to Arnold again. "But...even if you can't speak for _her_ feelings…as her father I'd like to know…how do _you_ feel about her, Arnold? Do you consider her your girlfriend?" Once again a question that was spoken softly and yet with a touch of command, showing that he was trying to be nice but still he obviously expected and answer.

Arnold let out a breath…a very very very very very deep breath…

Yeah, here it was: the big question.

And, as always, our football headed hero told the truth. (Because…passively just not bringing up his and Helga's relationship to her Dad was one thing and something he was willing to respect and participate in for Helga's sake…But he was not going to lie to a direct question from her father…and it seemed kind of pointless anyway since he obviously knew the truth and was now just waiting for a confirmation and some details).

"Yes," Arnold answered point blank with a nod, his tone level and steady as he said what he needed to say, "I consider her my girlfriend…and a…special…and lovely person and, um…girl…She makes me happy and I do everything I can to make her happy…I think I'd spend everyday of my whole life with her if I could to be honest…" He smiled a little and then just said…_it_. "I'm in love with her, Big Bob. We're only ten-years-old…but I'm completely in love with her. And I've been, um, working out those feelings with her for a few weeks now." And with these words the young boy crossed his arms over his chest and finally finished with the last push of his courage. "And, um, I'd appreciate it, if you're going to hit me or something now, if you could kind of just get it over with quickly…Oh and if you're going to yell could we do it outside or in the garage because Helga's still asleep…and I wouldn't disturb her for anything in the world…" He smiled just a little proudly to himself at having had it in him to say all of that…but, he had figured… '_If he's going to get angry or sock me for dating Helga, I might as well just get everything out in the open so it can happen once and we can just get it over with.'_

Arnold was just met with a silent and wide eyed overprotective father at first…but then…

A chuckle…another chuckle…laughter…?

Arnold just blinked a few times at the sight of Big Bob indeed laughing right now…really unsure of what to make of this…but really hoping it wasn't leading to Bob going temporarily insane and trying to kill him with that chainsaw Helga had mentioned there being out in the garage. He decided to be silent for now and just wait it out to see what would happen next.

Eventually Bob did get himself under control, and he just shook his head in amusement. "I…I'm sorry, Arnold…Didn't mean to laugh, it's just…" He took another swig of soda and gave the kid an impressed smile. "You've got a lot of moxy, haven't you, kid? A lot of guts…"

Arnold blinked once or twice more…but then smiled a tiny bit at the compliment and couldn't help himself. "Well, um… I…kind of _have_ to, Mr…um, I mean, Big Bob…Helga's a very independent girl. She doesn't put up with a lot of wishy-washy stuff…she never has…and I…respect that. A lot." He took another sip of his soda…and suddenly felt a lot more…well, just…better about this whole thing.

Another few chuckles escaped Bob and he took another swig of his own soda as well. "You know…it would be a heck of a lot easier for me to kick you out and tell you not to come near my little girl ever again if I didn't like you so much, Alf—uh, Arnold…"

Arnold had been kind of chuckling along with Big Bob a little…until this sentence processed and then the young boy's eyes flew open wide and it felt like his heart genuinely stopped for a moment. He instantly spoke (and rather seriously) without hesitation. "Mr. Pataki, I understand that you're Helga's Dad and I respect that but…even if you told me to stay away from her forever, as long as she still wanted me, I'll never leave her alone. Like I said, I love her."

Bob blinked at the boy's almost panicked sounding words and instantly held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, kid, I'm kidding! Relax!" He smiled warmly. "I know she's happy with you—otherwise she wouldn't be sneaking around trying to see you and inviting you over for dinner and napping wrapped in your shirt like I've accidentally caught her doing twice…" He raised an eyebrow, the smile going away for just a moment. "By the way I'd like an explanation for how she got your shirt off of your back in the first place…as her father, you know…"

Arnold blushed a lot. "U-Um…" he cleared his throat and just did his best to remind himself that at least Big Bob hadn't been serious about forbidding Helga from seeing him, "Oh, well, it…I-I mean I wasn't _wearing_ that, um, shirt when I gave it to her…" More blushing. Insane blushing, really, as he realized how what he had just said must have sounded. "I MEAN," he quickly explained further, "I was wearing _a_ shirt of course when I gave that one to her but just not _that particular_ one. She, um…well, we were helping my Grandma with some chores and Helga's kind of…always liked my clothes…which is kind of a long story…And so, um…I just gave her one of the extra clean shirts because I thought it would make her happy, and it, um…" he had to smile, the warm recollections of the incident outweighing his fluster for just a moment, "It…really, really did…" He let out a small happy sigh…but then of course quickly recalled whose presence he was in and blinked and cleared his throat before he could get too caught up in memories or daydreams and added quickly as an afterthought, "Oh, and, um…and the sweater I covered her with in the living room…when she wakes up can you let her know that that's for her too, Big Bob?" He looked at the older man sincerely.

Bob just kind of looked at Arnold in a bit of amazement and with a bit of intrigue for a moment…but then he nodded, his smile returning. "Uh, yeah…sure, Arnold…"

Arnold smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I appreciate it." He took another sip of his Yahoo.

There was another little period of silence between the two gentleman during which they just sat and drank the occasional mouthful of soda.

Then Bob was heard to let out a little sigh. "Hmm…" He was looking down at the table and his smile grew a little as he thought about whatever he was thinking about. "Sheesh, Olga didn't start getting jackets and stuff from guys until she was at least fifteen…" He chuckled a little to himself.

"Helga's not Olga, Mr. Pataki…" Arnold just stated a little causally…but also a little firmly (unable to help feeling a touch of that anger about the past between Helga and her family return to him). He did his best to keep things more on the casual side though as he went on. "She's…She's…I mean Olga's book smart and nice and impressive but Helga's…creative and bright and clever and brave and strong and loving and—" He realized the last adjective he had used and closed his mouth, recalling his conviction to not to speak for Helga's feelings to her father since he knew it really would be best for her to do that herself one day. "Well, um…you get the picture…Big Bob…" he finished and then went back to shyly sipping his drink.

He just heard the man before him give just another chuckle and then say simply, "She's got you hooked pretty deep, hasn't she, Arnold?"

Arnold, still not really glancing up from the bottle in his hands, just blushed more…shrugged a little…nodded… "L-Like I said, I…" he replied quietly, "I can't speak for her feelings but…yeah, she's got me…pretty hooked…"

"Hmm…" Big Bob said to himself as Arnold let out a breath and brought up his eyes again…The man before him seemed to be considering some things, a smile on his face though nonetheless. He took the final swing of his soda and put the now empty bottle down on the table. "Well…" he went on finally with a nod, "Okay then, Arnold. Like I said I'm not going to forbid you two from seeing each other or anything. You're happy together after all. I just wanted to get everything straight…" He blushed just a tiny bit. "I _am_ her father after all and she _is_ my daughter after all. And like you said she's special. I just…wanted us to talk." He smiled warmly at the boy across from him.

Arnold finished his own final sip of his Yahoo and then he let out a breath and nodded back…and smiled back, letting his own empty bottle rest upon the table. "Yeah…I was guessing we'd probably have to have a talk like this soon anyway. I mean…I feel like the truth about me and Helga has to be pretty obvious, at least to someone who knows how much time we've been spending together, no matter how low key we try and keep things." Arnold smiled more, feeling a lot calmer now that this talk seemed to be winding down…and it had actually gone…kind of well. _'Really well, actually_…' he couldn't help but think to himself, considering for a moment how potentially nightmarish it really could have been. He had actually liked it, come to think of it! "And, I'm, um…I'm kind of glad we talked actually," he added now thoughtfully, "…because I kind of…like you too, Mr…uh, Big Bob." Arnold glanced to the side and shrugged a tiny bit, the smallest bit of a frown coming to his face for a moment. "I mean, um…my Grandpa's great and everything but…I don't really have a lot of memories about what it's like to have a, um…a Dad…So like that that first night I had dinner over here with you and everyone when you and I were talking about baseball and stuff…and then this now talking with you…well, like I said, it's all…kind of nice for me."

There was just quiet between the two men.

Then Bob said something he should have said almost three months ago after saying something really stupid about the good young man before him. "I'm sorry I called you an orphan that one time, Arnold…It was completely out of line."

Arnold's eyes went a little wide…but then softened…and then he took a breath in and out and said back sincerely, "Apology accepted. Thank you, Big Bob."

More silence between the two men…and this time it was calm, pensive silence rather than a tense and anxious one.

"Hey, you know," Bob, smiling once more, spoke up again, and there was just a touch of hope and compassion in his voice, "If you…If you kind of like talking to me…and I kind of like talking to you…maybe you and me, or you and me and Helga could do something sometime together…" He shrugged a little sheepishly, his hands folded together on the table. "I-I mean, maybe it would even help her be more comfortable with telling me one day how she feels about you…and I could kind of bond with her more…and with you more…" He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck and with a chuckle added, "Besides, we probably should get used to being together, Arnold…The Pataki women are pretty stubborn so…if Helga's determined to keep you around and you're as smitten with her as you keep saying, I have a feeling we're gonna be dealing with each other for a long time."

A small chuckle escaped Arnold (who had been…smiling a lot as Bob had been speaking) as well now and he nodded. "I'd like that, Big Bob, and I think she would too…" Another chuckle and a shrug. "Well, actually she might be a little freaked out at first about you and her and me doing something together but I think she'd still be willing to go along with it. She's just…shy about certain parts of her life…" he blushed a tiny bit, looking down in pleasant thought, "…But she'll open up to you, Big Bob, if you just give her a little time and don't push her…and when she does, it's…" he had to just sigh, "…It's kind of amazing…"

Bob's smile warmed… _'Yup…hooked. No question.'_ "Okay. You sound like you know her better than I do. We'll just let her ease on into it all then…"

Arnold smiled more and let out a breath just as the kitchen clock started to chime. He glanced to it only to blink in surprise at the sight of the hour. "Oh, um…Big Bob," he turned back to Mr. Pataki, "…It's 6:30 and I…I haven't even called my grandparents since I got out of school. And dinner's already started. I think I should go…" He stood, pushing out his chair as he did so.

"Arnold…"

Arnold paused from further preparations to leave the kitchen at the…this time rather firm and almost stern sounding way in which his girlfriend's father had just addressed him. And then his eyes focused in on Big Bob's…now kind of scowling face. Arnold gulped a little. "Yes, Mr. Pata…Um, Big Bob…?"

The older man let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Before you go…since I AM her father after all…the curfew still stays strict, **no** sneaking out at night…, I'll knock when you two are up in her room but _no_ locking her door, I DON'T want to have to see much more touching than you with her head in your lap…I know I really can't control whatever might happen in private but…just for my sanity I'd like the public stuff around here to stay pretty mellow even though now I officially know what's going on with you two…And finally…about this 'lip gloss' I heard Olga and Miriam whispering about…" The scowl became a little stricter and Arnold, unbreathing, just went a fiery red. Bob sighed once more…and then just closed his eyes again and shook his head. "I don't even want to know…it'll just upset me and she's happy and I don't want to ruin that so I'm just going to pretend like I don't know about it. That being said…" his face softened a little now and he added sheepishly, "Arnold, I've, uh…missed out on a lot of big chunks of Helga's childhood…I know that's my own fault and I'm the one who has to deal with it but even so…if she starts growing up in hyper speed now I'll never get a chance to make up for a lot of it. So just…" his tone was mostly one of acceptance and worry with just a touch of fatherly desperation, "…Can the two of you just try and keep certain things going a little slowly…just so I can have her as my little girl for a little while longer?"

A still blushing like mad Arnold absorbed the sincere plea, and then blinked a few times and gulped and put his arms behind his back, smiling a little sheepishly. "Um…heh…s-sure, Mr. Pataki…We, heh…" a little shrug, "…we're just ten after all…All we really do is, I mean…w-well…and the lip gloss is just for…I-I mean…" Fire practically consumed his face.

"Uh, kid…?" Big Bob, with a kind of concerned look on his face, was standing and walking around the table. Reaching Arnold, he reached out a hand and put it on the young boy's shoulder. Arnold practically jumped at the touch and looked up at the older man in just a touch of fright. "Look…" Bob started sheepishly, "Like I said I don't need or really want any details…Just know that I know that something's going on that involves lip gloss and don't come by asking for her hand in marriage anytime soon…preferably not before she's thirty…or at least twenty or twenty-five or something, okay?" He shrugged.

A thoroughly blushing and near catatonic (but slowly getting just a little better) Arnold just nodded. "Uh…g-got it…N-No details necessary…Hold off on the proposal…Try to enjoy just being kids." He smiled sheepishly and yet with so much personal distress, just barely able to handle making eye contact with Big Bob.

"Okay then!" With a bright smile Bob gave him a firm pat on the back. "Well, now that that's finally out of the way you can go home and I'll tell Helga about the sweater for you, Arnold…and maybe next time you come by we'll all get ice cream or something together, huh?"

"Heh…" Arnold nodded again, his smile becoming a bit more relaxed and natural now finally, "Right, Mr. P—…Uh, Big Bob. I'd like that. And, um…thanks for the soda," he tacked on appreciatively and politely.

"No problem, kid…" Bob grinned at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

Letting out a VERY deep breath, Arnold sidestepped away from Big Bob, finally heading toward the kitchen exit with the hopes of actually making it there. He gave a little wave goodbye as he did so. "Well, um…bye, Bob! And say bye to Helga for me please!"

"Uh, Arnold?"

Arnold stopped once more at the sound of Big Bob Pataki addressing him on this afternoon…This time the older man's tone was a little unreadable though. "Yes, Big Bob?" Arnold asked back curiously.

Bob just sighed and rolled his eyes to the side. "Weren't you gonna…kiss her goodbye or something before I came in the room?"

Arnold's heart pounded a little in his chest. He cleared his throat. "Um…y-yes…" he just said back honestly in a little crack of a voice, having no capacity to try and deny it (and knowing any on the fly attempt of his at denial would be seen through before it even began). " I…I was… J-Just a small one…o-on the cheek of course! I…I wouldn't feel right doing it anywhere, um…else…while she's, um….sleeping…" He gulped and waited for whatever reply he might get to this admission.

A half smile just came to Bob's face and the older man let out a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest again. "A gentleman, huh? Well, I guess I should at least be thankful for that." He sighed again, glancing away with a tiny bit of frustration on his features. "But yeah just…get in there and kiss her goodbye if you want…She's already sleeping wrapped in your sweater after laying in your lap to watch a movie…and I'm not sure I even want to know what almost made her late from the library with you today or why she was acting like such a spazz up in her room before…" Arnold made no eye contact, just standing there blushing in wide-eyed bashfulness… "So…what the heck?" Bob shrugged. "Like you said, Arnold, Helga's always been her own woman. If you want to kiss her goodbye, I don't think it'd be up to me to stop you." And with these words he picked up the empty soda cans from the kitchen table and pushed the chairs in, and proceeded to (slowly, so as to give himself a distraction for the next few minutes) get things cleaned up.

Arnold just swallowed once, remained where he was for a moment longer…and then with a nod and a, "Th-Thanks…" slipped quietly back out of the kitchen, into the hall and then into the living room.

Two minutes later the young football headed boy reemerged into the kitchen.

"Goodnight again, Big Bob…" he called to Helga's father, who was now just leaning against a counter reading the paper.

"Huh?" Bob looked up from the paper, trying not to seem TOO phased by the fact that he had just sent his younger daughter's boyfriend to her sleeping side alone in a dark room to give her a kiss. "Oh, uh, yeah…goodnight again to you too, Arnold," he replied back with a smile.

Arnold went to step back into the hall…but then hesitated. "Um…Mr. Pataki?" He couldn't help the formality…considering the one final thing he had to say.

"Mmm hmm?" Bob asked back casually, glancing up from his paper once more.

Arnold let out a breath and spoke a little quickly…though steadily…and, as always, truthfully. "I completely respect all of your rules about me, um…dating Helga. And even if you hadn't told me them, I'd still never bring her home late or sneak her out of here after hours or lock her door. She's…a lady, to me, after all. I respect her and I only want to do what's right for her. And as for…us… 'touching'… I…well…" he swallowed and firmed up his voice a little, "I think what me and Helga do in private is…our own business…but like I said we like keeping things low key in front of other people and so we do and we will. And sometimes…just so you know…just in general…there are kisses. But no more than what we can both handle. She checks with me and I check with her. And I just…wanted to honest with you and wanted you to know…since you were so, um…cool about me and her just now." He let out a breath. "Well, um, like I said, goodnight again, Big Bob! Bye!" And with that and a shy hand wave, a blushing once more again today Arnold quickly slipped away out of the kitchen and in the direction of the front door.

Bob just remained looking in the direction he had gone in silence for several seconds, hearing the front door open and shut eventually as Arnold finally left, just absorbing all of that…and then the older man let out a sigh and shook his head…and smiled to himself. "Of course… _Olga_ brings home pasty little kiss-ups that were always trying to pull the wool over my eyes so I could tell them every time to stay away from my daughter, no problem…But _Helga_ goes and brings home a smart, interesting, honest gentleman of all people…and I actually like him on top of it all…" He chuckled to himself again today, smiling more. "Guess I'll just have to settle for the truth and knowing she's in good hands…and that she's happy…with a _boy_ of all things…Helga dating…Heh…" He just let out a sigh again and picked up his paper once more to resume reading it, shaking his head to himself in a touch of amusement. "Eh…wonders never cease…"

* * *

_About 9pm this same day. Scene: a very familiar boarding house attic room._

Arnold Shortman was just laying comfortably on his back on his bed (plaid shirt on only, all things considered) and reading from one of the pink books he loved so much with a content smile on his face.

"Most enticing enchanter of my girlish devotion,  
Eyes and hair that recall the greens and salts of the ocean

Modest and mild to those whom we see each day  
Yet so bold, so sultry when we go off alone to 'play'…

The warm touch of your hands as they cradle my form,  
The loving words you whisper because you want more,

All overwhelm and undo the young woman within  
Whom only you see, and whose heart only you do win.

Oh Arnold, my love god, my heartthrob, my hunk  
Deep into your charms I've now completely sunk.

Just say the word and I'll promise the rest of my life,  
To heatedly lock lips with only you…as your eternal wife."

Arnold felt a full tremor pass through his body from the tips of his toes to the top of his head as he finished reading this poem. "She…knows just the perfect way to write things that just make me…" A little bit more of that tremor went through him. "And she even underlined sultry…She knows how much I like that word and I didn't even tell her…" And then he chuckled. "And she even basically asked me to propose at the end…" There was a small, round item in the one of his hands not holding the pink book open, which he was currently caressing and playing with absentmindedly in his grasp. He smiled more…blushed a little. "My eternal w-wife…" (he was getting better about the W word, by the way)… He felt warm all over.

Suddenly his bedroom door was flung open and a panicked looking Helga G. Pataki met his surprised eyes.

"ARNOLD! Oh my darling, are you alright!" And then before he could even fully process her sudden presence (though he did have just enough time to tuck the little round thing he had been playing with deep under his pillows) she had raced across the room dove upon his bed. She had her arms pressed into his pillows around him and she was leaning over him, looking at him desperately, her eyes darting over her entire form. "Okay, good, no visible bruises or cuts." Her eyes were back looking into his. "Is there anything internal though, Arnold? Anything at all? Oh forget it, you'll just downplay it or something with all of your modesty. Come on, we're getting you in the Packard and getting your Grandpa to drive us and we're going to the hospital right now to have you checked out!"

And then with a determined look in her eye she was instantly standing up and moving one of her arms under his knees and the other behind his upper back. "I'll carry you downstairs—you shouldn't have to walk. We don't want to cause any more injuries. And please just don't give me a bunch of crap about me not being strong enough to hold you or you not wanting to be seen being held by your girlfriend—I'm just as strong as you or any of the other guys and if _you_ carried _me_ once or twice before then, since we're equal, it should be totally fine for _me_ to carry _you _right now, and—"

"Whoa! Helga!" Arnold found his voice at exactly the same time he found himself lifted about a foot off of his bed in Helga's arms. He chuckled, looking at her in total confusion, his hands clinging to her shoulders. "Helga, what are you talking about? What injuries? What hospital? I'm fine!" He reached up with one of his hands and touched the side of her cheek to bring her eyes to his, looking at her sincerely.

Helga just blinked and looked back at him. Then she scoffed (though he could feel the blush building up in her cheek under where his hand was touching). "Arnold! _Hello_!" She let out an exasperated sigh. "_My Dad!_ I woke up twenty minutes ago in my living room and he comes in, sees me with your sweater over me, I'm just frozen in shock and blushing like crazy, and then he says something about you going home a couple of hours ago for dinner, him and you having had a 'nice long chat' and here's the ringer—the SWEATER being a little gift from you to me!" Instantly that look of panic and despair was back in her features. "Oh Arnold why didn't you wake me up? He must have…Oh Arnold if he knows about you and me I can't imagine what he must have put you through! I'm just happy your perfect face is still intact! But anyway that's why we have to get you to the hospital just to make sure that there's no permanent or serious damage from whatever he _did_ do to you! Even if there's nothing physical the emotional scarring must be _unbearable _to your sweet and sensitive and optimistic self!" She lifted him up entirely now so that she was cradling him over his bed in her arms, and indeed seemed fully intent on dashing down the stairs and out of the boarding house and to the Packard to actually get him to the hospital.

Okay, Arnold knew he had to nip this in the bud before she really did get that carried away. "Helga…" He reached up with his other hand now just as she was stepping back away from his bed with him, and now he had a hand placed gently on either side of her face. He made sure she was looking right at him as he said quite seriously and slowly to her, "I am completely fine. Both physically and emotionally. Your Dad didn't touch me. So you can put me down, my love…alright?" He smiled a little more.

Helga did pause at his words, still holding him over his bed…but she still looked at him hesitantly. "Arnold…" she spoke seriously, looking at him very closely, "Do you promise me…Do you PROMISE me he didn't hurt you _at all_…in _any_ way?"

Arnold nodded, his hands still on her cheeks. "I promise you…On how much I love you I promise you I am perfectly fine and your Dad did not hurt me."

She looked into his eyes for a moment, then let out a small sigh, and, finally seeming satisfied, gently laid her love back down upon his bed, allowing his hands to slip from her now scarlet tinged face.

She stood there now, arms behind her back, looking kind of shy and sheepish. "Okay…I believe you, Arnold." And then she swallowed and sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at him very intently. "But Arnold you have to tell me what happened! Please! Does…Does my dad…know about…us?" She blushed a lot as she finished the question.

Arnold considered how to answer her question as he sat up a little on his bed. Then he let out a breath and looked at her lovingly, and spoke, smiling warmly and affectionately. "Helga…Your dad knows that…that I…have feelings for you…that I love you…and that I consider myself your boyfriend. But I told him anything about _your_ feelings would be better off coming from you…when you were ready to tell him yourself."

She was blushing so much, looking almost panicked and so very unsure...

He went forward and took one of her hands in his, smiling as comfortingly as possible. "He's okay with us, by the way…He said he's been…kind of pretty much suspecting everything just after seeing us together so much for the last few weeks, so he's had time to get used to it…and he wants you to be happy so…he's okay with us. And he's willing to wait until you're ready to talk to him about us….Okay?" He squeezed her hand a little.

Helga was silent for a second or two. She seemed to be absorbing all of this. And then some of the dismalness of her look seemed to leave but still there was blushing in her features and concern in her eyes. She gulped. "Uh…" her voice started shakily, "…o-okay…okay, um…" she took a deep breath, just looking forward and down. "My Dad…knows that…I'm dating a boy who's in love with me…he's been catching us doing things on the side…he knows you're my boyfriend…waiting for me to say I'm your girlfriend…that I love you…Heh, 'Oh hey Bob, did I mention that I'm desperately in love with Arnold and long to be his bride, his wife, the mother of his children?' Heh, yeah, that'll go over swell!" She was smiling so nervously, speaking so nervously, looking so nervously…Arnold was seriously starting to worry a little (and also his face was fiery red at that whole 'mother of his children' thing, by the way).

"Um…Helga…" He placed his free hand over the top of her hand he was holding so that now he was cradling it between both of his own. "It's going to be okay, I promise," he assured her. "To be honest, I…think he's looking forward to when you'll feel comfortable enough with him to admit the truth about us…He'd like to know that you trust him like that and when you finally can I think it's going to make him really happy…"

Helga blinked a few times, and looked to her love with a curious half smile. "You…really think so?"

He nodded. "Of course I do…Um...w-would I lie to the…self proclaimed f-future m-mother of my ch-children?" He smiled and blushed so much he swore it was singing his skin from the inside.

Helga burned a deep scarlet as well. "Oh…" she gulped and then smiled a little as well. "I…suppose…not…" Then she giggled unable to help herself.

Arnold smiled more, happy that she was feeling better…and…well… 'mother of my children…' He liked thinking of that a little. '_She'd be such a pretty, wonderful, perfect Mom_…' He knew it in his heart.

A cute quiet little moment passed between the two kids.

Then Helga, swinging her feet a little off of the edge of Arnold's bed, smiled at him and asked, "So…wanna explain to me why my Dad was also saying something when I left about you and me and him…going somewhere…together…soon?" She raised part of her brow.

Arnold blinked…and then sighed and looked down sheepishly with a smile. "Uh…well…we…might have talked about doing something like that together…so that he could spend more time with you…and I could spend more time with him…and so you could get more used to…maybe being more open about us around him." He did his best not to look at her extra nicely and half-liddedly…hoping doing so would soften any annoyance she might have with this whole thing.

And it seemed to work a little since she just merely kept smiling at him…only admonishing him by shaking her head...and then saying in a more amused than anything else voice, "You know I could kill you for getting me roped into something like that, right, paste for brains?" She smirked a little.

Arnold just chuckled and leaned a little closer to her. He shrugged. "I'll risk it. Besides at least I'll know that after you beat me up you'll carry me to the hospital." He winked.

She just chuckled and giggled, moving her fingers still clasped in his hands a little affectionately over the flesh of his palm. "Well…I suppose that's true…and I suppose I could go through with this group 'slash' date thing…if it's really that important to you and my Dad, Arnold…"

"Thanks, Helga…" He scooched a little closer to her, almost unconsciously.

"You're welcome, my love…" She likewise scooched a little closer to him.

They just sat there smiling coyly at each other, still with Helga's hand in Arnold's.

Suddenly, the city clock tower could be just faintly heard chiming 9:30.

Arnold let out a small, sad little sigh. Darn it…If that clock had been chiming a time even just an hour earlier than it really was…this would have been the perfect moment for her to shift even closer and for him to shift even closer…for her to tiptoe her fingers up his shirt over his chest…for him to wrap his arms around her waist and back…for the two of them to make out in love and abandon…just like in the library…to finish up their day.

But…they had barely pulled off getting Helga home on time this afternoon…it would be bad to risk getting her home late or curfew now tonight…especially after the chat Bob had had with Arnold.

And so Arnold swallowed, accepted this situation and then (though not before lifting it up and removing his one hand from atop it to give it a little kiss) released his girlfriend's hand from his own. He just looked warmly into her glowing, blue eyes as he spoke. "Um…I guess…considering the time…you have to leave me for the night, my Helga…Do you want my Grandpa to drive us to your house to drop you off? That way I wouldn't miss my curfew by walking you there, and you wouldn't have to walk back alone in the dark…which of course I couldn't bear to have you do. Not my precious princess…" He winked at her, feeling all fluttery and happy inside.

His lovely Helga just giggled at the cute suggestion. "Hmm, sounds good to me, Arnold…I'd be happy to take you up on the offer of a ride. And, um…do you know what _best_ about that idea is?" Her grin grew even more and her eyes went down a little shyly.

Arnold just smiled more and shook his head. "No. But…please share with me, my bright angel…What's best about it?"

She smirked…and then suddenly leaned extra close to him (causing him to lean back to compensate)…and whispered… "Since it takes only a couple minutes to drive there…that leaves us with maybe twenty minutes to ourselves right now…And, well…I really do think I should really make sure that you're okay…no bruises or breaks upon the pristine flesh of my love god…."

Arnold blushed extra at so much of that but otherwise just smiled curiously at her as he leaned back a bit under her advance, actually genuinely not getting what she was getting at. "Helga, what are you talking about? I told you I'm fine."

Helga just responded to his assurance with a coy smile though and a shake of her head. "Uh uh…I think I have to check you over very thoroughly just to be sure….Yes…" And suddenly she was on all fours on his bed and she had crawled over him, causing him to lie back fully on his pillows…. "…It seems I'll have to look over every inch of you...roll up your sleeves to check your arms, tug at your collar to check all around your neck…and especially the back of it…Yes I'll have to do a…_thorough_ _inspection_..._Hrr_…" And then she purred a little.

If she suggested right now that they say to heck with the curfew, they would 'figure something out', Arnold would have gone right along with her.

And if she had proposed again in their lives…Arnold honestly wasn't sure if she wouldn't have gotten a yes out of him.

Fortunately or unfortunately, none of those requests came from Helga though and so instead Arnold just barely kept it together and smiled up at her, breathing deeply and slowly, and replied, his face all warm with a blush. "W-Well, um...okay, but… only if you promise to kiss any place that hurts and 'make it better'…and to…do that purr thing again…" He let out a deep shuddery sigh. "Oh Helga…I think I understand what you were talking about with what the purr can do to you…" His grin went ear to ear.

"Oh I think all of those requests…" she leaned down, putting them nose to nose, "…can be quite arranged…" She giggled and purred a little more, "_Hrr_…"… nuzzling her cheek to his now, "And as for the purr, I've been practicing it a little bit and now I think I finally get how to do it. I really do hope you like it, my darling…" she whispered delicately into his ear.

"A-About as much as _you_ liked it…Remember?" Arnold whispered back coyly.

Helga's heart fluttered and she audibly swooned and then she pulled back and just gazed at him…gazed at him in all of his perfection smiling beneath her. "Y-yeah…I remember, Arnold…And, um, by the way…before I forget…thanks for the sweater you left with me today…I've been dying for one of those…So warm and perfect to snuggle with in my bed each night. If you hadn't coughed one up I was thinking about asking for it as your one month anniversary present to me." She giggled.

Arnold's smile brightened. "You're welcome, Helga. And don't worry…I have plenty of plans already for what do give you for our anniversary, my beloved." He winked at her.

"Hmm…" she smirked at him a little, "As I do for you my dearest…Now enough of this foreplay…" She grinned and then let herself come to rest completely on top of him, nose to nose with him once again. "Let nurse Helga get back to checking all of Arnold's boo boos and making them better."

Arnold chuckled all goofy-like. " 'Nurse' Helga?" he had to ask though before letting himself get lost in her. "Hmm, I'm surprised…I thought you were more the 'doctor' or 'surgeon' type, Helga." He grinned more.

Helga smiled brightly. "Huh…well I suppose you're right, Arnold. Yes, 'Doctor Helga' has a much nicer ring to it…Good thinking, Football Head….So then…" she leaned in close, letting their breaths meet, only the thinnest touch of space between their lips…between them and a kiss… "Ready to let 'Doctor' Helga start her inspection?"

He was all red with blushing and she loved it…and she was all red with blushing and he loved it. "Thank you, Doctor Helga…" Arnold just replied back with his heart thumping and thumping and thumping away. "I'd like that."

She giggled and decided to start her inspection by rolling up his sleeves, just savoring touching the skin of his arms, and then she popped open the first button of his shirt and just nuzzled their necks together, sharing purrs back and forth and finishing up with a few light, little, enticing kisses to the nape of his neck, and then she moved on to his face and pretended to find 'boo boos' everywhere she could see except for his lips until the teasing him with not kissing his mouth got so great that Arnold had to threaten to purr as loudly as he could to tempt her to his lips if she didn't come to them all on her own (which, with a blush, she readily acquiesced to…still learning to take his own purrs one step at a time).

Things snowballed from there with the kids just giggling and rolling around and making embarrassing little jokes about half the stuff they had randomly done together today, and just having a good time for the twenty minutes they had left with one another on this night.

* * *

_(A couple months later, after a bunch of things that none of you know about yet happen in this story…Like literally a TON of things…Sometime towards the end of summer break, let's say…)_

Helga G. Pataki, dressed in her normal pink jumper and white shirt…though with her hair down (a style she had taken to incorporating more regularly in her daily life along with the familiar pigtails since about the end of the school year), let out a sigh as she leaned back against the wall of the ice cream parlour in which she was standing and took a quick glance at the wall clock behind the counter. '_Six…Okay…Dad and Arnold should be here soon I guess from their 'male bonding' Electronics fair._' She had to roll her eyes though she was smiling. '_Figures they'd find yet another perfect thing to relate over…Oh well…Gives me more time for Phoebe and Brainy and Lila and everyone…and gives my love a little taste of having a father again…So overall, win win_.' She smiled more to herself at the situation, even as she had to add to herself, '_Even if that means I __do__ have to deal with the cringe worthy fact that my Dad and my boyfriend are best buds…and managed to rope me into another random little 'group outing 'slash' date thing' with them tonight…'_ She let out another sigh and shook her head to herself. "Only my life…Only mine…"

Helga continued waiting, glancing around Slausens now to notice a few unfamiliar people along with a few familiar faces of her friends and classmates. Not a P.S. 118 reunion or anything but…yeah, some people from her class were definitely there. Peapod Kid and Brainy were off in one booth having some sundaes together (and Helga could just overhear them in a heated cultural debate about modern art). A few tables over from that Rhonda and Nadine were each having a sundae together and chatting and smiling, and Rhonda was also blushing kind of distinctly as Curly, in the booth just behind her, kept getting on his knees on his seat and leaning over to her and taking big inhales of her hair and saying things into her ear, though at least she wasn't causing a scene and dumping her sundae on his head and yelling that he was a freak ('_Heh, only half the summer gone and we all really have already started to mature from fourth grade…'_ Helga couldn't help but think to herself in amusement). Helga's eyes swung back over to the Slausens counter and she also noticed Harold Berman coming out of the stock room dressed in his Slausens' uniform. It was common knowledge that along with his part time job at Greene's Meats, he was also working a couple days a week here now that it was summer…Anyone asking got told he was just trying to save up a little extra money to help with the go kart (which the boys were actually getting really close to being able to buy…especially since they had FINALLY started inviting Helga to those meetings now (certain things considered) and of course she'd had about a million ideas from day one about things they could do to make that dream of owning a really good professional one a reality). But, anyway, outside of Harold's 'official' reason for working here too…Helga also had to figure, with Harold and Patty's anniversary of six months of 'knowing each other very well' coming up, that part of his motivation was also to have enough money to maybe make it a special night for Patty…especially with Arnold as the shining prime example of boyfriendness to live up to. Harold's eyes met Helga's now as he put down a fresh gallon of ice cream and wiped his brow. He smiled and waved at her and she smiled and waved back.

Just then the bell above the Slausens door jingled…and Helga didn't have to turn to see (since she could just…feel, really)…that one of the people who entered was her beloved.

"Hi, Helga…" a low little voice said from just behind her.

She smiled more and turned. "Hi Arnold…How was the wide world of geeky electronics?"

Arnold chuckled…and Big Bob Pataki (who had walked in just behind him) laughed as well. "Hey actually it wasn't that bad, Helga," Bob announced with a grin. "Saw some new products for the Emporium, took home a few samples…Heh, Arnold even took one of them apart in the car and then put it back completely together. Never seen anything like it. Kid's sharp as a tack." He clapped Arnold on the shoulder.

Arnold just smiled proudly and blushed a tiny bit and shrugged. "O-Oh, um…it really wasn't that big of a deal…but thanks, Big Bob."

Helga couldn't help but giggle. "P.S., Football Head," she gave him a little elbow nudge, "I'm _never_ going to get over how hilarious it sounds to me when you call him 'Bob'."

Arnold laughed a little too and let out a sigh. "Yeah, it still feels a little funny but it sort of feels right at this point…Right, Bob?" He smiled up at the older man.

Bob smiled down at him, still with his hand on his shoulder. "Right, Arnold."

Helga just sighed dramatically and smiled and rolled her eyes at them. "You two are so mental…Seriously, if you both walk in on me one day in matching outfits or something I swear I'm tossing myself into City Lake with a sign that says 'Free Snack for Big Caesar, Come and Get it!' on my back." She just grinned at her love and her father, who both laughed a little at her joke, and then she let out a bit of an embarrassed sigh. "Alright, anyway, let's get yet another little attempt at one of our occasional 'group outings' over with…" She turned in the direction of a few empty booths. Yeah, Arnold and her father had roped her into a few of these so far over the summer…Arnold assuring her that it would help get her comfortable with maybe coming completely clean with her Dad, and her Dad seeming so happy about the idea that she hadn't had the heart to turn him down. And so she had agreed to one yet again for this evening… "Besides, Dad, you've had Arnold to yourself all day…and when our ice cream group thing is over…I get him to all myself for a mini date tonight…" Blushing she quickly began to head over to a free booth. She had never openly acknowledged to her father that she was dating Arnold…but had done so now because… _'Screw it, I'm telling him I love Arnold tonight_.' She smiled more to herself. '_This is getting pointless and anyway, he basically already knows and he __didn't__ go on a mass murder spree of all things football shaped so…what the heck?_' She almost laughed in happiness and amusement at the whole thing.

As Helga moved across the ice cream parlour, she caught Rhonda's eye and the fashionable girl smiled and waved over at her from her booth. "Hi, Helga? Are you here alone? If you want you can come sit with Nadine and I." Nadine turned to Helga as well and smiled at her and gave a small wave.

Helga smiled gratefully but shook her head. "Nah, that's okay but thanks anyway, princess…" She jerked her thumb back to her Dad and Arnold (both still looking a little surprised as they now slowly made their way after her across the ice cream parlour). "I've got some kind of weird 'group thing' going on at the moment—don't ask." She rolled her eyes. "I'll catch you next time."

Rhonda nodded in understanding. "Okay, Helga."

Suddenly Curly was over the seat again whispering other stuff at the dark haired girl and that blush of hers came back. She just sighed deeply and rolled her eyes in response to Curly's antics, though she was smiling a little, obviously trying to keep herself level and casual at the moment.

Helga just chuckled at the sight and gave her and Nadine a little wave goodbye. "Enjoy your sundaes, guys…" And then she slipped into the empty booth before her just as Bob and Arnold got caught up with her.

Arnold was just looking at Helga with an intrigued grin as he now sat beside her in the booth and…her Dad looked both interested and cautious as he sat himself in the booth seat across from them.

Helga just sighed, looked back and forth from one guy to the other, and then she spoke again. "Alright, let's just get to the elephant in the room. Yeah, I admitted Football Head and I are dating…not just good buddies glued to each other but…dating. Boyfriend and girlfriend dating…" She turned specifically to her love. "And now, Arnold, could you be a dear and go order ice cream for us…thus giving me a Bob a few minutes alone to chat? Besides you know what I like…well…my _second_favorite flavor of it anyway…" She giggled and winked at him (and tried not to feel too nervous about doing that in front of her father…though of course she wasn't going to fill him in on the details intimate little private joke). "And, eh, what'll you have Bob? Something extra rich and super chocolately, probably with peanuts." She turned her attentions specifically to her father now and smiled.

Bob swallowed and then just nodded. "Uh…yeah…Arnold. Chocolate chip with extra hot fudge and peanuts. Here…" He took out his wallet and pulled a few bills from it, offering them in Arnold's direction. "My treat." He managed a little smile at the boy.

"Oh…" Arnold smiled appreciatively back but shook his head, "Oh, that's okay, Mr. Pataki. It's my turn to pay for Helga and me anyway, so I'll just—"

Helga rolled her eyes SEVERELY. "Arnold," she cut him off and reached out to her Dad's hand, took the few bills in question and then stuffed them into Arnold's hand. "Take the money please, my little gentleman, and, Dad, quit looking like you're wondering if this is really happening because it is. Time for a little father daughter chat. Let's get it together boys, chop chop." She clapped her hands together twice, quickly, with a take charge little grin on her face.

Arnold just sighed and smiled and nodded at her action, knowing too well that it was useless to argue with her once she had her mind set on something, and she obviously had all of this pretty planned out and just wanted to get to it already. "Okay, Helga. Whatever you say." He turned to Bob. "Thanks, Big Bob."

Bob nodded at him, still smiling. "You're welcome, Arnold." And then he turned back to Helga…and he smiled but there was also a definite touch of curiosity in his looks… "And, uh…like he says…whatever you say, girl."

Helga smiled more. "Good…._So_ much easier when men take orders and don't question things. Makes a TON less work for me. Now," she looked to Arnold once more, "Shoo, Arnold, dear… Give us our private time, please."

Arnold nodded again. "Yes, Helga dear. Bye for now." And with that he was off.

And now Helga and Bob were alone…and she turned her eyes back to her father. She let out a sigh, smiled and leaned a little across the table. "Alright, Bob…" she started simply, plainly and honestly, no beating around the bush and too jaded by the idea of him already knowing that she was dating Arnold to let nerves have any effect on her. "Sorry for springing this on you all of a sudden but I've had it on my mind, and as Arnold can tell you, when I confess emotional things, it tends to happen spontaneously…And besides, I think this is the perfect place…It's public so I can keep myself from getting too wishy-washy. Just plain straight fact." She smiled more.

Her father just watched her with wide interested eyes and nodded, waiting for her to go on.

Seeing this, Helga took a breath, summed up her courage and announced firmly and levelly several, several things… "Bob….That boy that just went to get us our ice cream…Arnold…" she blushed a little, unable to help it, and tried to move some of her hair over her face to hide it a tiny bit, though she still looked her father square in the eye as she spoke. "I…I love him, Dad. I am in love with Arnold…Arnold Phillip Shortman. I have been in love with him since I was three years old…and by some insane miraculous twist of fate the little shrimp loves me right back. And that's my story, plain and simple!" And with these finishing words she let out a deep, relieved breath and collapsed back in her seat a little. "Whew! There's a load off. And before you even say anything, yeah, I know…this is such a 'girly thing for me to be into but what can I say—I'm a chick with a tough as nails exterior…and a warm, mushy gooey center, and I can deny it no longer." She just shrugged with a grin and little chuckle, waiting for however her father would respond to her 'confession.'

Bob was just smiling. He let out his own deep relieved breath. He gave her a look. "You know…I was getting close to taking bets with Arnold AND your mother AND your sister about when you'd finally say all that to _me_ too."

Helga chuckled a little again and shrugged. "Hey, it's about a million times more awkward saying it to _you_…You're…my Dad…and a guy, and this is a girl thing, a-and…I don't know…" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "We're finally kind of getting along regularly and happy together but sometimes it feels like most of the reason we work so well together because we're kind of similar with our personalities and we like a lot of sarcasm and being assertive and even the occasional sports game, but…" a little blush had been forming in her features and now it was finally apparent, "…you knowing that I'm all 'girly gaga in love' with a boy might put a little bit of a kink in that…" She swallowed…and the blush deepened. Her eyes were down and to the side now, away from his gaze. "Like, it might…make it seem like I belong more with Olga primping and getting my nails done than with you watching a wrestling match…you know?" She swallowed once more and then just barely glanced up at her father unsurely.

Bob just blinked a few times from his seat, taking in this small fear of hers. But…then he just smiled again. "Helga…" he started sympathetically, "I know you've got a lot of moxy but I also know that you're my daughter and not my son or something. I'm not gonna start avoiding you just because you're dating and, uh…in love…" He swallowed and blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck.

Helga blinked. "Really?"

Bob nodded. "Of course! We can still be buddies even though you…love Arnold…" He swallowed again…and his bit of awkward hesitation before the 'L' word was SO very apparent.

And of course Helga easily picked up on his obvious little bit of discomfort…and smirked a tiny bit about it (though she was still blushing a little herself). Basically she could see that Bob really did have every intention of being supportive…but that it was still going to be a bit before he could handle being so _without_ feeling all weird for getting that in touch with his sensitive side. And so… "Uh _huh_…" she replied with just a touch of amused skepticism in her tone, "…Even though that means that since I'm gonna start being totally open with you now about it, I'll be throwing out there all my little pet names for Arnold besides the insulting ones…Like dear, darling, my angel, my prince, my love?" She rested her head on one of her hands, smirking just a tiny bit more.

"Uh…yeah…s-sure…" Bob replied with a small shrug, though now he was randomly finding the tabletop a 'rather interesting' sight to look at and study all of a sudden.

A small chuckle escaped Helga. "Mmm _hmm_…" She couldn't help herself right now… '_Men are HILARIOUS with how awkward they get about love_…' "…And…even though that means that I'll be being a tiny bit more affectionate with Arnold in front of you from now on…? I mean, uh…" she swallowed and glanced down herself now as she quickly qualified, "…he, uh…explained to me that you'd prefer if anything TOO affectionate stayed under the radar and honestly, yeah, I'm pretty freaking a-okay with that myself…" She blushed a ton, and then went on, resuming her previous slight air of smugness. "But what I mean is…you'll also be cool with me holding his hand randomly sometimes just because I feel like it, maybe giving him a quick hug hello instead of just a quick wave, giggling and fluttering my eyelashes a little around the house when he's over and I feel like making him blush…?"

Bob let out a sigh and was still a little red looking but still smiled nonetheless. "Helga, you're my girl…and my buddy…" He managed to bring his eyes back to look at hers again. "And, no, I'm not going to ruin that by not being okay with you…getting closer to Arnold in front of me from now on…"

She chuckled again, still just looking at him with a smile. "And…you won't even 'disown' me from my status as buddy if…" she let out a breath and felt her resolve waver for a moment but then she quickly went on…_wanting_ to admit it even though it was something kind of big… "…e-even if, basically every day after I'm done dating Arnold I run up to my room and write little pink books of gushy love poems about us?" She clasped her hands together upon the tabletop and blushed and waited to see the reaction THAT would get.

And indeed THAT confession got Bob to blink and look at her in no small bit of surprise. "You…write…love poems…?" he asked like the concept was possibly the most foreign thing to have ever met his ears

Helga shrugged, and tried to ignore the slight edge of nervousness in her voice as she replied (her face still rather rosy), "O-Oh brother, yes, heh…Volumes and volumes of arguably the sappiest stuff on the planet but Arnold's addicted to it and they just keep pouring out of me so…y-yeah…I'm a love poet, Bob. And now that you know you might see me in the backyard sometimes doing it or maybe even in the living room sometimes doing it since squirreling myself away in my room like I did for all those years has been kind of un-growing on me lately, heh…" She brought her eyes to his and grinned and shrugged. _'Heh, is it getting hot in here? G-Good thing Arnold's bringing back ice cream soon…'_

Bob just…he chuckled a little bit at first and then he just sighed and smiled at her and shook his head. "Okay, okay, fine…" he held up his hands in mock defeat, "…you use pet names and give hugs and write love poems along with playing baseball and football and watching wrestling and nailing people with sarcasm, and I've gotta get used to all of it and love you for all of it just like Arnold does…Am I right?" He grinned at her, resting his head on one of his hands now.

A slightly more relieved looking Helga nodded and chuckled and winked at his summation of things. "There you go, Bob. That's exactly it."

Bob smiled back…and then he swallowed and turned a little red again and suddenly asked, rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hands, "So, uh…do I ever get to _see_ some of this 'incredible poetry' of yours? I-I mean, nothing too intimate but…like I said you're my girl…It'd be interesting to see stuff you make, Helga. Besides your teacher sees it, doesn't he? That's how he praises it so much at those parent teacher conference things…and why he had you tutor Arnold last year in it…So maybe I could see one of the things you were willing to show him?" He looked distressed with awkwardness…and yet genuinely and sincerely hopeful that his request might be granted.

Helga's eyes were just wide as could be and she had turned a distinct scarlet. '_B-Bob…l-looking at my p-poems_…' The idea was about ninety nine percent unbearable to her…and yet…there was a tiny one percent that she couldn't ignore that…liked the idea of her father actually being interested in her writing…and maybe even liked the idea of him seeing just how kind of good she was, even though she did NOT want to admit the truth of that one percent AT ALL to herself. "Uh…D-Dad? O-One step at a time from me, heh…I-I mean, maybe…eventually…but…for now…o-one step at a time…" She settled on this reply coupled with a blush and a sheepish grin.

Her father laughed a little, still blushing a bit himself. "Okay. Fair enough, Helga. Thanks."

Father and daughter smiled to themselves and let out a sigh each.

Then Helga spoke again.

"Also, Bob, just to be clear…" she felt the heat building in her face once more but just ignored it, playing with her fingers on the tabletop as a distraction…but she really did want to be perfectly clear about this. "I'm serious about Arnold. Very serious. So, uh…I hope you've got some cash put away because I don't know how things are going to play out with Olga but…Arnold and I have every intention of marrying each other the second we're done with college and have a little start up money in the bank. Olga and I are already planning the wedding actually, heh... And I'm going to be going all out fairytale girly with that thing—a six tiered cake, white and pink orchids, a harpist and an organist, a designer silk and satin dress with pearls and embroidery, a fully catered reception, limo to and from the church…oh and, uh…" She blushed a lot extra. "A-And then, well…I guess there's our h-honeymoon…in Paris, but, uh…you'd be taking care of the wedding expenses as the father of the bride…and Arnold's already working on covering that anyway…trust me…so, between him and me we'll probably be good for the honeymoon part actually, heh." She smiled even more to herself. Then she sighed. '_I just hope Bob doesn't act all cutesy about this because we're only ten…like we're 'playing house' or something.'_ Helga couldn't help but recall how Miriam and Olga had been slightly on the fence in terms of being that way at first even though now and for most of their courtship they had been taking her and Arnold's relationship seriously.

"Eh, I think we can swing all of those things for the wedding and the reception. I'm just happy you two are gonna wait until after college and you're both settled a little…I don't think I could handle it if you went and pulled what Olga did on me with almost dropping out and only after knowing the guy 'three weeks and two days' no less!" Bob, after delivering this perfectly earnest reply, just chuckled to himself and shook his head at the memory of that near heart attack courtesy of his older daughter.

Helga's eyes went open wide and her jaw fell a little.

Bob noticed and half grinned at her a little and shrugged curiously. "What?"

She just blinked a few times, opened her mouth as though she was about to speak, but then ended up closing it and blinking a few times again…but then finally got it open once more and replied, in a tone of amazement, "I-I…I just, um…so…you're…not going to patronize me and treat me like I'm just 'playing house with Arnold' or something? Like…you're accepting that I'm completely serious…just like that?" She looked at him curiously.

Bob blinked but then smiled again and nodded. "Helga…You have a potent dose of all the Pataki stubbornness and all of the Pataki pride. Heck, if you didn't have school I'd be sending you on sales meetings for the Emporium—you could show those sharks a thing or two and you know it." He chuckled a little at the very true fact and then just shrugged and went on. "And so if you're as bent as you say you are on marrying Arnold in ten or fifteen years I'm not about to question that. Besides…" he swallowed and his voice softened a little, "I've heard that boy talk about you…seen the way he is with you…He's completely hooked and I know he'd go along with any wedding in a second…and lucky for him I think he might just barely be good enough for my special girl." He smiled a little more.

Helga blushed a lot and then this sweet, happy, appreciative little smile came to her face. "Um…thanks, Daddy…" Instantly she inhaled sharply and blushed even more if that was possible, her eyes flying open wide. "I mean DAD! Er, _BOB_! Not…not 'Daddy', heh…" She grinned sheepishly. "Been spending too much time with Olga again, I guess…a-and also there's that mushy center of mine I told you about…" She glanced down shyly and shrugged.

Bob just chuckled warmly at her little moment of 'mushiness'. "Right…Whatever you say, Helga."

That reply got a chuckle from Helga and she rolled her eyes, her blushing ebbing a little in the wake of her amusement. "Hey, that's Arnold's line." She smirked a little at her father.

Bob just rolled his eyes right back at her, smiling smirking too.

But then he did look at her with a tiny bit of concern…and he did speak again. "But, uh…seriously, Helga…along with wanting to get married to Arnold…you've still got other plans for stuff you want to do with your life, right?"

Helga looked at him almost in shock but then laughed and nodded vigorously. "Uh, yeah. Definitely, Bob. But hey what can I say—I can't run for being the first female president until I'm 35, and I probably won't even have enough political clout to run for mayor of this city until I'm at least 30 so I figure might as well get hitched to Arnold between graduating college and then—you know, just to fill in the time a little." She winked. "So yeah, I want to some kind of big important leader along with tying the knot with the Football Head, and also…well, Arnold thinks I should be some kind of professional writer or poet…" she blushed a little at the idea, "…and…I think I could see taking him up on that idea in my spare time, too…" She shrugged and smiled at her father.

Bob smiled too…very very approvingly. "That's my girl."

Helga was really happy right now and so was Bob.

Then Helga chuckled again and let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Okay, okay, so…I think you and me are good, Dad. Anything else about me and Arnold is probably stuff that should stay private…little conversations and moments and stuff…." A tiny bit of her blush returned and she cleared her throat but did her best to brush past it. "S-So, anyway, now that the awkwardness is done…I for one am STARVED." She glanced past Bob to the counter and called out across the ice cream parlour with a smile, "Hey Arnold! You can quit loitering with our ice cream and come back over. The deed is done!"

Bob just laughed and a few seconds later Arnold did come over with three ice creams and sat himself next to Helga. He looked at his girlfriend with a smile. "So…you, uh…shared everything officially with him, Helga?" he asked shyly, giving her napkins and a spoon.

Helga shrugged and smirked and nodded. "Hmm…yeah…enough for me to hold your hand _on top of_ the table while we eat this ice cream instead of _under it_ _secretly_, at least…" She reached out and before he could react or respond snagged his hand and laced their fingers right between their sundaes on the table. "And also enough for me to tell you in front of him that I can't wait for our mini date with this is over…_my darling little prince_…a-and to giggle in front of him too…" which she did. "Oh and also enough for me to openly mention that I wrote a few more love poems for you today…." She smiled more and threw in an extra giggle for no special reason—just because… Feeling her cheeks burn all rosy but not really caring…as she just enjoyed being here and happy and honest with everyone around her.

Arnold was blushing a lot…but also smiling a lot as he absorbed her explanation. "Um…whatever you say, Helga…" was all he replied, squeezing her hand a little and then looking down at his ice cream with a shy smile and blush. "U-Um…can we also say I love you to each other now too in front of him?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

Helga blushed extra and glanced at him shyly out of the corner of her eye as well…smiling along with him. "Yes, of course. I love you, Arnold."

His smile got a bit goofier. "I love you too, Helga."

"I also told him about the wedding, Arnold. He's on board, by the way."

Arnold almost spazzed a little, dropping his spoon with a clatter into his sundae dish…but then he just smiled and closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, rubbing one of his temples with his free hand. "U-Uh…" he was addressing a (thoroughly smiling at this point) Bob. "G-Glad to, um, hear, that, Big Bob. Y-Yeah, um…Yeah, we've been…Helga and I have been…making plans about it…."

Helga chuckled, squeezing her love's hand a little gain. "Yeah, and, uh, don't worry about the Pataki name lingering on, Bob—even if Olga ends up getting married, Football Head and I decided to hyphenate. Pataki-Shortman. Has a nice ring to it."

Arnold sighed deeply again and looked at her with a half grin, squeezing her hand back once more. "Okay, Helga, enough please…? Come on, you know I'm no good at talking about…the wedding…a-at least not without some warning first…" He took his spoon in his free hand and began to play with his ice cream a little.

"Yeah, Helga," Bob offered with a smile, digging into his own sundae, "Cut the kid a break. A wedding's a lot for a guy to take in, especially fifteen years in advance. Now let's just enjoy our ice cream and then you two can get to your date…And, uh, hey—since it's summer and I took up a lot of Arnold's time today, how about just for tonight the curfew's 11…as long as you'll call me up so I can pick you guys up so you won't be walking around that late of course, Helga." He looked to his daughter.

Helga's smile brightened. "Really? Thanks, Dad!"

"Yeah…" Arnold added, his smile brightening as well (and his blush finally subsiding a bit). "Thanks, Mr. Pataki. For the curfew and for, um…moving the conversation along…" He swallowed and let out a relieved little sigh as he smiled to himself and took a bite of his own ice cream treat.

Bob nodded to the kids. "You're welcome, you two…And yeah, we can all talk more about you making my daughter an honest woman later, Arnold." He couldn't help adding that line and winking at the kid with a chuckle.

Helga snickered and chuckled as well while Arnold just sat there smiling, holding her hand and playing with his slowly melting ice cream, his face a fiery red again. "Wh-Whatever you say, Mr. Big Bob…"

Bob and Helga laughed warmly together again at the same time…and pretty soon Arnold was joining in with them.

Helga with her father and her future husband, Arnold with his future wife and future father in law, and Bob with his daughter and future son in law.

It was a nice ice cream 'group outing 'slash' date' thing together.

* * *

**A/N:**

I really really really hope you all enjoyed this because this chapter really really really took a lot out of me XDXDXD Actually, to be honest, I'm pretty exhausted at this point and I've also got a lot of things on my mind lately and I'm starting a job in a couple of weeks so…bottom line, updates to things will still be happening but there are going to be gaps and I really am going to be trying to avoid chapters that are this long anymore just for my sanity XDXDXD Anyway, please review and while you're all doing that, I may try and get up one more chapter of my Danny Phantom fic in the next couple of days and then after that I'm going on a little vacation to Florida for a week and my computer is not coming with me because I really just don't want to look at this thing's screen anymore for a little while at least ^_^

Alright, here's the lineup for the next (and final :D) courtship chapter!

**FIGHT**

"…**A JURY OF YOUR STUDENT PEERS"**

~Quote from Wartz in "False Alarm"

Are there only two stories in the next chapter? Yes. Why? Well, the first one is a rather lengthy story, and the second one is a shorter one, they're both pretty significant stories, and they both sort of act as a capstone to the whole courtship experience ^w^ And, just to be clear, this fic is definitely not over after the final courtship chapter ;) And, just as a mini preview, Chapter 20 will most likely be entitled (XD because now I have to start coming up with creative titles again instead of just "The Courtship: Part X/6" XDXDXD) **"Operation: UN Garde!"** (It's kind of a play on the term 'En Garde' when you're like swordfighting with someone and draw your weapon…Eh, Helga explains it better in Chapter 20 than I can here when she's talking to Arnold about it XDXD).

Oh and for ideas that I got from other people that I said in my first A/N that I would be more specific about in this A/N, I've done rpgs with **SuprSingr** where Arnold and Helga (although it's usually TPJ Arnold and Helga XDXD) make out in the shrine and I thought it'd be extra fun to try in this story and also I just love bringing up the shrine again so…thank you for ideas about shrine kissy, baby sister! :D:D:D And as for **NintendoGal**, we've done quite a few rpgs where Arnold and Helga have snuck up to Mighty Pete for kisses and cuddles and I just couldn't resist incorporating that idea into here as well, so thanks, buddy! :D:D:D

Alright, I do believe that is all except another desperate plea from me to please, please, PLEASE review! :D:D:D *Hearts!*

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	19. The Courtship: Part 6 of 6

**A/N:**

Hey all :) Wow, I believe this actually got a decent turn around time from me so YAY 8D Alright, yes, the conclusion of Arnold and Helga's courtship before we get to the end of this story (on a side note, if I ever did a post TJM courtship, I feel like it would be very different from this, just in tone at least—idk why, just because, lol). Anywho, alright, I'm going to try and make this the last epic chapter I do of anything (ugh, this one's 70,000 words, lol!), which should work out well since future chapters of this are a lot shorter, lol. Also, I'm really going to try and update other stuff of mine before I post the next chapter of this (I have been ITCHING to post the next chapter of "April 2nd" for example XD). But, I hope you enjoy this for now ;)

***A SMALL NOTE***

In the previous chapter, after reading it through to take some notes, I added a very small little gag to the "Helga Behind the Couch/Arnold in the Shrine" mini story, if anyone wants to check it out ^w^ It's brief and set right when Helga comes back up into the shrine in her pajamas to let Arnold know about what time it is and how they're going to sneak him out of her house ;) I hope you guys like it if you look at it!

Alright, anyway, the line-up for this chapter…

**FIGHT!**

**A JURY OF YOUR PEERS**

(I would advise tissues and chocolate on standby for certain parts of this chapter XD It'll be okay though—I promise ;) )

* * *

**FIGHT!**

"Good morning, _Arnold_."

"_Good morning, _Helga."

As this rather tense morning greeting concluded, the football headed boy who had delivered the latter salutation swiftly passed by the blond haired blue eyed girl who had (rather sharply) addressed him first, not even glancing at her as he walked by her locker. And the girl, in due accordance, did not even turn to look at him as she felt his presence and heard his voice come and go from where she was, opting instead to just loudly and violently toss her books into her locker following their rather icy exchange.

"Helga…" Phoebe, carefully putting away her own books in her own locker right next to that of her best friend, suddenly piped up timidly and with more than a touch of concern after Arnold had left them completely and gone on his way to his locker across the hall, "Are you sure you two are…okay?" And indeed Phoebe was well within her rights to make this inquiry: this was the second school day in a row that Arnold and Helga had greeted each other like this.

At the question Helga just let out a sigh and rubbed her temples, leaning back against a shut locker next to her open one. "I told you, don't worry about it, Phoebe. It's just a fight…I'll wear him down in a couple of days as soon as he quits being such a spoiled sport!" She shot an acidic look over in the direction of her beloved, who was currently by his own locker now and talking to Gerald, a miffed look still on his face. Suddenly though she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat and her eyes go wide as he shifted his eyes in her direction…paused with a curious puzzled expression, his little jaw even kind of dropping (and she knew why and couldn't help the slightest smug smile coming to her lips) but then he quickly blinked and rolled his eyes and turned back to his best friend.

Helga just growled and rolled her own eyes in frustration at her first little dig against him for the day not working out nearly as intensely as she had hoped it would. "Crimeny!" She glanced down at her unusual outfit: a pair of soft purple pants and a purple sweater, severely different from her usual pink look. Not to mention that she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail instead of her usual pigtails. _'Oh well…maybe it'll at least bug him __subconsciously__…_' She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced to her best friend again, coming back to the topic at hand about her and Arnold's most recent relationship situation. "Ugh, Pheebs, it's just…I mean, I know I finally have a real relationship with the little twerp but who knew that meant that him caving into every single one of my demands on a regular basis with a good natured 'Whatever you say, Helga' would go out the window!" She scowled darkly to herself.

Phoebe, the concern still present on her face and only growing as a matter of fact, glanced from her best friend back in the direction of the boys (who seemed to be talking together once more), and then back to Helga. "Helga…" she began slowly and cautiously, carefully considering her words, "I still don't understand the nature of your conflict but it couldn't have been serious enough for the two of you to practically have been not talking to each other for the past three days… If you don't mind my asking…what happened?" she finally asked in a whisper (as more kids started to enter and walk through the hall now that it was getting closer to the start of class). Though Phoebe had of course been concerned for her best friend upon finding out at the end of the weekend that Helga and Arnold had had a fight, being the reserved girl she was she hadn't wanted to ask Helga too many questions—she knew her best friend and she knew that Helga would confide in her when she really wanted to, but that until then it was best not to push her too much. At this point though Phoebe figured that at least a little nudge to Helga might be called for…

In response to her question, Helga just sighed again. "Don't…Don't worry about it, Phoebe…" she whispered back even more quietly, likewise now noticing several of their classmates starting to pass by. The young blonde scowled a little in Arnold's direction again…though at the same time felt a pang of frustration…and maybe even just a little guilt. "I'll…" she went on, "I'll tell you later…okay?" And then she almost laughed as she added quickly, "I-It's stupid, really…" This attempt at a chuckle though quickly faded back into her former dull look and she finally just turned her eyes forward and announced, "Let's just head in to Simmons for now…"

Helga was about to move forward to head down the hall when she was suddenly stopped at the feeling of Phoebe putting her hand on one of her shoulders. Helga turned back and looked down at her again. Phoebe looked up at her…and this time it was with genuine and unmistakable worry. "Helga…really…" her tone was more serious now, "…Are you…_certain_ you're all right? You've been, um…acting a little…peculiar ever since this conflict began and…I'm…concerned."

Helga tried to look firm and nonchalant and even to shrug but…she couldn't hide it…after so many weeks of being so very open with so many people she just…didn't have it in her: there was hurt there in her eyes and voice and every twitch and movement. And Helga knew it too and knew how obvious it was and had been over the last three days…and she knew what Phoebe meant by saying she had been acting 'peculiar' (which was an understatement of an adjective, in her opinion). She'd had mood swings, moments of total denial like her and Arnold's fight was just a tiff that would blow over in a minute, moments where she would rant on and on about how stupid Arnold was with a scowl just like in the old days…and heck, last night she and Phoebe had had a sleepover and Phoebe had caught an insomniac Helga coming down from her closet shrine at 3AM (without Arnold in her life she wasn't exactly finding herself 'exhausted' at the end of each day and so she had been putting her energies into anything she could think of just to get a wink of sleep…even if it was more Arnold based stuff…and maybe the fact that she missed him so deeply that she almost couldn't stand it had something to do with the reinstating of the nightly 3AM vigils as well)…Then there was also the fact (and Helga knew Phoebe saw it from the looks she had been giving her) that Helga wouldn't eat anything at all arguably football shaped…And then there was how her Doctor Bliss appointment yesterday had been a double session, cutting into a study date with Phoebe…And then of course to top the whole thing off there was her outfit today. "I-I'm…" Helga cleared her throat and started shakily, coming out of these thoughts and letting Phoebe's hand slip from her shoulder. "I-I'm fine, Pheebs…I mean, I'll…be okay. I promise." She got the words out and even managed to make full eye contact with Phoebe again and to give her a smile. "I-I'm just a little surprised this has gone on for three whole days…n-not even a month in and…three whole days…" Helga gave a tiny gulp and cringe…On top of everything else that she had been both desperately distracted with and simultaneously desperately trying not to think about, there was one big thing that had been exceptionally heavy in her heart…The idea of this fight continuing for another three days…right through her and Arnold's one month anniversary…If that happened and they still hadn't made up…didn't celebrate…What if it meant…that…that…

Helga didn't let the thought continue and instead called upon the thin thread of slightly denial ridden cheery optimism that, being Olga Pataki's sister, was indeed a part of her genetic code, however small and often dismissed a part it was. "Phoebe, I'm definitely fine…Or at least, I've been worse—believe me." She actually chuckled a little, raising her hands up a giving a little shrug. "I just…" she rolled her eyes, still doing her best to grin, and then waved her friend off like it really wasn't a big deal. "Eh, like I said, I'll explain it all to you later. Hey, maybe at lunch or something, okay? That way I can fill in Brainy too—sheesh, poor little guy's seemed almost more broken up about all of this than I am, you know? We got ice cream yesterday and I've never seen him look so worried when he asked if I'd be free to visit a bookstore with him afterwards or if I had a plans with Arnold and I told him dates with the Football Head were on permanent temporary hold." She chuckled a little bit again, laying on the casualness so very obviously thickly.

Phoebe half smiled to seem supportive but she could completely tell that her friend wasn't exactly being straightforward with her right now. Still though, she really did know better than to press Helga too much—the most important thing was to just let her know you were there for her and wait for her to come to you. And so she just nodded and replied, "Very well, Helga. You'll tell us both at lunch. But, um…" Phoebe smiled a tiny bit more, "May I ask just one question before then?"

Helga swallowed and shrugged, still wearing a smile (though inside she was just hoping it wouldn't be anything to send her running off somewhere in a sudden burst of tears…which was another thing she had been finding happening ever since Sunday night when she and Arnold had departed from one another in a rage: love song coming on the radio, random bursting into tears...reading a part in a book where a couple broke up or even where they ended up together, random bursting into tears…making her bed and Arnold's shirt falling out from under her pillow case, DEFINITE random bursting into tears). And so… "Uh, sure, Pheebs—shoot…" she responded, still trying to seem casual but secretly crossing her fingers at the same time.

Phoebe sighed and grinned a little, looked her friend up and down once and then asked simply, a touch of amusement coming to her features and voice, "Why purple, Helga? And why a ponytail? What about that will specifically bother him?"

Helga genuinely smiled now and even laughed a little. "Oh…Oh…eh, it's a long, complicated thing I came up with, Phoebe. I'll tell you more at lunch along with all the details about our fight but the point is Arnold loves me in pink…and this is not pink….And then there's reasoning for specifically picking purple." She smirked proudly and then shrugged. "And then of course me with a ponytail is nothing he's ever had a chance to like the way he does my pigtails or my hair when it's down, so…just some icing on the 'silently bug Arnold' cake." She winked.

Phoebe chuckled a tiny bit, happy to see her friend in genuinely good spirits for a moment.

Helga was about to suggest the get going to Simmons' class again, looking like her usually sassy and bright self…when the sound of a locker door slamming very distinctly from just across and a little down the hall caught her ears (and also it might have specifically caught HER ears because she could just tell through familiarity over the last eight months of fourth grade, even with her back to him, the exact tone that Arnold's locker made when shutting at its certain distance and angle from her own). She turned with surprise, almost on instinct, and with blinking eyes to see…Arnold… with his sweater off and glancing at her slightly before turning his sights forward up the hall. She cocked her head to the side a little. '_What the heck's he up t—' _It was then that she watched him roll up his sleeves, pull at his collar a little, even slick back his hair a tiny bit and then go forward gracefully right up to a group of four or five sixth grade girls, upon which he bent down, picked up something from the floor, offered it to one of them with a charming smile, they all giggled, he went and BLUSHED a little (oh Helga was SEETHING with jealousy at this point!), and then he just trotted back to Gerald, making sure _of course_ to shoot a glance back at Helga with a smug little look at which she blushed even more and did her best to scowl though she was in such utter shock and fury at the moment that it was hard to get ANY of her facial muscles under her control, and then he said a word or two to Gerald and the two boys just started heading up the hall to Mr. Simmons room as casually as could be.

"Oh…OH!" Helga practically screamed to herself in frustration and instantly slammed her locker door shut and turned all sights away from Arnold, her face bright red. "That little…who does he think he is doing that right in front of…Hmph well at least that means the purple's getting to him if he had to go and pull a low cheap trick like that!" She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down in frustration.

Phoebe (who was silently very _very_ proud of her friend for not making a spectacle of things by openly confronting Arnold in the hall, and instead having enough self control to fume only in private) went and put a consoling hand on Helga's shoulder once more this morning. "Helga, it's alright…I'm certain he just did that out of anger and frustration…a means of 'silently bugging_ you'_, in other words. After all, you know that ever since you confessed he's gotten a bit more…aggressive with his responses to your bouts of negative behavior toward him." Phoebe brought her hand away with a hesitant and hopeful smile, knowing from experience that when Helga got jealous…schemes tended to happen…and also knowing that anything further subversive or secretive going on between her best friend and Arnold would probably only bring the two of them further away from being able to reconcile their differences.

To Phoebe's immense relief, rather than making plans to prank and humiliate those sixth grade girls Arnold had been talking to (or to prank and humiliate Arnold himself) Helga just closed her eyes, took in a deep breath…and then let it out very very slowly and replied in a forced though indeed steady voice, "I…know. I-I know…He doesn't mean it just like I don't mean it—he's just trying to bug me too. Thanks, Phoebe." And then her eyes fluttered open and she shook her head to clear it some more, and then she managed a somewhat smile at her best friend again today. "You know what, forget Arnold and his stupid passive aggressiveness and the two of us at each other's throats…" she then started (in an obvious effort to change the subject a bit), "That's old news. How's stuff going with you and Geraldo? You popped the L word yet?" She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Phoebe a tiny nudge with her elbow, her grin getting just a bit wry.

Phoebe instantly blushed and her eyes went wide, not having expected this sudden new topic at all! And then she looked down and shook her head quickly. "Uh…um…well…I…u-um…Helga, please, I…" Phoebe would have been willing to humor any topic of interest to Helga that would get her mind off of Arnold…except for this one. "I'd rather not, um…I just mean…Gerald and I prefer to be, um…private about what we do and say together…" She clasped her hands in front of herself shyly, squeezing them together in her slight fluster.

Helga chuckled a tiny bit, but it was very good-naturedly, and then she even reached out and gave her friend a pat on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, sorry, didn't mean to push you, Pheebs. I just get curious. You two just make a very cute couple and, well, if Football Head and I are on the rocks it's nice to know that there's still true love going strong out there _somewhere_, right?" She laughed a little more…though Phoebe (now just barely glancing up at her again) could see just a tiny bit of that former hurt and worry come to her eyes…and now the quiet, glasses-wearing girl understood why Helga had gone for this particular topic of conversation: it might very well indeed be a comfort to her…hearing about how at least one young fourth grade couple was still actually managing to fare strong.

And so with a light blush Phoebe smiled, lowered her voice to a quiet whisper, and said shyly back to her best friend, "Um…thank you, Helga…And…Gerald and I…we're…getting closer…as a couple. It's a little hard to describe sometimes but…the more time we spend together, the more we learn about one another…We're much more connected than I ever thought we would be, Helga. And I believe we could…really last together for quite a while if we continued to try." She gulped, her nervousness getting the better of her again. "But, um…as for…love…I-I think we still both need more time before we could, um…I-I mean, to be sure about…A-And we're not even certain that we know or fully appreciate and understand what love _is_ anyway...S-So to say anything about love yet between us…I mean, we haven't even made out yet, Helga!" That last little thing had popped out of her mouth before she had even had time to consider it (and it hadn't helped that, well…the concept had possibly been on her mind a little more and more frequently lately…). Phoebe instantly gave a sharp gasp at her slip up and brought her hand to her mouth and looked up at Helga with wide eyes.

Helga, who had been listening with a small happy and appreciative smile, just blinked at first at Phoebe's sudden finishing outburst…and then looked at her curiously…and then grinned widely. "_Alright, Phoebe!"_ she whispered brightly.

Phoebe instantly shook her head vigorously, blushing brightly. "No, no, no!" she whispered quickly, glancing around to make sure no one in the halls was noticing them too much (and glancing at Gerald to make sure about the same thing…though right now he was just kind of staring blankly at Arnold as Arnold seemed to be telling him something…) Phoebe shook her head again and her eyes went back to Helga. "No, I said we HADN'T…_you knowed_…yet…" She gulped shyly.

Helga just grinned fully and held up a finger. "Ah, but first of all you used the term 'make out' which you've never done before and second of all you then added the keyword 'yet', and finally third of all it slipped out of your mouth with almost no provocation…all of which proves that you've at least been thinking about…_you knowing_…Phoebe." She giggled, thinking it was sweet how Phoebe was shy about even saying words like 'kissing' and 'make out' (and also…trying not to let this fact remind her too much of how Arnold had been likewise skittish about those words and terms at the beginning of their relationship…so modest and shy and worried…) Helga instantly shook her head a little, bringing herself back to the present moment, and asked (her grin still managing to be intact), "You dreaming about 'you knowing' with Geraldo yet?"

Phoebe's eyes dilated at such a…a personal question! And then a serious little pout/frown look came to her face and she said quietly, her hands stoutly at her sides as she obviously tried to maintain some degree of pride, "Helga, I…would rather not discuss this topic…please…"

Helga let the smugness drop from her grin at her usually compliable friend's determined and shy request, but still smiled nonetheless, and said in a warm and understanding tone, "Hey, Phoebe…It's okay." She dropped her arms and reached up and rubbed one with the other's hand. "I don't mean to tease you…I'm just…happy you two sound like you're starting to go with the flow of things a little. It seems nice. And just so you know…if you two ever did decide to bring anything to a new level…I definitely think you could handle it, Phoebe. And I think it would only make you guys stronger." A soft look came into her eyes, a soft blush to her cheeks. "When you kiss somebody like that…not just the peck on the lips stuff but deeper and longer…it's…special…and for a second even…or a lot of seconds…if you let it…it makes you feel like you're so close that…you're the same."

Helga was quiet for a moment, like she wasn't here for just a little bit…but in someplace inside of herself that was nicer.

Phoebe blinked once or twice…then smiled…and let her be in that nice place for as long as she needed to, recalling once again her friend's own troubles (and Phoebe also didn't fail to notice out of the corner of her eye that up the hall now, just outside of the classroom door, Arnold was glancing over his shoulder in Helga's direction…and he was smiling dreamily and blushing…and he seemed to be mumbling goofily to himself…though the next second Gerald said something to him and Arnold blinked and seemed to snap out of it and turned back around, stopping at the classroom door to talk with his best friend for a moment before finally entering the room with a blush on his features.)

In a few seconds Helga looked up (Phoebe had already turned back to her at this point…her smile all the warmer at the secret little sight she had just seen), still smiling warmly, softly, and blinked a few times. "I-I'm sorry, Phoebe," she said nicely, "What were we talking about?" She asked it like she was genuinely curious…like she had genuinely just been someplace private and special and was now back and wondering what she had missed and also a little unable to recall what had been going on when she had left.

Phoebe just smiled more. "Just k-kissing, Helga…" Phoebe tried not to blush too much at the word, "We were talking about kissing…And…I'll be sure you're the first to know if Gerald and I do too much more of it…" She shut her locker and put a supportive hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Anyway, I believe it's almost time for class, Helga. Shall we go?"

Helga let out a little breath, for a moment just the tiniest bit of a frown came to her face, but then she nodded. "Yeah, sure. Let's go, Pheebs." She turned and began to walk up the hall to the classroom, her friend following beside her.

* * *

_10 Minutes Prior._

"Good morning, Arnold." _  
_

"Good morning, Helga." Despite the slight disagreement they'd had this past Sunday, Arnold still wasn't just going to ignore someone he cared about upon passing them by in a public place…of course, that didn't mean that his greeting had to be said with too much warmth…or that he had to look at her while he said it (lest that pretty blond hair and those big blue eyes sway his judgment in still finding himself to be the one most right in all of this).

Now finished passing her by (the roughest part of his time in school with her so far with them like this since it was the only part of the day that actually really involved speaking…And on a side note Arnold would have been lying if he'd said that he hadn't felt a sad little twist inside of him as for the third day in a row now she yet again hadn't used one of her affectionate or even 'affectionately insulting' nicknames for him…just Arnold…which, as he had observed once to her long ago, was what she tended to call him only when she was really really happy with him or really really angry with him…And she was really really REALLY angry with him lately)…But, anyway, now finished passing her by, Arnold, with a sigh, proceeded to head across the hallway to his locker…and to his best friend who's locker was conveniently next to his. Reaching his destination he let out a sigh and opened his locker door. "Hey Gerald," he said kind of listlessly, unable to help the tone.

"Hey man," Gerald replied back in a light though supportive voice, closing his locker and leaning back against it. Obviously noticing Arnold's slightly 'down in the dumps' face, he had to ask with an eyebrow raised and a touch of concern, "I…take it you and Helga are still having that little disagreement, huh?"

Arnold let out a sigh, looking to his best friend. "Yeah…_still_." On compulsion, he glanced back over to Helga, still with that bit of an annoyed look on his face…and was very surprised to see Helga looking back at him with a very dark look of her own. He was about to scowl back at her a little (just on principle) but then his eyes went wide as he took in the sight of her and he had to blink a few times and his jaw even fell a little…Her outfit…pants…a sweater…purple? And even her hair. No pigtails, no wearing it down, no bun…just a single ponytail tied at the back of her head. '_What is she…_' He noticed a touch of smugness come to her face and at that point just sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration at yet ANOTHER frustrating thing from her in his life, and then glanced away to think it over for a moment…Trying to figure out why Helga in a different outfit was suddenly sticking with him. It wasn't an outfit that was particularly flattering or extra cute or anything—she hadn't dolled herself up in some pretty pink little skirt and top or something like that, because then he would have understood it: she would have been dressing cutely to make him feel attracted to her which was supposed to bug him since fighting with each other meant, well…no kisses…no hugs…no snuggles…no sighs…no moaning…no giggles…no gently one on top of the other…no hearts that pounded together…and had he mentioned no lovely, perfect, delicious, luscious kisses that…

"OW!"

Arnold yelped at the feeling of being pinched in the arm. He turned to Gerald and gave him a frustrated look.

Gerald just smirked and rolled his eyes, and spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear (now that it appeared a few more students and familiar faces were entering the hall). "Hey man, sorry but you were starting to look a little gone there…and, uh, just between you and me you were starting to mouth the words 'I do, I do' again like you started doing on the bus yesterday morning when you were taking that nap." He tried not to laugh.

Arnold just blushed and then cleared his throat, turning completely away from the hallway toward the lockers before them so that no one would see his crimson face. "U-Uh…th-thanks…A-And sorry…I was just…Yeah…heh…" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly, glancing to his best friend once again.

"Eh don't worry about it…" Gerald had to half smile at the little incident…and then a curious look came to his face and he had to add, almost shaking his head in a touch of amazement, "Hmm…Man, I don't know if this whole separation has been affecting Helga the way it's been affecting you, but you know, you two actually having a fight is kind of…scary, if you think about it…I mean, you've been all over each other ever since it finally clicked with you that you like her back, and now you've both gone cold turkey off of 'the love'…"

"Gerald…" Arnold cut him off with a firm voice and gave him a bit of a miffed look, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's your point?"

Gerald put up his hands defensively and spoke sincerely. "Hey man, no need to pull out the angry eyes on me." He lowered his hands and went on, losing the smile as he continued quite seriously. "Anyway, my point is it kind of feels almost…unnatural, if you think about it…Like you two are fighting fate trying to stay away from each other with whatever's going on, and it's gonna make you come crashing back together in some epically chaotic way—kind of like how you two ended up getting together in the first place last month with her crazy confession to start it out and then later that whole love poem of yours, you know?"

Arnold took in a breath and let out a breath, not feeling quite as annoyed anymore, and just shut his locker door and closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. He spoke calmly and levelly. "Gerald, we're not going to end up crawling through the school's ceiling again or trapped on the FTi roof…" He opened his eyes. "We just…need to talk…" Gerald observed as his best friend's eyes drifted back in Helga's direction…She was looking away from him as she talked with Phoebe. Helga, still in the purple…WHY was she in the purple? Arnold considered…She hadn't been in purple yesterday in school…or last night when they had tried talking things out at his house but had failed miserably and just ended up in a shouting match…voices yelling, hearts pounding, the tension building higher and higher and…And then suddenly back in the here and now Arnold blinked and (to Gerald's interest) blushed as he came out of his thoughts, and turned his head slightly away. "_Later_…" he quickly tacked on to his 'we need to talk' assessment and then suddenly he started trying to head off in the direction of the classroom.

He only got a step or two though before he felt a hand on his shoulder, at which feeling he blinked and turned to see his best friend looking at him with concern, to say the least. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…you need to talk…_later_?" Gerald lowered his voice to a whisper, once again to keep any of their friends or the other kids from noticing. "Okay, the 'need to talk' part is you, but…Arnold, when you think you need to talk to someone you jump on it right away! Now you two have been fighting for _three days!_Why do you not just want to talk to her right now and make up and start diving into each other's arms and reciting poetry again! What's the hold up?" Gerald gave him an 'out with it, man!' look and crossed his arms over his chest.

Arnold blinked a few times and blushed a little more…but then finally just let out a sharp sigh and quickly whispered back to Gerald, "Because every time we say more than two words to each other we start getting into a big fight, just like on Sunday!" The events of three days ago quickly flashed through his mind, and he shook his head to clear it of them. "I mean, last night, for example, we tried and we just started shouting stupid things back and forth and getting closer and closer to each other and…" A slight look of distress came into his eyes…and that blush came back (and Gerald didn't fail to notice)… "A-And…it didn't seem like it was helping much so I just stopped it and then she walked away…And also…" he swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck with one of his hands, "It was making me feel…weird…" he finally admitted in almost a mumble. "S-So…that's why…_later_…" he finally finished, clearing his throat.

Gerald just stared at him for a second longer with that curious and firm look of his...and then a big grin broke out onto his face. "Arnold, Arnold, Arnold…" He just shook his head…He could see it all so clearly and just tried not to laugh at the fact that even after nearly four weeks of full immersion in Helga G. Pataki, Arnold still couldn't lie or really hide anything of the truth for beans.

Arnold blinked and blushed again (obviously coming out of some thoughts once more) at Gerald saying his name like that. "What?" he asked, almost with a gulp.

Gerald did his best not to chuckle. He then glanced from side to side to make absolutely sure they weren't being heard…and then whispered back to his friend, crossing his arms over his chest, "I know that blush and that look in your face, Arnold. When you fight with her…it makes you want to kiss her…just like that first time you guys had a major blow out in her room during that poetry tutoring thing and you picked her up and planted one on her…doesn't it?" He had a very smug look on his face.

Arnold's eyes went very wide at the observation, his little heart pounding nervously in his chest.

Quickly though the young football headed boy swallowed hard and put his arms behind his back innocently. "Gerald, I…I don't know what you're talking about." He cleared his throat nervously. "I mean, I…I'd have to have a pretty intense, um…obsession with her for something like that to be happening…heh, heh…"

Gerald continued to just give him a look and then he reached out and flung open Arnold's locker, pushed aside some strategically placed books, and jerked his thumb in it's interior's direction…the back of which Arnold had taken to covering in little photographs of himself and Helga, old It Girl magazine clippings he'd come across lately, not to mention copies of some of his favorite pink book poems that he'd done out by hand before giving her the actual books back, and of course little swatches of any kind of pink fabric or paper or ribbon or anything he'd come across over the last few weeks.

Arnold instantly blushed furiously and slammed the locker shut, glancing around to make sure no one had seen. Not even HELGA knew about his little, well…locker shrine, after all… (And believe him, it had been no easy task keeping her from getting a glance at the inside of his locker but…he just needed to ease in to letting her know that he basically had a shrine to her in his locker…and also that he was just about as thankful as he could be that his girlfriend had ended up spending a month as a model which had conveniently left him with back issues and back issues of magazines of glossy, high definition pictures of her in tons of cute little outfits to gaze at and trace over and admire in all of their fierce beauty.).

"OW!" Arnold rubbed his arm where another little pinch had just occurred courtesy of Gerald.

"Sorry, man." Gerald smiled and shrugged and just shook his head in pity. "Now you were starting to get this kind of intense look and the way you were smiling was creeping me out…" He cringed a tiny bit but was still smiling more than anything: at this point in their lives he entirely found the 'Arnold/Helga' thing more sweet than disgusting. "Seriously, I know you're still in 'Helga: the Love Goddess' withdrawal, but just try and focus a little since we're still in public." He gestured with his head around to the now teeming hallway.

Arnold blinked a bunch of times and gulped at this little warning, and then just blushed and looked down shyly again. "S-Sorry…a-and thanks…again…"

Gerald just smirked once more and shook his head. "No problem again, Romeo…So…" he jerked his thumb back into the direction of Arnold's locker, "Between the land of pink you've got going on in there and these sudden daydream fugue states of yours over the last 72 hours that you've been slipping into…" he put his hands on his hips, "Are you ready to admit your official obsession with her…and that you're afraid of trying to work things out with her because if it leads to shouting it'll lead to you jumping her?"

Arnold's cheeks took on an extra deep tinge of red and he instantly brought his hands behind his back and shuffled his feet a little. "Uh…well…heh, heh, that…the locker and my daydreams…"

"…_And_ the fact that you've been desperately trying to distract yourself from thinking about her by running around the boarding house and acting like a one man handyman, fixing things that aren't even broken, trying to redo all of the wiring, and tinkering away on the roof like a madman…" Gerald had to add just a little smugly (having, uh…witnessed some 'things' over the last few days that had genuinely made him wonder how Arnold had managed to get on without Helga by his side in the first place for that first six years).

Arnold blinked and stammered nervously, his face all red now. "Hey, I've ALWAYS daydreamed, and I've just had a lot of…free time…and energy…without her around, and… I just like the color pink is all and…." And then Arnold froze…and then blinked once more…and then his eyes flew open wide and he whipped around to look to Helga again (she had her back to him…the purple and the ponytail). And then something clicked and he scowled and growled. "THAT'S it! That's why she's wearing…But why pick…" he went through all the other colors in his head…thought about each of them carefully…and then just rolled his eyes and sighed in such utter, burning frustration.

Gerald…not really sure what he had just set off inside of his best friend…just looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Uh, Arnold? What's up?"

Arnold looked to him with the most annoyed expression ever on his face. "Gerald! She's wearing purple!" he hissed, gesturing over to Helga.

Gerald glanced at Helga (who was indeed undeniably in purple), nodded, and then looked back to Arnold, still seeming utterly perplexed. "Uh…yes…What's your point?"

"She's…_ugh_…" The football headed boy crossed his arms over his chest, scowling to himself. "Don't you see it?"

"Uh…that she's wearing purple? Yes I do, Arnold…Do _you_?" Gerald couldn't help but ask the last thing in a bit of a patronizing tone and with an eyebrow raised, starting to feel a little concerned for his friend.

"Oh, of course I do and that's just what she wants!" Arnold announced firmly and in defeat, pushing his back against some shut lockers…Something was obviously really getting under his skin and Gerald was about to ask him to explain…but then he paused as it looked like Arnold was considering something…and the tall haired boy decided to just continue to just observe.

Arnold smiled a little to himself…then shook his head and brought up his eyes and was about to say something to Gerald…but then out of the corner of his eye he happened to catch sight of, well…a group of four or five sixth grade girls talking away and as one of them closed her locker, a notebook and a couple of things fell from her hands, which she picked up (though she missed a pencil, Arnold noticed). Now, of course, Arnold was a naturally helpful (and, when it came to girls, a naturally chivalrous) sort of person so, even if he hadn't been fighting with Helga, he probably would have gone over upon seeing this, picked up the pencil and given it to the random girl and been on his way without another thought about it…In fact he could already feel a compulsion coming over him to do just this bit of a small good deed and then go right back to explaining things to Gerald about himself and Helga and the color purple…

…And yet…

…A bolder part of him couldn't help but wonder…why not milk this opportunity a little? After all, if Helga was going to go and change her whole appearance just to mess with him…could he really be blamed for messing with her a little right back?

He decided the answer to that question was no.

And so now Arnold grinned from ear to ear…and then he instantly reached around himself and took off his sweater, threw open his locker and tossed it in, then slammed the locker door shut (as loudly as he could to make sure to get a certain someone's attention…A goal which he succeeded in attaining as he saw her now glancing over at him in a touch of surprise),…and then Arnold rolled up his sleeves, smoothed back his hair a little, and then instantly smoothly slid over to the group of older girls and picked up the stray pencil from the floor, asking with a charming smile to the group of them, "Excuse me, did one of you ladies drop this?"

The girls blinked a couple of times and then actually smiled and giggled, and one of them reached out and took the pencil from him and thanked him.

Arnold let his charming smile widen a little, nodded, said, "You're welcome," and then with a little bow and a little glance at Helga (who he could see actually blushing with her jaw dropped in total indignation), he smiled just a little more smugly to himself and trotted back over to a totally confused and surprised looking Gerald (who had officially decided, by the way, that Arnold and Helga must operate on a level all their own…a really complicated and confusing and insane level all their own).

"Uh…" began the tall haired boy as his best friend now just leaned back with satisfaction against the lockers, "_Okay_…wanna explain that one to me, Arnold…and this whole 'purple' thing since some of us are…you know…NOT fluent in reading the many subtleties of the delicate dance that is 'Arnold & Helga'?"

Arnold just let out a satisfied breath and pulled himself away from the lockers and began to head up the hall to finally go to class, Gerald following curiously alongside him. "Oh," Arnold began almost casually, "Well…the pencil thing just now was just a little revenge for Helga doing the purple thing." He blushed a tiny bit but still went on with a proud smile. "See, she, um…thinks I look extra, well, handsome without my sweater on, and she hates how I've always gone for older women, and she really likes when I flirt with her so…I just decided to remind her of what she was missing and to make her a tiny bit jealous." Gerald was still looking at him like he was slightly nuts but Arnold just chuckled and shook it off. '_He just doesn't understand…we play games. That's how we get along_.' "And anyway as for the 'purple' thing, well…Look," he began to explain, "Pink is…She knows I LOVE her in pink. On the day we met I basically told her that and that's half of why she's been wearing it ever since!"

Gerald shrugged as he continued to walk beside his best friend. Okay, that was…a reasonable assumption: that Helga wasn't wearing the color Arnold thought she looked best in today to annoy him…So maybe Arnold wasn't ENTIRELY paranoid and crazy…

But then Arnold chose to elaborate and Gerald had to seriously question that assumption…

"And then…" Arnold almost smirked to himself as he went on, arms schemingly behind his back, "And then…you know, she could have worn red, let's say—I mean, I've been in her closet. She owns some red things…"

"Uh…" Gerald just said with his mouth a little agape as he continued walking beside Arnold, almost fascinated by the weirdness his buddy was starting to spout. '_And what the heck's Arnold been doing in Helga's closet?' _It was then that Gerald recalled Helga's apparent shrine to Arnold in her closet…and decided maybe it was better not to ask. "O-Okay…she owns some red things…" he merely added, waiting for further explanation.

Arnold just nodded and went on, that grin still on his face and that glint still in his eyes. "Mmm hmm, but think about it though—my shirt under my sweater's red…" he gestured with his hands to his shirt to show as an example, "And she loves my shirt and loves that I gave her one so of course she didn't wear red today because that would be like one of 'my' colors." Arnold was smiling more as little ideas and pieces fell into place and he got to explain them as they walked on. "And then, hey, what about green? Well, of course she's not going to wear that because it would be like the color of my eyes. And then she's not going to wear blue because she knows how much I love HER eyes and wouldn't want to give me the satisfaction like she was trying to impress me or remind me of her eyes for my sake. Yellow's out because she's always going on and on about my cornflower hair. And then black wouldn't work because…" he considered for a moment and then smiled more, "Because it would be like she was in mourning for our relationship and she'd never want to come out as that vulnerable!" He looked up at his best friend now and smiled widely now as they reached the classroom door and stopped just before it. "So she's wearing purple. Because it's the only color that doesn't look like she's trying to please me or is thinking of me or wants me back!" He just sighed in satisfaction and crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Yes, it all made sense and it was all just so…HER! So _completely_ HER! Something that complicated and subtle and yet grating and arguably insane…Yes…

"What about orange?" It was the only think an utterly…fascinated at this point Gerald could say as he stood before his friend. Besides, even though it was a little sad…it was also kind of interesting for him watching the formerly most sane kid in the world losing his marbles all thanks to an overdose of Helga G. Pataki…and he was just curious about how Arnold's officially romantically warped mind would tie up _that_ loose end.

Arnold blinked at that question, looked up at Gerald like the answer should be the most obvious thing in the world, and when his best friend still looked back at him puzzled, Arnold just sighed waved him off and shook his head. "Gerald—she'd look terrible in orange! I mean, if she's going to torture me, she'd want to make sure to look good while doing it, just to get under my skin about how attractive she is to me. And purple catches her eyes so well and goes so nice with her pretty hair…" He actually laughed a little, a bit of that impressed grinning returning. "But don't you see, it's so very much like her—any other girl would have just gone with the attraction thing and shown up today in some extra pretty and cute outfit to let me know what I was missing out on but not her…She's…complicated…It's even the same thing with her hair too—she knows I've admired those pigtails since the day we met, wearing it down I like even better, wearing it up high would be like those times she's tried to impress me like when we all went to dinner together. So she goes and picks a ponytail…just like HILDA had, of all things—HILDA! And Hilda wanted nothing to do with me!" He was equally frustrated and proud at the same time. (And meanwhile Gerald was just wondering who the heck Hilda was?) "And the absolute most perfect part is that if I figure out what she's doing and it bugs me then she wins, but even if I don't see it it'll still bug me subconsciously like it was doing before I figured it out just now and she STILL wins…" He shook his head and let out another deep sigh, his pride at having such a clever girlfriend winning out just a little over the frustration…though he was still significantly frustrated. After all, all he had done was charm a few older girls with only his shirt on…meanwhile _she_ had come up with a great, big complicated psychological ploy! Always just one step ahead of him…

Gerald, meanwhile, back in the land of the sane people, blinked a few times, hesitated…and then slowly reached out a hand and put it on Arnold's shoulder, briefly wondering if pulling someone out of a state of random arguable psychosis and back to reality was dangerous like waking a sleepwalker was. "Um…Arnold…" he started slowly and carefully, "Don't you think that…all of that stuff you just said…sounds a little…_complicated_?" '…_And severely paranoid even if this is Helga we're talking about…?' _his mind had to add.

Arnold just blinked at processing Gerald's words, and then he looked up at him seriously and shook his head. "Gerald…" he started in a much more level and less impassioned voice, "I know it's complicated…But don't you understand…She's…She's like a genius or something…She's got this cunning that's just…" His eyes drifted back to her form again, looking over his shoulder at her still at her locker talking with Phoebe…warmth gathering in his face as his heart started to pound a little… "She's an evil genius…A talented…brilliant…beautiful…warm…tender…playful…funny…cute…wantable…touchable…"

"_Okay_, that's enough adjectives for you for one morning, buddy. Let's rope it in now…" Gerald grabbed him by the shoulders and turned his head back around from facing the girls. He looked at him seriously. "Arnold, I'm serious—before you explode or crack or lose it, PLEASE talk to her and NOT later! Who cares if you end up all over her mouth again, at least all of this tension'll finally be gone!"

Arnold took a sharp breath at suddenly being pulled from a rather heart pounding bout of emotion about Helga Pataki…and then he blinked a bunch of times…and then shook his head at the suggestion and pulled away from his friend's grasp a little. "Gerald, I…" he was fully back in reality again…and fully aware of this embarrassing development in his and Helga's relationship that Gerald was referring to once more, "N-No…I…I told you, I…We end up fighting and…it makes me feel…No! Not yet." He shook his head again, blushing quite noticeably and that shy little look back in his face.

Gerald just grinned a little though and tried not to laugh. "Arnold…admit it…"

"I-I just…" Arnold went on in a quick explanation though, looking sheepish, "Anyway, the actual problem with us talking now instead of later is that, uh…that…that I just don't like the idea of us settling something by shouting…Yeah, that's it!" He tried to smile innocently. "Uh, heh…uh…" he searched for something to change the topic. "Uh, so…how's stuff with you and Phoebe going, Gerald?"

"Oh, things have been going sanely, normally, averagely just like we like…" Gerald answered casually (trying not to think about how all of that sanity and averageness and normality had…gotten sprinkled with the potential for something more intense…just a little bit, maybe...over the last few weeks) and then grinned some more, not about to let Arnold off the hook (and figuring it would be good for him to outright admit his desire to kiss Helga when they fought anyway). "And no, I don't think the reason you don't want to talk with her is because you don't like the idea of yelling to settle things…What you don't like, like I was saying, is the idea of being in a major debate with her and then suddenly grabbing her and pulling her in for a smooch, and losing the fight because you actually like when she gets you all worked up like that and because this thing you've got for her is worse than all of your other crushes COMBINED…Which is classic, by the way, Arnold…" He chuckled to himself finally, unable to help it.

A distinctly annoyed expression came to Arnold's flushed little face at this point. "Gerald…" he let out a sigh though, and then finally admitted in some degree of embarrassment, "Look…okay, maybe…MAYBE that's PART of the reason…MAYBE…That I…l-like when she yells at me…that I like being able to make her angry…that I like when we explode…when we can't control each other…and what it can lead to…" He was utterly scarlet at having to say that aloud though it was entirely the truth… Yes, in truth…something about being in a shouting match with Helga…having her yell at him with that familiar angry look and now having the courage to yell right back at her…the two of them exchanging barbs back and forth, trying to one up each other…getting right in each other's faces…his heart pounding from the sudden emotions flaring between them…but at the same time knowing that deep down she still loved him so passionately…and that he still loved her… It did make him want to just grab her and kiss her apologize and have her forgive him in surprise but then kiss him back just as fervently… Oh that way she could just fire up every emotion inside of him, just like she always had, always making his heart pound, only in the past he'd been too stupid and blind to realize that his heart had been pounding not from anger or fear but from passion and love… Yelling at him and making his heart race in frustration…and yet his heart also racing in the building tension of fiery, undeniable romance. Indeed, no one had ever made him feel that way or ever made him imagine being able to feel that way in his entire life…loving and hating at the same time…and it really was weird to say the least. Arnold quickly looked Gerald in the eye, and spoke very sincerely. "But don't say anything to Helga or Phoebe! Please! We're not going to be able to work anything out if she knows that I just want to kiss her the whole time…"

"Hey man," Gerald replied supportively, an amused but warm smile on his face. "Whatever you say…Mums the word about what gets you going. But I've gotta tell you though…" he had to smile a little more and just let him know with a sigh, "I'm sensing some chaos on the way…You two are fighting destiny after all…you and Helga being meant to be and everything…" In the past, Gerald would have been saying that last thing sarcastically (Arnold and Helga suddenly deciding they were destined to be—as if), but…now it was said with total sincerity and total support. Maybe part of it was Gerald's nature growing a little more romantic ever since winning Phoebe finally thanks to Helga, but…most of it was just seeing them together and being unable to deny any longer, despite how cringe-worthy it had used to seem to him, that there was something big between them, and if what they had—the whole messy, complicated, insane, passionate thing—wasn't love and wasn't meant to last, then what in the world was and what in the world could be?

Arnold blushed at first at Gerald's words…but then Gerald watched as he smiled gratefully and gave a little nod. "Thanks, Gerald. I feel like we're meant to be too."

"You're welcome, buddy…" Gerald let out a sigh and then led his friend along with himself into the classroom finally. "And hey, listen, I know I've asked you twice so far and both times you said you don't want to 'burden others with your problems' but will you just tell me what happened between you two already! Come on, man…let ME help YOU with a problem for once." He looked at him sincerely as he let Arnold's shoulder go and took his seat.

Arnold, pausing alongside Gerald's desk, swallowed and considered his friend's request…but then finally nodded at him. "I'll tell you at lunch…I promise." He smiled.

Gerald nodded warmly. "Okay man…and I'll do my best to help you sort it out. Hey, maybe we can even ask Lila for advice—she's been kind of in a 'tizzy' after all ever since you and Helga stopped speaking. It's like her favorite celebrity couple hit the rocks or something."

Arnold smiled more and nodded. "Okay, Lila too…I don't know, maybe it really would help to get it off of my chest…"

Gerald winked. "Exactly, man! Unload a little…because sheesh, whatever it was that bumped you two off of cloud nine for three solid days must have been a doozy!"

As Arnold now walked to the front of the room to take his usual seat there, this last observation of Gerald's couldn't help but make a touch of frustration…and also just a little guilt flutter inside of him…(especially as Helga entered the room, her nose held high again and her eyes distinctly not looking at him…and he knew that once again he wouldn't be getting a single spitball of love all day from her). Because, in point of fact…what it was that had 'bumped them off of cloud nine'… had been very minor…strangely minor, in fact…

But anyway, we should probably relate what that 'minor incident' had been that had driven apart these two destined children.

* * *

_*Flashback*_

"Aw, Football Head, I'm so happy we decided to try a late Sunday movie again!" Helga G. Pataki smiled warmly and brightly, holding tightly to Arnold's hand as they approached the theatre together, the streetlights just starting to come on as the twilight had now faded to late spring darkness.

Arnold smiled back at her warmly, squeezing her hand…savoring the ways in which their fingers intertwined and locked. "Yeah. I felt kind of bad that we had to miss out on our usual date on Friday because of that extra baseball practice that got scheduled…and then me and my Grandpa had that fishing trip all day yesterday…"

"Yeah," Helga added with a nod, delighting in the soft warmness of his palm pressing to hers, "…And then me and Phoebe and Brainy had that final science project to finish up this morning…"

Arnold chuckled a bit, just at all those little things lining up to make them miss out on their special quality time together. "Yeah…but it's nice that we're both finally free now, Helga…and that Sunday night's the time when the fewest amount of people we might know are in the theatre…" Taking a quick glance around to make sure that indeed no one they knew was around them on the streets, Arnold then suddenly leaned up and gave Helga a quick, soft kiss on the cheek and added in a whisper near her ear, "You know…so we can keep keeping 'our secret…'and I can keep having you all to myself for just a little while longer in our lives."

To his delight, Helga giggled giddily in response to his words and kiss, a dreamy smile coming on her face. "Yeah…" she said in a happy tone with a goofy smile, and then she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. "And also," she whispered back to him in his own ear, "…since it's so private and dark and cool in there it's a nice time and place for us to…you know…get a little closer…redefining the term 'chapped lips' and all of that…" She gave him a playful nudge and then turned coyly away as they walked on together.

Arnold's breath caught in his throat and his spine straightened, and then he slumped a little forward and a great big goofy grin spread across his face. "Uh…y-yeah…sounds like f-fun…" He gulped and added in his usual sheepish shyness, "B-But m-maybe we could also talk a little too, Helga…at least during the previews? Just talk and c-cuddle a little? After all we've barely had time for one of our conversations at all this weekend and I miss them…When we talk it makes me happy." He smiled up at her.

A blushing Helga just smiled and nodded and squeezed his hand a little. "Of course, Arnold. I've missed our talks too. I always feel good when we tell each other about our days and thoughts and feelings and how we've been…and also as long as I even just get to be with you now that there're no more distractions or obligations this weekend, I'm more than happy…" She leaned her arm a little against his, nuzzling her head against his shoulder and neck.

Arnold, all fluttery inside at both her words and now this fun bit of contact, just nodded and nuzzled her a tiny bit back. "Me too, Helga…As long as you're with me I'm happy too," he said quietly.

She gave a girlish sigh…and the sound made Arnold's heart flutter…

And then the two of them really got near the entrance to the theatre…

…Where Rhonda, Nadine and Sheena were standing in line for a movie themselves.

Their gazes remained half lidded and dreamy and the two remained nuzzling together for a second longer…and then their eyes widened and they froze completely right where they were on the sidewalk just across from the movies.

Then Helga instantly grabbed Arnold's wrist and whipped him into an alleyway. "Oh for the love of…." she whispered acidly to herself. "Seriously? Grr…" She quickly glanced out of the alleyway in the direction of a clock tower. "Great and we only have five minutes until the movie starts!" She popped her head back into the alley and put a hand to her chin in thought.

"Helga," Arnold started with a helpful smile, taking a step forward and putting a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay…We can just go back to the Boarding House or back to your place and watch something there. No big deal." And besides, at one of their houses or at the movies…basically the same thing would happen: they would watch something they both liked, talk each other's ears off, and then kiss until Arnold felt so many feelings inside of himself that he couldn't decide whether the experience was actually one of pleasure or of pain…though usually at that point Helga would moan or something and he'd remember that he was definitely always dealing with pleasure when it came to her.

Helga however didn't turn to look at him at his touch or reassuring words…and still seemed to be considering something actually, a crafty look on her features. "_Or_…" she suddenly said in a very suspicious tone…and now she did turn around to face her beloved…with a mischievous look on her face as a matter of fact… "_Or_ we could have a little fun…and another little adventure and scheme between us. What do you say, Football head?"

Arnold had to raise an eyebrow at the statement, giving her a somewhat clueless look. "Helga…not that I don't think that whatever you're talking about is probably fun but…I'm not sure what you mean…" he had to respond truthfully.

Helga just chuckled to herself and then took his hand off of her should and grabbed his wrist firmly. "Don't worry, Football Head. I'll show you!" And with that and a wink she was suddenly pulling him like a flash out of the alley, across the street and to a different alley near the edge of the movie theatre.

"Okay, good! No one saw us..." she whispered to herself proudly now that they were safely in this new space. She glanced from left to right. "And no one's around…" Her eyes lit up and she rubbed her hands together. "Perfect."

"Helga, what are we—" a rather dizzy from being dragged along Arnold suddenly began to ask in confusion.

"Shh!" Helga cut him off with a blink, putting a finger to her lips in a silencing gesture. "Just be quiet and follow me, my love. Trust me, it'll be fun!" And then she smiled and winked and before Arnold knew it she had suddenly firmed up her hold on his wrist again, pushed open a door on the side of the building in front of them and pulled him into darkness as the door slammed shut behind them.

He just stumbled forward as she pulled him along, still completely unsure of what was going on.

"Let's see…" he heard Helga whisper faintly to herself in the gloom. "The sign out front said we're looking for theatre three so…" She continued moving forward in the darkness, and moving him forward along with her.

"Helga!" Arnold whispered back now as he regained enough coherency to speak even though he was still barely able to see anything. "Where are we? What are you doing?"

"Just give me a sec, Football Head…" He heard the sound of her feeling against one of the walls…and then, "Ah, here we are! Okay ready Arnold…one, two, _three_!" And suddenly Arnold heard the sound of a door opening and felt himself pulled yet again somewhere.

Ending up wherever he was now, Arnold's eyes were closed. But then he opened them and blinked a few times at a touch of light coming from his right…which he quickly realized, upon glancing in that direction, was coming from a movie screen. And then he glanced forward and saw rows and rows of empty theatre seats in front of them…And then he glanced behind them at the door they had just come in by and saw that it had a red glowing sign above it reading EXIT…and then Arnold realized with a start where he was…where they both were.

"Oh perfect!" Helga announced excitedly, looking around. "Just in time for the previews. And hey, the princess and the others may have been out there but it looks like they were catching a different flick! And if no one else has come in to see this one yet then I think it's a safe bet to say that we finally have an empty theatre all to ourselves!" She turned back to her beloved with a happy smile …A wide-eyed Arnold opened his mouth as though about to speak but Helga quickly cut him off with a wave. "And I know what you're thinking—that since we didn't by tickets can't we not go out there and get any snacks now… Well, I'm way ahead of you, Arnold!" And then out of her jumper pocket she instantly pulled two small bags of candy. "There we are—no sense in wasting five bucks a pop on bags half this small, right?" And with that she was about to turn and find them seats, very pleased with herself at her success at sneaking past their classmates and finding the right theatre (and already imagining how impressed Arnold would be with her about this…how he would smile, his eyes narrowing, at her displaying her scheming skills for him which he loved so much, how they would both probably just plain collapse to the floor in kisses for the full two hours of the movie in excitement over the success of their thrilling feat of having pulled all of this off!)

However…

A very very very BIG however…

…Helga stopped though at the sudden feeling of Arnold grabbing her by the shoulders from behind and turning her around to face him. His eyes were wide in shock, almost in appall really. "Helga!" he suddenly whispered very loudly, the previews now playing behind them. "We just…you just…we just…snuck into the movies!"

Helga blinked at the exclamation. "Uh…yeah? And pretty decently if I do say so myself…" She smiled a bit proudly to herself, reserving a touch of that proud grin for him as well. "I mean, I _have_ been doing it since I was six but even with that many years of practice things can still go wrong…That was a very smooth run though. And meanwhile, look at you, Mr. 'Probably Your First Timer'—who knew you had it in you, Football Head!" She winked and giggled a little. "You really are such a secret little bad boy, aren't you?"

Arnold felt a blush come to his cheeks (the source a mix of indignation at this sudden act he had been forced to participate in…and of flattery at her finding him doing this with her so appealing apparently). He found his words though, indignation weighing in over flattery just this once, and spoke, his voice almost squeaking out. "I…Helga…You just snuck us into the movies!" he could only repeat at first though in shock.

Helga raised part of her brow now. "Uh…_yeah_. We just went over that, Football Head. What's your point?" She shrugged a little, shoving the two candy bags back into her side jumper pocket for the moment.

Arnold, still holding her shoulders, just continued to look at her in disbelief, increased all the more by how she was responding to the fact that they had just SNUCK INTO THE MOVIES! "It…It's wrong!" he squeaked out this time, though his voice was starting to regain at least a touch of its normal depth.

Helga just watched him in surprise for a second more and then replied with a slight scoff and a little grin, feeling like she understood what might be troubling her little love now. "Oh come on, Arnold. Seriously! Mr. Morality has to come out _now_! Come on—we snuck into the school's ceiling once, you snuck into FTi to save the neighborhood, I've snuck into your room a million times, you've even snuck into my room quite a few times yourself…" She blushed a little, smiling just a little more.

"But this is different Helga!" Arnold just replied back with wide yes, still looking at her desperately.

Helga blinked again, then let out an impatient sigh, and finally scowled a bit now (mostly at his continued refusal to just lighten up already so they could get on with their date). "Oh come on—_how_, Arnoldo?"

"Helga…" A little sigh escaped him and the disbelief was still there in his gaze at first…but then a scowl started to settle into his face as he replied, now fully in his normal tone of voice, "Of course it's different! All that stuff you just mentioned was really necessary or part of an emergency or just sneaking our houses…But this…You're supposed to pay to go to the movies! And for the food here! If you don't…it's like stealing!" The total shock was back on his face. He was expecting her to understand, like she always seemed to…He was expecting that this would be one of those many moments they had shared in their lives, quite a few of them even before dating, when she would do something wrong and he would explain to her why it was wrong and she would blink and look sheepish and then he would see her conscience shining through and then she would realize her error and do the right thing.

However…

And once again a very very very BIG however…

…To Arnold's surprise Helga just removed herself from his grasp with a noticeably sharp little tug backwards and then rolled her eyes, walking away into the theatre seats. "Okay, I know what's going on here…" she started, glancing over her shoulder at him. "You're having one of your seriously little 'moral, preachy, wet blanket' moments like you do whenever we do anything too fun, and I just need to let you work through it and when you're done in a little bit then we can get down to our date." And with that she turned around and plopped herself down in a seat and just looked at him with a smirk. "So, whenever you're ready, I'll just be waiting right here, Arnold!" She winked at him.

Arnold remained staring at her from right where he was with a slight scowl for several seconds…and then he suddenly walked firmly over to her and abruptly took her by the hand, pulling her up and pulling her along with him out of the row of seats and back out into the aisle. "Helga, I'm not doing this," he said firmly and simply. "This isn't just sneaky, it's absolutely wrong and you know it! I don't care if you've done it before, I'm not doing it now!"

"Well as you _already_ did it, it's a little late, Football Head!" he heard her suddenly shoot back with a harsher tone. Then she scoffed smugly from behind him and added, "Can't change the past, my partner in crime!"

"No…" Arnold replied firmly once more, pulling her toward the proper entrance/exit doors of the theatre, and then he glanced over his shoulder at her and added, "But I CAN go to the manager and explain things to him and apologize and actually pay for our seats!"

That response made Helga swallow and instantly dig her heels into the theatre floor, stopping Arnold in his tracks. "Hey!" she suddenly announced, pulling her hand free of his grasp and putting her hands on her hips, "You do that and they aren't just going to be 'understanding'—we'll get kicked out!"

Arnold turned back to face her, arms crossed over his chest. "Well, maybe that's what we deserve!"

"Hey, you know what, if YOU want to mess up YOUR whole night that's fine with me, but _I'm_ staying here and watching the movie! Hmph!" She closed her eyes and turned up her nose at him. "And honestly I cannot believe you are being so ridiculous about one free movie ticket and a bag of store bought candy!"

Arnold gave her a look. "And _I_ can't believe that _you_ would actually drag me into something like this in the first place!" He took a step back toward her and put his hands on her shoulders once more…gently. "Come on, Helga, I know you—" he spoke a bit more calmly, looking at her more sincerely than angrily now, "Even if you're a little rough around the edges you're still a good person. You know the difference between right and wrong! I mean…" he considered for a second, "What about the time at Chez Paris when you had Nadine let loose her cockroaches so we wouldn't have to pay the dinner bill since you messed up the gift certificates, but then you went back and told the truth and apologized after I told you it would be the right thing to do?"

Helga, wide eyed at the moment, hadn't been able to help but feel a blush come to her face at him calling her a good person…at him trusting her character so thoroughly like that. But right now she was in the middle of an argument and she was not about to lose it just because her beloved had complimented her. "I…Well…" she fished for a second more but then finally replied in as confident a voice as possible, "Well, that was just because I was a sucker for ANYTHING you asked me to do back then and also for any chance to spend time with you! Otherwise, believe me, I would have been out of there scot free in a second!"

And then suddenly, feeling like putting _him_ on the defensive, she wriggled out of his hold on her shoulders and took a step toward him with a smirk on her face, causing him to blink. "And as for you, Football Head," she gave him a little poke in the chest, "…Even though you're a good person didn't we also agree that you have a bit of an adventurous streak in you—or are you forgetting that little playing hooky story Gerald mentioned to me?" '_Ha! Got him now!' _"You know, they sic truant officers on kids for doing things like that…Oh and, uh, also…Gerald might have mentioned to me that time you almost helped Frankie G. ROB a MUSIC STORE! Now that's just a plain felony, Football Head!" She grinned triumphantly, waiting to see him try and talk his way past that one. "And also, Gerald also told me that one weekend at the beginning of the year you DID sneak in here, even though you did it too late and missed the movie...Care to explain, Football Head?" she just couldn't help taking on smugly.

At her rather unexpected words and reminders of some of the less than admirable moments of his childhood, Arnold blinked a lot and blushed a lot and stammered a lot. "W-Well...that's…I…" But then he just shook his head, his scowl returning. Instantly he grabbed one of her hands once more. "Alright, first of all, Frankie G. TRICKED me, second of all me sneaking into the movies that one time was only because I was having a VERY bad weekend...really just a HORRIBLE weekend, to be honest, and so I was desperate, and I learned my lesson by missing the movie and I haven't done it ever since. And third of all, Helga, okay, we all know I'm not perfect but let's just forget what we've done in the past for a second—the point is we're not sneaking into the movies _now_! Now we're going to go and apologize to the manager and pay for our seats and we'll talk about this later!" And then before she could protest or stall further he had pulled her up the last little bit of the aisle, out of the theatre doors and into the lobby.

Arnold went to walk forward in search of the ticket booth or anyone who worked here now that they were out here, but suddenly he almost tripped forward as he found himself pulling now entirely dead weight. With a blink he turned back to look at Helga…who was just standing there with her eyes wide as could be and her jaw dropped. "Arnold!" she squeaked out acidly.

"What is i—WHOA!" Suddenly, to his total shock, she had pulled him under the cover of a trash bin.

"Arnold, are you insane?" Arnold suddenly heard her ask. Blinking several times his eyes then finally came into focus on her scowling face and her form crouched down in hiding along with his. "What if Rhonda or one of the others were out here getting a last minute snack? You could have completely blown our cover!" She snatched her hand from his, looking all but panicked.

Upon taking in her words and her reason for ducking them down behind here, Arnold's scowl returned once again tonight and he rolled his eyes. "Helga—is that really important right now? I mean do you really think that if Rhonda or Nadine or Sheena or anyone else from school saw us walking out of the same theatre together, they would automatically come to the conclusion that we're in love?" _'Sometimes I just…I just hate when she gets this worried about people finding out!'_

For just a second, that comment made Helga's eyes go wide again…and she felt her heartbeat quicken…and even a touch of sadness came to her face…and she almost lifted up one of her arms…her face softening into a familiar look…though Arnold couldn't quite place it…though he recognized it as something good…

It was gone as soon as it came though and suddenly she quickly shook her head and resumed her former scowl. "Hey!" Helga shoved a finger in his face. "It's years of preventing people from noticing small little things like that and slowly putting together the pieces that's kept my secret under wraps so far, and I am NOT about to start slipping NOW just because you get so blinded by morals every eight seconds that you're willing to just start strolling around in public hand in hand with me as long as it means you'll be 'doing the right thing!'"

Arnold let out a very frustrated sigh and stood up._ 'Great, when we're all nice and happy it's 'our' secret but the second the chips are down it's right back to being just 'hers' again. Of course…_' "Helga, this is ridiculous…" he put his hands on his hips, having had enough of all of this. "Fine, if you want to then just stay here and _I'll_go apologize and pay for us!"

"Oh no you don't!" She suddenly stood up as well, cornering and then pinning him against the wall by his shoulders, much to his surprise. "We are NOT done talking about this and you are NOT going to go off on some stupid goodie two shoes errand in the middle of it!"

_Rather_ surprised at suddenly having her trap him against the wall like this and also quite a bit emotionally worked up at this point, Arnold just remained scowling right back at Helga's angry blue eyes and breathing heavily for several seconds…his heart pounding…And then he couldn't help his eyes going just a bit wide and for just a second…and for just a second he almost…went forward...

Instantly though he shifted his weight back against the wall…and Helga couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the touch of a blush creeping into his face. Suddenly he just closed his eyes and loudly whispered back. "Helga, will you just admit that what you just did was wrong so we can get back to our date? Quit being so stubborn!"

"Grr…" He heard her growl, and then his eyes flew open as she released him with just a touch of unnecessary force. "You just have the MOST one track mind in existence, don't you Football Head?" Their voices were getting just a bit louder, by the way, though they themselves weren't noticing it too much. "And do NOT call me stubborn!" She put her hands on her hips. "You know I am getting really sick of you being so free handed with me just because we are dating!"

"Oh _yeah_?" He blinked but then gave her a smug smile, stepping away from the wall. "That's not what you said that time after we had that fight about Brainy kissing your cheek after you rejected him…Remember—when I got you back by telling Gerald and Phoebe the TRUTH about what happened in that closet and in the vents at school between us! You said you _liked_it when I stand up to you!" He had never felt more proud of himself for a comeback in his life.

Helga instantly felt a bright blush come to her face at his reminder of that particular memory, though she did her best not to lose her scowl. "Well, I…I also said not to let it become a regular thing, Football Face!" '_Darn it, why did I admit that to him!'_

"Mmm hmm…" He only moved his face closer to hers though, his grin picking up on one side, "…but you still like it…" He couldn't help his eyes narrowing a bit, the smile still on his face.

"Oh…Oh _yeah_?" she shot back weakly. "Well…well…" she glanced around unsurely, looking for any way to get him back…and she was desperate, so… "Well, you know, if you're going to be this much of a wet blanket and an ego maniac then it's no wonder you couldn't get a legitimate date out of anyone else before me! I mean, what, the closest you ever got was Lila letting you drag her to the Cheese Festival as a friend and half a Valentine's dinner with Ruth!" She looked at him defiantly.

A blank look just came to Arnold's face…and then a firm blush…and then a frustrated (and slightly hurt) scowl. "Well…you…" finally though now anger had to get the better of even Arnold and he yelled back without thinking about it, eyes shut tight! "Well…Well, if you're going to be so angry and defensive and stubborn and bossy half the time then it's no wonder that it took me seven years and you practically throwing yourself at me for me to even begin to have a romantic thought about you!"

Arnold opened his eyes, breathing heavily…only to blink as he saw Helga standing there, her face oscillating between her scowl and a look of sadness…Sadness…He had…made her sad… "So…" she spoke, the tension and fury gone for a moment…an almost dull tone in her usually musical voice, "What…? Are you just saying that our entire relationship is based on me just getting you because I was desperate and there?"

Arnold…at first felt the compulsion to go forward and take on of her hands in both of his hands assure her that she was being silly…to assure her that he would never say that, never mean it…and to beg her not to be sad anymore all because of him. But…he was, well…just as hurt as she was right now by some of the stuff they had just been saying, to be honest…and so instead he just looked at her with that hurt in his little heart and asked, just as validly, "Well…are _you_ saying that our entire relationship is just based on me taking you because I couldn't get anyone else?"

The look in Helga's eyes was like someone had pierced her with some kind of horrible blow. And it was true in two senses: first, that everything she had said had hurt Arnold enough for him to respond to her like that, and second, that he had actually...actually brought forth such a suggestion…

Her choices right now were basically well…cry, at this point, this whole thing was making her feel so horrible…cry and assure him she would never say or mean something like that…and do everything she could to make it better…or…to be defensive…As usual, Helga chose being defensive…She felt backed into a corner and even though she knew better she just…panicked! "I can't believe you're…you're throwing this huge tantrum all because I snuck us into the stupid movies, you little shrimp!" she yelled at him all of a sudden with a full scowl (that was there more to stop her eyes from tearing up than for anything else), not caring who heard at this point! "You know, just for ONCE, it'd be nice to have a boyfriend who's got a spine and who isn't a complete baby about getting in trouble!"

Arnold just…not expecting that…at all…or how much it hurt…blinked a bunch of times, his mouth open…words seemed to want to come out but it was like they just couldn't and… and then…

Arnold went and stood up for himself again…but unfortunately did it in a really defensive and silly way, just as Helga had just done and mostly because he was backed into a corner. (And he didn't care much who heard either). A little scowl came to his features as well. "Well…maybe it'd be nice for ME to have a GIRLFRIEND who doesn't just stop caring about right and wrong whenever she feels like it and who can actually act dainty and like the 'lady' I keep telling her she is even though sometimes like right now when she's scowling and screaming at me I'm not so sure!"

Helga went to take a breath, the scowl still there…though her lower lip had started to tremble…and her heart hurt so much…He had yelled at her in a way he had never yelled at her before…Her heart hurt _so_ much…

"Hey, you kids—is there a problem here?"

Both Arnold and Helga instantly blinked…and then slowly turned their heads to look up into the face of a very unhappy looking theatre usher.

"Uh…" Both kids said at the same time, their jaws open.

"And what theatre are you two supposed to be in, anyway? Let me see your ticket stubs!" The usher held out his hand.

Arnold and Helga looked back to each other and swallowed hard.

The theatre usher let out a deep sigh.

* * *

"…And if I ever catch you kids sneaking in here again I'll call your parents on you!" The door to the theatre was shut tight abruptly, leaving Arnold and Helga out on the dark (and now wet, thanks to the fact that it had been raining a bit on and off ever since they had entered the building) street.

"Great…just fantastic…" Helga grumbled to herself with a scowl, dusting herself off a bit. "And on that note I am going home!" And with that…and trying to save any crying until later…she started stomping down the sidewalk.

The sound of Arnold following behind her made her stop in her tracks. She turned to face him, frustration and anger evident on her face. "Oh no, I think I've had enough of you for one night, ARNOLD…"

Arnold blinked several times, feeling so unsure. "But Helga...I…don't want you to just go home alone…At least let me walk y—" He reached a hand forward and gently took hers, his chivalry overtaking any of his pettiness and rage.

"NO!" She pulled her hand away, not just ready to forgive and forget…although she really did do it kind of forcefully which actually caused Arnold to almost stagger back a bit. For just a moment her scowl dropped in concern…but then it came right back and she shook her head and turned away from him again, trying not to think of how she had almost gone and pushed him in her anger. "Just leave me alone! After all I'm so 'angry and defensive and stubborn and bossy' that I'm sure you'd much rather walk home by yourself! And if worse comes to worse I guess I could just 'throw myself at someone' along the way, and I'm sure that since I'm 'desperate and there', they'd be willing to walk me home. Although, honestly, I'm so aggressive and so unladylike that I don't think anyone would try and mess with me if I just went there alone—they'd probably just think I was a boy or something like people always do whenever I stomp down the street!" And with that she turned on her heel and indeed proceeded to stomp down the street…hot tears in her eyes and feeling a sick lurch of loneliness in the pit of her stomach.

Arnold just blinked at the sight of her leaving…and a little frown came to his face at that feeling of being actually physically pushed away from her…something he had never expected. But then a rumble of thunder instantly broke him out of his shock…and made his own hurt and pain and defensiveness come flooding back in over his care and concern for others. "Well…fine!" He scowled slightly as he yelled back. "I guess this is just another example of me being bad at dates! And don't worry—I won't find another girl to walk home with since I 'can't get anyone else'. I'll just have to suck it up and have a 'spine' even though I'm such a 'little shrimp' and walk home alone myself!" And with that he turned around and went home as well, going in the opposite direction of her and not caring that that meant he would have to take the long way of getting back to the boarding house so long as going in that direction meant that he and his pounding heart could have some time to themselves.

As Arnold and Helga separated, it started to rain in their wakes.

_*End Flashback*_

* * *

"Whoa, you guys had a _blowout_, didn't you?" Gerald asked with an eyebrow raised in response to just how heated things had gotten between his best friend and Helga G. Pataki on Sunday night. Lunch had begun twenty minutes ago upon which, as he and Arnold and Lila had sat down at their table, Arnold had commenced relating the details of his and Helga's first big fight, and Gerald hadn't even touched his food during the entire recounting, finding Arnold's story much more engaging than just some mystery meat and green gelatin with a side of a carton of milk.

"Yes, Arnold…I'm ever so certain that…was quite an argument…" Lila couldn't help but comment and agree with a frown. Seeing the tension between Arnold and Helga over the last several days, she had fallen into the role of kind of talking to one of them or the other, trying to help…And really what Gerald had said about her behaving like her favorite celebrity couple had just separated or something wasn't far from the truth—she had found their whole romance so utterly charming from day one that at this point she was basically Arnold and Helga's biggest fangirl and she was willing to do just about anything, listen to any side of any story, comfort either of them in any way that she could if it might mean they would get back together (and she too had barely touched her lunch while listening to Arnold's harrowing tale).

Arnold (still with no sweater on—He'd show Helga, Hmph!) let out a sigh, looking down at his own untouched lunch tray with regret in his eyes. "I know, I know, guys…And the same thing happened when we tried to talk about it the next day but what I just can't understand is how it all happened in the _first place_—one minute we were walking down the street smiling and talking and holding hands, and then the next minute we were at each other's throats like we'd been the worst enemies our whole lives." He leaned his head against one of his hands on the table and sighed in thought.

"Well…" Gerald shrugged, taking a bite of his mystery meat finally and swallowing, "Maybe that's the problem."

Arnold glanced up at him, a genuine look of confusion on his face. "What do you mean?"

Gerald let out a sigh and explained with a shrug. "I mean that for most of your lives you two kind of have been enemies…You know, the bully and the bullied. But now within the last month you've shifted from that to head over heels for each other and picking out china patterns…" The tall haired boy had to smirk just a little.

Lila couldn't help but smile a bit, looking to Gerald and then to Arnold. "I'm ever so certain that's a good point, Gerald. In their private lives they really have turned over a new leaf with each other just ever so much."

Arnold let out a small sigh rolled his eyes to the side just a little, really not in the mood right now to hear once again about how shocking it was that he had gone from basically having the perfect relationship with Helga to just a 'blowout', as Gerald had put it. "Guys…Is there a point…?" He did his best to ask the question levelly, not defensively.

Gerald looked back to his friend and smiled supportively and elaborated. "Sorry man…I'm getting to it. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is…I know she loves you and you love her too but she spent six years scowling and yelling at you and you spent six years being annoyed at her… You two have a past and no matter how you both feel about each other now, you probably can't just pretend none of it happened…Actually, honestly I'm surprised you two have managed to avoid it this long." He shook his head, then went on. "Anyway…when you found something even kind of big to really challenge each other on, it kind of makes sense that you both would go and use it as an outlet for all those old feelings…and maybe even let yourselves get carried away." He shrugged, quirking his mouth to the side a little in a grin. "Just tossing the suggestion out there, man. Call it a theory."

"I'm ever so certain that Gerald makes an interesting point, Arnold," Lila piped up with a sincere nod, looking to Arnold. "Your natural relationship used to be just oh too love and hate…with a little more hate than love. And now it's all love and no hate. It makes sense that you two might have a little steam to blow off." She shrugged as well, likewise waiting to see how Arnold might respond to this concept.

Arnold just blinked at first, a surprised look coming to his face for several seconds…He thought it over. _'Could we really…Could we really be kind of resenting each other because of how things were before?_' Arnold considered—certainly he held no active grudge against Helga for her past behavior. He never had even done so _before_ her confession, always believing that deep down she was a good person who just had trouble letting her kinder side out…and now that she had confessed and he had confessed, love and affection were certainly the paramount emotions that came to mind whenever he thought about her.

Still, though, he had to admit with a swallow…a little guilty swallow…that though he had rarely if ever felt full blown anger toward Helga over the years, she _had_ often left him with a degree of frustration…resentment even, at least…In fact, he couldn't help but recall that such constant frustration bordering on resentment was what had led him to push her into her confession in the first place and then into admitting her confession was true later on…But even after having gotten her to admit that the confession had been true…could all of that pent up stuff still need an outlet?

"Arnold…you who? Man, are you slipping off into another one of those extra Helga-themed daydreams you've been having lately?" Gerald snapped his fingers once or twice in front of Arnold's face.

"Aw, Arnold, you've been daydreaming about her extra just because she hasn't been around? Really? I'm ever so certain that's the most charming thing I've ever heard," Lila couldn't help but observe with a giggle.

Arnold blinked at the sound of his best friend's voice as well as his several finger snaps, and also at Lila's giggling and came back to reality. He blushed a tiny bit. "Oh…uh, sorry, Gerald, Lila…I was just thinking about what you said…" Arnold let out a sigh and used his fork to play with his food. "I don't know…maybe you're both right… Maybe our past _is_ the reason we both let ourselves get so carried away now…" Finally he let out one more sigh and then pushed his tray away, really just plain having no appetite…really not having had one for about the last three days…(and he especially had been able to stomach not a bite of anything raspberry or lemonade flavored). He turned his eyes back to his best friend and best female friend…just a bit of an accepting smile coming to his formerly totally forlorn face. "I'm going to have to try and talk to her again, aren't I?"

Gerald grinned. "Yeah…just make sure you really do talk things out BEFORE you toss her down and plant one on her!"

"Gerald!" Arnold blushed considerably and barely gestured to Lila with his head. "C-Come on, not…in…you know, mixed company…"

"Oh brother…" Gerald just snorted and rolled his eyes with a small little snort.

Lila just giggled again. "Aw, Arnold, it's okay…" she assured him brightly. "Helga lets me know about ever so many things like that between you two anyway... You don't have to be embarrassed—I think it's just ever so sweet that you two enjoy being romantic with each other like that to be just perfectly honest. Speaking of which…I've gotta remember to call Arnie…Thanks for his number again, Arnold…" She got all dreamy looking for a second.

Gerald faked a gagging motion and Arnold just let out a deep sigh, only blushing even more. "Uh…you're welcome, Lila…" he replied…and tried to let his embarrassment ebb. '_I almost forgot—Helga loves talking to Lila about me…of course that would lead to them talking about our kissing._' Then he turned to his best friend again, doing his best to take his mind off of the slightly awkward topic. "And Gerald…I'm happy you came up with a reason that makes sense for why our fight got so bad and I know you think it's funny that whenever we start yelling it makes me…want to plant one on her…" he mumbled out those six words and cleared his throat, doing his best to go on as quickly as possible. "But I really need advice. I have an idea what the problem is but…what am I going to do? I'm supposed to have a relationship with someone who makes me want to kiss her every time she yells at me…That can't be a good sign for our future fights…" His face took on a look of concern again.

"See because I think it means that you two might actually last. Like, long term!" Gerald couldn't help but observe quite sincerely and with a smile, despite his friend's apparent worry. "Because, no matter what, you'll always come back to the fact that you love each other. I think you wanting to kiss her like that is a really good sign and just means that underneath all of this silly fight stuff, you still love her like crazy." Gerald couldn't help but smile just a little sentimentally.

Lila, looking equally about as sentimental as could be beside him, nodded in agreement. "I agree, Arnold. I'm ever so sure that only someone truly in love would have getting closer on their mind even in the middle of an argument. And I'm oh too sure that even Helga probably can't help but feel a little bit of the same way whenever you fight, Arnold." She looked at him as sincerely as could be.

Arnold, now actually genuinely smiling a little, just let out a good-natured sigh…and then stood up. "I hope you're right, guys…" He reached forward and grabbed his tray from the table. "And…I'm just going to throw away my tray and then I think I'll go talk to her."

That statement caught Gerald's ears pretty quickly and made him look, wide-eyed and serious, right at Arnold. "Wait, you're going to talk to her HERE, NOW—in the middle of a full cafeteria!" And indeed the room was teeming with people from varying grades, including all of their own classmates. It was about the most public place in the school right now.

Arnold pushed his chair in and shook his head, tray in hand. "I'm just going to ask her if we can talk later somewhere…but I want to ask her now before I lose my nerve, you know?"

Gerald gave him a relieved smile and let out a sigh. "Oh good…No damage control for me and Phoebe to do…and Lila gets a break too."

"Aw, good luck, Arnold!" Lila wished cheerfully. "I'm ever so sure you're doing the right thing!" She winked.

Arnold smiled at both of them. "Thanks, Lila, Gerald... See you guys in a minute…" And with that he headed across the cafeteria to pass by Helga and Phoebe's table so that he could throw out his tray…and then turn around and walk back over to let Helga know as sincerely and warmly as he could that he wanted to try working out their current disagreement once more, maybe after school today, if she would do him the honor of her time.

* * *

"Helga…"

Helga just let out a deep, frustrated sigh, not even needing Phoebe to finish to know what she was going to say. "Yeah, I know. Bad fight. And then we tried to work it out last night too but the same thing happened so now we're just not speaking at all."

"No, it's just…Well, yes, but…" Phoebe blinked a few times, finishing taking in the situation her friend had just recounted to her. She looked to Helga again. "Helga…I knew you always spoke to Arnold so defiantly over the years in order to keep your secret…and then later to keep him from pursuing the topic of your confession…But I always assumed that any capacity you had for expressing that much anger towards him would diminish if not disappear now that he has reciprocated your feelings…"

Helga let out another sigh (this one a bit less frustrated and a bit more regretful) and leaned her head on one of her hands on the cafeteria table over her tray. "Yeah, I know…Looks like the 'good old defensive, Football Head hating' me was just taking a breather instead of gone for good…and now she's back in full swing!" She picked up her plastic fork and stabbed angrily at some peas with it (the peas, much like everything else on her tray, having almost been purchased automatically upon entering the cafeteria and not having been touched or thought of once during the entire telling of her story). Finishing up this tiny bit of venting though, that kind of forlorn look that she'd been sporting for the better part of three days returned to her features and now she glanced up at her other companion at her table. "You got any opinion on this new fine mess I've gotten myself into, Brainy?"

Brainy, sitting across from Helga at the table, just wheezed a little at first…though Helga could tell at this point in their friendship just by looking at his eyes that the blank look on his face wasn't actually a blank look but a sign of him pensively thinking everything over. Then he pulled out his inhaler, took a puff and spoke. "I think you let your temper get the better of you again, Helga. But I also think Arnold allowed himself to lose his patience a little too quickly. I know it's not your specialty, Helga, but…this may need an apology to fix…you know…on BOTH of your parts…" He smiled a little, well aware of Helga's…potential stubbornness in that particular area.

Helga just let out a deep sigh at his conclusions and crossed her arms over her chest, knowing full well her own stubbornness herself. "Fantastic. And we all know how likely it is that I'll manage to humble myself to one of those…Hmm…" she groaned a little in frustration, "Crimeny, I can smile at and coo at and hug and kiss the little Football Head at the drop of a hat, but something as simple as a nice mutual apology—of course _that_ would escape me." She plopped her arms down on the tabletop, pushing the tray away, and then plopped her head down on right on top of them with her eyes closed.

Phoebe was silent for several more seconds, just taking a sip or two of her milk…and in point of fact she had actually been in a bit of thought ever since Helga had finished her tale. Finally though she looked again to her best friend and began slowly and sincerely. "Helga…you know…you really _have_ been treating Arnold awfully nicely up until this point ever since he confessed…"

"Yes, Phoebe, I've been treating him nice but I can't even be nice enough to swallow my pride and apologize to him. Thank you for rubbing it in…" As Helga spoke she sat up again and picked up her fork and had started digging it mercilessly into her plate once more. Now thoroughly done destroying her peas Helga began to pummel her mashed potatoes (trying to make them as UN-football shaped as possible…even though somehow in some way they always ended up looking a little football shaped to her). "I finally have it so that I don't have to treat the little jerk like a little jerk twenty four hours a day, and I totally blow it in less than a month…" A look of sadness came to her face as she added quietly, "Maybe…Maybe I'm really not some good, decent hopeless romantic underneath the blustery exterior…Maybe the blustery exterior really is what I am deep down, and I just use the other stuff—the stuff that could have been the real me—to avoid it…" With a final sigh she let her fork drop into her tray carelessly in an action heavy with defeat.

"Helga, you know that that is absolutely not true," Brainy said without hesitation and in a tone that refused to be argued with and that actually made Helga sit up straight and blink and look at him with wide eyes. He went on, looking at her firmly yet supportively. "You are a beautiful and brilliant person who has always just insisted on shyly hiding that away from the world under a thin veneer of bullying. And I won't sit here and listen to you doubting and feeling sorry for yourself when you know just as much as any of us, including Arnold, how special you are." His hands were folded together professionally on the table and the look in his eye seemed to expect an affirmative answer to his assertion.

Helga meanwhile was just blushing a little when his slight reprimand to her was over. A touch of doubt remained on her face at first…but then it dissipated…and somewhere inside of herself she couldn't deny that…she had probably needed that just now: a supportive and caring little push out of her self pity party that she had been holding for three days. "Thank you…Brainy. And…s-sorry…" she managed to tack on in a little mumble with a grateful little smile. "Didn't mean to doubt how much of a catch I am…"

At her words and smile Brainy just gave a small chuckle, relaxing a little again. "You're welcome, Helga. And see, if you can apologize to me than you can certainly apologize to Arnold…who I'm sure has been dying to apologize to you as well…This situation isn't an insult to your character, Helga, it's just a fight between two lovers. And it will be resolved soon, I'm sure." He nodded supportively.

Helga smiled with a bit more happiness and hope than she'd been prone to smile with for quite a few days, and then let out a light sigh and shrugged. "Well, here's to hoping you're right, Brainy."

Meanwhile, while Helga and Brainy had been having this chat…Phoebe had been thinking some more…just a little more…and now she spoke up again, once more looking to her best friend. "Helga…I must say I agree with Brainy about all of this…I truly doubt your true nature being a harsh and abrasive one is the problem here…In fact, I think the problem may actually be stemming from the fact that being _nice and loving_ is your true nature…or at least…the problem lies in the degree to which you've been applying that part of your true nature to your relationship with Arnold."

Helga blinked and looked to Phoebe with interest though also with a touch of confusion. _'How can the fact that I've been being nice to Arnold…be the problem?_' she had to wonder to herself because really it seemed like that was what Phoebe was saying right now.

Phoebe, seeing the need for clarification and elaboration, went on, smiling a little more now. "Helga, I previously mentioned that you had been treating Arnold so nicely lately because…well…did it ever occur to you that perhaps by doing so you've been repressing the desire to be a bit more demanding toward him that you spent six years conditioning yourself to have?"

"Huh?" Helga just looked at her in plain puzzlement now. "Phoebe, in English, please—some of us only read Freud occasionally and not obsessively."

Phoebe let out a sigh with a small chuckle, and then reached up her hand to remove her glasses to clean them a little as she spoke on. "Helga, you trained yourself to insult, mock and berate Arnold every time you saw him ever since preschool. But now you're so happy that he cares for you as well that you've been doing everything in your power to be as sweet and doting and affectionate as possible whenever you two are together and in private, and even in public now when you 'bully' him you both know secretly that it's not in earnest. So perhaps you came off so strongly in the fight because you needed a chance to genuinely give in to some of the left over desires of your former treatment of him…you needed to reassert yourself a little." She placed her now clean glasses back on over her eyes.

Brainy, from beside her, gave Phoebe an intrigued look, taking in her words with interest.

Helga just blinked…and then considered…and finally replied slowly (as she translated Phoebe's psychological 'mumbo jumbo' into normal kidspeak). "So…you think I really am a good person and do love him more than being a bully…but that I might have been so harsh with the little guy because…it was the first chance I've really gotten to really get a little rough with him in a while…to challenge him? And because for the past few weeks we've just basically been giggling and saying I love you's to each other?" She glanced to Phoebe for a confirmation that she had gotten it right.

Phoebe smiled brightly and nodded. "Precisely."

A half grin came to Brainy's face now. "Hmm, interesting theory, Phoebe…"

Phoebe glanced at the glasses wearing boy seated beside her. "Thank you, Brainy."

Helga, meanwhile, continued to absorb the theory a little more…and then couldn't help but half smile to herself as she said absentmindedly to no one in particular, an interesting thought and observation coming to mind, "Hmm…well that explains it then…"

Phoebe raised an eyebrow, catching Helga's words, and turned her sights back to her best friend. "Explains what, Helga?"

At being so unexpectedly addressed about words she really hadn't meant to say out loud, Helga blinked, coming out of some personal thoughts…and blushed just a bit and shrugged a little uncomfortably. "Oh…uh…just…just some stuff from when Football Head and I were fighting on Sunday…and then again when we tried to talk the next day actually…No big deal…"

"Stuff like what Helga?" Phoebe asked, genuinely interested.

Brainy looked at Helga with an intrigued and helpful smile too.

Helga swallowed, glancing away from both of them. "Well…I…" She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath, looking sheepish. "Well…when we were having that fight at the movies…and even when we tried to talk after but royally failed at that too…It's like we'll be in the middle of arguing and I'll have a really clever comeback for Arnoldo but…suddenly I kind of just become really fully aware again that even though we're angry…we're dating. Seven long years and he…he has feelings for me too. And it just keeps making me want to drop everything and not insist on screwing this up by feeling angry and just, um…run up to him and pounce on the little guy with a hug and grin like an idiot and say I'm sorry for everything, and never let him go because at least he's mine now and he wants me to be his…" She swallowed hard and started to rub the back of her neck. "It's stupid…"

Phoebe however just smiled warmly. "No, Helga…Actually it seems rather sweet."

"I agree, Helga…" Brainy couldn't help but add with his own little warm smile, "And if you ever needed any proof that you're really a loving person and that the abrasiveness is the act, I think it's that…It's rather charming, really…"

Helga blushed even more deeply at her friend's reactions and then just rolled her eyes and tugged at her collar. "Okay, okay, I'm sweet and charming…" she mumbled under her breath shyly, "We get it—can we just move on, now?"

Phoebe chuckled a tiny bit, more than used to how even now Helga could still get all flustered and embarrassed about talking about the 'in love' side of herself unless she was the one bringing it up and gushing about it solely because she couldn't help herself. "Of course, Helga, but…I'm just curious. Have you considered stopping the argument when you start getting that urge and _actually_ just hugging Arnold and explaining how you're feeling?"

Helga blinked at the suggestion and instantly shook her head, bringing her eyes right up to her best friend's. "Phoebe…" she spoke seriously, "If I just hug him out of some deep seated love compulsion and we pretend like the fight never happened…well, that might make the in love part of me happy but it's never going to really fix anything." A determined look came to her face. "We need a full, open discussion…even if there's yelling…and especially if what you just said is going on between us with repressed feelings and junk really is going on…Heck, who knows—if I'm reverting to bully mode because I've been repressing wanting to be all bossy and ruthless with him, maybe Arnold went so off the deep end with me because _he's_ trying to work out the whole 'being bullied' thing…" She considered and then shook her head to clear it, looking to her best friend and then her best guy friend once more as she summed things up. "Anyway, Pheebs, Brainy, the point is that this is too important to just dive into each other's arms and pretend like nothing happened…It's our first real fight and if we're going to have a real relationship we need to really work it out."

As Helga's speech finished…Brainy actually grinned with pride and approval. "Helga…I don't believe I could have said it better…myself…" The wheezing started up again. A frustrated look came to his face. "Sorry…" he managed to get out between his already thickening breaths, "…Already used the inhaler…four times…today…That's…the…limit…".

Helga actually smiled genuinely a little again and waved him off. "It's okay, Brainy…and thanks, I'm happy you agree. I know if you're behind it, it's probably a solid plan."

Brainy blushed a little and smiled. "Uh…thanks…Helga…"

Phoebe nodded and commented now too on Helga's strategy for her and Arnold's first fight, an impressed smile upon her face as well. "Helga, I have to say I agree with Brainy—your strategy is a good one and I think it's very wise of you to care so much about making your relationship that genuine and deep…Perhaps the next time you talk, instead of just diving on Arnold and apologizing simply because he's himself, you could explain your feelings on the matter to him like you just did to us…or at least let him know in the first place that you want to try having a calm, rational reasonable talk where _neither_ of you could get carried away by your passions."

To Phoebe's interest, Helga almost chuckled. "Where _neither_ of us could…Oh yeah, Pheebs, I can just picture Arnold in the middle of our yelling secretly pining away with passion to settle things so we can get back to being in each other's 'warm and waiting arms'…" She scoffed and rolled her eyes with a touch of a blush, resting her head on one of her hands again. "I'm pretty sure _I'm_ the only one of us getting romantically worked up by our epic verbal battles…"

Phoebe couldn't help but chuckle and observe simply, "You never know, Helga…

Brainy wheezed. "Uh…what she said…"

Helga just smiled a little more (much to Phoebe as well as Brainy's happiness) and then reclined her chair back on its hind legs, pushing away from the table a little and gazing up in thought at the ceiling, "Yeah righ—OOF!"

"OW!"

For a second Helga wasn't sure what had happened. All she knew was that she was on her back on the floor.

Interestingly enough, Arnold right now was experiencing a similar situation…although he also had a tray of food all over his face.

Helga opened her eyes first and blinked a few times, then put a hand to her head and sat up. "Crimeny, what the heck is wrong with you—" Her eyes came into focus on the person sprawled out on the floor right before her. "Arno—" She froze and her eyes went wide as she realized whom she had leaned back into…and whom she had caused to trip, thus covering his face and hair with food.

And then suddenly the entire cafeteria burst into laughter at sight of the incident which Helga's sudden exclamation and the sound of the two kids falling had alerted them to.

At the sound of the laughter of her peers, which effectively reminded Helga that she was in public right now and needed to deal with it, the surprised blonde instantly stood up and shook her head to clear it, and then put on her usual scowl to glare at Arnold with. "I mean…I mean…" she swallowed…lately it had been getting harder and harder for her to force public humiliation on her beloved, even regardless of the fact that they were fighting…Still though, she managed to manage… "What the heck—watch where you're going, Football Head! Crimeny, why are you obsessed with crashing into me all the time?"

"Yes, Helga, I'M the one always crashing into YOU!"

A resounding chorus of "Oooo!" sounded from the rest of the cafeteria at this sudden and rather incredibly unexpected-in-a-million-years comeback from Arnold, who was now sitting up fully.

Now, in Arnold's defense, he really hadn't been expecting to suddenly find himself on the floor with food all over his face and as a result no less, of all things, of something Helga had done…and especially when he had been going over to her to specifically start in on burying the hatchet once and for all. In addition, well, he had also, thanks to his and Helga's mutual relationship, gotten out of the habit of ignoring things she said to him and into the habit of responding. Also finally, reflex in general had to be partly to blame….after all they _were_ in a fight and she _had_ just yelled at him.

Immediately after accidentally publically snapping at her like that though, Arnold's eyes flew open wide and his breath caught in his throat, and a slight blush came to his face. Not making eye contact with Helga, he stood up with his now half empty tray and was about to put aside his current embarrassment at this public situation, let her say whatever blustery comment she would feel the need to say to him now to keep up her reputation, and then say a quick apology back to her for bumping into her (just like he would have done in the pre-confession days) along with an additional apology in regards to his (very un-Arnold like) sudden exclamation… Was about to, that was, until the sound of a very distressed Helga caught his ears and _made_ him make eye contact with her (just out of concern and curiosity).

"I…I…uh…"

To give this little 'I…I…uh…' some context, Arnold had never answered Helga G. Pataki back publically as he just had. Ever. And so this heretofore publically unheard of hesitation in speaking on the young girl's part was more than understandable. Indeed, she could now feel her heart pounding as she glanced around at the eager faces of the cafeteria's occupants, all just looking over at her with interest and rapt attentions and waiting for her response to this unusual challenge.

Meanwhile, Helga's eyes were so wide and her voice had such a squeak to it that Arnold couldn't help the touch of immense sadness that came over him at the sight and sound of all of that. She was getting scared and he knew it, and fight or no fight, he never liked to see her like that…And being humiliated in front of and taunted by the other kids was really the only thing in life to even come close to rivaling her fear of rats. He cleared his throat lightly and took a step toward her, deciding to initiate the winding down of the current public confrontation between them himself. "I mean…" he began calmly and plaintively, "I'm sorry, Helga…for bumping into you…" He…kind of made sure to add that last part a little firmly…still stubbornly not wanting what he was saying to be taken as an apology for their fight. "I guess I just wasn't looking where I was walking…I was a little distracted."

"Y-Yeah…well…" and slowly Helga's mouth started working again and she found herself saying in her normal defiant tone, her scowl completely returned (and a slight frustration going through her that she had Arnold to thank for it all thanks to the little jumpstart his words had given her), "…Just don't EVER let it happen again and just stay away from me from now on, you little geek, or I'll—WHOA!"

"Hel—OW!"

"Oh…"

"Oh…"

Helga's initial sudden exclamation came from the fact that, finishing up one of her standard 'Arnold threats', she had just gone to turn away from him and head over to the lunch line to grab herself another chocolate milk or something to cool off her hot temper with…only to suddenly slip on some of the uneaten food that had fallen on the floor from Arnold's tray, thus causing her to slip forward…on instinct grabbing at anything (in this case, the end of Arnold's shirt…leading to his "OW!" as he fell to the floor with her) to stop her fall, but in vain.

So Helga was now on her back on the floor and Arnold was now…on top of her. (And that was where the quiet, nervous, surprised 'Ohs' had come from…)

Helga wouldn't have even needed to open her eyes to recognize what that warm familiar pressure on her body meant (she'd grown familiar enough with it over the last few weeks…and on top of it all he was only wearing his shirt so the warmth of his body was extra close). But her eyes did open and the 'Oh' did escape her and her breath caught in her throat as that happened.

Arnold's eyes locked onto hers, equally in shock, with that same little 'Oh' and the same hitch of breath in his throat.

Slight blushes came to their faces.

From opposite sides of the cafeteria, Gerald and Phoebe managed to have the same thought at the same time.

'_Uh oh…'_

Lila and Brainy meanwhile were just waiting for the explosion, Lila hoping they would kiss and that it would all turn out ever so romantically and Brainy just hoping that Helga wouldn't lose it and hit anybody or anything (Arnold was, by nature, safe from her fist but who knew whom she might take out in a crowded cafeteria if and when everything went boom?)

"Oooo!" came another catcall, meanwhile, from the cafeteria as the conflict now looked to be escalating.

At that familiar taunting sound (which Helga knew could shift from being directed at _Arnold_ for all of his bumbling right to _her_ for being in love with him if even one person found something suspicious in their current interaction and said something), Helga swallowed and her scowl returned. "Get OFF me, you little jerk!" She reached up and pushed him off of her body (trying to make it seem hard but actually keeping her force at a minimum, not wanting to cause any harm to her beloved and still feeling guilty enough about that little push away she had given him outside of the movies on Sunday).

A still somewhat paralyzed Arnold suddenly found himself now pushed off and to the side of the girl he had just been on top of (and on a side note, after not finding himself on top of her, against her, or in any way truly near her for three days…it had felt…There weren't words, he decided, but if they didn't make up or at least set a date to do so soon he was seriously considering just going with the 'diving at her now and worrying about the consequences' later option). Feeling himself slam into the floor (and his tray) he couldn't help a scowl coming to his face, his eyes cringed shut. '_Why does she always have to overact? She could have just yelled at me again but then she has to go and make me fall on the floor just to add insult to injury!'_

Helga meanwhile just sat up from the floor again today and dusted herself off. "Crimeny, the stuff I put up with!" she mumbled loudly so that the other kids could hear and she could maintain her reputation… '_All part of the show, people.' _She felt so guilty and stupid thinking that…but then again she'd been feeling really guilty and stupid lately ever since this stupid fight with Arnold had started (and maybe even before then just about still keeping her secret in general) so she figured there wasn't much difference.

Arnold, meanwhile, still on the floor took a second to take a breath and sit up, and was about to try talking calmly to Helga again despite everything…when suddenly he was met with a lot of laughter form the other kids. And then the announcement, courtesy of Harold Berman, of…

"Ha! Ha! Arnold's covered in tapioca!"

"Garsh, it's all over the back of his shirt! Along with a bunch of peas and mashed potatoes and mystery meat! That's dang near hilarious!"

"Oh my gosh—talk about a fashion faux pas! And speaking of which, Arnold, darling, you've really got to put the sweater back on—you've ruined your whole color palette."

Arnold felt himself blushing more and more…and then it didn't help any when he looked over to see Helga obviously trying to fight back some genuine laughter of her own at the sight of him…(though in her defense she genuinely was trying not to openly mock him this time—it was just a little amusing to her seeing him suddenly all splattered with food…kind of cute, actually, though she fought herself about admitting it). At seeing Helga snickering at him like that though Arnold's blushing grew even stronger as he couldn't help but note in the back of his mind that he was being embarrassed not only in front of all of his friends…but in front of his girlfriend...his girlfriend who was supposed to be in the process of secretly wanting him back, NOT laughing at him like he was some kind of total geek.

"Aw, what's Arnold gonna do now?"

This taunt (another one once again courtesy of Harold Berman) made Arnold blink…What _was_ he going to do now? He knew what he was _supposed_ to do now: he was _supposed_ to take a deep breath, apologize once more to Helga, stand up, and walk away…

But all of that was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, to be just perfectly honest.

Helga started to try and stand herself up now (this whole little thing had been amusing and funny but now it really was probably time to wrap it up), smirking considerably for show. "Ah, forgot old Football Head." She addressed the crowd smugly. "I just want to get another chocolate milk before the bell ri—OOF!"

Arnold had reached up on instinct and pulled a half standing Helga back to the floor with him. "Here, Helga. Have mine." And in his anger the young football headed boy was now holding his still rather full container of chocolate milk out to her…though rather than holding it before her in a gesture of sharing, he was…tipping it very obviously right over the top of her head.

Helga raised part of her brow, taking a second to process all of this…and then her eyes slowly went wide…and then she looked him right in the eye. "You…wouldn't…dare…" she hissed with a scowl…and a touch of fear.

"Ooo!" The other kids were interested again.

(And Lila was intrigued, Brainy was rolling his eyes, and Gerald and Phoebe were just wondering what sort of social clean up they would have to do when all finally got said and done).

For a moment, at Helga's words, Arnold's sanity returned and he blinked, realizing the unnecessarily bold move he was right now in the process of making! '_What am I thinking! I can't…No, I should just apologize like usual and we'll talk about this later.'_ He began to pull his arm back just a little, blushing like mad at almost snapping like that…his heart pounding…Oh why was it that everything, just EVERYTHING, she did, no matter what it was, always made his heart pound!

Helga, seeing his arm back off just slightly and the chocolate milk carton being untipped a little, let out a sigh of relief internally. '_Yes! Okay…Wow, I don't even know how I would have dealt with that situation if he had actually…'_ She gulped, so secretly grateful that her love was so very good at controlling what little temper he had…Oh it made her want to hold and hug and soothe his fevered brow all the more—he was so good to her, always managing to put her first. Instead though (of course to keep up appearances), she scoffed loudly and added, to wrap up this situation nicely and neatly to just make absolutely sure to kill any potential suspicion about herself feeling anything more than hatred for Arnold, "Oh yeah right—like Football Head would ever have it in him to actually stand up to me! No one comes out on top of Helga G. Pataki! Especially not some do gooder, overly moral, stick in the mud, little shri—AHHH!" The cold chocolaty milk flooded down Helga's hair.

Her shocked eyes shot to Arnold.

He was scowling at her, squeezing the last drop of milk out of the carton over her head (but…really…she'd just HAD to get in the last word, _and_ she'd just HAD to finish up by (or rather nearly finish up by) calling him a little shrimp!)

But then just as quickly as it had come on, Arnold blinked at his actions and snapped back to his former self. It all processed—the whole big thing—and then his little jaw fell. '_Uh oh_…'

Helga just stared at him in total shock, her mouth open, chocolate milk dripping from her hair. "I…I…"

Laughter erupted throughout the cafeteria.

And then Helga felt her scowl come back. It had to. It was the only way. She stood up and grabbed a handful of mashed potatoes from her own lunch tray on her table. Her eyes narrowed down at Arnold. "You are dead."

Okay, he hadn't backed down the first time he was 'supposed to' when he had initially crashed into Helga, and he hadn't backed down the second time he was 'supposed to' with the chocolate milk, but Arnold _knew_ he needed to back down now. This was the wall, this was the limit, this was the stopping point.

But darn it the laughter all around him wasn't helping…and he was so sick of always looking like the weak one of the two of them!

So instead he stood up as well, his own scowl returning. "Okay…hit me then, Helga!" he announced before he could stop himself.

Helga blinked, her hand holding up the blob of mashed potatoes trembling a little. "Huh?" she squeaked, disbelieving that she had actually just heard from him what she had actually just heard from him.

Arnold smirked just a bit, liking catching her off guard like this…starting to like this whole thing a lot, actually. "I said hit me with the potatoes. I just poured milk on you…I guess the only right thing to do would be to let you hit m—." He was cut off by the feeling of the warm potatoes being smashed against his nose.

He opened his eyes as the hand mashing them there pulled back, and then he blinked several times until his sights focused on Helga again. He scowled at her again (now more in frustration though than smugly—after all she had actually called his bluff! The one thing she could have done to topple his moment of triumph!).

Meanwhile, Helga was just scowling back and breathing heavily…not sure what was going on but…maybe liking it a little bit herself. "Your move, overly moral head boy!" she countered, her little heart fluttering and so very torn with emotions right now.

(In their varying places in the cafeteria, Lila cringed a little, Brainy was seriously considering stepping in, and once again, Gerald and Phoebe had the same thought. '_Oh boy…here we go again_.')

Helga's challenge made Arnold blink again and so much of his modest and moral nature flood over him once more. '_Wait no really…what am I doing? I need to stop this now! I need to apologize, I…I…_' And yet…this felt…it was strange but this…although it all _seemed_ like the wrong thing to do it certainly did not _feel_ like the wrong thing to do…Indeed he maybe had to admit deep down that…there was something about all of this that was…even appealing, one might say…like it was satisfying something he'd been feeling over the last few days…or longer…giving vent to something that had just been burning deep inside of him.

"OOO, come on, fight, fight fight!" Now the entire cafeteria was chanting around Arnold and Helga.

"Ha!" Helga smirked at the unsure look now on Arnold's face, feeling so nervous herself though about all of this attention and peer pressure and about how high the stakes had already been raised that she was just saying things now without thinking and for the sheer sake of saying them for the safety her words could give her! "Now before you get even more in over your head don't you think you should give up! You'll never win against me, Arnoldo, no matter how hard you try! Like you have it in you to do anything but the right thing when you get right down to it! Face it, Arnold—you cannot beat me! Period!" She looked at him with all defiance.

The scowl was back on Arnold's face…though this time there was just a little smile there too. "Hey, Helga?" he asked simply and softly and nicely.

"Yeah, paste for brains?" She leaned forward right into his face with a big smug grin, expecting her modest and meek little apology from him right about now.

Instead Arnold's eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit. "You know…I may be kind of a wet blanket like you always say but…sometimes the right thing to do can be doing the wrong thing when the time is right."

She just raised part of her brow in confusion. What the heck did that mean? '_What the heck does that mean?'_

"Oh and—" And now he was just doing his best not to full on laugh, "Have some Jello!" And with that he picked up a handful of the green, gelatinous stuff off of her own tray on the table and pushed it right into Helga's face!

Helga inhaled sharply at the cold, jiggly substance suddenly flooding her eyes and nose and mouth and pulled back…shocked yet at the same time thankful for the big blobs of green currently sticking to and slowly slipping off of her face which were hopefully hiding the bright blush (both of indignation and of…of just the thrill of whatever this all was with her beloved) flooding her cheeks. She scowled again and yet there was something of a suppressed smile in it. "You…You little shrimp!" She suddenly grabbed a hand full of peas and tossed them at her beloved, hitting him right in the face.

Arnold squinted his eyes shut as the peas hit is face and then bounced harmlessly to the floor. And then he opened his eyes…and that smug little 'eyes narrowed' look was still there. "Oh I don't see any shrimp here…" He smirked and picked up a cup from another table. "But how about some chocolate pudding this time!" He tossed it quickly as he could…but she was quicker and she ducked, and the pudding projectile landed with a plop on someone else just off behind her.

And that was all it took for the cafeteria full of eager, pumped up, upper level elementary-schoolers all with half eaten trays of food in hand…

"FOOD FIGHT!"

Instantly the cafeteria broke out into pandemonium.

Helga and Arnold just stood staring at each other in shock for several seconds at this new development around them, both instantly coming out of…whatever satisfying feeling it was they had just both been going with that had led to this pandemonium in the first place.

Suddenly Helga's scowl returned and she ducked a flying cup of applesauce and snatched half of her sandwich from the table and tossed it absentmindedly in the direction the applesauce had come from. She ducked down for cover using the table and let out a frustrated sigh and looked to Arnold. "This is all YOUR fault! You—"

At her address, Arnold came out of his shock and then broke into a scowl now as well and just managed to miss being hit by some mashed potatoes flying at him from the side. He almost felt himself about to pick up a stray piece of food and throw it on instinct but did his best to resist…which was a lot easier now, he couldn't help but note, as the food hadn't come from his beloved. "Oh it's all MY fault?" He looked at down her in frustration, cutting her off.

"Doi! Of course!" Helga rolled her eyes and reached up to snag her now basically empty tray to try and block some chips that suddenly came her way. "What the heck were you doing over here anyway in the first place?" she asked him, still with a fair amount of annoyance.

Arnold let out an exasperated sigh, snagging his own empty tray from the floor and likewise using it to shield himself a little. "Going to throw out my tray so I could come back and ask you if we could try talking again later! And you know there's also a chance that I've missed you a little—why do you have to be so stubbo—WHOA!" Arnold, who had been almost on instinct taking a step toward Helga as he had been speaking to her, suddenly found himself slipping forward on the food from his tray that Helga had made him spill before which led to him suddenly falling forward and crashing right into her, knocking them both completely on their sides to the floor.

Finding herself, after a blink and a moment to take it all in, half under Arnold again, Helga growled and instantly pushed him off of her once more today. "Hey, I don't care how 'accidentally on purpose' it is, you are not allowed to touch me right now! I am furious with you, Arnold! Hmph!" Still though Helga couldn't deny to herself that the two instances of full contact she'd had with her beloved over the last few minutes had been the first in a while and they had felt…well let's just say she wasn't about to complain about the sudden familiar (and sorely missed) spark that had run through her body or the familiar hitching of her breath in her throat…the familiar shiver of anticipation up her spine or the familiar pounding of her heart in her chest like a jackhammer and…

…Unbeknownst to her…Arnold's feelings on these last two instances of suddenly finding them so close to each other again after quite a few days of distance weren't very different from hers…A thousand and one feelings and sensations and emotions all brought on by the simple act of her warm, long, soft self near him… And if only Helga had thought about it a little she might have realized that things were probably even a little bit harder for Arnold…After all _she'd_ had six or seven years to practice resisting being near him despite her desires to the contrary…whereas Arnold, well, had not.

Indeed, it definitely took Arnold an extra second along with a slight blush and a deep breath, but he finally managed to regain his voice and to reply to Helga's exclamation with a slight scowl, "Oh yes, Helga. I'm just throwing myself on top of you on purpose. It's got nothing to do with the food fight now going on because you always have to be so dramatic all the time!" He did his best to get on his hands and knees and then peeked up over the table, trying to see how bad the fray was. The half a saucer of tapioca pudding that instantly hit him in the face answered his question and immediately and caused him to duck down for cover again.

Helga got on her knees now as well meanwhile, scowling deathly at him. "Oh and what happened to always thinking me being dramatic was kind of cute, huh? OOF!" She had been making this reply in a sarcastic and singsong voice while taking a quick peek out over the table herself…until she had gotten hit in the side of the head with a half melted Mr. Fudgie bar. "Oh just great!" She ducked back down and grabbed a napkin off the floor, trying to clean off her ponytail. "Now I have to get chocolate milk AND chocolate ice cream out of my hair. Fantastic." She glared at Arnold once more. "Yet another thing that's _your_ fault, Football Head!"

"Maybe it's the fault of the person who _started_ the food fight…or our fight in general!" Arnold shot back angrily, holding up his tray again to block himself from more food fallout, the tapioca now gone from his face thanks to some wiping with his shirt.

"Once again, that would be YOU, Mr. Do the right thing!" Helga shot back just as angrily, glaring at him and leaning forward to get in his face. "_You_ started everything here with your stupid need to interfere, and _you_ started everything at the movies with your stupid need to be perfect all the time!" She tried to stand again absentmindedly, just wanting to get away from him she was so steamed and sad and in love and mixed up all at once, but some mustard flew right at her cheek and she instantly recalled all the other food flying around and she ducked down again in fear and defeat, wiping off the sauce from her face. "Crimeny!" she just exclaimed to herself in frustration!

Arnold, still on his knees on the floor, just let out a very exasperated sigh at all of her blaming of him and was about to say something else back to her when to his surprise and large bag of half opened chips suddenly landed in his lap. He blinked at them and then looked up at the sound of Sid addressing him. "Hey Arnold, pass those back here!"

"Uh…sure Sid!" Arnold quickly leaned up and tossed the bag back over to his friend, and then turned his sights back to Helga again, taking a deep breath and his scowl resuming before shifting himself fully under the table now (as did she, Sid suddenly coming into the middle of things suddenly making her very aware again of how very public this place was) so that they wouldn't be in sight of the rest of the cafeteria anymore considering the sensitive subject matter of their current conversation. "Helga," Arnold started again, levelly and firmly, "I do not need to be perfect all the time. What you did with sneaking us into the movies made me uncomfortable._ I_ don't make _you_ do things that make _you_ feel uncomfortable…" He got very close to her and added in a very low voice… "Like being your boyfriend in _public_ along with just in private, for example…like I've been not doing out of respect for your wishes for almost four weeks even though I don't exactly like lying to all of our friends except Gerald, Phoebe, Lila and Brainy, and having to get teased and bullied all the time by you in front of everyone just to make it look like nothing's changed between us." He knew it was a bit of a low blow but at this point Arnold couldn't help but really start to think that maybe Gerald was right—maybe this whole thing, this whole big conflict between them, really was the result of he and Helga resenting each other just a little from a million things from the past and maybe a few things from now…and maybe just saying everything he was feeling, getting it all out there, was the only way to make things better.

Helga just remained staring at him and breathing heavily for several seconds…and then he watched with interest as her scowl faltered for just a second…but then returned in full force. She practically hissed her response. "You KNOW VERY WELL why I asked you to keep everything a secret still, and you ALSO KNOW VERY WELL that YOU'RE the one who keeps insisting that you don't mind and that you actually kind of like the risk so DON'T try and pin that one on me. Ever! And as for your overbearing moral conscience you also KNOW, in point of fact, that I have been having to drag you through everything that has been romantically for your own good ever since this thing between us started from my confession when I had to drag you into the reality of what was going on between us, to our one week anniversary when I had to drag you into realizing that you actually liked kissing, to everything that's been going on for the past three weeks when I've had to drag you into every new stage of this relationship! And if you'd just LOOSEN UP ALREADY I could maybe take a break from all the grunt work thank you VERY much!" _'Okay that was…that was a lot. And I know I don't really mind that he's taken some time to get used to things and that I haven't really minded helping him along all that much but still…Phoebe thinks we have some issues to work out then fine—let's lay them all out on the table! Every single frustrating thing!' _She just knelt there awaiting his response.

Arnold just continued looking right into her eyes, his facial expression twitching between several different emotions…until he suddenly scooched out from under the table, slowly stood with a scowl and then grabbed the nearest piece of food he could find (it happened to be an orange). For a moment it looked like he was going to hurl it across the cafeteria…but then he closed his eyes and with a deep breath through his nose threw it to the floor beside him as hard as he could, actually causing it to burst and splatter entirely, leaving just a pile of pulp and busted fruit and broken skin upon the floor.

Helga had to blink at the sight…and actually had to gulp at it too. She wasn't even certain that even SHE could have thrown a whole solid orange with enough force to the floor to cause it to fall apart like that. '_I almost forgot how strong Football Head really is—all those karate lessons and stuff with his grandma…He must of…lost control again. Yikes he MUST be upset…_' She continued to watch him.

Arnold, both arms now down at his sides, took another breath and then opened his eyes and got back on the floor under the table right in front of Helga. "Helga…" he began in a voice obviously trying to sound patient…but that was obviously just dying to…to yell or to scream or to do something…something…, "I KNOW that I'm not exactly as advanced with all this relationship stuff as you. I know that it took me seven years longer than you to figure out how well we go together. I know that when you get right down to it you're a better kisser than me. I know you write better poetry than me. I know you're naturally better at the flirting. And I know that I'm more modest and shy about these things than most guys would be, okay!" He continued to just look at her with a scowl…though this time a touch of hurt was there as well. "Why…" and then the anger, the intensity, the…passion was back in full force as he whispered right to her face, "Why do you always know the one thing to insult me about? You always have! You're impossible to deal with sometimes!"

Helga, feeling guilt overwhelm her at his reply to her last comment, had basically been in Arnold's corner…until that last sentence of his, anyway. She glared at him again now, just so freaking frustrated for about the billionth time in her life that this person existed who could make her just want to tear her hair out and yet make her just hold him and squeeze him and savor him in delight! It wasn't fair! None of it was fair! "And you're a jerk sometimes, you know that!" she shot back with abandon.

"Grr…You can be so rude!" '_And…and unpredictable…and…exciting…'_

"And you can be SO boring!" '_And…so caring…so righteous…'_

"Bossy!" '_Beautiful_…'

"Kiss up!" '_Kissable_…'

"Bully!" _'Blue-eyed_…'

"Easy Target!" '_Easy on the eyes_…'

"Hot tempered!" '_Fiery_…'

"Spoiled Sport!" '_Sultry_…'

"Why won't you just stop fighting and make up with me?" _'I miss you!'_ A breath. '_Is it getting warmer in here?' _The young boy felt his face all flushed.

"Why won't you stop getting angry instead of apologizing like I know that conscience of yours wants you to?" _'I can't live without you!' _A breath. '_Do I have a fever or something—my face feels like it's on fire…'_ The young girl felt heat all but singing the edges of her cheeks.

They were on their hands and knees now, under the table for cover and right in each other's faces, breathing heavily and scowling darkly, having moved closer and closer with every shouted insult…and with every secret compliment…

Several seconds of tense silence passed.

"Oh, _I'm sorry!"_ "I'm sorry, _okay?"_ came their mutual screams of desperation at once. And then Arnold got up on his knees and flew forward to passionately kiss Helga just as Helga got up on her knees and flew forward to toss him back on the floor and wrap her arms around him and never let him go.

"OW!"

"OW!"

Needless to say these slightly contradictory movements resulted in Arnold and Helga basically slamming into each other heads first and then being thrown backwards under the table quite a bit by the force of their collision.

The couple blinked a few times, now sitting sprawled back on the floor, their breathing still heavy, looked to each other and then each got right back on their knees went for the previously attempted actions of the other.

"OW!"

"OW! Oh for the love of…"

Once again, a painful crash rather than a tender embrace or a passionate kiss.

They looked to each other once more, breathing heavily still from their positions tossed back on the floor under the table again.

"I know this is your department…" Helga finally spoke up, sitting up a little, "But why don't we compromise and hug and kiss at the same time."

Arnold processed the statement for exactly one second while he sat up a little as well. "Deal."

And then the two kids on their knees under the table moved forward like lightening to wrap their arms tightly around each other and kiss like they hadn't kissed in quite a while…which they hadn't (at least for them). They kissed with hunger for the action, as though they had been starving for three days instead of just not lip locking and were finally finding sweet sustenance. Arnold pulled Helga tight and close and pressed his lips firmly against hers, moving his head to the opposite side she was moving hers. He could feel her throat giving little, quiet, involuntary moans, feel his fingertips pressing deeply against the material of her sweater against her back (and now he truly understood why she was so keen on him taking off his sweater half the time when they kissed…it was so annoying having that little bit of extra fabric between his hands and the warmth of her body…the gentle curve of her back in his arms where it belonged.) To top it all off Arnold felt himself all but shiver in waves as their contact processed with him, the shock to his system was so great after all of those days of not being together…and it also didn't help how enthusiastic she was being. Helga meanwhile kept one arm around Arnold's body but the other one traveled up so she could run her fingers through his hair, weaving the strands around her fingers, savoring the soft feeling of his wild blond tufts, all but massaging his scalp with the tips of her fingers. And along with cradling his head and hair, she also danced inside at the feeling of his cute yet strong and firm little body with her arm wrapped around it—oh how did he fit in her grasp so perfectly, she had to wonder in delight. Along with that, she thrilled at how he was only wearing his thin plaid shirt…thrilled at the familiar sensation of the fabric under her fingertips…thrilled at the warmth from his body that he shared with hers. She felt her chest rising and falling with deep, thick breaths through her nose and felt his doing the same in rhythm with hers and it was heavenly. And all the while their hearts pounded one against the other just like they were supposed to…She all but trembled at all of it…

'_Arnold_…'

'…_Helga'_

Several seconds later when neither one of them could force themselves to bear staying conscious without a full breath anymore they pulled apart, breathing heavily as they opened their eyes and looked at each other.

"Helga," Arnold instantly began quickly, levelly, without hesitation, still holding her close and flush against him, just looking blankly at her. "I have something to confess. When you yell it at me…well, you know how I'm attracted to you? Well, it makes me really REALLY attracted to you…" He blushed. "And it makes me want to kiss you. I don't know why. I guess because I love you."

"Arnold," Helga stated in reply, still holding flush him as well, likewise just talking in a quick, simple, level voice, likewise just looking at him, "I've got something to 'confess' too. When we fight I…all I can think the whole time is about how wonderful you really are and about how all I want to do is hold you and never let you go because you're the most wonderful person I've ever met! I'm not sure why either but that whole 'I love you' thing sounds like a pretty good explanation."

"Okay…" Arnold replied, his breaths slowing a little though his eyes were still locked onto hers…arms still tightly around her. "Good to know. Thanks for telling me."

"Yeah…" Helga replied, looking just like Arnold right now…arms still tight around him as well. "Same here."

Arnold swallowed, really trying to continue to maintain his self-control as his little conscience urged him to go on with, "But…But even though I feel that way because I love you, I've kind of been trying to resist it because…because I know that we really can't get lost in things like that…because it won't really fix anything. We really have to talk out our problems and settle them responsibly."

Helga let out a sigh, her breaths likewise slowing and likewise just doing her best to stay focused…though meanwhile the warmth of Arnold in his shirt teased right under her fingertips. "Yeah, I know what you mean. We can't just collapse into being all lovey dovey with each other. We have to work it out."

"Uh huh…We have to talk…" He gave a small, affirming nod, even managing a little smile.

"Yes. We…have to talk." Helga reciprocated the gesture and let out a little breath.

Both swallowed and seemed to be getting in control of their emotions again…

…Until Helga's lower lip trembled and the most pitiable look imaginable came into Arnold's eyes and suddenly both crashed forward again in an intense embrace and kiss, pushing and pulling against each other, one nearly toppling back and then the other, both savoring everything once more about suddenly being together again.

The air running out once more, they separated yet again, though they still clung to each other like before. "Okay…" Helga began this time, panting…trying not to moan deeply in the midst of everything going on inside of her right now. "S-Slight heat of the moment slip up. We already know that happens with us when we avoid each other…Lest we forget FTi or our first date, heh, heh... We should…We should probably at least try and say something about the fight first…"

Arnold nodded, closing his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again (and resisted the almost painful urge to scream 'Oh just kiss me, Helga!' and to kiss her and never stop). "O-okay…yeah, you're right…heat…heat of the moment…" He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes again, his face still a flushed blank. "Okay. Helga, I don't want to sneak into the movies anymore. If that's something you want to do on your own time then, even though I wish you wouldn't, I can't stop you. But I don't want to do it myself, okay?"

Helga nodded, her face likewise basically a flushed blank. "Okay, that's fair and I should respect your feelings. But Arnold, sometimes I think you can go a little overboard with doing the right thing and even though I love that you're such a good person I think you might have more fun if you let yourself live a little more 'on the edge' sometimes, so…even if we always pay to get in from now on would you object to me sneaking us in just a little candy or something?" She wasn't even trying to be cute right now—she was sincerely asking to make sure that they sincerely settled every potential matter between them.

Arnold considered her suggestion genuinely and open-mindedly then finally replied, "I…guess that's not the worst thing we could do, Helga. And you were kind of right last weekend…they are a little over priced. Could we still at least buy the popcorn there?"

"Well of course," Helga replied, still just with that wide-eyed look, "Movie theatre popcorn **is** the best no matter how much it costs."

Arnold considered for another second as though trying to figure out if there were any other points to settle. "What about drinks?" he finally asked.

"How about to each his or her own?" she suggested with a shrug. "You want to sneak it in that's fine, you want to buy that's fine too. And also, no more intense sneaking around from me in general if other people happen to be there that we know. You're right—just seeing us seeing the same movie won't blow our cover."

Arnold…smiled…the first real and true one he'd done in three days. "That sounds good to me."

Helga smiled…and giggled (the first real ones of those she'd done in three days). "Me too."

Then Helga's eyes went wide once again and a quick blush came to her cheeks as Arnold suddenly pulled her in tight, their noses touching…and he gazed into her eyes with that passionate spark that had found its way into his own more and more often ever since this crazy relationship with them had started. "Now…where were we…" he whispered in his sultry tone that made her shiver.

An eager Arnold, not waiting for a response, closed his eyes and leaned in the rest of the way…only to feel his lips hit…something that was skin but that definitely was not Helga's perfect mouth that he had come to know so well over the last few months of his life. He blinked and opened his eyes only to find her hand between their mouths. He pulled back with an eyebrow raised—was she still mad at him?

Helga, however, put that potential possibility to rest by lowering her hand and smiling and shaking her head and saying simply (even though she would have preferred his plan of action herself), "Uh uh uh…We have a couple of other things that we said to each other at the movies and that we just said to each other here that we need to talk about. Phoebe says she thinks we're suppressing stuff from all those years of bullying and that we have to get it all out in the open…"

Arnold's eyes couldn't help but light up and a smile came to his face. "Really? Gerald said the same thing." He chuckled a little at the irony, and then let out a sigh and brushed the back of one of his hands along her cheek. "But can't we do it later? We already fixed the fight after all…" His breath came out in a shuddery sigh…It was almost intoxicating having her again after so many days without her…He literally couldn't get over it.

Helga straightened at his touch and words and tone, and then closed her eyes and leaned into his hand…but then her eyelids managed to flutter open and she managed to say to him in a light voice, "J-Just a quick patch job at least on all those little barbs and we can talk out anything else we come up with after school or something okay?" Though she was managing to speak reasonably she at least had to let out a small giggle at his touch to her face like this. "And also, you wanting kiss more than 'talk'? Crimeny remind me to alert the media, Football Head." _'Oh Arnold…your have the touch of an angel_…' She swooned on the inside.

Arnold, meanwhile, had to chuckle at the irony as well, just savoring for another moment the soft feeling of her delicate cheek under his hand…warm with her blushing. "I could say the same thing about _you_ wanting to _talk_ more than _kiss_, Helga…" he replied lightly.

Helga felt her heart flutter but did her best to stay focused for just a little while longer. "So…" she let out a breath as Arnold removed his hand from her face to her shoulder, and she felt her heartbeat go from cardiac arrest to mild adrenalin rush in accordance with the shift of his touch. She went on, speaking in a level and reasonable tone. "You think I'm stubborn, bossy, have a temper, and am impossible to deal with sometimes. I actually think those can be fair points, but I really do try and keep them in check Arnold. At least _now_. You know that. And if I'm going with one of those traits to an extreme in school or in a public place it's only to keep up the act and not because it's how I really feel, okay? But…I'll try and tone it down a little from now on—I promise. And also, I don't think you're at all behind when it comes to knowing how to be a boyfriend and I'm sorry I snapped and said anything even close to that in the first place. Please don't ever think that's true, my love. After all, some of the experiences you've given already have just…well…they've gone above and beyond even the wildest expectations of my girlhood fantasies, and those could get pretty wild over the years... A-And also I didn't mean what I said at the movies about you not being able to get a date before me because there was something wrong with you and you only being with me because you couldn't ever get any other girl…You're a catch, Arnold, and I was just angry and those other girls were just blind….And also you do have a spine. Just because you don't go and do stupid and reckless things like I do half the time, doesn't mean there haven't been plenty of times when you've risked your neck all for something you love like with saving the neighborhood or Mighty Pete or any one of a hundred other things that have made me both want to kill you myself and at the same time just hug you out of fear for your safety…Okay?" She smiled just a little sheepishly, her voice loving and sincere, her eyes almost pricking with tears of happiness and laughter at the idea that her stubbornness to realize and admit all of these things to her love had really been the only thing separating her from him for these three long days…so silly really when you thought about it. So simple and so silly.

At her full scale apology finishing, Arnold just let out the most content sigh in the world and smiled at her so joyfully and warmly. "Okay, Helga. Thank you…for all of that." And then he started on his own. "And as for me, you think I don't know how to have fun, that I'm a little boring and that I follow my conscience too much. Well, I'll admit to all of those things too, Helga, but like you said about yourself I do try to keep them in check and to have some fun with things. It's just that even though I want to have a good time I also want to feel like a good person while I'm doing it all, okay? But…I will keep in mind that it might not be the worst thing in the world for me to lighten up a little. And as for what I said about you being so overbearing, I was just frustrated because I know that you're actually a wonderful and understanding person with a beautiful heart. And I didn't mean what I said about keeping us a secret being a burden or anything—I know it's important to you that for now our love is a private thing and even though I couldn't think of anything better in the whole world than everyone knowing that we care about each other, I'll keep our secret forever if it's what you need to be happy, okay? And I didn't mean all that other stuff I said at the movies either…I didn't fall in love with you back because you were desperate and there—I fell in love with you back because…I love you so much…that I couldn't deny it anymore. And I didn't mean that stuff about it being your fault that it took me so long to love you. I just couldn't put two and two together but...even before I did, I always knew there was something special about you. You know that, right?" And then he smiled a little more. "And just to be clear…I like that you're only dainty some of the time and not all of the time…and no matter what stupid thing I ever say you'll always be a lady to me…the only real true lady in the whole world." Arnold, at the back of his mind, tried to recall why he had fought himself tooth and nail for all these days about just admitting all of that stuff so that he could have the love of his life back in his life again and it almost made him laugh because he genuinely could not see any good reason for his stubbornness…not a single one worth being away from the girl finally back in his arms.

"Oh…I…I know, Arnold…and thank you…thank you so much…" Helga just sighed out to him so appreciatively. She smiled…

"And…" he had to ask with interest and a half smile, one other thing she had mentioned on Sunday occurring to him now, "Have…Have people really ever thought you were a boy when you were walking down the street?"

Helga instantly blushed, remembering letting that slip the other night. "I-I…"and then she nodded almost in a bit of humiliation. "Y-Yes…"

Arnold just grinned though and reached up and behind her and twirled the back of her ponytail tightly around his fingers. "And…do you have their names so I can explain to them that they were obviously so blinded by all your feminine beauty and grace that they couldn't process how much of a perfect woman you are…? I mean, really, you're a lot for a guy to take in—I'm almost not surprised you've sent a few men into denial who just weren't strong enough to handle as much woman as you are."

Helga all but trembled…and then she smiled goofily…and then suddenly she had her hands gripping the sides of his head and she pulled him flush against her with a mischievous grin, their noses touching. "Alright, that's it Arnold…as you said before…Where were we again _indeed_?"

Arnold blinked and blushed for just a moment, but then just smiled and melted the rest of the way close to her. "I missed you, Helga…my wonderful sweet loving Helga…" His voice was a low whisper.

Helga rested her forehead against his. She whispered as well. "And I missed you, my muse and light of my life…my adorable and adoring little Arnold…"

They closed their eyes and gave into a tender embrace and kiss, this time completely guilt free as they had resolved their issues.

Helga, after quite a while…quite a while of tousled hair and deep breaths that went in rhythm and lips that fit and fit and fit and fit, was about to pull away to catch her breath and talk to her beloved a little bit more (and to possibly playfully remind him that even though they were still under the cover of their table while the food fight raged around them, they probably should hold off on much more of this 'making up' and what it could turn into until later when they weren't surrounded by a room full of half of P.S. 118). She managed to just separate from Arnold's lips and was about to speak but then…suddenly she strangely felt him on instinct reach up and put his hands on either side of her head and pull her back just slightly. "Wait, just…" he barely whispered out and she blinked…but then allowed him to pull her lips back to his own…and she was…very surprised at how he kissed her this time, to say the least...because it was quite new... It was like…like he was trying to get the fullest impression of her lips that he could…like he was kissing her not just to kiss her but to savor the very action of their contact…like he was pulling something from her…It was so calm but so deep…She couldn't recall ever feeling so connected to him. He practically took the breath from her lungs….

"Mm...Mmmmm…Mm…"

And then Arnold actually moaned. Deeply, sincerely, audibly, pleasurably moaned. His throat and mouth and entire being thrummed with sound and it entered her.

And though they were still kissing Helga felt her half closed eyes pop open wide in surprise, nay _dilate_, because in point of fact though Arnold sighed and played with her hair and often ended up holding her close and even sometimes leaned her back among many other things…he almost never did…_that_… _That_ was strictly a 'Helga' thing, according to him (honestly, when they were kissing she usually barely had an idea of her actions so she was mostly just taking his word for it that apparently she moaned like crazy). The last time she could recall him even having gotten close to doing it himself though was that Monday after the weekend of their one-week anniversary when they had been happily making out in an alley near the school, and once or twice maybe toward the end of that little 'hard to get date' they'd had. But still none of those near instances had been even nearly as intense or deep or prolonged as _this_ instance! And it felt like her insides were just plain coming all undone, melting like butter, and making her putty in his hands…the sound flowing into her was so perfect…

Finally Arnold delicately pulled away from Helga and she just blinked several times, smiling in total elation to herself. "A-Arnold…!" she managed to squeak out with a giggle. "_Oh_…" '_Oh where oh where to even begin…'_

She found Arnold just gazing into her eyes with a dazed expression like he was completely gone—genuinely and sincerely more gone than she had ever seen him before. "I love you, Helga." She couldn't help but feel another giggle pass through her and her heart flutter. Yes, he'd said that phrase quite a few times so far during their relationship but she hadn't heard it in three days, and also the way he said it here and now…it was like he meant it more than ever or something. She sighed girlishly.

"Helga…" he then continued in his daze (to her total surprise and interest), seeming to almost savor her name as he spoke it, "_Helga_…What a beautiful name for the most beautiful woman in the world…The loveliest, fairest, most intoxicating, most undeniable poet and person and girl I've ever met! Oh, I…I'm never going to let you stay out of my arms again for so much time no matter what we ever fight about, ever—I promise! Going so many days without your lips touching mine was unbearable! I dreamt of it, daydreamed of it, felt it calling to me—our burning kisses of love! Trying to live my life without you, even for a few days—it was like living without food or water or air…It was impossible! You're the color in my world! My sunset, my sunshine…The ravishing love of my life! Let me carry you away! Please! Let me take you in my arms and carry you anywhere you want to go, as long as you'll be with me! Oh Helga, let's go right n—"

During these last few lines Arnold had seriously been dead in the middle of actually preparing to scoop Helga up from the floor…but then as he had gone to stand his head slammed into the table…He dropped back on his knees to the floor, snapped out of it and stopped cold. Reality flooded back…

Arnold's eyes instantly went wide and he blushed so furiously that it was surprising his little heart didn't go 'pop' right then and there, and then he glanced down as shyly as possible, moving his arms behind his back from their former positing of having been about to wrap around Helga's back and under her legs. "OH…um…I…I…."

The little thing was just paralyzed in panic…just plain paralyzed.

The first thing his burning with blushing little ears heard was Helga suddenly do something between a scoff and a giggle and on impulse he looked up to see her giving him the most surprised look imaginable with the most pleased smile imaginable. "Arnold…did you just…" she began, incredulously and yet with such delight, "Did you just...monologue, Arnold? About _me_?"

Arnold felt his heart race in embarrassment and silliness and confusion and exposure and heat consumed his face. He couldn't bear to look her in the eye. '_Wow…if I'm feeling this embarrassed right now I can't even imagine how she must have felt on the FTi building when she snapped out of it…At least we're dating right now so…I guess it's not SO bad but still…,' _He swallowed. "W-Well, I…sort of…" his voice quietly replied, cracking a tiny bit, "I guess…"

Helga was just… '_Wow_.'

"I-I…" Arnold went on totally shyly, little hands clasped in his little lap and looking all worried, "I…guess, I've, uh…been absorbing that way of speaking of yours…you know from all the monologues and the poetry, heh…Weird, huh?"

"A-And…this…absolutely charming new little habit of yours was brought on by…?" a still enchanted and entranced Helga just had to ask.

Arnold shrugged and just barely glanced his eyes up at hers. "…Um…by, um...how I, um…kissed you just now, I guess, heh?" And then he blinked and felt his heart pound all the more at the reminder of that other unusual thing he had just done.

"_Yeah_…" she interjected, still totally intrigued and giggling a little more, hands clasped together and held up coyly, "I…don't remember you learning that from me, Football Head…Something you came up with on your own?"

"S-sort of…" he squeaked and glanced up at her again sheepishly. "Guess I just really really missed you, Helga…and…" he let out a sigh, some of the dazedness returning…unable to help it now that he was letting himself look at her fully again…and with all these thoughts and feelings swimming around his head, "…And…just in case we ever have another fight…I guess I wanted to make sure I'd never forget just how wonderful it feels to kiss you. I wanted to make a really good memory of it…and then I guess it sort of got to me…" His smile picked up on one side. "It really is hard to control yourself when you get like that, isn't it, Helga? No wonder you couldn't help trying for more kisses on the FTi building." He blushed extra and couldn't help but glance down a little sheepishly, coming a little bit back to reality again. "Anyway…that whole 'making a memory' thing probably sounds stupid…"

She just giggled again and leaned in extra close so that he would be sure to see her, fluttering her eyes at him. "No, that…the whole thing was…and then you (referring to the moan)…and THEN you... (referring to the monologue)…_Oh_ my darling, dearest, delightful, debonair, dashing, dreamy, desirable…" She was getting closer and closer with every word, leaning practically more and more over him, her voice getting more coo-like, sounding more and more ready…

Arnold blushed and his breath caught in his throat and his eyes went wide at first at her coming on to him like that…but then he almost chuckled and just let out a sigh, just trying not to blush TOO much more. "Helga…love…" he reached out and placed a single finger over her lips in a silencing gesture, stopping her from coming the last little bit forward to end up kissing him again. He looked into her hazed and warm blue eyes and it looked like she was practically ready to melt right into him…and not that he would have minded all that much melting right into her too right now but he had to make sure for the sake of her…for the sake of _their_…secret that here and now really was okay for it all. "From one accidental monologuer to another, this might not be the…best place to get…carried away together. Are you really sure you want to even though we're surrounded by people with only this table to keep our secret from getting out?" He asked it half joking half serious.

"Hey," to Arnold's surprise Helga leaned back a tiny bit and raised part of her brow just a little defiantly, a smirk on her face, for a moment some of her lovesickness getting tucked away and a laugh underlying her voice as she spoke, "First of all I might be acting a little gone right now but I'm still in control of my actions—I just happen to _want_ to be a lovesick fool right now, my Arnold. "And then she just shrugged. "And second," she whispered just a bit lower now, glancing from side to side in interest to make sure their cover was still indeed good, "…if anything, being just under the radar of so many people makes it more fun—more danger, more risk, more excitement…I believe that's one of the reasons you like keeping this all a secret, right my stealthy little love god?" She winked…and then let out a shuddery sigh and seemed to brim over with lovesickness once more as she added, "And besides, for Pete's sake, Arnold…you are absolutely just the most gorgeous man on the planet when you smile at me like you're doing right now. So to heck with this stupid food fight and whoever's' right around us—I want that grinning, monologuing, memory making little mouth of yours on mine where it belongs right here and right now more than anything in the whole world, Football Head!"

A perfectly elated and almost giddy Arnold just chuckled warm and low. "Aw…Aw, come here!" He pulled her in kissed her passionately, heatedly, dipping her back as best he could in his arms considering they were still on their knees. He smacked his lips away from hers then, both to take a properly big breath for what was to come and also to mention something. "Oh and by the way, Helga…the purple's been driving me insane!"

Helga, all flushed and panting and ready to just collapse into him and never stop, brightened at his words. "Really?" She smirked a tiny bit then. "Did you figure out exactly WHY though?"

Arnold nodded happily and proudly, like a little kid who had finally figured out the answer to a question his teacher had asked him. "Uh huh! Because purple's the only color that looks good on you that doesn't mean something to us… I explained it all to Gerald. I think he thought I was insane. I tried to tell him that it made sense since you're a beautiful evil genius but I don't think he got it."

They laughed together.

Then Helga grinned—he was just so cute! "Oh and Arnold…" she had to add, "Just so you know…the sweater off all day in class has been KILLING me…" She pressed her hands deeply into his shirt over his back.

Arnold melted against her touch and grinned as well. "Really? I…I was hoping…Just a little revenge for the colors thing you did."

"Oh and what a brilliant and incredible and irresistible revenge it was…" she assured in a sultry voice. "But," her voice went a bit more sarcastic once more, "…if you ever flirt with a group of sixth grade girls with your sweater off again, they won't even find your body." She winked evilly.

Arnold gulped…but then his own little grin returned and he got a look in his eyes. "Fair enough…And please don't ever take the color pink away from me like you did today…It's just not a fair thing to do to a guy."

She giggled and nodded. "Whatever floats your boat, hot lips."

"_You_ float my boat, Helga G. Pataki!" And then before she could say a word in response to that, Arnold pulled her head down to meet his own, bringing their lips happily together again! She squealed in delight and shifted her arms to wrap around her head and upper back, and the two of them resumed making up for quite a few days of lost time in their relationship.

* * *

"Yikes! Whoa! Hey…Ha! Take that! Oh bring it o—Oh…Aw man, NOT the _hair_!"

Gerald Johansen, making his way through the P.S. 118 cafeteria in the incredibly entertaining food fight that had started a good twenty minutes ago and still had yet to stop or be broken up, now scowled in annoyance and did his best to brush away the large blob of tapioca pudding now staining his precious hair. "Man!" He removed some of the tapioca pearls and wrinkled his nose at them. "I HATE tapioca!" He turned behind him to try and find whoever it was who had been low enough to go for the hair. "Buddy, I have half a sloppy joe right here with your name on i—"

The young boy instantly stopped in mid throw of the sandwich in question though and blinked at the sight of Phoebe Heyerdahl, stained with quite a bit of food herself, giving him a small wave from about ten feet across the room and giggling in his direction, before placing aside another dish of tapioca and looking up and away with an innocent grin.

These cute gestures on her part first made his heart skip a beat (a phenomenon which had managed to happen once or twice during all those years he'd kind of sort of liked Phoebe from afar…but which he'd been noticing had been happening more and more frequently lately ever since they had started dating). His second reaction to her 'attack' was to smirk just a little in her direction, raising one of his eyebrows. "Oh it is _on,_ Heyerdahl…" he couldn't help but say to himself as he raced across the cafeteria toward her. "On YOU that is…" '_I'll go easy on her, give her a chance to run before I throw…'_

Just as got within a few feet and was about to release the sloppy joe though, he instantly lost his visual as something cold and creamy and pearly and familiar suddenly came across his face, completely covering his eyes for a moment! "WHOA!" he skidded forward, temporarily unable to see, slipped on a banana peel (because this is a food fight and thus the only situation in which a well placed sight gag banana DOESN'T scream deus ex machina) but luckily managed to catch hold of a cafeteria chair and straighten himself up just before he would have fallen right on his butt to the floor. He wiped what he then realized was more tapioca from his eyes and then looked right to Phoebe who was now right before him.

The young dark haired girl just shrugged, still with that innocent grin, let out a small chuckle that she couldn't suppress, and then grabbed a clean napkin from the table next to her. "Sumimasen, Gerald, but I saw an opening and both my father as a martial arts and fencing instructor and Helga just as a general rule have always taught me that when you see an opening in battle, you go for it without question." She reached out and dabbed some of the tapioca from his hair. "I'm sorry about your hair though, but it seemed to me hitting it was the only sure way to get your attention." She brought down the napkin and placed it on the table next to them and blushed slightly, the smile still on her face.

Upon hearing her finish this explanation (and getting over the little sparky knot it made in his stomach that she had actually just cleaned him off a little), Gerald just cleared his throat to ease some of his stomach butterflies and then chuckled and smiled smoothly at her, waving her off nonchalantly. "Hey don't worry about it, babe." He coolly flipped part of his hair forward, double-checked that any serious tapioca was gone, and then flipped it back into place. "The hair is safe so let the food fight continue." His sloppy joe now on the floor thanks to his slip, Gerald settled for snatching a handful of potato salad from a nearby tray and giving it a quick toss at Phoebe's already quite stained sweater.

Phoebe just giggled again at the action, still smiling at him as well. She then brought one of her fingers down to her sweater, took a sampling of the potato salad and put it in her mouth, swallowing. "Hmm, not bad…the cafeteria's improved their recipe."

Gerald laughed at her cute comment. "Yeah, but…" he gestured to the frenzy of smiling kids around them tossing food all over the place. "Somehow I don't think they imagined _this_ being the result of making their food taste a little better, you know?"

Phoebe nodded, surveying the landscape as well...and shifting slightly closer to Gerald. "I concur Gerald. The cafeteria ladies AND Principal Wartz probably aren't going to be too happy about all of this. I'm certain things will be broken up any minute."

"Yeah," Gerald had noticed her movement, and side stepped just a bit closer to her as well. Deep down he kind of wished he could hold her hand but…he knew that even in a food fight like this someone was bound to notice, and not that he really cared if everyone knew he like liked a girl as great as Phoebe or that she like liked him back but he knew she was shy and he didn't want her to get teased at all…and also the idea of everyone suddenly pointing and laughing at _him_ while they sang 'Gerald and Phoebe sitting in a tree' didn't sound very appealing either_. 'No wonder Helga's been keeping the lid on Arnold for seven years… And meanwhile it is getting creepier and creepier how much I kind of get her now. Oh well, she's not SO bad, and Arnold's happy with her, and she did help me get to be with Phoebe so…maybe it's not so weird that I can kind of feel her pain.'_

"Gerald?"

It took a second after Phoebe had said his name with a slightly humorous intonation for her address to process with him, but when it did manage to pull him out of his reflections Gerald blinked and blushed and realized he had apparently been turning his head more and more to stare at her with a growing goofy smile as his thoughts had been progressing. "Oh, uh..." he turned looking forward again and did his best to fish for a way out of the awkward moment that Phoebe had caught him in (and was all but giggling about). "Uh…yeah…like you said, the food fight's probably going to get broken up pretty soon. Bummer…Heh, heh…"

Phoebe just smiled a bit more and rolled her eyes a little. '_Helga's right—boys can be very shy and very, very stubborn.'_ She then just looked at him again and let out a sigh, deciding to let the moment go regardless. "Yes, it is a shame. I feel bad if the janitors have to clean it up later."

Gerald scoffed and said absentmindedly with a half smile (more focused on Phoebe not pressing him for staring at her than his words), "I feel sorrier for whoever _started_ this mess. It'll be a miracle if Wartz doesn't expel them…"

Approximately a second of silence passed.

Then Gerald and Phoebe gasped and looked to each other with wide eyes, remembering something outside of the fun of the food fight and their own amusing and innocent little flirtations with one another. "Arnold and Helga!" They gasped simultaneously.

Instantly both pairs of their eyes began to search the cafeteria for their best friends…but to no avail.

Gerald scratched his head, looking back at Phoebe now after his third onceover of the room. "You think they skipped out so they wouldn't get busted?"

Phoebe looked back at him now that her own visual searches had concluded and shook her head. "I'm not certain that they could have navigated their ways through this mess to the exits, and even if they had, they would have had to walk out into the middle of the hall covered in food in the middle of the school day, and a teacher or Principal Wartz would certainly catch them much quicker if they did that than if they just laid low here and blended in with all of the other food fight participants." Phoebe glanced off once more like she was calculating something and then instantly reached back and grabbed Gerald's wrist. "Come on—the last place I saw them was at my and Brainy and Helga's table."

Gerald felt that strange skip of his heartbeat at her touch again, but as he was pulled along he eventually just smiled and went with it. "Uh…you got it, Babe." (Phoebe smiled a little more to herself at hearing him say that…and made sure to hold his wrist just a little more snugly).

Reaching the table in question finally, Phoebe glanced around once more but could see nothing. "Gerald," she turned back to him, releasing his arm (and trying very hard to still seem casual and not to blush about kind of sort of just slightly flirting with him again and here in the middle of school of all places by having so suddenly grabbed him like that in the first place), "Think—did you seem them go off anywhere from here when this whole thing began?"

Gerald thought for a moment but then had to just shake his head. "Nope. Those two tossing the first blows at each other and then all heck breaking loose are the only things I remember."

Phoebe glanced down in just a touch of worry and said half to herself and half to Gerald, "Perhaps…Perhaps their fight escalated and something happened between them…"

A touch of worry came to Gerald's face too at that potential idea. "Maybe…" he had to kind of concur. "They _have_ been pretty distant and angry with each other lately…Maybe they finally snapped and took it to a back alley or into the cafeteria kitchens or another janitors closet or something."' '_Or maybe Arnold ran again because he got afraid of wanting to kiss her…They __did__ land on top of each other before after all, and I thought he was just going to lose it and go for it right then and there considering what he told me before_…' Gerald had to add mentally to himself.

Phoebe just let out a sigh, meanwhile, genuinely looking very concerned now. Her thoughts wandered. '_If Helga insisted upon suppressing her desire to make up with Arnold again for fear of not working out their problems correctly, it could have indeed led to a serious altercation…I still don't know how she managed to resist when he slipped and landed upon her before…'_

Both kids remained quiet and pensive for a moment longer, but then suddenly though an idea coming to mind snapped Phoebe out of her thoughts and she looked to Gerald, just a bit more confidence returning to her eyes and her normal, happy smile returning to her lips. "Well, there was a significant amount of food on the floor where they slipped before thanks to Helga making Arnold drop the contents of his tray, including mashed potatoes. Perhaps one of them left a footprint so that we can at least know what direction they might have gone!"

Gerald smiled. "Good plan, Phoebe! At least we'll have _some_ kind of clue to go by then, right?"

Phoebe beamed a little. "Precisely. And thank you, Gerald."

"Dooitashimashite, babe!" He winked at her, summing up his courage to do so in the middle of this highly public setting (even though it didn't feel like they were being noticed too much in all of this food throwing chaos).

Phoebe felt that slight blush return to her face at him saying that (she…really really liked when he said that to her)…the slight blush that had only come on rare occasions during all the years she'd secretly kind of sort of like-liked Gerald, but that had been making its way into her face more and more frequently (and with more and more heat behind it) over the weeks during their courtship. _'I wonder if this is how Helga's always felt around Arnold…although it was probably quite a bit more intense considering her feelings…I just hope things really are okay for her and Arnold.'_ She looked to Gerald, her concern for her friend outweighing her liking his flirting for just a moment. "Well, um…I'll check the floor then. Just a moment." And with these words she walked around the table to the other side (the side where Arnold and Helga had been arguing) and then bent down to look under it for the desired clue.

Gerald, who was about to walk over as soon as she stood up to see what she had found, had his interest just a little peaked when, after less than a second, Phoebe shot up like a rocket from looking under the table with the most confused look on her face imaginable and a very very deep blush on her features. Then she blinked several times and hesitantly resumed looking under the table again…This time she remained like that for an extra second, and then slowly stood up once more. She then closed her eyes, reached up and rubbed them under her glasses and turned to Gerald, giving him a slight look with a half smile on her face. By now Gerald had an eyebrow about as raised as high it could go. '_What's going on?'_ "Phoebe, what's—" he started.

"Shh!" She shushed him with a smile, then glanced from side to side as though making sure no one was paying them too much attention, and then looked back to Gerald and beckoned him closer.

He walked around the table to stand beside her and then whispered in her ear, "What's up?

Phoebe just let out another sigh and shook her head. "Well we're dealing with Arnold and Helga in love with each other…" she whispered back. "It's so obvious what's up that I can't believe I was thinking it could be anything else even for a second…" She stepped slightly to the side to give the tall haired boy some space. "Look under the table, Gerald. But only for a second—we don't want to attract too much attention and also well…I think they deserve their privacy."

Gerald just continued to look at her in puzzlement…until he bent down and checked under the table as per her suggestion…only to be met with a sight that made Phoebe's surprise at not having seen coming what he saw down there more than understandable.

Helga (purple sweater twisted just a little around her body and pulled here and there, ponytail nearly completely out…and looking like a hand had literally just dragged through it once more twice…or many many times…) was all but sitting in the lap of Arnold, snuggling her head into Arnold's shoulder and holding close to him as she twirled a piece of his hair in one of her fingers. And Arnold (his hair flipped in multiple ways, handprints and arm-prints in the fabric of his tousled shirt, his collar in a few varying directions) was currently holding her free arm and giving it small kisses from the back of her hand to as far up as he could push her sweater sleeve (making it to just past her elbow), and smiling just a bit more as she giggled or sighed with each kiss.. And both of them currently seemed oblivious to everything going on around them, even Gerald and Phoebe, apparently, as neither one of them acknowledged their presences. And they were both in such tousled and romantically gone states that it was more than obvious that this moment was 'afterglow' after some much more intense stuff.

Helga then unwound her fingers from Arnold's hair for a moment and reached up to his face to remove a white blob of something from one of his cheeks, upon which she placed the substance delicately in her mouth. "Mmm…you taste like tapioca, Football Head…." She giggled again, speaking in a cooing voice.

Arnold paused for just a second in his kisses and then leaned up and planted once near her chin and pulled back, licking his lips for a second. "And you taste like Mr. Fudgie Bar." He chuckled, likewise talking in a lovey dovey voice.

Helga's smile grew and she suddenly snuggled into him even more as Arnold just let out a deep and happy sigh, and then turned his attentions back to her arm, turning it over and proceeding to repeat his kissing action from before but this time on this opposing side of the limb, slowly placing delicate pecks all up her soft, cool flesh.

Gerald eyed them with amazement for another second. '_Mmm, mmm, mmm…that boy is a natural, isn't he?_' And then finally he straightened up to rejoin Phoebe back in the public world, and just tried his best not to laugh too much as he shook his head and said the only thing he could think to say at a time and during a situation like this. "Phoebe…Arnold and Helga are crazy, aren't they?…I mean, they're our best friends and I love them but they…really, it's not even bold anymore, it's just crazy." Despite the reprimanding words he was just smiling to himself in amusement because, really, only the two of them could manage to throw an entire cafeteria of kids into a frenzy just because of a fight about a movie.

He heard Phoebe giggle and focused on her again to see her glancing down shyly. "Oh I don't know, Gerald…" she began in a sentimental tone. "I mean, perhaps their style of a relationship is a little eccentric but it's also rather sweet, wouldn't you agree?" A touch of a blush crept into her cheeks and she looked up at him. "All those years of silly games and now…all they want to do is hold each other and kiss each other and love each other…"

Gerald, sensing this was somehow a girl thing, couldn't help but glance up and to the side, crossing his arms over his chest, though he tried to respond at least somewhat supportively. "Yeah, I guess…But that's another thing though too…" He had to raise an eyebrow to himself in utter bewilderment. "Really, what the _heck_ is with those kisses they give each other anyway? I mean, look at them under there—Arnold looks how I always imagined over the years he'd look if Helga ever got her hands on him, but smiling a lot more and with a lot less bruising, and as for Helga I just cannot believe that how she looks right now is the result of something that Arnold actually managed to do to her! Guess he wasn't kidding all those times he said that he's got this side to him that only Helga can bring out. Weird…" He shook his head in disbelief…but with just a touch of an impressed smile on his face nonetheless…after all that was his boy down there making a girl smile and giggle and snuggle and swoon, and all on natural talent—he couldn't help but feel just a touch of pride.

"I suppose…" Phoebe just responded quietly to his observation, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. And then she swallowed…and summed up her courage and at last managed to add… "But still…it does look a little…fun…sometimes…what they do. Perhaps not _all_ the time of course, but…sometimes…Gerald…" She cleared her throat, not having it in her to make any further comment and just drowning in blushing nervousness.

Her comment about kissing like Arnold and Helga kissed actually looking like fun sometimes…at first didn't affect Gerald…and then it made him raise an eyebrow in just a bit of confusion…and then just for a second made a look of total disbelief come to his face…which was then quickly replaced by a sheepish half smile almost like he was second guessing the thought that had made that disbelieving expression come to him…and then the eyebrow became raised again…then he blinked (all of this was very interesting to Phoebe by the way)…and then a very slight blush came to his face and he swallowed and that disbelieving look was back. "Huh?" was all he managed finally.

The single word only increased Phoebe's blush more. Okay, that was it—she couldn't pursue this anymore right now, she just didn't have the stamina and she wasn't even sure why she had brought it up in the first place anyway except that the opportunity to do so had presented itself and then Helga had been talking about making out back in the hallway… Anyway, now the shy young Asian-American girl just glanced down and instantly went back into her shell. "Just…an, um…an observation. Purely…Purely scientific…" she hurriedly managed to explain away. '_I can't believe I just said that to him about the kissing… I…I…Oh, what am I thinking—I don't have it in me to do THAT! No matter what Helga says! I… Oh I just hope he forgets I even brought it up…_' She swallowed very hard and glanced at Gerald now out of the corner of her eye, her hands clasped shyly in front of herself.

Gerald, meanwhile, was standing there staring downward as she had been…and trying to process a concept he'd never even considered (well…maybe…seeing Arnold and Helga doing all that stuff together over the last few weeks…and also with all the talking Arnold did with him about certain parts of his and Helga's dates, and Helga telling him to 'just go for the deeper physical stuff with Phoebe' that one time on the phone when she had called about the Ronnie Matthews thing…it had flickered into his mind on occasion…_that_ concept.) But…to hear it actually brought up…to hear Phoebe actually say it…actually suggest it and let him know that it had maybe crossed her mind too…. Gerald swallowed hard and his panicked thoughts raced as he consciously and seriously considered the idea for the first time actually happening in real reality. '_Me…Me and Phoebe…doing some of the stuff that Arnold and Helga do…M-M-Making out…Actually…making out…'_ And then to his total surprise he felt this strange…almost kind of warm shock go through his stomach…It was so deep it almost scared him. '_Whoa, what the heck was that?'_ But then his thoughts instantly returned to the greater situation at hand of the kissing, _'But…But what if I'm bad at it? What if I mess it up? What if she was just kidding? What if someone caught us? What if she wanted to do it before I could get any more notes from Arnold? And What if…'_ Quickly though he shut his eyes and changed his thoughts. _'Hey this is me, remember? Gerald, the smoothest, coolest, most happening dude in the city. Arnold even said he always expected that __he'd__ be the one coming to __me__ for advice about girls when we were older, not the other way around. I could…I could handle this if the situation got brought up. Yes, Arnold can handle this so I can too…_' He took a deep breath through his nose, and let it out through his nose, finishing up calming himself down.

Needless to say, Gerald had been pretty distracted for the last several moments…which explained why he didn't hear the sound of Wolfgang and a bunch of other fifth graders yelling "Incoming!" from across the cafeteria…and why he didn't see them about to makeshift catapult all the pudding cups they'd been able to gather over to the fourth grade tables.

"Gerald, look out!" Phoebe suddenly called as the projectiles were fired!

"Huh?—OOF!"

The next thing Gerald was aware of was being on his back and feeling like the wind was kind of knocked out of him…and also feeling like something had landed on him…something light and soft and warm…It was a nice thing.

"What the…" Gerald opened his eyes…and his eyes remained unblinking for a very long time as the first thing they met were a pair of warm, sparkling black ones…and he realized that Phoebe was now on top of him…and holding him by the shoulders, of all things!

"Are you alright, Gerald? You almost got hit! I'm just happy I managed to get you under the table in time…" The concern in her eyes made another one of those funny warm shock things go through Gerald…as did the fact that she…was still…on top of him…. He instantly recalled comments and jokes he'd made to Arnold in the past about Helga tossing him on the floor or him tossing her on the floor…But…this was happening to _him_ and _right here_ and _right now_, and this was _serious_! '_Okay, stay calm, she was just saving you from getting splattered with food…_' And yet…that explained why she'd thrown him down in the first place…but not why she wasn't moving to get off of him. He just tried not to freak or pass out of something!

"Gerald?"

Phoebe's now even more concerned-sounding voice meeting his ears made Gerald blink and his breathing finally jumpstart and resume. "Oh, uh…thanks, babe…." He did his best to smile (and NOT totally nervously). "That was…um…quick thinking…heh, heh…"

Phoebe continued to watch him curiously for a second more….But then his breathing returning to normal made her distinctly feel his chest rise and then fall with air underneath her. Her eyes opened wider as she suddenly recalled that she was indeed still on top of him!

A quick blush came to her cheeks and she instantly scrambled off of him and was now sitting with her arms propping her up from behind, still under the table. "Oh, um…you're welcome, Gerald…I…I mean, of course I was happy to assist." She didn't know what else to say.

An (expected) awkward silence had started, but then the sound of a giggle suddenly caught Phoebe and Gerald's' ears, and their eyes instantly went forward and they realized with a blink that Phoebe's push of Gerald to the ground had landed them no more than a table or two away from Arnold and Helga…who, under their own table, were continuing to cuddle. They could see that Helga was still clinging to Arnold and sitting in his lap. Her giggling now seemed to be the result of the fact that, apparently now done kissing her arms, Arnold had wrapped his own around her and was leaning her back and gazing deeply into her eyes.

Gerald and Phoebe could just make out the conversation. Helga started.

"Flirt." '_Sweet_…'

"Hopeless romantic." '_Poetic_…'

" '_Bad_ boy'…" '_Perfect boyfriend…knew it all along_.'

" '_Good_ girl…' " '_The best girlfriend. Ever_.'

"Lovesick…" _'Love God_…'

"Love-ly…" '_My love_…'

"So are you gonna kiss my lips again already or were you figuring on trying for round two with my hands and arms and cheeks, my beloved?" '_It's like little bursts of love and light every place you do it…won't you please bring that feeling back to my mouth?'_ A girlish swoon. _'I feel like I must be blushing all over.'_

"Are you going to continue being so perfect that I can't help but kiss your lips again, my pretty little angel?" _'I only started kissing other places because after going so many days without your kisses it was too much to take in having so many of them at once!_' A doting sigh. '_I wish we were alone…really alone…Someplace with a bed…I want to snuggle with her on a bed right now more than ever…I'd promise to lie down with her forever in one now if she wanted and it would make her happy, blankets and all…'_

Helga giggled and Arnold chuckled.

And then Arnold leaned Helga back and leaned in and planted a tender yet heated kiss upon her mouth. Gerald and Phoebe could hear Helga let out a very deep sigh and then moan as she collapsed in his grasp and let him kiss her and then kissed back.

At this point both Gerald and Phoebe had to glance away from the obviously intimate and private moment between their best friends, both clearing their throats and blushing slightly.

With a swallow, Phoebe was the first one to speak. "We, um…We should probably leave Arnold and Helga to finish their…their conversation."

"Um…" Gerald swallowed as well. "Yeah…we should probably get back, uh…back into the fray, heh, heh…" he did his best to joke, referring to the food fight still going on.

Phoebe moved to get up…

"Phoebe…?

…When Gerald's voice made her pause. She looked to him. "Yes, Gerald?"

He was still just sitting there…and it looked like he was kind of glancing at Arnold and Helga again. "Do you, um…" he gulped quite audibly and his voice had cracked a little at first but then he finally managed to say… "Do you really think that…_that_…" he blushed and barely gestured with his head in the direction of their two crazily in love friends…still deep in their kiss and not looking about to stop, "…looks like…fun…sometimes…?

Phoebe remained frozen for a moment, just looking at him, feeling her heart beating quite quickly.

Not hearing her respond, Gerald glanced up at her finally…so unsurely.

Their eyes met. And Gerald felt that his heart pounding as well.

A few seconds passed…

And then Gerald and Phoebe quickly turned away from each other again, nervously clearing their throats and smiling. "Uh…sorry…forget I asked…" Gerald did his best to say casually.

"Oh, uh…Forgetting!" Phoebe announced uneasily.

They both looked to each other again, this time with nervous smiles…

Now they really were probably supposed to get up and go on like nothing had happened…

…And yet, despite their words and despite what they were 'supposed' to do, neither of them made a move to abandon their private spot under the table…

* * *

"STUDENTS, CEASE AND DISSEST THIS FOOD FIGHTING RIGHT NOW!"

Instantly the entire cafeteria froze at the sound of Principal Wartz entering and making this announcement with the sternest look imaginable on his face (made only slightly comical by the fact that a random flying blob of green jello managed to hit him right on his tie just as the fray did indeed stop).

Silence reigned except for the occasional bit of food dripping to the floor.

…And the sound of something (or rather _two_ somethings) slamming hard into the underside of a table.

A blushing and semi-food-covered Gerald and Phoebe instantly surfaced from under said table to rejoin the rest of the kids, blushing and clearing their throats and doing their best to just blend in…

…Though no one really noticed too much at the sight of the steamed looking educational administrator, his tie covered in green, jiggly dessert, still towering over them all.

"Alright…" Wartz started firmly to the gaggle of terrified looking kids before him, "Every fourth, fifth and sixth grader is suspended for the rest of the day to go home to your parents and let them know exactly what you've done (and I'll personally be sending home notes about this incident too just to make sure they find out), and tomorrow during lunch you will all clean this room straight through lunch AND recess!" All of the kids looked utterly distraught. "Now I'm going to close my eyes and count to ten, and I want whichever of you little hooligans who started this food fight to come forward!" And with this dramatic ultimatum he shut his eyes and began to count loudly, "One! Two! Thr—"

"SCATTER! AND BAIL!" Harold Berman's voice (though between Wartz having his eyes closed and the panic heightening the pitch of Harold's and the fact that Wartz, having quite a few hundred students in six grades to reckon with as the principal of the whole elementary school, couldn't really recognize just one among the many very well), instantly yelled! And then the cafeteria flew into pandemonium yet again, though this time as the result of all of it kid occupants indeed bailing and racing out of the school and out of sight of Principal Wartz to avoid any further punishment beyond what had already been bestowed lest they be named as the culprit who had instigated the food fight!

"Three…" Wartz finished automatically before Harold's cry and the sounds around him now processed and then his eyes flew open as he realized what was happening. "Hey, wait a min—WHOA!" Wartz had been about to turn and run for the doors to barricade them and catch a few kids by their collars but instead found himself on his back on the floor in a pile of food (courtesy of Wolfgang, who, seeing his opportunity with the Principal having his eyes closed, had squirted most of a bottle of mayonnaise all around the floor around Wartz's feet before ditching the cafeteria himself). And now Wartz was just lying there trying to get up but slipping every time he tried to get to his feet, and meanwhile kids covered in food were darting around and away from him like lightening. "Oh for the love of…Could someone get a mop in—WHOA!" He'd almost gotten onto his knees and up but then had slipped and fallen to the floor hard again, actually bumping his head on a table ledge on the way down…which meant that his eyesight was below tabletop level now. "You little hooligans, I'm going to collar one of you or my name's not—" And then he stopped talking as his eyes fell upon two kids right in front of him…two kids under a table…two specifically blond kids…one of whom had a football shaped head and the other of whom was just staring back at Wartz in fright, in the football headed ones arms and clinging to him in shock….and from the looks of their clothes and faces and hair they had DEFINITELY been involved in this food fight.

The scowl came back to Wartz's face. "Alright, that's it…" he barely managed to start pulling himself up from the floor using the edge of the tabletop above them. "You two are good enough. I'll make an example out of somebody about this food fight business. Come on!" And with that he finally managed to stand and then took (a still totally shocked and nervous and almost fearful looking) Arnold and Helga each by their collars and began to pull them out of the (now empty) cafeteria. "I'll keep you two in my office for the rest of the day and either you'll tell me who started this…" he glared at Arnold a little, not having forgotten the young boy's insistence on silence during the 'mooning' caper of his friends, "…or I'll call in your teacher to stand as a witness that you two'll be taking all the blame and that this little incident will be going on your permanent records! And I don't need to remind anyone here that three major strikes on your permanent record means you're expelled." He glared at Helga now.

He pulled the two children, still in utter shock, through the swinging cafeteria doors while Arnold and Helga just looked at each other in fear and worry…and just a touch of regret that they had been so caught up in 'making up' that they hadn't really noticed or cared much about Wartz's entrance into the room, the end of the food fight, or the fact that he was out for a scapegoat…and that the two of them, by default, were now it.

(At the same time though there was a tiny bit of a blush on each of their faces as neither could deny that even if they were expelled right now from every public elementary school on the planet, it would have felt well worth it for all of those long, wonderful minutes in their own little world under that table delighting in the touches and the kisses and the giggles and the sighs and the moans that their stubbornness had denied them from for so many many days…)

* * *

"We are so getting expelled Football Head. No question. I mean, okay, _you've_ got the most squeaky clean record imaginable so they MIGHT let you off with some fat suspension or just detention for the rest of our elementary school careers but as for _me_—I'm just plain fourth grade toast. You saw the way Wartz looked at me when he was talking about expulsion and permanent records. Yup, I'm a goner…" Helga, her hair and purple clothes stained with food, let out a bored sigh and reclined back with her hard wooden seat, gazing up at the ceiling of the office with a half amused smile on her face. "And just when Bob and Miriam are starting to care about what I do and how I act…Crimeny, this is lousy timing!

"Helga…" Arnold, likewise pretty much coated in food stains, began to assure with a small smile, sitting in a chair beside her likewise facing Principal Wartz's currently vacant desk (he had just left to get Mr. Simmons, who could serve as a witness about Arnold and Helga's refusal to name those who had started the food fight (which they had refused to do since, well…it was the two of them that had started things so…they'd probably get into less trouble just not saying anything than saying it was all their fault…and also neither really wanted to have to explain all of the suppressed romantic emotions and urges and frustrations that were the reason for them starting it in the first place), "I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, we weren't the only ones throwing food…we were just the ones who started it and the ones Principal Wartz caught. But I'm sure whatever our punishments are, it won't be too bad..." His smile brightened supportively.

Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help smiling warmly at his cute little optimism and assurances, sitting up straighter again and turning her gaze back to him from the white panel ceiling above. "Well, I hope you're right, Arnold…" She grinned a little more, "Although honestly, even if we're both run out of town or something for this, I think it was all worth it for the end result…I think letting out all of that aggression throwing food and yelling at each other was just what we needed to break us both down and make us apologize."

Arnold chuckled and nodded. "I think you're right, Helga. It just…felt right…getting all of that pent up stuff out of us and out in the open…just going with it instead of avoiding it. And then we could settle things nicely and peacefully to work everything out."

Helga nodded. "Exactly." She wanted to keep smiling and keep keeping in this positive vein…but then she had to sigh and let her smile fade just the tiniest bit because however helpful all of this food fight stuff had been and however worthwhile…now that it was over and they were facing its consequences…they really did have to be realistic. "But really, Football Head…I'm not sure how good this all looks for me now that we got busted. Heh, you know me and my free spirit…" she shrugged sheepishly, "I think the only person in this joint with more misdemeanors than me is Wolfgang…and maybe Harold." She considered and then asked with a smile and very sincerely, "Hey, Football Head? Since I'm going down like a lead balloon anyway, do you want me to maybe just take the full rap? I mean, your record must be sparkling and…I don't want to mess that up just because of my stubbornness and our stupid fight." She rolled her eyes to the side at the whole thing.

Arnold's eyes went wide and he instantly leaned toward her and yelped desperately, "NO!" Helga blinked a few times in surprise until he blinked and then leaned away from her again. "I-I mean…actually…" he put his hands behind his back shyly, "Well, I…wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want you to stop me but…I was thinking that…if it really would mean you'd get expelled…" such a sad little look came into his eyes, "Well…I was thinking that maybe _I _should take all the blame. I'd go through a few months…or even years of detention if it meant you wouldn't have to get kicked out of school, Helga. I wouldn't care at all." He looked at her so sincerely.

Helga blushed…and then asked quietly and softly… "Arnold…you'd really do that for me?" '_He'd really tarnish his whole perfect record and scholastic reputation just…just to keep me around?'_ She smiled affectionately.

Arnold nodded, quite seriously as a matter of fact. "Absolutely. You're…You're a lot more important to me than getting in trouble…"

Helga's grin instantly widened and she came forward out of her chair and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, happy hug, lifting him out of his seat and even spinning him around a little. "Oh Arnold…!" she cooed lovingly. "You're so…so kind, my darling…" She let him go and opened her eyes again and looked down at him standing before her now with a loving smile.

Arnold blinked a few times, getting his bearings, and then grinned goofily and then smiled up at her eagerly. "So…you'll let me do it…to keep you safe? Please, Helga, we just made up—I don't want you to have to go away and leave me alone at school all day…" A little pout came to his face. "What would I do without you?"

Helga bubbled over with love inside even more and just wanted to kiss and kiss and kiss him, but…she caught herself, recognizing that now and here were neither the time nor the place…And anyway, they had work to do... "Oh Arnold…" she cooed once more and then let out a breath…and shook her head with a smile. "Of course I'm not going to let you take the rap for me. Never in a million years. Absolutely not. We're in this together—we're in every thing we do together—for better or worse. So, that's very sweet but I'm afraid I just can't let you, my darling."

A sad little look came to Arnold's face. "But Helga, I really think that—"

She reached up and put a single finger to his lips. "Shh…Arnold, please, just listen to me for a moment before you start going on and on about why I should let you be all altruistic."

Arnold still looked at her sadly at first, but then let out a little sigh and nodded and then reached up and gently removed her finger from his lips. "Okay, Helga. What is it? But please tell me it's something that'll make sure you don't get expelled…" Some of the desperation was back in his eyes.

Her smile grew and she nodded, arms behind her back. "Actually, yes, it is…but, um…we might have to bend the rules a little so…we won't do it unless you're okay with it." She looked at him sincerely.

Arnold took in her words, understood their significance, and then nodded at her. "Okay, Helga. I'll listen…and I'll be honest with you about whether I'm comfortable with it or not."

She smiled again and nodded once more, and then commenced her explanations. "Okay. Now…Wartz already said that everyone from that lunch period, even though he didn't get to take names or anything so he can't specifically prove who was there, needs to spend the entire period tomorrow cleaning up the place together…which is fair since, no matter who started the thing, we all participated in it…right?"

Arnold considered her words and then nodded. Yes, that made sense. "Okay…" he said back, letting her know they were on the same page so far.

Helga smiled more and went on. "Alright, so…right now he's just looking for a scapegoat to really pin things on and we're the only ones he's got because we're the only ones he specifically caught…And I think we both know that this is just a pride thing with him…right?"

Arnold considered and then nodded again… "Okay…" he said once more.

Helga's grin picked up a little on one side and she was closing in on her point. "So, he's got us…but he never got an official confession from us and he hasn't called Simmons in as a witness yet or anything…."

Arnold nodded again, waiting curiously for her to go on…

"So…" Helga shrugged, finally getting to her promised point, "What if we were to sneak out of here before he gets back with Simmons, and just head home like everyone else since he suspended the fourth, fifth and sixth grades for the rest of the day anyway. Then we'll just help everyone clean up tomorrow like good responsible people, but you won't have to have your record tainted, I won't risk getting kicked out, and we won't have to take the bulk of the blame for something we only participated in for like three minutes anyway."

This one took Arnold a few seconds to seriously consider. And yet… doing so, he really couldn't find anything in it that felt morally wrong. Certainly it was bending things a tiny bit to say the least but…it wasn't like they were leaving someone else to take the bulk of the blame and it wasn't like they weren't going to help everyone clean up tomorrow anyway…and he really did want to keep Helga from getting into any big trouble and if she wasn't going to let him take all the blame then this really did seem like the only way… And besides, technically them leaving now would be kind of a form of punishment since they'd be going home and having to explain their suspensions for the rest of the day to their families just like everyone else was probably having to do right now.

And so Arnold looked back to Helga and said with a little shrug (not smiling approvingly at her just yet…he was saving that for just a moment). "Helga…um…I just have one question before I let you know what I think."

She looked at him seriously, obviously very concerned about whether or not he really would be comfortable with what she was suggesting. "Yes, Arnold?"

And now the approving smile came out. "What brilliant scheme do you have in mind to get us out of here without getting caught?"

Helga's eyes brightened and she grinned right back at him. "Oh Arnold…" she gave him a half lidded look. "I love when you take risks with me like this…so very bold…" She brought up the tip of her index finger and dragged it up the underside of his little chin and then giggled. "Certainly, I have a brilliant scheme as long as you're willing, my darling…And, you know, it ends with you and me getting to finish 'making up'…" She winked.

She watched her love turned bright scarlet and his smile grew. "S-Sounds good to me…Explain away, my darling…"

Helga giggled again and then did so accordingly. "Well, when he left Wartz locked the door from the outside so we couldn't sneak into the halls even if we wanted to…so…." And then she jerked her thumb upward, pointing at the ceiling above Wartz's desk…

Arnold's eyes followed the movement of her hand and he realized what she meant in a second. He looked down to meet her eyes with a grin matching her own and they said the word at the same time.

"Air vents…"

* * *

_Ten minutes later…in Wartz's (now 'mysteriously empty' office)…_

"Mr. Simmons, I don't know what kind of discipline you're using with these kids but I assure you insubordination from them like this will not be tolerated!" Wartz's voice (coming from the silhouette of his shadow against the outside of the frosted glass of the door) was heard to say, accompanied by the jingle of a key or two as he obviously went to unlock his office.

Another silhouette appeared against the frosted glass and replied, "Now, Principal Wartz, are you sure it's fair to blame Arnold and Helga just because they're the only two you could get from the cafeteria? I promise you they're very special and good students."

"Horsefeathers, Simmons. I've tangled with these two before. Miss Pataki has always been defiant of my authority and young Arnold has played hardball with me a few times as well. Yes sir, and I'm going to get a confession about who started that food fight from those two or my name's not—"

The Principal had just entered the office, he had walked over with a firm gaze to the two chairs where he had left Arnold and Helga…and the chairs were empty… (and also Wartz's set of blocks and his Barbie dream house and his chest of plastic animal figurines were arranged in a tall, wide tower in the center of his desk.)

"Um…Principal Wartz?" Mr. Simmons began hesitantly as he stepped completely into the office and shut the door behind him and likewise saw that the room was quite empty. "Where are Arnold and Helga?"

A rather befuddled looking Wartz just blinked a bunch of times and looked at the two empty chairs again. "They…They were right here! I locked the door and left them right here and…A-And none of those things were out on the desk." And then he blushed rather brightly as he finally fully realized that Mr. Simmons was seeing all of his toys.

Mr. Simmons just looked from the empty chairs to the…toys (and maybe blinked at an interesting something that caught his eye)…and then hesitantly back to the Principal and with a touch of concern. "Um…Principal Wartz, are you sure you didn't…hit your head when you slipped in the cafeteria before?" he asked slowly.

Wartz just blinked a few times, then opened his mouth and seemed with a scowl to be about to challenge that question…but then hesitated and blushed again at the state of his office…and then he thought some more and then he double checked the chairs again to see that they were indeed empty and looked again at the key in his hand that was a reminder that the door really had been locked, and then back to Mr. Simmons. "I…I don't, um…" finally came out of him almost woozily.

Mr. Simmons smiled one of his usually helpful smiles and then came forward and put a hand on Principal Wartz's shoulder and slowly began to lead him from the office. "It's okay, Principal Wartz. Why don't we go to the teacher's lounge and I'll make us some tea and you can clear your head, okay?"

Wartz blinked a few times and looked a little desperate though he did allow Simmons to lead him along back to his office door. "B-But, Simmons, I swear—I had both of them and they were right there and they were covered in food and none of that stuff was on my desk—u-uh not that I know how those things got there in the first place, heh…"

"I know, I know…It's okay, Principal Wartz…" Mr. Simmons assured warmly. "Why don't we get that tea and take a nice trip to the nurse's office and then all the kids'll come back tomorrow and clean the cafeteria…"

"Um…a-alright, Simmons…I guess…" Principal Wartz replied a little shakily as the two men left the office behind.

And as they did leave it behind and began to head up the hall, Mr. Simmons, unseen by Principal Wartz, smiled a little to himself and let out a sigh and shook his head…and recalled the small blue familiar hat he hadn't been able to help noticing at the top of that pile of toys on the desk.

He could have said something about it, he supposed…probably ended up figuring out how the two kids had gotten away (though considering a certain event a little over a month ago which had involved Arnold and Helga crashing into his classroom through an air vent he…had a pretty good idea of how they might have gotten away…) But…well…if the happy young couple had escaped together (and even though they had never come up to him and explicitly said 'We're a couple now, Mr. Simmons' he knew…just from the looks and the smiles and Helga's poems that they were indeed a little couple), that probably meant that they had made up from whatever fight they'd been having (and, once again, even though they hadn't come up to him and said explicitly 'We're fighting, Mr. Simmons', he could tell from the frowns and frustrated sighs and especially from how Helga had spent most of their poetry writing workshop in English yesterday mumbling something about 'what was so inspirational that people went and wrote poetry anyway?' they were indeed having a disagreement), and on top of all that he figured what with the school year only having a few days left in it that there was little point in getting the two kids in trouble, especially when at least a couple hundred other students had been part of the food fight too.

'_I just hope Arnold remembers to grab his special hat back…_' the special educator thought to himself with an extra grin as he now pushed open the door of the teacher's lounge to allow himself and Wartz to enter it.

A minute later back in Wartz's office (once certain people in certain places were certain that the office was indeed empty again) a young yet strong little arm, the upper half of which was covered in red plaid, reached down from a suddenly reopened air vent, groped at the top of a certain pile of stuff on the principal's desk, then grabbed the little blue cap at the top and snatched it into the vent, shutting it tight closed behind him.

* * *

In the dark semi-light of the air vents, Arnold placed his hat back on his head and then joined Helga in a serious giggle and chuckle fit about how they had actually gotten away with their escape and were so happy that they had.

"H-Helga, I…" Arnold managed between laughs, "I feel bad—I don't want Principal Wartz to think he's gone crazy just because we had to take all of that stuff out of his desk to climb up here on."

In the middle of Helga's giggles she just smiled more at his little worry and then leaned over and rested against her beloved's shoulder in the small space of the vent. "Don't worry, Arnold—like Simmons said, he'll probably just think he bumped his head when he fell in the cafeteria. Simmons'll set him up with some nice tea, he'll take a little nap in the nurse's office, then he'll feel a whole lot better and go home and have a nice dinner and be perfectly fine come tomorrow morning."

Arnold smiled more too, leaning against her a little bit as well. "Alright. I think you're right, Helga. I'm just happy he didn't see my hat."

She giggled a little more, now just plain cuddling into him. "Me too…Way to go leaving it behind, paste for brains." She chuckled and so did he at the little slip up.

"Whatever you say, Helga…" He reached his arm around her waist gave her a little hug.

For a moment they were just quiet and smiling and warm together and then they turned and looked into each other's eyes…

Helga let out a little breath. "Arnold…?"

He nodded. "Yes, my lovely evil genius?"

She giggled. "Sneaking up here was only half the plan. Let's get out of here first…then we can 'make up' some more…"

He grinned goofily but managed to nod. "Yes…get out of here first…then…lots and lots more of making up…We have three whole days to catch up on after all…" His eyes narrowed a little and it made her blush and he liked that.

A couple seconds later Helga finally managed (with a great force of will, of course) to pull herself away from Arnold a little, and then she gestured with her head to the left down a vent passage. "Alright, I think we should go this way…we could probably get to an exit leading out into the schoolyard or something quicker if we went to the right but since we're going home for the day I think we should try and stop by our locker's first and grab our backpacks. We can just drop down into the hall when it's clear, grab our stuff and then bail out the front doors or bide our time in a janitor's closet or something until the coast is clear again, okay?" She smiled at him.

Arnold smiled back. "Okay. You lead and I'll follow, my princess…" He took her hand and kissed it chivalrously, causing her to go all blushy and swoony for a moment…especially as he then started to place little kiss after little kiss upon said hand, unable to really stop himself…slowly starting to go up her arm yet again that day….

"A-Alright then…" Helga finally replied though, with a blush, as she eventually managed to remove her hand from his grasp before they could have a repeat of what happened under their cafeteria table. She turned in the direction they had to head and started to get on all fours. "Let's go, then, Football He—"

_Squeak!_

Helga froze, her eyes widened, she stopped moving…

Arnold noticed these actions of hers (and heard the squeak) and got on all fours as well and glanced past her up the vent shaft to see what she was seeing that was making her freeze up and that had made that little 'squeak' sound…Though thankfully it wasn't a full blown rat or two like the last time they had been in here together it was at least a small grey mouse. Arnold looked to Helga, waiting to see how she would end up responding to this smaller version of her fear. Though she didn't appear as mortally panicked as she usually did with actual rats, there was still hesitation and shallow breaths and worry all upon her features and she wasn't going forward.

And so Arnold reached up and took her by the shoulders and gently pulled her eyes away from the little mouse and then looked at her, kneeling before her kneeling before him.

She was blushing and looking shy and sheepish and silly like she didn't want to have to admit that even that tiny mouse was kind of messing with her a little.

He just smiled though and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he looked into her eyes and said soothingly to his cute, scared little love, "Shh, it's okay…I almost forgot that the last time we were in here there were rats. I'll make the mouse go away, and then _I'll_ go first and you can tell me from behind where to lead us, and if there are any rats I'll take care of them and they won't come anywhere near you….just like I'll never let anything hurt you ever…I promise." He looked lovingly into her eyes.

Helga was blushing quite a bit more as his speech ended and then when it did she flew forward and gave him a tight grateful hug, and then pulled back and said with a shrug, trying to save a tiny bit of face obviously, "Uh…o-okay…wh-whatever floats your boat, Arnold…Heh…"

Arnold just smiled a little more and then crawled forward, saw the little mouse again, and then gently used his hat to push it off down a small side vent. "Alright, Helga," he called over his shoulder, popping his cap back on his head, "The mouse is gone. Let's go."

She was on all fours and behind him directly. "O-Okay, Arnold…" she replied, her voice starting to sound more confident again. He was about to go forward with a nod and a smile as she added, "And…thank you, my prince." She laughed a little and finished sincerely, "You really are my hero."

Arnold blushed and swallowed and smiled more. "You're, um…You're welcome…Just trying to be a good prince to my princess…"

She giggled, which let him know that she was now fully back to her normal, calm, at ease self, and then with that the kids moved along with Arnold leading the way and Helga directing him from behind with her keen sense of ceiling direction.

* * *

A few minutes later, the two kids had reached their first stop and both of them were now looking down through a vent in the ceiling above the hall near their lockers to see that said hall was indeed empty (probably thanks to the fact that this hall was the one that housed most of the fourth, fifth and sixth grade lockers, and they had all been suspended for the rest of the afternoon).

"Looks like we're good, Football Head…" Helga whispered to Arnold. And then she looked up at him with a little sheepish and grateful grin. "Oh and, um…thanks for taking care of those other two little mice and even that spider we saw on the way here." She smiled shyly. "You really will never let anything hurt me ever, will you?"

Arnold smiled shyly back and nodded. "Of course, Helga. As long as I'm with you you'll be safe forever."

"And as long I'm with you, you'll be safe forever too, Arnold."

Arnold blinked, not expecting but…very much liking the assurance.

He went to look at her lovingly…maybe a little flirtatiously…but Helga was already looking down into the hallway again and now she opened the vent. "Alright, hmm…" she was considering, and he decided to be silent and let that complicated mind of hers work. She then looked up with a bright smile like she had an idea. "Alright, Arnold, take off your sw—" But then she stopped and a slightly defeated look came to her eyes. "Oh…I forgot…you've just got the plaid shirt on…"

Arnold blinked, looked down at his plaid (and quite food stained) shirt and then back up at Helga curiously. "Yeah. Why?"

Helga let out a sigh. "Well, I was thinking that since we don't have any rope and it's about eight feet down, maybe I could take one end of your sweater and you could take the other end, and I'd lower you down, and then maybe I could drop down onto your shoulders or something." She blinked and added sincerely…smiling and blushing to herself quite a little extra, "Or, uh…maybe it'd make sense for _you_ to lower _me_ down since you've got all that extra strength…a-and then _you_ could drop to my shoulders just because I'm, uh…taller…" She blushed extra and frowned, looking at him sincerely. "Sorry—I'm not trying to say anything about your height, Arnold. I'm just trying to do what's safest for us both."

Arnold just nodded and smiled. "Don't worry—I understand. And you're right, the second way sounds better…Plus…" he blushed a little… "I like getting to lower you down because you think I'm so strong…"

Helga giggled a little, happy he was taking that so well. "O-Oh…okay then…" She smiled a again at first but then sighed once more and glanced down a bit, looking at the drop into the hallway again. "But I guess it doesn't matter since you don't have your swe—" And then she stopped and that bright eyed look came back to her face and she looked up at him again. "Arnold—doi, why didn't I think of this before?"

Arnold blinked and smiled. "What is it, Helga?"

She shrugged with a grin. "Well, for once, I'M wearing a sweater. We'll just use mine." She chuckled. "Heh, good thing it was one of the only purple things I owned, right Arnold?"

"U-Uh…" Arnold blinked a lot of times, tried to smile, blushed… "Um…yeah. You'll take off your sweater. O-Okay…"

Seeing him react like that to this obviously lucky break for them, Helga looked at Arnold curiously at first…but then she grinned a little and leaned close to him, blushing. "Sure, I'll take off my sweater…unless YOU want to take it off for me?" she asked mischievously.

Arnold instantly turned a fiery scarlet, breathing shallowly. "I…I…I…I…" Oh why did she have to ask that question? And was it horrible of him that an image had suddenly flashed into his head of taking the hem of Helga's sweater in his hands and…He banished everything about the thought entirely and just did his best not to pass out.

Helga meanwhile just laughed a ton and rolled her eyes at all of his flustered cuteness, leaning back from him again. "Oh I'm just kidding…I'll take it off myself, just don't have a heart attack on me up here." She glanced at Arnold but he was just sitting there with his hands in his lip, his eyes unblinking and wide and his own face cherry red. Helga just let out a sigh. '_Men—I swear, they'd never get anything done without us…_' "Anyway…" she went on with a clearing of her throat, and then she grabbed the hem of her food stained sweater and lifted the garment over her head (trying not to blush too much or feel too self-conscious as she did so) and then finally pulled it off, revealing her short sleeve purple nightshirt (tucked into her purple pants to look like a regular short sleeve shirt, and with a faint chocolate milk stain all over the collar from when Arnold had doused her in the cafeteria). She reached out with a smile and handed the sweater to Arnold (who was right now looking away with a light blush on his face almost like he had wanted to give her 'privacy' or something just for taking off a sweater). She chuckled a little at the idea as she let the sweater fall into his lap. "Arnold, my little gentleman, just calm down and take the sleeves and I'll take the end and you can lower me down into the hall, okay, Mr. Strong Man?"

Arnold quickly took the sweater sleeves and nodded, taking a breath and finally finding it in himself to be able to look at her again…blushing deeply, of course. "O-Okay…and s-sorry…I-I just never thought about you taking anything off…I mean…" he let out a breath, "U-Um, is it getting kind of warm up here, heh? M-Maybe I should lower you down now…" A little uncomfortable smile was on his face as he wrapped the ends of the sweater sleeves around his wrists, making sure to get the best grip possible.

Helga just chuckled a little more and gripped the end of the sweater in both of her hands. "Arnold, you're too cute about things sometimes. I'm gonna try new outfits more often if they'll be able to get you all tongue-tied like this. But anyway we've still gotta get out of here so let's go." She winked at him and then carefully dropped one leg and then the other out of the vent, held as tightly as she could to the sweater, and then her love, with a nod and his blush still strong (though he was really trying to let it subside and to focus on the task before them), slowly lowered her about half way to the ground (which was about as far as he could get her) and then Helga let go and dropped the last three or four feet, just barely managing to land on her feet. "Whew!" She glanced around to make sure that the hall was still empty and then stood up as tall as she could and positioned herself under the vent and gave Arnold a thumbs up. Arnold nodded and then tossed down the sweater (which Helga quickly put on) and then lowered his legs, and then gripped the sides of the ceiling and lowered himself as much as he could and then let go with a cringe, hoping this would work (but trusting deep down that, just like she had said back to him before, Helga would always keep him safe no matter what…Such a comforting thought, it made him warm all over.)

"OOF!"

"Whoa! Gotchya!"

Arnold blinked a few times and then looked down and found himself safely sitting astride Helga's shoulders. He almost had to smile. It had been a little risky and yet he was safe just like she had promised.

Helga, wrapping her arms a bit more firmly around his legs to help keep him balanced for the moment, smiled up at him. "Alright, Football Head—very nice job!" She winked.

Arnold blushed down at her and smiled. "Um, thanks, Helga." And then he blushed a lot more and cleared his throat, his present position fully processing. "U-Um…I'll just get down now." He felt kind of funny sitting on Helga's shoulders like this, and with her holding his legs.

Helga just giggled and nodded. "Okay."

He climbed off of her shoulders to the floor and dusted himself off.

"Okay, Football Head," Helga smiled brightly and put her hands on her hips, ready to move on to the next phase of their escape plan to wrap things up, "Now, you get to your locker and grab what you need, I'll grab my junk and then we'll book it out of here!" And with that she ran briskly over to her locker.

Arnold nodded and chuckled. "Whatever you say, Helga."

Saying that made her chuckle too and he just savored the warmth that her laugh made come over him and that he'd been missing out on for so many days as he walked over to his own locker to get his own affairs in order.

Arnold opened his locker, took out his backpack first and then started to place a book or two and his sweater inside of it…but then he couldn't deny _it_ anymore and his gaze turned to all the pinks and pictures arranged all over the back of this little space of his…and his eyes took on a warm and dewy quality. He was gone for several seconds in the happy lovely thought that he had the person all of this stuff was about back in his life.

"Hey Arnold, Crimeny, aren't you done yet? We have to get go—"

Arnold froze completely, not moving…just standing there in front of his open locker door with his eyes wide and his face a pallet of red…and Helga's voice having stopped talking right by his ear. She could see his little dedication to her in his locker. Oh boy.

"A-Arnold…" he heard her voice say next with kind of shaky wonder.

He just looked down with total distress and finally breathed out. "Helga," he quickly began, not even knowing where to begin though! "I'm…I'm sorry! It—I didn't mean for you to see it…YET, I mean! I-I wasn't going to keep it a secret forever or anything of course. I mean, I just…I don't even know how it happened! I didn't plan it or anything! I'd just see something pink and think of you and pin it up in here and then you gave me all those pictures of us from when you were talking my new photo for your locket and then I found old copies of It Girl magazines and then I just, I just, I just…I just…"

He stopped. The locker door was slammed shut right in front of him. With wide, shy, almost terrified eyes he turned to look at the girl who had slammed it shut…

Only to be met with a very, very, very half-lidded looking Helga G. Pataki leaning on one hand against his now shut locker door…and there was something in that smoldery gaze, that expectant smile, the way she had her hip cocked to the side that made the poor ten-year-old boy gulp.

Seeing that gulp only made that smile of hers pick up on one side and then she grabbed him roughly by the collar. "Come 'ere…"she announced and then started to drag him across the hall.

"H-H-Helga?" he just stuttered out nervously. "Wh-Where are we going?"

"Janitor's closet. Now," she merely replied, still dragging him along.

Arnold felt so confused. "B-But why? I thought we were supposed to get out of here now and—"

And then suddenly he was whipped around and she had him pinned against the closet door. "Because," she simply stated, her eyes burning with something for him that even in her most intense states of lovesickness he wasn't sure if he'd ever seen before, "It turns out you're not the only one who finds shrines to yourself very very 'attractive'. On top of which, like you said…we've really got three days of self denial to catch up on…So now we're going to go into the closet and I'm going to make all that kissing and cuddling we did under that table in the cafeteria seem about as tame as that time outside of Chez Paris when you gave me that chaste little kiss upon my hand in comparison with what I'll do to you in there." She shoved her nose against his. "Prepare to be MADE to monologue and moan and purr, Arnold….you got me in that library, I get you right here and right now in this closet."

His little jaw fell completely and he couldn't even speak and didn't even have time to as she then suddenly ripped him off of the door, whipped the door open, and then pulled him and her inside and then shut the door tightly behind them, the last sound meeting the empty hallway besides the door slam being the sound of a certain football headed young man being lifted up and slammed against a wall in the closet and the beginning sound of a female moan while Helga G. Pataki proceeded to finish 'making up' with him and simultaneously thanking him for his little unintentional shrine to her right here and right now.

* * *

_About two or three hours later (and no, guys, they __haven't__ been ravaging each other in a closet for three hours straight—they're ten-years-old and really Helga just needed to get some stuff out of her system in that closet back at the school…)_

On a familiar boarding house rooftop in a familiar chaise lounge chair as the sun was starting to get a little lower in the sky, a familiar young lady reclined while she awaited her beloved. She was still in her purple pants from earlier, though, considering how food stained her sweater (and even her shirt underneath it thanks to Arnold dumping that chocolate milk on her—she had to giggle a little again at the whole idea) had been, she had changed what she was wearing as a shirt…and was actually right now in one of Arnold's plaid shirts…specifically the one he had given her a few weeks ago (it had been clean and in her backpack so she'd just gone for it. It would serve her until her sweater and shirt were done going through the wash with Arnold's stuff right now). In addition, her hair was no longer in a ponytail due to the fact that after all of that food fighting stuff it had needed a good washing and so she had taken the liberty, while in Arnold's bathroom, of using some of his shampoo to clean it out in the sink, and then Gertie had been nice enough to loan her a towel, which Helga has wrapped around her head. Her pink ribbon in her hand along with a brush Gertie had loaned her were stowed under the lounge chair as she waited for her hair to be dry enough for her to put it back up…into pigtails of course since she was no longer trying to pettily annoy her love. Now that _she_ was done using the bathroom though it was _Arnold's_ turn, which explained why, after giving her parents a quick call to let them know why she wasn't in school (she'd left out how she and Arnold had started the food fight, and luckily her parents, hearing that every fourth, fifth and sixth grader had been sent home for the day, didn't seem all that upset with her), where she was now, and that she'd be home probably some time after dinner, Helga had been waiting up here for the last fifteen minutes while her love took some time to finish getting cleaned up and changing as well.

It was quiet up here, with only a light breeze blowing and the sun getting a richer color as it prepared to move into setting. She liked it…and especially liked it because she hadn't been up here in three days…and was so very happy to be welcomed back again…so very grateful and happy to be welcomed back again…her eyes closed in peaceful happiness…

It was then that the light sound of the skylight door opening met her ears. Her eyes fluttered a little but she didn't sit up or turn to see him…just enjoying how she could _sense_ that it was his presence there and no others.

"Helga…" she heard him lightly whisper lovingly as he approached her slowly, "Are you asleep?"

She just took in a deep, good, content breath and then let it out, and then sat up a little more on the lounge chair and turned to face him. "No, my darling, I'm wide awake…Just resting…" she blushed, "And waiting for you, of course…" She smiled a little more and then with an extra blush scooched all the way over on the lounge chair. "Um…sit with me, love?" She tried not to look a little desperate as she asked but really after being cut off for so many days and so suddenly, she just wanted his presence, his warmth, his comforting touch near her…It reminded her of before her confession when, though she had suppressed it as much as possible, she had always secretly desperately craved just him even being near her…her heart silently fluttering away whenever she got the chance for it as she did her best to control herself from spilling her guts to him while she had reveled in the mere presence of his presence.

Helga, coming out of her reminisces, watched her love, now in one of his normal sweater and shirt outfits (though the hat was missing from his head at the moment and Helga knew why since she actually had it tucked away under the lounge chair along with her ribbon and the brush for certain reasons), blush a tiny bit at the request but then nod and climb onto the chair with her, reclining close next to her in it. "Okay, Helga…I'd like that…I could go for a little rest too…all, um…all things considered…"

She heard him gulp, and blushed and knew why. She smiled a little more, snuggling into him as he snuggled into her. "Yeah, well…on top of the stuff in the cafeteria, the stuff in the closet did take a lot out of us…" She chuckled. "I'm kind of happy we got that all out of our systems though…especially the closet stuff…so we can go back to just snuggling sometimes…Remind me to thank your lovely little locker shrine later for making me drag you in there, by the way…"

Her little beloved nodded near her. "Yeah…Not that what happened back at the school wasn't f-fun but…I like just snuggling a lot too…Oh and, um…" his voice took on a little extra note of shyness as he finished, "I'm happy you like my little locker sh-shrine…"

Helga giggled at him stuttering over the 'sh' word. "Hmm, yeah…I really do. I understand now what you were talking about with something like that appealing to your ego—it's a very flattering thing. Oh and as for my 'closet-based' reaction to that shrine, just for the record—ten points to you for how after you got out of your shock about me pulling you in there in the first place you went and pinned ME against the wall…and started just giving my lips little feverish kisses and saying things like 'beautiful', 'wonderful', 'ravishing', 'gorgeous', 'precious', 'darling', 'sweet', 'queenly', 'glowing', 'vibrant', 'warm', 'enchanting'…and all sorts of nice stuff in between them…And then went and purred so hard at me that I shook enough to knock over half the cleaning supplies." She blushed so much extra but at the same time was just trying not to laugh too much at all of it… "I know I didn't quite get a moan out of you again but that purr was MORE than enough…" A little shudder passed through her just at the memory of it.

Arnold's little heart pounded in his little chest. "O-Oh…I'm, um…happy you liked that…all of that, Helga…I guess I just…had a lot of nice things stored up in me for the last three days, you know? And the purring…I…well…I just _had_ to…I could barely help myself…I…" he blushed extra as he finished up with, almost guiltily at the memory of having been so overwhelmed that he had actually done that, "I-I'm not sure though when I'll m-moan again though…" He cleared his throat, moving along…and unable to help himself saying, as the thought came to him now that she had started bringing up compliments like this. "O-Oh and, um…ten points to you too, Helga, for, um…when you had me pinned against that wall and _you_ actually made _me_ pass out for once…and thanks for catching me when I did that, by the way…" He was smiling so much…She had actually made him pass out…He had actually felt himself so overcome by her initial passionate and seemingly ceaseless romantic attack of him that all of a sudden everything had blurred and faded and folded together in a pleasurable ringing haze and he'd just…gone….Only for a minute or two (and during that first minute apparently Helga hadn't even realized it so she'd just kept kissing him) but still…he'd decided, after that, that going from wakefulness to unconsciousness in that manner was the most wonderful manner in which to do it. No question.

Helga just giggled in a little coy fluster and finally turned her head to look directly at his face again, trying to catch his eyes. "Well, thank you, Arnold…Looks like we tied then in the points department."

Arnold with a shy smile (and seeing and feeling the shift of her head) managed to shift his own and catch her eyes like she wanted…and like he wanted too. "Yeah…A tie...I like that, Helga…"

"Yeah…" she whispered back warmly, "And now we can just rest and be happy up here together—at least until the sun goes down." She chuckled.

Arnold blushed a tiny bit. "Actually…" he sat up now with a little sheepish smile on his face, "Uh…well…with the three days…and the extra time on my hands…and nothing to do…I sort of um…well…" And then he reached into his jeans pocket, pulled out his room remote control (much to Helga's curiosity as she now sat up alongside him), pressed a button and…Helga watched in amazement as instantly strings of lights, mostly soft white but also in some varying hues of blue and pink, lit up all around the edge of the roof, the pigeon coop, even the skylight.

It was beautiful.

Helga just looked around and felt so overwhelmed. And then she looked back at a still sheepish and modest (though maybe he had a tiny little proud smile on his face) Arnold and beamed and tried not to laugh. "So…this is what you did with YOUR excess kissing energy, huh? Wired the whole boarding house roof…" She grinned at him a little.

Arnold swallowed and cleared his throat and shrugged and replied bashfully, "Yeah…and, um…I also might have changed every light bulb in the boarding house, fixed any wiring problems in all of the boarder's rooms, helped my Grandma set up a disco ball in the dining room, did all of my English homework for the last week of school in advance just, um…just to prove to myself that I could do it without you (even though I know I didn't do the creative writing nearly as well without your help), and, um…I think I even actually managed to fix the water heater downstairs when it went on the fritz though I didn't even know I could do that to be honest…" He was almost chuckling a little now himself while Helga just giggled in amusement at all of this.

"Well," Helga announced finally, taking one more survey of the lovely glowing rooftop around her making her feel like she was in a little piece of heaven up here in the sky with her beloved, "It's beautiful…" Such a sincere little sigh accompanied that assessment as the true beauty of it all finished washing over her. "You really are so very creative, Arnold…" And then she chuckled a little and looked back to Arnold and shrugged and added, "And hey now we can have night dates out here, right? That'll be nice. Oh and, um…just so you know that you're not the only one who's been a busy bee trying to work off all of their pent up romantic energy…" She rolled her own eyes sheepishly to the side now, a bit of a blush coming to her own features (but really she just had to mention the irony—it was too funny to pass up), "_I _reorganized my entire closet by varying shades of pink, read three new romance novels, and watched two new romance movies that Olga kept recommending, paced about two hours every night before going to bed just to work off enough energy to get some sleep, did ALL of my homework for the last week of school (and even offered to do some of Phoebe's so she could spend more time with Gerald), got double ice cream sundaes with Brainy to console myself (even though I couldn't bring myself to have the debate we had planned about which one of us was a better stalker), and also I might have, um…done my best to make a shrine that required moving parts that I joked about with you once…For the head of my paper crane shrine I put together this huge paper mache football shaped head and a made a lever and set up a pulley and I was kind of going for one of those drinky-bird things but on a large scale…It, uh, bends down to touch the center of my chalk heart with it's beak…" She blushed and ton and shrugged.

They just smiled at each other for a moment and then he laughed almost uncontrollably and she laughed right along with him at all of their foolishness and stubbornness and what it had led them both to do with themselves, the two of them collapsing back to lie down beside each other once more in the lounge chair.

"O-Okay…Arnold?" Helga finally looked at him between chuckles and managed to speak again. "L-Let's promise that for the sake of the universe we'll try and keep fights from now on down to only _one_ day instead of _three_ so that _you_ don't end up wiring the world and _I_ don't end up making some cyborg shrine that's going to burst out of my closet covered in my organized pink dresses and try to enslave humanity or anything, alright?"

A laughing even more Arnold just nodded at her lovely sense of humor and agreed, eventually gaining enough breath to respond with, "D-D-Deal, Helga. We'll t-try." He winked at her.

For a moment the two of them with smiles on their faces just looked happily at each other, resting side by side, their laughter slowly calming.

And then Arnold asked, just a touch of his still natural denseness shining through as you'd think he would have pointed this out upon first initially seeing her when he had come up to the roof. "And, um…i-is that _my_ shirt you have on or _your_ shirt?" he had to ask shyly of her new plaid top.

Helga chuckled a little at the question and blushed. "Oh…um, it's mine. The one you gave me, I mean… Your grandma offered to wash my purple sweater and shirt and honestly after that food fight they needed it along with your stuff, so I just got this out of my backpack and put it on…because of course even if we were at war with each other I could never not walk around without it tucked away somewhere near me to hold and smell and love." She rolled her eyes, bringing her arms up under her head to rest it upon them. "I probably look a little ridiculous, don't I? Purple pants, red plaid shirt, hair up in this silly towel…"

Arnold however just smiled…and lied down on his arms beside her…taking in the sight of how utterly cute she looked right now, actually. She was wearing his shirt…It made him warm all over…His pretty Helga was wearing his shirt. "I think you look…gorgeous…Gorgeous enough to make a guy purr even…"

Helga's breath caught in her throat and she blushed and buried her face in her arms for a moment, only her eyes visible…Just something about the way he had said that and the genuinely entranced look on his face while he'd said it had done it to her. "R-Really?" she mumbled out.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah…really. I…like you in my shirt." And then he gulped, moving his eyes down from admiring the top half of her…to admiring the bottom half of her. "A-And actually, I…you know, I don't think I've ever really seen you in pants before, Helga. I…I never realized how, um…long your legs were…" He went all dreamy and goofy, and… "_Hrr_…" he even purred a tiny bit at this point, almost without thinking about it…

Helga blinked at that random observation (after feeling one of those pleasant little purr-induced shivers go through her of course)…and then considered…and then glanced down at her legs in the pants…and then unburied her face from her arms and looked at Arnold with a strange little smile. "Oh…I see what's going on here…"

Arnold blinked a few times but was still smiling goofily and just barely glancing down at her legs. "Huh…?" he mumbled out.

"You're a legs man, aren't you, Arnold?"

The smugly asked question left Arnold all goofy looking for about a second longer but then instantly it was his turn to blush and go wide eyed and bury all of his face but his eyes in his arms under his head. "I…I…" he squeaked out unsurely, unknowing what to say to that…that arguably rather true observation considering how many times he'd found himself going all goofy whenever she crossed her legs or rested with them stretched out or better yet those few rare times when, after kissing, she had rested her legs in his lap…and he thought about touching them…just a little…And now here today he really hadn't realized how much of her height was just those pretty, long legs but…it was. His little heart thumped in his chest.

"Arnold…" Helga coaxed, smiling rather proudly and bending her legs a little, just enjoying her new little power, "Come on…admit it…If you admit it then maybe I'll try some more 'leg flattering' outfits more often….Admit you're a legs man…For me, Arnold?"

Arnold blushed extra. He looked uncomfortable…but then he closed his eyes and said shyly, "I…I'm…a l-legs man…Helga…"

She smiled more and almost overheated inside with how delightful that information felt to have, and knowing that she was a contributing factor in it all. "Good to know…" she merely replied back quietly. "See, not so bad admitting a little part of that boyish dark side of yours, is it, Arnold?"

Arnold, calming down a little now that he had finished getting that off of his chest and had taken a deep breath, managed to sit up a bit and shrug with a deep little blush and a bashful little smile. "I-I guess not…" And then he chuckled and looked at her, and said, just…just feeling like it, "So, yeah, I admit it…I like your long legs a lot and…in a small way they make me like that I'm a little short because they seem even longer by comparison…The longest legs on a girl I've ever seen." He smiled and shrugged sheepishly again just feeling happy and good right here—here with his pretty Helga with her pretty, long legs.

Helga just giggled a ton and sat up as well, looking to the side all coyly (and bending her legs just a little more for effect), "Why, Mr. Arnold Phillip Shortman, you are certainly a man who knows what he wants, aren't you?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Arnold smiled more and then he narrowed his eyes a little in respond to her fluttering eyelashes. "_Maybe_, Ms. Helga Geraldine Pataki…And maybe right now I…want to go back to holding the most beautiful woman in the world…and to give her more 'I'm sorry' kisses…Enjoying her long legs mixing with mine…Running my fingers through her golden hair…." One of his arms had already eagerly come around her waist to pull her in and the hand of the other was almost about to reach up to her hair on instinct…when his rather distracted mind was confronted with the towel wrapping up her hair and he blinked a few times, briefly came out of his rather aggressive little moment, and observed, "Oh, um…your hair, it's…why's it in a towel like that, Helga?"

"Huh…?" was all that came out of Helga's mouth in a gentle coo…as she had really been ready to melt into blushing putty in his arms and just let him have whatever fun he wanted with her (and to have some fun with him too).

Arnold blushed a tiny bit at the deep effect he'd suddenly realized he was having on her and then almost chuckled as he explained, using his arm around her waist to gently rub her back a little and ease her back to reality for a moment, "Helga…um…come back to me, please…I can't make you happy and pull my fingers through your hair after all if your hair's all locked up in a towel…"

"Huh…Oh…Oh I…" She blinked a bunch of times and then shook her head and finally seemed to come back to earth (with a little blush at how deeply under she had gone in the first place of course). "O-Oh…yeah…" She reached up and touched the towel again, having almost forgotten about it. "I…well…when I was getting cleaned up I had to wash my hair in the sink thanks to the chocolate milk bomb you dumped on top of me…" She gave him a playful nudge with her elbow and chuckled a little as she went on with, "Anyway, I've just been waiting for it to dry enough so that I can put it up with my ribbon now that my embargo on the color pink and on anything that's a reminder of you and me is over."

Arnold laughed a little at the reminder of her cute little 'embargo' and then asked sincerely, pulling her just a tiny bit closer, feeling all romantic again and feeling unable to keep it at bay for too much longer, "Why didn't you just use the blow-dryer to dry it? You could have, you know…You're welcome to anything of mine, my angel…You never have to ask at all…" He leaned up and gave her a little kiss on the cheek.

Helga blushed and giggled a ton and rolled her eyes, pulling her head away coyly after his little kiss was through. "Aw, I know, my dashing little prince…" She sighed and rolled her eyes to the side with a sheepish half grin. "But believe me, it's better if I towel dry it. Blow dryers make it all frizzy—remember that first hair do I showed up with at Chez Paris last Valentine's Day? The one that looked like I had two big cotton balls sticking out of the side of my head? Totally the result of blow-drying. Take my word for it—the towel thing is much better. Ugh, and speaking of which, I've gotta remember to get a quick wash and haircut or something at the hairdressers soon, especially to make sure to get rid of the dead ends so that my hair'll look nice before our anniversary." Helga smiled extra and her heart fluttered—that was the first time she'd been able to speak of their upcoming one month anniversary in three days without a sense of dread or foreboding or regret. It felt wonderful! Her eyes and face turned back to Arnold.

He was just smiling in such a very funny way at her, his wide head cocked just a bit to the side.

Helga raised part of her brow at this response from him, the smile still on her face. "What?"

He actually smirked a tiny bit. "I think…that what you just said…is the girliest thing I've ever heard you say in our entire lives…"

Helga's eyes went wide and she blushed distinctly. Then she glanced down, looking concerned. Then she shrugged awkwardly, really unsure of how to respond to something like that. "I-It's just…true…It gets frizzy when I blow dry it…and I need a haircut…" She gulped—had it really sounded that princessy? After all, if there was one thing she prided herself on it was not being like other girls exactly. Her blush increased a little more.

Arnold beside her just sighed and put his arms around her all of a sudden in a little side hug. "You're cute when you get shy about being a pretty, soft, precious girl…" he whispered gently into her ear. "I like it…And I like that I fell in love with a woman who's so strong and sweet at the same time…I'm grateful for it. And whatever way your hair is, it'll always be the most beautiful hair in the world to me…Some nights I even dream about touching it, you know, and I wake up with my hands buried in my pillow or my sheets from trying to hold it in my sleep…"

Helga just sat, stiff and blushing, as he said all of that to her and held her. Then she just whispered back, almost feeling a tear come to her eye, letting herself melt in his grasp, a smile upon her face, "You make me feel good and okay about being a little more girly sometimes than my reputation wants to let me be…like it's okay for that to be a part of who I am. Thank you, my love. "

"Anytime…" Arnold replied warmly near her ear.

"And…I dream of your hands in my hair too…and running my hands through yours as well…" she finished quietly with a hot blush, gently letting her cheek press to Arnold's so that he could feel its burn.

She heard his breath catch in his throat, felt him almost move away (she knew it might take him a second—it probably hurt a little bit, that sudden soft burning sensation pressing against his face), but then he let out a breath and eased his cheek more against hers. "M-More reason for us to…take the opportunity of doing it now in real life, I guess…since we're made up now and everything…"

Helga just let out a shuddery little swoon, and then she giggled and then pulled her cheek from against his to look at him, reaching up with one hand to gently turn his eyes to hers. "Well…that is an excellent point, lover boy. And actually, luckily enough, I think my hair should be dry now. And I've got my ribbon and your grandma gave me a brush to use. Besides this towel turban's giving me a headache now anyway." She smiled and Arnold smiled and then Helga reached up and unwrapped the towel from her now only slightly damp hair and shook out the long blonde strands for a moment, then picked up the brush and her ribbon from alongside the lounge chair and began to start the process of fixing herself up.

"Helga…?" asked Arnold sweetly with a little blush and smile.

"Yes, Arnold?" Helga replied back, turning to him again and finishing up her first brush stroke.

"Um…if we could put aside running our fingers through stuff and more kissing for a moment…could I just…spend some time brushing your hair out for you instead? I'd…like that…a lot…" He looked all goofy.

Helga just blinked and blushed extra…but then shyly (and on the inside almost giddily) reached out the little brush to him. "I'd…like that a lot too…Of course, Arnold…You can brush my hair." Oh she felt like she could have died happy! So much of all they'd had and all she'd missed out on because of their fight was coming back to her and she couldn't even describe how grateful she felt…So very grateful.

Arnold took the brush from Helga's hand (likewise just…bursting inside from having her here again in his life to do little things like this with), and then Helga turned herself so she was sitting completely up and with her legs off the edge of the lounge chair, and Arnold shifted himself a little and got on his knees and reached out, and then started to gently brush Helga's hair.

Helga smile was almost uncontainable as she felt stroke after stroke pull through her blond locks, and then she couldn't help but give a little giggle and speak to her love over her shoulder. "Hmm…hey, remember the first time you ever did this for me, Arnold? Back when you were playing at being my boyfriend to make Lila jealous because she was dating Arnie? And remember how steamed and ticked off you looked the whole time I had you doing it to me?" She chuckled at the memory of the silly little scheme on her part.

Arnold, from behind her, chuckled and nodded at the memory, all the while doing his best to be extra gentle with the brush so that he could be sure not to hurt her or pull her hair at all. "Yes, I remember, Helga…And…well, I know I looked kind of annoyed by it back then, but…that was because I was a little frustrated with myself because, well…no matter how hard I tried, when I was sitting there doing it to you, even though it was supposed to be part of 'winning Lila back', I just…couldn't help but think of how I was actually brushing out a girl's hair…And it kept making me feel funny inside…very funny…and extra funny since it was you I was feeling funny about in the first place. And it was almost a little scary to me so…that's why I looked like that…steamed and ticked off." He laughed a little. "And then of course there was the time you let me braid it up here, sitting on one of these chairs just like this. That was much nicer since I finally knew that I loved you back and actually enjoyed how funny being near you made me feel."

Helga gave a chuckle and nodded. "Ah, yes, how could I forget that—your fantasy time."

Arnold let out a little sigh and nodded. "Yeah. My fantasy time…" He gave another small chuckle of reflection, and then let his eyes, which had been glancing down in thought and shyness, glance back up at Helga's hair, and instantly at the sight of it his brush stroking faltered a little and his smile went extra goofy…and he had to add from behind her, unable to check the compulsion to do so, it was so strong, "Staring at your hair is like staring at sunshine…It makes me feel warm inside."

He heard Helga, who had just been chuckling a little along with him again, take in a sudden deep breath, and then he saw her shiver a little from behind the curtain of her sunshine hair. "Um…thank you, love…What with the raspberry shampoo and the lemon conditioner and the towel drying and the haircuts for the dead ends, I-I try." She spoke the words so quietly and bashfully, then shrugged a little and gave a tiny giggle.

Arnold just let out a deep, totally attracted sigh, and then managed to get his head back in the game a little, brushing regularly once more through her long locks, loving once again just being here with her like this. He'd missed her so much…so very much over those three days. It wasn't even just the pent up kissing energy or the frustration or the pettiness…It…She was…His mind suggested the term 'best friend' but that wasn't it. Gerald was his best friend. Helga was…his… It was hard to describe… 'Girlfriend' didn't do it justice…Even 'love of his life' just wasn't quite capturing part of the depth of it, and he knew that. She…She and he…they were…like a little…family. Like…they had this little life together, were there for each other, loved each other together…A little family…And their little family had been broken for the last three days without her and…he couldn't recall ever having felt so lonely about anything in his entire life…Well…except about _one_ thing…but that was a rather large and special exception…but at least he had been used to that exception for almost his whole life…But the whole thing with Helga had been so sudden that he'd…he'd literally gone from just bursting with life and love and happiness to…empty…alone and empty. And it was so nice to have all of that life and love and happiness back again, and to feel so very alive once more.

"Penny for your thoughts, Football Head…"

Helga's voice saying these words with a touch of amusement made Arnold blink and brought him back to reality. He realized now that he had stopped in mid brush stroke at some point and had apparently just stayed that way as his thoughts had been playing out. "O-Oh…um…Don't worry about it, Helga…" he quickly replied back quietly, almost bashfully (and with a touch of nervousness). "Um…does it feel like your hair needs any more brushes or is it okay?" he asked now, wanting to move things along.

Helga let out a sigh and glanced at him over her shoulder with a smile. "No, it feels okay…plus I want to be able to look at your gorgeous face again instead of having to face forward so I guess that's enough." She chuckled, and then he saw the one cheek of hers he could see blush as she added, picking up something from her lap and offering it out to him. "Um…would you do the honor of tying my ribbon back into it? Just on the top, please, Arnold?"

Arnold blushed and gulped at first but then quickly smiled eagerly and put down the brush on the roof beside the chair. "Um…sure, Helga." He reached out and took the ribbon and then as carefully as he could, so that he wouldn't pull any of the hairs or anything, he reached up and tied it perfectly upon the top of her head. "Lovely…" he merely stated at the sight of all that pretty hair crowned with it's familiar pink bow…and then he took the liberty of reaching up with one hand and gently but firmly pulling his fingers through the whole soft length of it.

The girl before him shivered deeply and swooned at his sudden action. And then when that was over, a beaming Helga turned herself around and Arnold scooched over, and they sat up next to each other again in the lounge chair. "Thank you…" she said with a little extra joyful looking blush and smile. "You're my favorite hairdresser, Arnold. Such…_good hands_…" She blushed extra and giggled at her little joke.

"It's an honor to serve my princess," a likewise blushing Arnold merely replied chivalrously and with a little chuckle, even giving her a tiny bit of a bow with his head.

They both shared a laugh at all of that.

And then Helga recalled, amid all this talk of hair (which inevitably brought her to looking at Arnold's hair that she longer to hold in her fingers yet again)…the fact that Arnold's head was still missing a certain something…something that normally went right in between his two big tufts of unruly cornflower locks…

"Oh, Arnold, before I forget…" Helga leaned back and reached down and then picked up one final thing from beside her side of the lounge chair and then she brought it up and offered the familiar object to him in both of her hands with a smile. "Your hat, my darling. Gertie was going to put it in the wash with all of our other stuff and she said that whenever it needs to be cleaned that's what you usually do but…I…" she blushed a little more and went on with a little shrug, "I just wanted to make sure it would definitely be okay, so I hand washed it in the bathroom and used the blow dryer to dry it off…It's just…" she swallowed and looked at him a little sheepishly, "…I was so afraid it would stain after all of that stuff in the cafeteria and I know how much you love it—heck, I still can't forget how sad you were during that week you didn't have it at the beginning of the year—so I wanted to make sure it got taken special care of…A-And, also, um, Arnold…?" A ton of guilt was in her face as she added quickly, "Um…I feel like maybe this won't surprise you, and I've always been a little nervous about explicitly telling you about it just because you seemed so…so torn apart without it, but…that week when you didn't have your hat…it was because I had it. I found it…wanted to keep it and make it part of my shrine…" She looked sincerely into his eyes. "I'm sorry for that, by the way…I hate the idea that I hurt you at all by doing it…And then my Mom threw it and my whole shrine out and I was just so happy that I found it and that you got it back." She smiled a little more and offered the hat forward lightly. "Forgive me, Arnold?" she asked sincerely.

Arnold had just been listening to her intently, curiously, interestedly. And then when she was done, even though it took him a moment to absorb all of that, he nodded his forgiveness of course and even smiled at her concern…Her afraid that he really would be angry with her for something from a past they had mutually moved on from a while ago…and had just spent an entire afternoon already working out and moving past entirely together. "I forgive you, Helga," he said kindly. "You had it…but you saw how important it was to me and you gave it back. That was the right thing to do…and you did it because you have a good heart." He looked at her now happily smiling face and then at the little blue hat still being held out for him in her hands…and then he asked with a light blush, "Um…since I tied your ribbon in…will you…put my hat on my head, Helga…slightly to the side of course?" He had to give a small chuckle as he brought his eyes back up to Helga's.

Helga brightened entirely at this request from him and nodded eagerly, and then an extra smiling Arnold bent his head low and Helga placed the little cap on there in a manner almost sacred (indeed turning it to the side like he liked, of course).

She pulled away with a dreamy look in her eyes and her hands clasped together over her heart. "Perfect…" She let out a little girlish sigh.

At her assessment of how he looked, Arnold chuckled again…and then asked with a coy little smile…in a low little voice, "So…now that that's all done…you wanna go back to cuddling, Helga? Cuddling and hair-touching and…maybe a little kissing…?" He blushed bashfully.

She just giggled brightly. "Hmm…whatever you say, Arnold…cuddle and hair-touch and 'kiss a little bit' away…" And then she laid down on the lounge chair again and pulled him down with her and the two of them just snuggled close, enjoying each other's company and warmth, Helga playing with the tufts of Arnold's hair and Arnold holding one of Helga's hands and maybe kissing the back of it gently as they stayed there like that in love.

This special moment went on. Helga giggled here or there. Arnold even sighed once in just total happiness.

And then Helga asked, glancing to her beloved's cute little head again where she had been fortunate enough to be allowed to bestow his precious hat, "Hey, Arnold?"

"Yes…beautiful?" he asked between little kisses to her hand.

She smiled and blushed more, melting in pleasure inside at him doing this. And then she asked, "Um…well...you know why _I_ love my bow so much…It's because it was the first thing about me that you liked…So…why do _you_ love your hat so much, Arnold?"

The little kisses on the back of her hand stopped.

Her beloved didn't move and his head was positioned so that she couldn't see his eyes.

Helga…feeling strange about how he was reacting to that little question…waited…

There was still some silence.

Helga had stopped playing with his hair at this point and she was about to ask the question again…followed by a quick assurance that if he didn't want to tell her for some reason it was okay (although by now it had gone from a casual inquiry to something she was DYING to know thanks to this response from him) when Arnold finally replied in a small, kind of quiet voice that she had never heard him speak in before…

"I love it because my parents gave it to me."

Helga stopped breathing…and just waited some more now…because…Arnold had never…brought up his parents yet to her. And of course she had never wanted to broach the subject herself because she knew it must be a tender one…But…right here and now? She hadn't expected it at all and…she wasn't sure whether to ask some questions or just let him continue on (if he so chose)…

She decided to start by just gently moving her hand that had been in his hair down behind him where she lightly began to stroke his back tenderly.

That seemed to help. He said more…still in that quiet voice she had never heard from him before now. "It was…a first birthday present to me from them…so when I wear it…I feel like…part of me's still in that little bit of time when we were all together…and that's why I like it so much."

Suddenly he was clutching at her a tiny bit whether he knew it or not, and Helga swallowed…and then asked very quietly, with worry, with wonder… "A-Arnold…if…if it's not too sad for you to tell me…um…where are your parents, Arnold…?"

Her love sighed…And then he sat up a little and looked at her eyes…his own heavy with an emotion…and replied, "I…don't know."

Helga looked at him curiously.

And then Arnold, who had been…who had been thinking about mentioning or saying at least something about his parents to this most important and special person in his life ever since their relationship had been cemented and solidified so many weeks ago, just…gushed because he couldn't hold it in anymore. "I don't know where they are. They were explorers…I…they got married and had me in…this place called San Lorenzo…and then we came back here…and we were here for a year and we were happy…really happy…and then they went back to San Lorenzo to help some sick people in this tribe of people they were close to, and they left me with Grandma and Grandpa but they never came back and we never heard from them again so I don't know where they are!"

Helga took a deep breath in and let a deep breath out, all of that just…just trying to process and wash over her. "Arnold…" she looked deeply into his eyes, "If you…want to talk about it…I'd like to hear…but if it's too painful…I can wait…until you're ready…"

His eyes trembled a little (and she realized it was with tears) and then he came down and to her surprise kissed her fervently and almost a little sloppily upon her lips for a moment and then pulled back, took several breaths, and then laid against her, clutching all the more to her, and practically shouted in desperation, though at the same time there was something of a quiet croak in it, "I WANT to, I…I've wanted to since that day my grandparents told us about my Grandma's confession and we went up to my room and kissed and told each other about our second married dreams because I wanted to tell you that so much of the reason I liked the idea of being married to you and having a baby and a family together was because it would be like I was part of a real full family again, but I just didn't want to upset everything or make everything painful and complicated, and we've been working out so perfectly and I was scared and I…I miss them and I never felt anything fill the loneliness of not having them the way being with you does and then you were gone for three days—three whole days! And I was scared it was over and that the only person I've ever loved and needed to be with even close to how I loved and needed to be with them wasn't going to come back anymore, okay?" He held to her, burying his face against her, and even though he was obviously trying to hold it back, a shocked and wide eyed and in tears Helga could feel a little tear or two of Arnold's fall upon her shirt…

She took all of that in. So many things that had been weighing down on his little heart and that he had been afraid of…And then she had gone and made it worse by her part in prolonging their fight. She felt horrible…Certainly this fight had taken its toll on _her_ but…Arnold…Arnold's parents…it had reminded Arnold of bad and sad feelings associated with their absence…How could she ever make up for that…for three days of that? "Oh, Arnold…" she whispered back quietly, holding him close and rubbing his back, clinging to him now too, "I'm…so sorry…"

"Why…Why are you sorry?" And suddenly he had picked up his head and was looking at her very curiously…little tears still in his little eyes… And then, "Helga! You're…crying!" His jaw fell and he seemed shocked.

Helga's lip trembled and a tear or two still fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry because I wasn't here for you and left you in pain for three whole days. And I'm crying because I hurt you…and it hurts so much that I hurt you, Arnold…" The tears welled up more in her eyes.

He blinked a bunch of times and then came forward and started kissing her cheeks and brushing away the tears with his hand. "No, No…It…The fight was just as much my fault as it was yours. We agreed on that. So don't…don't cry…please…And…" he almost seemed to try to smile, "And on top of that, _you_ crying makes _me_ want to cry, and I already feel insecure enough half the time about being the boy in this relationship between the height thing and the flower arranging and needing to practice on pillows just to keep up with your kissing talents…If I start crying now too then what am I gonna do?" He even chuckled a little now, finished kissing and wiping clean her face.

Helga almost smiled a little too now that he was done. She looked up at him. "H-Hey, you think _you_ feel silly—_I'm_ supposed to be the tough as nails one of the two of us. I've never let anyone see me cry in my entire life before—even Bliss only ever got a sniffle or two out of me but nothing like this. It's gonna take weeks of me acting tough and making sarcastic comments to make up for you seeing me like this, Football Head."

They actually both managed to share a laugh at that, their final little tears finally spilling from their eyes down their cheeks at the action as they did so.

And then, when that was done, Arnold managed to continue, and thankfully not quite as shakily and sadly as before. He rolled off to the side of her a little as he spoke, though he still clung close. "Helga…it…the thing about missing you so much over the last three days…and it reminding me of them. It's just because I…our fight…when it started going on and on and I wasn't sure when it would stop…it made me think about the idea of us really being over…our love together…and you leaving me alone…kind of like they did…my parents, I mean…Because…everything between us has been so perfect that even now sometimes at night when I go to sleep I wonder if I'm going to wake up and have your confession and everything be a dream…and have things go back to the way they were before…and then I'll be lonelier than ever. I know that's impossible and that it won't happen…but us fighting and almost…not making up…it was just as bad. I don't want you to leave me, Helga. I love you." He let out a breath, feeling very good about having said all of that, and then looked to her eyes once more. "Promise me even if we ever did…you know…break up…that you'd still be my friend at least and let me be yours…Even if I could only have you as a…as a close sister or something instead of as my wi—m-my…my girlfriend…please…promise me that…" He asked it so sincerely.

Arnold felt all the fear and doubt in him subside about a second later when Helga was the one to roll on top of him this time, and she wiped his wide eyed brow with her soft and gentle hand, and then said with a loving and quite serious smile, looking deeply into his eyes, "Arnold…I…I…will never leave you alone. Ever. No matter what stupid things I say or how petty I can get, I will always…ALWAYS…I will always be with you. You don't need to be afraid…" She chuckled. "Even if you told me to get lost, I guarantee you, even if I had to go back to the secret stalking, I'd always be with you." She winked down at him.

Arnold…smiled…so much. "Really, Helga?" he asked, sniffling just a little, happy his few tears were going away…happy all the happiness was coming back inside of him.

Helga chuckled again and nodded affirmatively. "Of course." She gently cupped the side of his head with her hands, still gazing sincerely into his eyes. "You have my word. And a Pataki never goes back on her word…Although…I guess there _is_ _one_ small snag in this promise you're asking me to make…" She glanced down coyly.

Arnold blinked, looking at her in concern. "What? What is it?"

She just giggled at his little bout of worrywart-ness and then replied…turning her eyes back to his…leaning down lower, "I think you and I both know that you could never handle having me around just as a sister…You know and I know that we have to be…more…my darling…" And then she came down and started kissing, giving little kisses all over his face and lips and reaching up the fingers of her hand deeply into his hair again.

"Hmm…" Arnold let out such a happy sigh, just letting her cover him in all these little kisses of love…and he knew she was right of course. The right way for them to be together was always and forever as young lovers. He would never be able to look at her and be near her without wanting to hold her and caress her and kiss her like a lover would…No, not in a million years.

He was just about to pucker his lips and bring up his hands into her soft locks and start reciprocating all this affection when he felt her kisses slowly start to taper off. He blinked a few times slowly and then opened his eyes to see her looking down at him with a concerned yet warm smile. "And…Arnold…about your parents…" she said softly and then shifted a little to lie by his side, holding him, soothing his brow with her gentle touch.

He blinked a few more times, then processed she was talking about them again, and then replied quietly. "Y-Yes…?"

"Arnold…you said they left you just to go for a little while and just to help sick people where you were born, right?" she asked tenderly.

Arnold nodded a little, looking at her with wide, interested eyes, almost like a child waiting to learn something.

Helga just smiled more back at him and then said, from the bottom of her heart, one arm draped over him, the other just brushing gently through his hairline, "Well, Arnold…it's…it's not fair that they couldn't come back and that you don't know where they are…but…it sounds like they were just trying to do the right thing…it sounds like they were good people just like you are. Very good and selfless and loving…and like I said it's not right that something went wrong along the way to take them from you but…I know wherever they are they love you, Arnold. And you love them…and no matter what tears you apart, as long as you still love each other you're still together…just like how even though we were fighting and apart for the last few days, we still loved each other so we were still together…and just like we always will be together as long as we keep loving each other. Your parents are with you right now, Arnold, hat or no hat," she smiled a little more, "…and all because your strong and caring heart still loves them so deeply just as they must have always deeply loved you."

Arnold…had often given advice in his life but he had never been…truly comforted by someone like he was being right now. He'd been assisted, made to feel a little better, listened to but never…soothed to this degree. It felt…so wonderful…and he now understood a little better why he had always liked giving people advice if it made them feel anything close to how he was feeling right now.

Instantly he was hugging her close to him and grinning so happily. "Thank you, Helga…" he whispered to her, squeezing her even more tightly.

He felt her stiffen at first in a touch of surprise but then melt in his arms, and then hug him back. "You're welcome, Arnold."

They were together like this for a little while…and then Arnold let out a breath and pulled back and looked at her with a smile, snuggling in close alongside her again this evening. "You gave me advice…real advice…No one's ever…not even Grandpa ever gave me advice like…I love you, Helga…" He smiled more, looking like he'd just 'found home' or something.

Helga cuddled closer to him as well, looking with warmth and welcome into his eyes. "I love you too, Arnold. And anytime, Football Head. Hey, the ability to give advice was bound to rub off on me from hanging out with you sooner or later, right?" She gave a small laugh.

Arnold chuckled a little right along with her. "I guess so…" he replied back warmly, and then he reached up and brushed through some of her soft hair with his fingers. "Although personally…I think that was just your own natural ability shining through…Your own caring and giving nature. I've always told you that you were a good person, Helga…A good girl…just like I'm your bad boy…" He smirked at her a tiny bit with a blush.

She blushed a little too, smirking back at him (smiling more at his cute little playing with her hair). "Well, I guess you make a point, Football Head. My little bad boy Football Head…And just like you're bold and rough and passionate deep inside, I'm good as gold and sweet as sugar deep down…" She felt her heartbeat beginning to pick up in pace.

Arnold chuckled more, his own heart beating with its own increase of frequency in his chest. "Yeah…And you're about a million times smarter and saner about this relationship stuff than me. You're not silly enough to think we'd ever really break up and be apart…" He smiled at her, tilted his forehead forward to rest it against hers. His rock, his Helga. She hadn't had a doubt about loving him from the moment they were three, and she was so wise about love. Only _he_ would be silly enough to doubt them like that…but not her.

Arnold was expecting a smile and an assuring little chuckle from Helga along with some kind of cute affirmative response to his observation and admiration of her constant courage and faith in their relationship…

But instead her smile stiffened…faltered…tried to stay but was obviously forced…And then she let out a little breath and spoke with a small half grin and her eyes looking a little…tired, was the only word. "Arnold…I have a confession to make…"

"Are you in love with me, Helga? Is that it?" he had to ask with a smile, just to lighten the mood, their foreheads still lightly pressed together, bodies still cuddled close, some of her hair wrapped around a few of the fingertips of one of his hands. "You do love to spring that one on me on rooftops…"

She did smile a little more at his cute joke but then just shook her head, that tired look still in her eyes. "No…Well, yes…but that's not my confession this time even though we're on a rooftop again. My confession is that…I…" her voice lowered to a light whisper… "I've been terrified of us breaking up ever since you left my house the night after our first date when you told me you were falling in love with me…Absolutely terrified of it…and especially during that first shy and unsure little week together…" She looked into his eyes.

Arnold looked back into hers in total surprise. "What?" He blinked several times.

She just half smiled and explained quietly…explained, as long as they were going to be as deeply honest with each other as Arnold talking about his parents had made them start to become… "Arnold…I did my best ever since this started…this courtship between you and I…to be confident and just enjoy our time together and to just hope that it would last so very long…forever really…but…secretly I've been terrified of it all falling apart…Arnold, you made the biggest dream in my life come true by loving me back but…how could I know if it would really work? What if you couldn't love me like I loved you? What if you resented me too much for all the years of torture to really end up wanting to stay with me…and I think we both know after this fight that that fear wasn't exactly unfounded…? Or what if I loved you and you loved me too but that just wasn't enough and we couldn't manage to have a real relationship together? Or what if we did but I didn't turn out to be any good for you—a bad girlfriend, a bad wife, if you'd have me, even a bad mother? And the thing was, Arnold, the thing that made it so much more frightening…it was that for all those years that you didn't know my feelings and didn't love me back, well…I always had the hope that if I confessed to you that you'd end up loving me too…but…with us finally together…if we ended up apart again…that small hope in my life would be gone. We would have tried and…we would have failed. And…I'd have nothing more to look forward to. I-I mean, as we ended up connecting more and more over the weeks I was less and less scared…and so very happy…but then this fight brought it all back…" She was crying a little again…just a little. "If we hadn't gotten back together before our one month anniversary to celebrate it, I…I was afraid it would mean…we were done…forever…and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself, Arnold…not after everything that's happened…" And suddenly she was hugging close to him and saying with her eyes shut tight, hot with little tears again. "I don't want you to leave me either, Football Head! Ever! …I'm lost inside without you…"

Arnold held her close, feeling some of his own tears returning. '_She's been…scared…all this time…of…that? R-Really…? That scared that I'd…_' He hugged her even more tightly…hugged her like he wanted her to just be a part of him and melt together with him so that they could be the same and really could never risk not being together ever again…and he knew something then. Something that had hinted and teased inside of him from the moment he had found out that his grandma was the Gertie girl his grandpa told stories about teasing him... And something that he had officially perfectly come to know just moments ago when he'd almost said to her that he would like to have her as a sister even if he couldn't have her as a WIFE but had then quickly changed 'wife' to 'girlfriend' in shyness and embarrassment. Yes, there was no more denying it…and now here with what she had just shared with him, there was no more will in him to avoid it either. He knew. He knew that…all uncertainty about the future and their young ages and the fact that he had only been courting her a month aside…he was going to end up with this little woman in his arms…he was going to be with her and have a life with her…marry her one day…He knew it so completely that he would never doubt it again in his entire life. Break up with her? She'd been so scared of…that? No—if there was one thing more undesirable, more repulsive to him than the concept of her abandoning him, it was without doubt ripping himself from her ,and he knew that he never would…not just for now…but forever. "Helga…" he whispered out eventually, still holding so close as she held close to him, "Remember what I said in the school? After you saw the mouse? When I told you that I'll keep you safe and protect you forever…? Well, I really will…I'll never let you be lost…And no matter what stupid thing we fight about in the future and what stupid things we say…underneath I'll always love you just as much as I do here and now…and maybe even more since I love you more each and every day…" He pulled back and looked into her eyes…her wide, teary eyes. "You're my Helga…I'll never hurt my Helga and I'll love her forever."

Her eyes suddenly looked so happy to him…the happiest blue he'd ever seen. '_He'll never… I…I know. I know._' She managed to speak. "Thank you, Arnold…I…I don't think I'm afraid anymore…not after we got through this…and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner…" Just a touch of guilt came to her eyes.

He just shook his head, smiling and with a touch of guilt coming to his own eyes now, reminding her that they had both been keeping secrets. "It's okay. And I'm…I'm sorry I didn't talk about my parents before…And you're welcome, Helga…"

They were quiet now…and then they came together in a little kiss…nothing heated nothing passionate…just slow and right and perfect because they were together and wanted to be that way…

When they were done, they just decided to hold each other close in the little lounge chair and enjoy the sunset together. The only two people in the whole world.

"Arnold?" asked Helga eventually, quietly.

"Yes, Helga?" he replied, also quietly.

"Can I…since we're…going to be completely open with each other even about the deep stuff…can I ask…what are your parents names?"

Arnold smiled a little. "My Dad's name is Miles…and my Mom's name is Stella…And you can ask me anything you want to about them, Helga. I like talking about them once I get used to it…especially with someone I love…It makes it hurt a little less…and feel a little better."

Helga let out a relieved breath. "O-Okay…Um…so…which one is Phil and Gertie's kid?"

"My Dad…" Arnold replied.

"Oh…I'm sorry Phil and Gertie don't get to see him…" Helga added with a touch of sadness in her voice.

"Me too…" Arnold replied back, also sad…and realizing really for the first time that his grandparents didn't just no longer have Arnold's parents…they particularly didn't have their son anymore…and that that must have been a lot for them.

"So…is that hat all you really have of them?" asked Helga now curiously.

Arnold let out a breath. "Well, no…It's very important to me but I also have a picture of them to look at…and then a journal my dad left behind that I found a little while ago…It even has a map in the back of it of San Lorenzo…Part of me wants to go there and see if maybe I could…I don't know…figure out where they are…were…what happened to them…" He swallowed.

Helga nodded and let out a breath. "I hope you can go there one day, Arnold. Very soon if you can…And…if it's okay…could I see your picture of them one day? I'd like that, Arnold…"

Arnold nodded. "Of course, Helga…I keep it tucked away in my room…to look at when I feel lonely for them. I…don't really like to keep it out just in case the guys or anyone come over…Sometimes it's hard for me to answer questions about them." He smiled a little. "It's the most precious thing for me to have near me when I sleep besides your poems…And by the way, I've been missing new poems from you so very much over the last three days…" He snuggled a little closer to her.

She giggled, snuggled a little back. "I'll get you fresh poems by tomorrow—trust me. And okay…next time we're in your room, I'll get to see them…I'd like that."

They were quiet for a little bit more together.

"Um…Arnold? One more question if it's okay?"

"Of course, Helga…Anything…"

"So…Miles and Stella…which one's got the football shaped head?"

She heard Arnold actually snort, his chuckle was so sudden and sharp, and then he replied, twirling some of her hair around his fingers again, "Um…my Mom…but mines a lot wider…like, you'll probably laugh at how much wider it is."

She giggled a little, cuddling her hair against his hair, forehead to forehead. "Well then I can't wait to see that—you know how much I love getting in a good joke at the expense of your head."

They laughed a little more together.

Then, Arnold. "Hey, Helga?"

A little yawn escaped Helga. "Yes, Football Head?"

"Do you really think about us breaking up that much?"

Her reply was a little stiff…and a little ashamed sounding. "Yes…But I won't anymore as much. I trust us completely now, Arnold. I'm…not scared anymore. We're that strong."

He smiled. "Thank you, Helga. And please do trust us that much…because I do too…and if we both do then…well…who knows what'll happen…" He leaned over a little and winked at her, feeling giddy inside…since he did know what would happen…knew it completely now. In fact if they had been down in his room right now he might have…He let out a sigh… _'Don't be hasty with it…do it when it's right…'_

She blinked, looked at him curiously for just a moment…but then smiled. "Okay, Arnold. We're in this together. And we'll trust each other completely."

Arnold yawned a little and nodded. "Good…Thank you, Helga."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "You're welcome, Arnold."

He closed his eyes too…

They just wanted to savor being near each other…

And in the peace of all of this, with the sun setting and the lights glowing around them, they fell into a warm and safe slumber in each other's protection.

* * *

A little while later, as twilight was finishing setting in and cooling to night, Helga Pataki's eyes fluttered open after a dream about being held by Arnold for all eternity…and any fight they might have ending in so much wonderful making up… At first she wasn't sure of where she was but then it all flooded back to her…The fight, the food fight, sneaking out of the school, sneaking here and getting cleaned up, her and Arnold's long talks…falling asleep in each other's arms up here… '_Heh, that explains my dream, I guess…_' She sat up and stretched and then turned to Arnold to see if he was awake yet. "Arnold?" she whispered lightly.

He was just lying there though, sleeping so sweetly, a perfectly happy little smile on his face. As she had now slipped from his grasp though she saw a little twitch happen at his mouth and little cringe at his eye. "H-Helga…" he whispered and then gripped at the material of the lounge chair though it didn't seem to satisfy what he really wanted to be holding…

A blush was her first natural response, followed then by a frown and her almost considering lying back down with him, but then she remembered how it was nearly dark, how it was probably already quite a bit of time after dinner, how even though her parents hadn't gone and blown a gasket or anything about her one-day suspension it still probably wouldn't be good for her to randomly not come home for a few more hours…and, the conclusion was, she knew she couldn't stay…but still she could at least make sure the rest of Arnold's slumber was a peaceful one before she left.

She had an idea but she'd have to head back inside first to do it, so for now to comfort him temporarily she undid her ribbon from her hair and placed it into Arnold's hands, which eagerly gripped it, the little smile returning just a bit to his face.

"Be back in a moment, darling…" she whispered in the near darkness and then quickly slipped away from him and went back inside via his skylight.

A few minutes later she reemerged from his skylight back to his roof. She was redressed in her purple shirt and sweater (both items now clean) and she had a few of the pink books she had left behind at his house before their fight in her hands, and a blanket over one shoulder and her backpack slung over the other. She went over to Arnold, covered him with the blanket, removed her ribbon from his hands (noticing with interest that little cringe happen to him again) and quickly placed three or four pink books into his arms. The smile instantly returned and he hugged them close and even snuggled with them like a mother hen cuddling and warming her eggs or something. "My Helga…" he whispered happily. Helga did her best not to giggle too loudly (though she blushed rather proudly) at the sight and his little exclamation lest she wake him up.

Then she leaned down near him with a smile, just drinking in the sight of his sleeping angelic face for a moment longer, and then let out a little breath near his soft cheek. "Pleasant dreams, my one true little love. Though we have to depart on yet another night, I'll see you in the morning as always…and perhaps one day if our love really does last forever, I'll never have to leave you, day or night, my love…" She blushed extra and smiled a little more at the idea. "Your parents and I love you…Farewell, my Arnold." She gave him a soft kiss upon his cheek (that made his smile grow, she noticed with a burst of added happiness inside of herself) and then with that she and her backpack slowly slipped into the encroaching night, off of the roof, down the fire escape and away to her house.

And Arnold meanwhile, just continued to nap upon the boarding house roof…dreaming of Helga and him flying in a little plane to San Lorenzo, finding his parents…and both his Mom and Dad actually getting to be there for his wedding to the lovely Helga G. Pataki…soon to definitely one day be with no question in his heart anymore Helga G. Pataki-Shortman…and he'd be Arnold P. Pataki-Shortman…

Arnold smiled a LOT more in his sleep.

(And just so we're all clear, back in the cafeteria, when Wartz interrupted everything and Gerald and Phoebe flew out from under that table…they hadn't started making out for the first time…yet, at least. I'm such a wily old coot.)

* * *

**A JURY OF YOUR PEERS**

"How long do y'all reckon we've been waiting now?" Stinky Peterson asked with a small sigh in his usual southern drawl as he stared up at the clouds overhead from his position lying on his back on the grass in the middle of the infield at Gerald Field.

"It feels like a million hours!" groaned Harold Berman, likewise in a similar position of lying down on the grass. He had taken off his baseball glove at this point since, after 'a million hours' stuck out here on this late spring/nearly early summer day, it had started to make his hand feel a little sweaty.

A few moans and sighs from the people lying on the grass around sounded in some agreement, despite Harold's hyperbole.

Still though SOME pedantic (and overly fashion-conscious) person had to correct him from her own place on the grass, of course. "Harold, it's only been half an hour since practice should have started…But I suppose you're right, I guess, that it does feel longer. I mean, there's being fashionably late and then there's half the team ditching so that we can't even have our practice game like we're supposed to…" Rhonda Wellington Lloyd sighed in a touch of frustration…a slightly annoyed (and maybe also slightly worried) look coming to her eyes.

"Aw, Rhonda, I'm sure they all have very good reasons why they're not hear today," Sheena squeaked out optimistically as she observed a small little flower in her hand that she had just plucked from the grass with one of her usual nice smiles.

"Yeah but the better question is why half the time at least one or a bunch of them isn't here ever!" suddenly interjected Sid…with kind of a smug grin as he sat up a little on the grass, looking at the other guys. "Especially _two_ of them…Right fellas?"

Stinky and Harold chuckled and snickered a little as they now sat up as well. Curly grinned more (and tried to use the opportunity of the distraction of the guys laughing to sit up as well and creep an arm around Rhonda who was near him on the grass…though he quickly found his head stuffed in a catcher's helmet courtesy of her). Eugene even sat up and smiled a tiny bit, though it was more sweetly than anything else.

The sounds of the obvious private joke amongst some of the boys caused the three girls on the grass to sit up a little likewise, looking at them with a touch of curiosity…Rhonda with an extra special touch of curiosity…and wariness.

"Yeah," Harold agreed with Sid, with a big grin on his face, "I'm just surprised Arnold hasn't spilled the beans yet!"

"I still think you guys are way off!" announced Curly with a shake of his head as he finally removed the catchers' helmet Rhonda had lodged on there…only to then take big sniffs of the outside where Rhonda had touched before glancing around and then casually placing the object behind him like it was a souvenir or something that he was planning to take home.

"I don't know, Curly…." Stinky shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he really had put some 'serious' thought into all of this. "I reckon it actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it…and it would explain why in the heck the two of them and sometimes even the three of them have been missin' practice so darn much…"

"He's got a point, Curly," Eugene interjected with a smile. "Remember the other day when Helga and Brainy were over at Brainy's house and Arnold asked us about it and then got upset?"

"Exactly!" agreed Sid with a grin. "It all makes sense…I just can't wait until they actually get busted again! Hey, maybe it'll even be as fun as last month with that whole poem thing!"

Harold, Sid and Stinky laughed at the memory, Eugene chuckled but still remained only smiling sweetly, and Curly just shook his head and rolled his eyes…and then glanced out of the corner of his eye at a certain special someone and tried to fake a yawn to get his arm around her…though he was met with such a dark scowl from the fashionable girl in question that his arm froze and then quickly dropped away and he actually scooched an inch or two away from her with a sheepish (and, as always, slightly crazed) grin.

And now meanwhile the three girls were just looking a tiny bit uneasily at each other…(well, actually, Sheena and Nadine were looking a little bit uneasily at each other and at Rhonda…but Rhonda herself was just looking uneasily, suspiciously and almost defensively at the boys)…

"Um…you guys?" spoke of Nadine finally, scooching herself a little more toward the guys. "Why, um…Why don't we just all go to the arcade or the pier or something as long as we don't have enough players for a practice game today, okay? Or maybe check out a movie or something. Right, Sheena?" She looked meaningfully at the flower shirt-wearing girl.

Sheena looked back at her and nodded, then addressed the boys with one of her usual optimistic smiles. "Yes! I think that sounds like fun! Or Eugene, don't you have a clog-dancing recital coming up? You could rehearse for us and show us what you've learned."

Eugene's eyes all but danced at the opportunity and he was already standing and preparing to run over to his backpack in the dugout and grab his carved wooden shoes when…

"No, I think we should just keep sitting here and…talk some more…" came Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's voice…and she had the most intrigued and curious smile anyone had ever seen her with upon her face.

The boys as well as the girls blinked at her sudden request…but then Harold, Sid and Stinky just grinned and chuckled to each other again, and Sid looked at Rhonda and shrugged and said, "Oh come on, Rhonda—you're the one who's the queen of gossip. We're talking about Arnold and Helga—"

"Sid!" Nadine cut in sharply, giving him a look.

"—and Brainy," finished Sid before her exclamation could process, but then when it did he stopped and blinked and almost gulped and looked at Nadine. "What?" he asked with a shrug.

Nadine just rolled her eyes, picked up a beetle she had been observing crawling on the grass, and then blew it right in the direction of Sid's face, which it eagerly flew into, causing Sid to let out a high pitched squeal and start rolling around on the grass. "Get it off of me! Get it off of me!" He eventually managed to yank off his hat, revealing his pet frog Sidney who quickly ate up the beetle. "Whew, thanks Sidney…" he gave the frog a little kiss and then let it hop back under his hat again.

"Oh hey, don't forget that Miss Lila's jumbled into that too, Sid!" Stinky chimed in, finished chuckling along with Harold for the moment at Sid's flailing.

"You guys, I don't really think it's right to be gossiping about our friends like this behind their backs…" Sheena piped up with an uneasy look.

"Right," agreed Nadine with a nod, trying to look a little firm so that they all really could just move on. "And anyway I'm sure Arnold and Gerald are just doing something together and that Phoebe and Helga are just doing something together and as for Lila and Brainy, well, you know Lila doesn't like playing when it's too warm out and it's kind of hot today, and Brainy's only come to one practice so far and he's scorekeeper anyway so he probably didn't think he had to show up until our actual last game against the fifth graders on Friday." Concluding her argument, Nadine looked to the boys hopefully

…But unfortunately (and maybe predictably) was just met with half lidded 'are you serious?' looks all around. "Um…" Sid started, "Okay, first…can we just all agree that Gerald and Phoebe are obviously off together right now on a date?"

Nadine and Sheena froze at first, and Rhonda just blinked…but then all three looked to each other…and then let out sighs and then turned back to the boys and nodded. "Yeah, okay…" Nadine had to admit, "Gerald and Phoebe are together."

"Yeah, but come on—them making goo goo eyes at each other is old news! We've been teasing Gerald behind his and Arnold's backs about that for years!" Harold announced with a laugh.

"Aw but guys, I think Gerald and Phoebe are kind of sweet together," observed Eugene brightly. "Don't you think so too, girls?" he looked to Nadine, Sheena and Rhonda.

Nadine and Sheena were both smiling and about to agree that the whole Gerald and Phoebe thing over all of these years had indeed been pretty cute…when Rhonda responded to Eugene's inquiry in a firm and take charge tone. "Yes, yes, the two of them are adorable and we've all been rolling our eyes at them but not saying anything for years because Gerald's the keeper of the tales and we need him willing to talk to us to keep the legends of the neighborhood fresh in all of our minds, and we all know Helga would destroy anyone who teased Phoebe and plus Phoebe's the nicest person on the planet. Old news." She held out her hand and waved off the entire thing. "As social leader of the fourth grade though I…I think it's officially time we started trying to sort out what's going on with Arnold and Helga and Brainy…and even Lila if she's involved too." She let out a determined little sigh.

"Rhonda, baby, I TOLD you what's going on with them!" Curly started to whine, suddenly clinging to her arm. "Arnold and Helga are—"

"EW! Get away from me already, Curly! Honestly! Didn't we set up the 'you can look but don't touch' rule?" Rhonda instantly ripped her arm from his grasp. "Ugh, Nadine, _you're_good with bugs, can't you come over here and act as a barrier between me and that little insect?"

"Aw, you always act repulsed by the one you lo—"

"If you say _that word_ I am going to—"

"Ooo I like 'em with a little fire!"

"OH! You are just the most infuriating, obnox—"

"CURLY, RHONDA! Enough!" Nadine suddenly did get between them, pushing space between one and the other. Then she let out a sigh and looked to all of the kids (Sid, Stinky and Harold just laughing at the Curly/Rhonda show, Eugene chuckling politely but still obviously more concerned with thinking Gerald and Phoebe were cute, Sheena looking very eager to help if it was needed, and then of course Curly still making kissy faces to Rhonda and Rhonda obviously about to take one of her one of a kind Cabrini boots and do something arguably illegal with it to the poor boy.) Nadine shook her head and addressed them all, just trying to keep things calm and cool and on point. "Alright, look, everyone…Sheena and I think that…well that…okay there's been something different about Helga and Arnold and Brainy…and even Lila over the last week at least…but…considering how bad things got with that poem thing last month and how a lot of people's feelings almost got hurt and how a lot of people almost got in trouble, maybe…maybe we should just leave it alone, let it play out however it plays out, and then just…try and accept it. Okay?"

She looked around hopefully once more, though with an obvious touch of worry that she couldn't hide in her features.

She was met with blank looks and blinks at first.

And then Sid, Harold and Stinky just burst into raucous laughter. Curly rolled his eyes and mumbled something about, "Romantically deficient morons…" and then blew Rhonda a kiss which she made a show of catching and smashing into the dirt, and Eugene and Sheena just smiled at Nadine, obviously trying to be supportive of her.

"Aw, garsh, Miss Nadine—I know you're tryin' to be nice but…I reckon this is just too juicy to ignore. I mean, it's _Helga_." A grinning and still chuckling here and there Stinky looked back at Nadine.

"Yeah, _Helga's_ got a _boyfriend_!" announced Harold in a singsong voice, making kissy faces before bursting into laughter again. "He's probably like her slave or something! Ha ha!"

Rhonda instantly straightened up, her eyes going wide and all of her attention now going right back to the boys and the conversation at hand. "B-But I thought we would talk more about how it's just, um…really obvious, heh, that Arnold's with Lila now! Heh…" The words suddenly escaped her, a certain degree of pushing behind them.

The boys (and even the two girls) stopped their laughter and their smiles and all looked at her…

And then Sid raised an eyebrow and a half grin came to his face. "Uh…Rhonda…yeah, with how often Arnold's been getting that dazed look in class and how Lila's not giving him the 'I don't like you like you, I just like you' speeches anymore, we all figured that. But…what we're all laughing about is Helga and Brainy."

There was a second of silence and then him, Harold and Stinky instantly broke into hearty guffaws once more, actually rolling on the ground in laughter now.

"Garsh—Brainy and Helga…I still can't…" And then Stinky was off into total laughter again with Sid just nodding away beside him on the grass.

"H-Helga and Brainy, sitting in a tree, K..K-I…I…I can't!" Harold was winded with laughter again as well.

"Oh but you guys…even if you don't think Gerald and Phoebe are a cute couple…you have to admit that Helga and Brainy are kind of sweet together…" Eugene, only politely chuckling a little from the sidelines, supplied.

Meanwhile, Sheena, Nadine and Rhonda were just watching the four of them with dropped jaws…and Curly just sighed and rolled his eyes and smacked is forehead. "Brainy and Helga are NOT dating, people! Of that I can assure you! Now can we just move on to a discussion on why _Rhonda and I_ should be dating instead?" He grinned widely at the dark haired girl, leaning around Nadine to get a full glimpse of her again. "Come on, baby, you know you want a piece of the romance in the air—a summer fling destined to last a lifetime! _Hrr_…" He purred a little.

Rhonda blushed red as her shirt and then looked at him with the most indignant look she could muster. "STOP making that stupid sound! And I'm only willing to accept your presence during the school year because we're stuck in P.S. 118 all day together but if you come near me at all for anything but baseball practice this summer, I don't care what they taught us in charm school, I am not above putting on every ring I own and punching you right in that creepy face of yours!"

"Ooo simmer down, baby—you're fogging up my glasses from the steam of your red hot emotions!" Curly merely shot back with a suggestive grin.

"UGH!" Rhonda gripped the sides of her head. "I swear I'm going to tear my hair out!"

"Then can I finally have a lock of it!" asked Curly eagerly, not missing a beat!

"Alright, that's it—Nadine, give me the bat!" Rhonda went to reach for it on the grass.

"Hey, I'll accept tough love as long as it's from you! _Hrr_…!" Curly winked.

"Okay, Rhonda, just stop responding to him if you want him to leave you alone, and Curly, please—we're talking about Arnold and Helga now," Nadine, trying to focus on being a good arbitrator (especially since Arnold really wasn't here to do it…although lately when a Curly/Rhonda incident had come up in need of being soothed, instead of his usual 'Rhonda, don't be mean to Curly' and 'Curly, don't make Rhonda feel uncomfortable' speech, he'd just been kind of smiling and looking a little sentimental and telling them with a little chuckle to just try and not kill each other) finished her sentence without really thinking.

Harold sat up from the grass at her words, still smiling and his face still all flushed with laughter. "Yeah, I guess Arnold and Helga being like secret friends or whatever is kind of funny too. But still not nearly as funny as Helga trying to date Brainy…and all because he wrote that 'wittle wove poem for her'." Harold clasped his hands together cheesily and fluttered his eyelashes a little. "Ha ha!"

"You know, Harold, you really shouldn't laugh so much at any of this—didn't you get very upset when everyone was mean enough to make fun of you for being friends with Big Patty?" asked Sheena now in her squeaky voice, looking just a little disapprovingly at him.

Harold froze and blinked (while Sid and Stinky just laughed more) and then he blushed. He scowled and turned to the two laughing boys. "Hey, shut up! That's not funny!" Then he turned back to Sheena. "And second, her name's not Big Patty, it's Patty. And…" he counted on his fingers for a second, "Uh, third, so what if we're friends—that makes sense. She's cool and tough and I'm cool and tough. But Arnold and Helga keep disappearing at the same times and they keep walking together and eating together and goin' places together, and especially ever since that poetry tutoring thing, but they're totally different people so of course it's funny that they're secret friends or whatever."

"Yeah," chimed in Sid, now sitting up fully from the grass again as well with a grin, "It's weird that they're friends, but I guess maybe the secret stuff kind of makes sense—Helga probably threatened him not to tell anyone because of her reputation or whatever and that's why whenever we were asking them what was going on they kept making excuses and stuff. Like in his room the other week when she fell out of the wall and they tried to say it was all part of a prank or something even though at least part of it had to be from the two of them just hanging out together. And then there was that day they were walking around handcuffed to each other..." He snorted a little and rolled his eyes, but then just shrugged and ended with, "But hey, whether they're hanging out or all angry at each other like they were for the last couple of days, the point is she's been taking up his time a lot more than any of our times lately so why complain? And besides, like Harold said…her and Brainy…dating…is a LOT funnier!" He all but snorted again in laughter.

"Okay…so you all think…" Nadine just blinked a few times and then let out a sigh. She rubbed one of her temples and shook her head… "Oh boy…"

Stinky nodded, sitting up now as well and looking to her. "Well, I reckon that's the only way to explain Helga bein' a little nicer to Arnold lately. Except for this past week of course when Arnold and Helga were all angry around each other and yelling at each other in the cafeteria yesterday but they were probably just having one of their usual fights about something." He shrugged. "And then as for Helga and Brainy, I reckon them two dating is the only way to explain her bein' over at his house and her not killin' him for writing that love poem for her last month and even all those purty love poems by anonymous that Mr. Simmons has been readin' lately."

"Yeah!" Sid nodded in total agreement. "Come on, we all know Mr. Simmons thinks Helga's the best poet in the class, so of course those poems he's been reading have to be hers, and it's hard not to notice when he reads stuff like that out loud now ever since Helga got busted about being good at writing and poetry and junk last month. And those things he's been reading are _definitely_ girly love poems. Girly love poems…Brainy wrote her a love poem to confess… It all fits!" His grin widened.

"Exactly! It's so obvious!" Harold nodded, his grin also widening. "And since Helga's taking out her anger on Arnold and then also getting all mellowed out by being all 'lovey dovey' with 'Bwainy', and between the two of them she's barely been around at all, we don't have to deal with getting bugged by that Madam Fortress Mommy!"

Stinky and Sid nodded in total agreement.

Nadine and Sheena (and Curly, actually) just looked at the three guys…cocked their heads slightly to the side…and then let out deep sighs and rubbed their temples (these actions did not at all phase the enthusiasm of the three boys though).

And then Nadine asked, still giving them that curious look, "And…have you guys…said anything about all this stuff you think to Arnold or Helga or Brainy?"

The three boys blinked at her and then instantly shook their heads. "Uh, no!" Sid replied, like 'no' should have been the most obvious answer in the world. "Helga could still kill any of us if she got angry enough and, like Harold said, as long as she's busy bothering anyone else but us…why not just go with it? At least until it all blows up in their faces, of course." He smiled again and shrugged, and Harold and Stinky nodded from beside him.

Eugene, meanwhile, considered the words of Stinky, Sid and Harold for a moment and then added, "Hmm…well, I suppose all of that makes sense, guys. And I guess now that Lila got brought up before, it all makes _even more_ sense." He smiled and shrugged. "She's been missing a little bit and acting a little funny sometimes lately too so…maybe she and Arnold followed Helga and Brainy's example, and Gerald and Phoebe's of course, and all of them are secretly together as couple. Oh doesn't that sound romantic?" He smiled brightly.

"W-Well, I for one think the boys make a valid point about Helga and Brainy and all the rest of that stuff!" Rhonda suddenly announced, crossing her arms over her chest. "And that all works out nice and neat and also it would make the perfect headline for my gossip column: Love Strikes Fourth Grade Three Times. Hmph!" She did her best to grin proudly.

"Um, Rhonda? Perhaps you really shouldn't put something like that in the paper…" Sheena piped up, looking at her with a touch of concern. "It really is just gossip and…I don't think that's the only possibility for what's going on with our friends…"

Rhonda rolled her eyes. "Well it's the only possibility in _my_ book. And the boys agree with me—don't you guys?" She looked to them.

Sid, Stinky and Harold and even Eugene just shrugged and nodded.

Curly, however, dramatically shook his head. "Well _I _for one _don't_ agree with—"

"I said the BOYS agree with me—that didn't include geeks, Curly!" Rhonda cut him off, rolling her eyes to the side.

Nadine just let out a sigh…a very deep sigh. "Alright, um…I think I'm gonna go now. We're not getting anything done just sitting around here making assumptions and guesses about Arnold and Helga and Brainy and whoever else." She stood up from the grass and looked to the supportive girl beside her. "Sheena, do you want to come to the park with me? I'll hunt for good bugs to put into the little organic community garden there while you plant some more vegetables?"

Sheena smiled and stood up as well and nodded. "I'd like that, Nadine. All this gossip's starting to make me uncomfortable too." She turned her sights to Eugene. "Eugene, do you want to come with us? I still want to see your clog dancing act before your recital."

Eugene got that eager look again and nodded brightly as he stood up, whisking up his backpack. "Okay. Gosh, thanks guys!"

"Wait, Nadine, you can't abandon me!" Rhonda called out, looking desperate as Curly had already shifted himself quite close to her again now that Nadine was no longer acting like a human shield between the two of them.

Nadine just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Rhonda, I don't want to gossip about this anymore, okay? Someone…probably a lot of people…are gonna get hurt by it. So bye!" She looked at the remaining people on the grass in Gerald field. "Anyone else wanna come with us and actually do something fun this afternoon? Curly? Harold? Stinky?...Sid…?" She looked at the last boy with just a little extra firmness.

Sid blinked, gulped a little, but then just glanced away and shrugged with a grin. "No. I…think I still want to laugh about Helga and Brainy being the weirdest couple on the planet as long as the two of them and no one who'd rat me out is here to see." And with that he burst into some snorts and chuckles again about the whole thing.

"Yeah, I reckon I've gotta go with Sid on this one, Miss Nadine. Sorry…" Stinky started laughing again a little as well.

"Ditto!" managed Harold before joining in their fun and joking.

Nadine just sighed deeply once more and rolled her eyes and then looked to the final person on the grass. "And Curly, what about you?"

Curly just shrugged. "Uh, sorry, Nadine. I agree with you but wherever Rhonda is, I stay put." He shot a wink and a grin at Rhonda who was very explicitly NOT looking at him and scowling as she dug her manicured nails into the grass of the infield in frustration. "Oh Rhonda, you little minx—forget about all of this Helga/Brainy gossip. I could show you what _real_ chemistry's like…and then maybe we could double with Arnold and He—"

Curly had taken the liberty of snaking an arm around Rhonda's waist as he had been talking and now, as he tightly pulled her in (and got close to saying what he was about to say), Rhonda's eyes instantly went wide and she cut him off. "UGH! That is it! I'm calling our attorney for a restraining order! Good bye!" And with that she pushed Curly off of her, stood up and stomped off down the street, pulling out her cell phone to call her limo driver.

"Aw but Rhonda, wait!" Curly jumped up and chased after her. "I still love ya, baby!"

All the rest of the kids watched just watched this scene with interest and curiosity, particularly Nadine.

Then Nadine just shook her head and turned in the direction of the park. "Come on Sheena, Eugene…let's get going." With smiles the two other kids nodded and they all started to head up the street.

And as they walked, Nadine considered some things…Things like how she and Sheena (and, she believed, even Rhonda too though she wasn't admitting it) and even Lila too every once in a while when she was hanging out with them, had seemed to be in a silent agreement that…something going on between Brainy and Helga and then between Lila and Arnold respectively wasn't probably the right… 'assessment'…of what was going on with those four people who had been acting a little differently and especially a little differently around each other lately…(as for Gerald and Phoebe, the fact that there was something going on there really _was_ such a given that there was no question of it at this point)… Nadine also considered how even though the mistake the boys (minus Curly) were probably making might lead to some awkwardness and a lot of misunderstandings, she was kind of happy Sid and the other guys seemed to have things wrong at the moment…because maybe, when whatever the real truth was came out, it would help make things easier for people if stuff wasn't known and being talked about by everybody in advance.

Nadine also considered how Curly's take on the matter was interestingly different than all the other boys…and she also considered how…_strongly_ Rhonda seemed to want to shut down his opinion on the subject.

And as she continued to walk on with a few of her friends, at the back of her mind, Nadine also couldn't help but recall a certain dinner at a certain restaurant a couple of months ago during which, at Helga's request, she had brought over all of her cockroaches and let them loose. She still wasn't sure why she'd done that but…Helga _had_ seemed desperate and…Nadine _did_ like introducing people to bugs so…she'd done it…and it had actually been kind of fun. But anyway, the back of Nadine's mind was only remembering the cockroaches and Chez Paris because…when she'd gotten to the restaurant, she'd seen Helga with Gerald and Phoebe…and Arnold. And Gerald and Phoebe had been kind of cute together, as usual…but Arnold and Helga…? She hadn't expected that: Helga picking Arnold as the fourth for the dinner party. At the time she had guessed there was a good reason—it was a given that she would have asked Phoebe…and, well, everyone knew about Phoebe and Gerald so that explained that…But somehow Arnold had ended up there too. And Nadine's first thought that night, upon seeing that, couldn't help but be that it was kind of cute…that the two of them were kind of cute. Of course then her mind had gone right into releasing the roaches but once again her first thought on seeing Helga all dressed up and looking kind of sheepishly at Arnold and Arnold in his suit kind of smiling at her had definitely been that it was a little cute…And that little thought had been echoing more and more at the back of her mind lately as she and the rest of the fourth grade had been growing more and more unable to help observing lately that something had definitely shifted in the realm of Arnold, Gerald, Helga, Brainy, Phoebe, Lila. Not that Helga & Brainy wasn't a possibility but…it didn't make that same 'cute' thought come into her mind, to say the least…and neither did Arnold & Lila.

She just hoped that things really would work out okay for that whole group whenever the real truth came out. And she also hoped that whatever had Rhonda so particularly on edge lately, especially about Curly, would work itself out soon: she was a gossip but she was also her friend and Nadine didn't like to see her uncomfortable anymore than anybody else.

* * *

_While this little powwow was taking place at Gerald Field, here's what was going on at the Boarding House…_

Arnold was just sitting in his living room, reading a certain little pink something, a half little grin on his face which really hadn't left ever since he and Helga had finished making up yesterday afternoon/evening…and he'd woken up a little before his bedtime on the boarding house roof, snuggling four of her pink books and with a blanket over him…and having a pretty good idea of who had brought that blanket and those pink books to him in the first place. He was so happy, just so genuinely happy…their relationship more strong and more real than ever to him… In fact, he had been just so in the mood to celebrate that he'd even kind of blown off baseball practice this afternoon (feeling a little bit of that 'bad boy' streak go through him) just to come home and read the fresh volume of poetry Helga had slipped him on the bus today. He hadn't even wanted to wait to get up to his room—he'd just come home, seen the place basically empty, plopped himself right on the couch in the living room and gotten to it. And that was where he had been for the last hour, savoring every letter of every word of every page of her odes of love to him…and very proud of himself for having finished his own next poem to her last night after she had left…And even though reading that poem…that poem he'd promised on their one week anniversary to write about her but in her style instead of his own…in other words instead of a tender sweet thing about their life together something a bit more…fiery…Yes, even though reading that poem made him blush hotly, made his stomach get all squirmy, made him feel like when she actually saw it he'd never live it down from her…he was excited to be presenting it to her as part of his one month anniversary present to her in a day or two…And speaking of which, he recalled as he turned another page, now that they were made up they probably needed to hammer out some of the details about when that glorious celebration of their relationship was going to take place. _'After all, one month…Should it be four weeks from the day of our first date, or the same date as our first date but during the next month…?_' He would ask her the next time he saw her…which. he hoped, would be tonight, maybe after dinner, for a little while. Sadly, when he had asked her to play a little hooky from practice with him today she'd told him she couldn't because Olga had finally come back from student teaching in Alaska today for the summer and she had a million things she wanted to do with her 'baby sister' this afternoon, so Arnold had been forced to live without her for now…but once again he was hoping that after dinner she would be free…and then maybe along with some anniversary talk they could 'make up' some more. Had he mentioned that he really really REALLY liked making up?

On top of which, had Arnold mentioned yet that he was indeed going to marry Helga? That he had finally not only accepted but decided it! He could have laughed at his denseness as he turned another page of the precious pink book in his hands. It was like when he had finally accepted and decided that he loved her back but a million times more giddily wonderful! Oh he could have kicked himself for not realizing it before that day in his room a few weeks ago when she had proposed to him…But if she ever did it again he would be ready with a 'yes!' and then a million questions about when it should happen and how she would like to go about it and what room in the boarding house she would want to be theirs! (He blushed extra at that last idea and felt a hot squirm inside of himself as he turned another beautiful page…Oh, he would even get to read her pink books _forever_ now! _Another_ wonderful bonus to all of this!). And, even if he wasn't lucky enough to have her ask him again…who was to say he hadn't suddenly discovered enough personal gumption to propose to her himself!

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Just then there was a knock on the boarding house door.

Arnold looked up at the sound…and then grinned as words met his ears from behind the door…

"Uh, for Pete's sake, can somebody let me in?" A familiar chuckle/giggle. "The door's locked and normally me and my 'less than on the up and up' ways would just pick the lock or sneak in through a window or something but my hands are a little full and also I'm dead tired from being dragged through the mall by Olga and Lila, and—"

Helga G. Pataki stopped her humorous little rant as the boarding house door was finally eagerly unlocked and opened to reveal a bright eyed and grinning Arnold. "Helga!"

Helga smiled back at him, dressed in her familiar pink jumper and bow and wearing her familiar pigtails again, and then put down the two large pale pink shopping bags in her hands on Arnold's stoop for a moment and went and gave him a little wave. "Hey Arnold, how's it—MMM!"

Helga's sudden surprised 'MMM!' was due to being suddenly caught up in the warm arms of her (now narrow eyed and grinning) beloved, turned around, dipped back, and having a searing and passionate little kiss planted right upon her lips. She just stopped breathing, her eyes wide, one of her legs even popping up hesitantly but uncontrollably behind her, until a good ten or fifteen seconds later when Arnold pulled his lips from hers with a smacking sound and just proceeded to look down at her, panting a little and with his eyes all warm with love as he cradled her gently.

Helga, managing to regain herself a little after a couple of seconds, just blinked a bunch of times and then her eyes and mouth and everything inside of her instantly went all goofy-looking and she giggled a little. "Uh…wh-what, uh…what was that for?" She looked up at Arnold lovingly.

Arnold just grinned more down, his eyes narrowing a little extra as he replied in a sultry voice, "No reason, darling. I've got the most beautiful, vibrant, brilliant woman in the world back in my life again is all—I'm just continuing the celebration…and thanking her for showing up all of a sudden to brighten my afternoon just a little more. Think of it as an extra special kiss hello." He leaned in extra close then and added, "Your leg popped up this time. Your long, pretty leg. That's cute." He firmed up his grip on her a tiny bit and smiled more and chuckled a little.

Helga shivered in his arms and then let out a swoon and just giggled a little more. "Oh Arnold…I'm so happy we're all made up too…and, well…I…the leg thing…" She suddenly became aware now of the fact that her leg had indeed popped back all on it's own and was still bent at the knee. "Instinct, I guess…You did sort of sweep me off my feet just now, after all…What's a girl to do?" She blushed a little extra and then went on with, while she still had it in her to deny at all those electric green eyes practically pulsing with love down at her, "B-But, um…before I just go and pass out on top of that, can you let me stand up and we can go inside, Arnold? I-I really did want to talk to you about some stuff and I kind of can't if I'm out cold and dreaming of you feeding me grapes in a field overlooking the French Riviera while I admire my wedding ring, now can I?" She fluttered her eyelashes a little, a little coy smile coming to her lips.

Arnold blushed extra and let out a breath and a little chuckle. "No, I suppose not…" And then he gently raised her up and with a final little hug released her. "Here, you go inside and I'll get your bags, my fair lady, and then we can talk about anything under the sun you want to talk about."

He went to snag her cute, boxy looking pale pink shopping bags but was stopped by Helga instantly side stepping in front of it and scooping them up by the handles herself. "Uh uh uh…" she shook her head coyly at him, "I'll take charge of those—thanks for the chivalry but…some of the stuff in there's a surprise for you…" She giggled and then trotted into the house with her little secret treasures.

Arnold just blinked a few times at that information and looked after her as she went…and then he grinned a little and instantly trotted eagerly back into the house, closing the door behind them. "Hmm a surprise, huh?" he asked playfully as he followed her into the living room (where she sat down on the couch upon her eyes catching the lamp on in there and then seeing her most recent pink book resting on the coffee table.) He sat down on the couch as well and scooched close to her. "What kind of surprise?" he asked with his little grin.

Helga just giggled and crossed her legs and pushed the shopping bags on the floor off to the side a little. "Well, first of all, if I go and tell you then it won't be a surprise anymore now will it? I'll give you a hint though—Olga took me shopping…our one month anniversary is coming up…and you seem to have taken an interest in me in new outfits…" She winked at him. "And second of all, where is this new little eager and flirtatious streak coming from in your personality, my love? Not that I'm complaining of course—just curious." She leaned just a little closer to him.

Arnold blushed a little, putting his hands behind his back in a show of shyness (though if there was one thing he wasn't feeling right now it was shy). "I…think it's from the making up…and all the wonderful talking we did on my roof yesterday…I've just never felt closer to you in my whole life Helga G. Pataki and I don't want to be modest about it." He winked at her. "And as for my surprise…" his eyes fell on the shopping bags again and an extra blush appeared in his cheeks, "You…bought new clothes…all for me?"

A blushing and all fluttery inside Helga just shrugged and replied lightly and just a little giddily, "Well, partly for you, partly for me to try some new styles…and partly for Olga and Lila to shut them up because they love trying to gussy me up like I'm some kind of little doll for you or something. You'll just have to wait until I wear them to see them though…" She glanced away coyly.

"Aw…I can't get ONE little peek?" Arnold faked a pout, leaning just a bit more towards her and her bags.

Helga chuckled and leaned back, pushing the bags away more with one of her feet. "Hey, pouting only works on YOU. And nope—not even one little peek." She winked.

"Oh come on…" and then a grinning little Arnold picked up her arm and started slowly kissing from the back of her hand up the length of the limb, speaking between kisses, "You can't…tell me…that you…wouldn't love…the idea of…spending the afternoon…modeling for me…everything…you bought…my It Girl…"

Before his lips could make it to her shoulder (he had pushed up her shirt sleeve that far at this point), Arnold heard Helga let out an amused sigh and suddenly he found himself on his back on the living room couch with a bit of the wind knocked out of him. He blinked a few times and looked up to see and feel that Helga had him pinned down by his shoulders and was smiling down at him. "Arnold…"

Arnold blinked a few times, his lips trembling with a little smile he couldn't control. "Yes, angel?"

She just let out another sigh (though she did blush a tiny bit at the angel comment). "Arnold…My shopping trip with Olga and Lila ended early and I wanted to come over here because I really wanted to make plans for our anniversary…You know, _how_ we'll celebrate, _when_ we'll celebrate, _where_ we'll celebrate…and it's not helping me take care of all of that when you're sitting here tempting me to change into five or six new outfits and have you cover me in kisses with every costume change. So just for now can we pretend like we don't secretly constantly want to kiss each other forever…and then once the anniversary stuff is hammered out…we can go back to some of the 'darker' stuff?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him.

It was hard but Arnold nodded, still smiling all goofily and tremblingly. "O-Okay…Sorry…I just…love you."

She giggled a little. "Love you too, darling." She grinned a little more. "Now, I'm going to let you up…and you'll put a leash on those voracious little lips of yours…and we'll talk…and _then_ snuggly kissy time. Okay?"

Arnold nodded eagerly. "Yes, mam. I'll resist kissing your soft perfect skin and lips."

Helga blinked and blushed extra at first but then let him up and just giggled a ton to herself. "Ah, Arnold…so cute," she couldn't help but reflect.

He was sitting up now and he let out a little dreamy sigh. "Ah, Helga…so breathtakingly gorgeous."

"Arnold!" Helga blinked and blushed extra and then gave him a grin and a look.

He chuckled and held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry, just getting in one more for the road."

She just rolled her eyes and reclined back on the couch a bit, putting her arms behind her head. "Okay, so, anyway, getting to our anniversary—as for where we should celebrate, I was hoping we could do it here, Arnold. I-I mean, I guess we could go out but I'd like, um, you know…privacy…" she tried not to blush too much, "…so, like I said, I was hoping we could do it here?" She smiled to him hopefully. "I mean, there's always my house instead I guess but even with my parents and sister knowing about and being okay with us, we'd still never be really alone, you know?" She shrugged.

Arnold took all of that in and nodded in agreement with a smile. "I agree, Helga. I think here would be a good place for it."

Helga smiled happily back at him. "Good. Okay now as for what we should do…Well, I've got some plans…You have any plans Arnold?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah…_lots_…" He tried not to betray anything and hoped she would chalk up his slight enthusiasm to just his current 'post-making up' state plus his own excitement about their one-month anniversary in general.

"Okay," Helga just nodded with her smile and maybe a little giggle (obviously thinking he was just flirting a bit and also being cute or something). "Well then, you let me know what yours are and then I'll see how they line up with mine and we'll find a way to work it all in together."

A still smiling Arnold however shook his head. "But Helga, I wanted the stuff I had planned to be a surprise…Um…why don't _you_ tell _me_ what _your_ plans are and then _I'll_ see if they line up and how we can work them all in?"

Helga let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest with a half grin bordering on a smirk. "Hey, wait a minute—I wanted all of _my_ stuff to be a surprise too!"

Both kids looked at each other for a moment and then just shared a warm, hearty laugh together at the irony.

Helga let out a sigh eventually as she got herself under control and then just looked at him with a 'What am I going to ever do with you, Football Head' smile. "Well, it looks like we're at an impasse then—both too stubborn to cave in. Hmm…" she considered, glancing down in thought, "Now there has to be some way to work this out…"

"Hey Helga? Um…actually…I think I have an idea…" Arnold shrugged a little with a little half grin, wondering if she'd go for it.

Helga raised part of her brow, looking to him again. Then she shrugged and smiled. "Fire away, my love. As long as we both get to be happy and to make each other happy for this anniversary, I'm all ears."

Arnold nodded, happy for her enthusiasm, and then explained. "Well, I was thinking about our anniversary actually just now before you got here…and one of the things I couldn't really decide was whether it would be more right for us to celebrate the day exactly four weeks after our first date, or on the date of our first date but in this month, so…since those two days actually happen to fall right next to each other…this Friday and Saturday…How about Friday night I get to do my plans for you and Saturday night you get to do your plans for me?"

Helga's eyes lit up instantly. "Arnold, I love it! It'd be like a whole weekend of our one month anniversary!" And then she grinned a little mischievously and added, "And Sunday we'd get to rest…from all the fun." She winked.

Arnold shivered inside a little and nodded with a slight tremble to his lips again. "U-Um…okay…"

Helga giggled at his cuteness and then announced happily, "Alright, well then that takes care of the where, when and what. Perfect! And I've got my outfit…and your present all set up." A touch of something meaningful flittered across her face, but Arnold, in all of his love and happiness, didn't process it as anything too much.

He just nodded, so very very happy. "I've got my present for you too. I can't wait, Helga."

She smiled more, that something meaningful coming back for a moment but then getting tucked away again just as quickly as it had returned. "Me neither," she managed lightly.

They sat in smiling silence for a bit.

"So…wanna make out until we pass out now, Arnold?"

Arnold's eyes flew open at the sudden question and he blushed brightly…but then he smiled all goofy. "O-Okay…um…" a little bit of that mischievous glint came to his eyes again, "Fair warning though…I may try and sneak a peak into those bags of yours while we're doing it."

Helga just giggled a little and replied, leaning close to him, "Hmm…no, I…_think_ I'll be able to distract you enough where those bags will _definitely_ not be on your mind…_Hrr_…." She topped off her surprise little purr with a little wink.

Arnold gulped, looking even more gone and goofy if that was possible. "Uh…g-good point…" He sighed then, and it was deep and shuddery. "I love your purr, Helga. It's so light and sweet…like from a little kitten or something."

Helga's eyes brightened at that cute comparison and then she giggled a little extra and suggested, reaching out and slowly tiptoeing her fingers over his sweater from his belly button to the top of his chest as she spoke, "Okay then, I'll be the 'little kitten' and you'll be the 'big scary tiger' and you can chase me and my shopping bags up to your room and then one of us can pounce the other. Whatever floats the boat of that dark little mind of yours, my darling." Her fingers finished their little walk and she ended by tapping his nose before coyly pulling back her hand.

She was waiting for a little blushing and flustered moment of awkwardness from him, and _maybe_ he would even have it in him to actually verbally voice an affirmative little reply to her suggestion of such a particularly bold little game…but instead Arnold just kept smiling and smiling…his eyes narrowing and narrowing…

"Uh…Arnold?" she had to ask with a touch of curiosity.

At the sound of his name from her lips he suddenly moved forward on both of his hands practically over her. "I…like your game idea, my little kitten Helga…_Hrrrrr_…."

His 'little kitten Helga' blinked a ton and her jaw fell, disbelieving his enthusiasm, his force, what he had just said! And of course she was literally trembling all over from that sudden deep and unexpected purr from him. She actually even gulped at the idea of him 'pouncing' her in the state the two of them making up had apparently left him in… "I-I…I…Heh…_Hrr_?" She gave one of her tiny light little purrs and shrugged, unsure of what else to do…so overwhelmed for the first time in a long time by that something deep and daring and dark in her beloved.

Arnold just smiled a little extra more at her…So forceful until _he_ was forceful and then she would all but swoon and pass out half the time. He almost chuckled, figuring that phenomenon would make their life together very interesting.

But then instead of starting their little chase and pounce game, the young boy closed his eyes…took in a breath and let out a breath…and then opened his eyes again. And then (much to Helga's continued surprise and curiosity) he got off of the couch and down on one knee and took her hand…and that sultry look left his face, replaced by his normal familiar sweet smile…the one she had fallen in love with when they were three years old…and he asked her in a sweet and sincere little voice with only the lightest little blush (secretly practicing for something right now), "Helga…since this anniversary is going to be a very big one for us, I…I want to do it all right and official and grown up like so…" he cleared his throat and then looked hopefully and happily up into her eyes, "Helga G. Pataki, will you officially do me the honor of being my date for Friday and Saturday night?"

Helga took in a breath, her jaw opened, she couldn't speak, and then she nodded a ton and practically squealed. "YES! Of course! Oh Arnold…" She giggled and swooned. He was so adorable when he was romantic and corny!

Arnold's eyes brightened from his little place on his knee on the floor. "Good—thank you, Helga! I'm happy. I've been thinking of asking you all officially for our one-month anniversary for a while now. I'm happy I did it okay…" He glanced down with a shy, happy and proud little smile…very happy at how she'd responded to his style of doing this.

"Oh Arnold…you did it perfectly…" she cooed in an airy voice, and the young boy's eyes traveled up to see her with her hands clasped together over her heart, her eyelashes fluttering at him in lovesickness.

Arnold's grin went from ear to ear at this confirmation of how happy his effort had made her. "Um…thanks, Helga…my Helga…" He let out a little sigh.

…And then he got up from the floor and sat back on the couch again…leaned forward toward her…and then his eyes went narrow once more and that playful and mischievous little grin returned to his face. "Now...weren't we playing some kind of kitten/tiger game…my little kitten? _Hrrrr_…."

Helga blushed furiously at this sudden return of his aggression…but then (still being naturally pretty romantically aggressive herself and now having had a chance to get used to Arnold's enthusiasm about this plan of action)… "Try and catch me, tiger!" And with that she stood up and snatched up her shopping bags and proceeded to dash up the stairs in the direction of his room.

"Hey! No fair!" Arnold yelled playfully and then he popped up from the couch, snatched up her pink book from the table, and proceeded to chase after her as well. "Come here, kitten!"

She giggled like mad as she made it to the second floor landing way ahead of him. "Nope! You want it, you've gotta work for it, Arnoldo! And hey if you catch me maybe I do have one little thing in these bags that you can have as a little 'prize'!"

That bit of information only made Arnold chase after her all the faster, making it to the second floor landing himself now just in time to see her already down the hall and running up his attic room stairs that she had just managed to quickly pull down.

* * *

_A while's worth of fun up in Arnold's room later…_

"_Hrr_…" The tiger gave the kitten another little purr and then kiss on her cheek, nuzzling his head against her shoulder and neck on his bed. "I love you."

The kitten giggled, letting him nuzzle her and nuzzling back against him a little as well, the two of them just lying there with their heads on Arnold's pillows. "I know already, Arnold. You keep saying that every like ten seconds. Not that I'm complaining of course though…_Hrr_…" She placed a little kiss on his forehead. "I love you too, Arnold."

Arnold just chuckled, hugging against her more warmly. "I know. I can't help it though. Did I mention that I love you? _Hrr_…" He gave her a teasing little kiss on the corner of her mouth.

Helga blushed and shuddered in happiness, letting out a little giggle of pleasure. "Arnold, you're such a tease…" She saw him open his mouth, about to say something cute and romantic and flirty obviously, but then she reached up and grabbed his collar and cut him off by pulling him roughly close on top of her, jamming their noses together. "It drives me _crazy_." And then suddenly she pulled him in the rest of the way, mashing their lips together hotly, and then… "_Hrr_…" purred right into the kiss.

She felt him stiffen, felt almost a full deep kink go through him, and then he let out a deep, audible sigh through his nose and collapsed half on top of her, half laying back on the bed, his mouth separating from hers as he did so.

Helga was just lying there, smiling, catching her breath, and she heard Arnold, with his head lying near her chest, just panting. "Oh…Oh Helga…" he managed to breathe out.

She just smiled more, trying not to blush too much. "Yes, Arnold?"

He took in one more deep breath and then let it out, and then pulled himself up a little to look into her eyes. "You just…purred while we were…Oh Helga that felt…really really really good…"

Helga just smiled a little extra and shrugged coyly. "Just a…fun idea that came to me….I'd ask you to do it to me next but…I might die if you did…tiger." She giggled more.

Arnold grinned a little extra, a glint coming to his eyes as he looked deeply into her own. "Don't worry—remember, I'll always keep you safe, Helga G. Pataki…So even if I did do it, I promise you, you'd survive, kitten…" His voice had gone low.

Her heart was fluttering and she felt such anticipation. She was about to open her mouth and let him know what she thought of that when…

_RING RING…_

Helga let out a deep sigh and couldn't help pouting a tiny bit (not even as part of flirting with Arnold but just in frustration—silly phone calls interrupting her lovely afternoon). She looked to her beloved a little pleadingly, now with the intent of using the pout to maybe coax and influence him a bit. "Arnold, you wouldn't be willing to not get that, would you? I have to be home later for Olga's welcome home dinner and you and I did just make up only yesterday and we're lucky enough that your grandparents and my parents didn't ground us because of the food fight, so now we finally have this little bit of time to ourselves to just…well…you know…" She blushed a tiny bit and glanced to the side with a warm, secret little smile on her face.

_RING RING…_

Arnold just smiled more at her reasoning, glanced over at his alarm clock, chuckled at something about the time, and then looked back to her and nodded his head. "It's okay, I don't have to get it, Helga…And anyway, I know who it is already. Gerald and Phoebe had a date today right after school and those are usually over around now and he always calls me the second he gets back to his house to tell me everything he did and ask if I think he did it all right. But…I think it would be okay to let him work that out for himself just this once—he needs the chance to think for himself and see that the world won't end just because I'm not there to help explain girls to him." He chuckled again and then cuddled back against Helga. "I just want to enjoy our time together too."

At all of this Helga smiled and chuckled and then she giggled at the last thing. "You explaining girls…Crimeny, Arnold, you get one tall, leggy blonde to desperately throw herself at you with undying love and you suddenly turn into the big man on the elementary school campus, don't you, Football Head?" She cuddled him back a little.

"I know. I have such a big ego. If only some tall, leggy blonde hadn't gone and given it to me by making shrines to me deep in her closet."

Arnold smirked at Helga after delivering this reply for exactly one second.

And then the two of them burst into chuckles and laughed and kissed and hugged happily.

When that was done a couple of minutes later they just remained all comfy and cozy on Arnold's bed for a moment (the phone had thankfully stopped ringing). Yes, all alone just to enjoy each other's company—no obligations or interrupting friends or anything to pull them apart for now.

But then Helga…Helga just felt like there was something that should be bothering her. And then she realized what it was, and she mentioned it now, a touch of hesitation in her voice. "U-Um…Arnold?"

"Mmm hmm…" he merely replied lightly, obviously resting against her at this point, perhaps even with his eyes shut though she really couldn't see.

Helga went on, trying to let his presence to soothe her a little. "So…if Gerald and Phoebe had a date this afternoon...then…they must have skipped baseball practice today too…huh?"

"Hmm?" Arnold sighed out in his happy voice. "Oh…" her words processed but didn't seem to affect him too much as his tone remained light and at peace. "I guess so. Oh…I love you, Helga." He hugged her a little more and chuckled lightly, and reached up now to twirl the hair of one of her pigtails around his finger. He let out a little sigh to himself: he was going to get to twirl that hair of hers around his fingers forever… Yet another concept still amazing to him even after a full nearly twenty-four hours to grasp it.

Helga, meanwhile, tried to smile, tried to savor and even chuckle again at this new little habit of his with saying 'I love you, Helga' every ten seconds for no other reason than that he felt like it and wanted to…But mostly she just gulped a little instead…a little touch of fear and also that something meaningful from back in his living room coming to her eyes again (though Arnold didn't see, his own eyes currently just gazing up at the blue sky overhead a little and marveling privately now about his good fortune to always be allowed to see the blue of Helga's eyes forever). "So…" Helga spoke quietly, "…_they_ skipped…_you_ skipped…_I_ skipped…_Lila_ skipped because she went shopping with Olga and me…Do…Do you think Brainy skipped too?" Her mouth was quirked to the side in a touch of concern and she did her best to ease herself by breathing in and out near Arnold's hair for the sake of the comfort his oceans and spice aroma had always given her.

Arnold let out a little happy sigh, and then really did his best to come back to the reality of the here and now to respond to her question since, if she was asking in the middle of their time together like this, it must be important to her. He shifted off of her a little and looked up to her eyes. "I don't know for sure, Helga, but I thought he only really wanted to come to practices that you or I would be at until he gets used to everyone…and anyway doesn't he have Cello lessons on Wednesdays?"

He watched as Helga took that information in…And then it looked like her formerly blushing cheeks paled a little and now there was definitely a touch of concern in her eyes. She looked to him, sitting up a little. "Arnold…that's…a lot of people in our little circle to miss practice…and especially before a big game…and…no one to make excuses for us…"

Arnold sat up a little too, recognized this particular fear of hers, and then reached over and took her hand, holding it comfortingly in his own. "Helga," he began to soothe with the smile he knew she loved so much, "It's okay. I'm sure no one'll say anything or notice all that much. So please don't worry. And hey maybe it's even better that so many of us missed at once—it could look like a coincidence then. Okay?" He squeezed her hand a little, wanting to let her know that he was there for her.

Helga didn't look to his eyes at first, like she usually did whenever he soothed her about this particular topic. Instead her eyes remained down in thought, her mouth moved to the side in an unusual quirk, though as always whenever the fear of exposure crept into her there was just a touch of panic in her features that only a person who knew her really well and who was looking really closely could see…there was something else there too that he just couldn't immediately place.

Arnold looked at her a bit more closely at seeing all of this, considered questioning it, but didn't get the chance as Helga only remained in this unusual state for a few seconds before then letting out a breath, squeezing his hand a little back, and then finally seeming to will herself to smile (this forced smile then quickly melting into one that was genuine and sincere). She then finally turned her eyes to his and gave a nod. "Yes, I suppose you're right, my love. Nothing to worry too much about for now."

Arnold really did think about asking her if there wasn't still a reservation or two on her mind.

But then before he could act she was suddenly chuckling and asking him with a mischievous grin, "Oh and hey, Arnold…You know, you never asked about your prize for pouncing on me…Would you like it, Football Head?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him a little.

Her doing this…suddenly being sincerely coy and playful and relaxed again…put Arnold at ease about her, and now also he was curious as he recalled that she had indeed promised him a 'prize' for catching her when their chase had commenced. He sat up more fully to match her and responded, curiously smiling, "Of course, Helga. I'd love a prize. What is it?"

She giggled and then reached into her jumper pocket and pulled out an item, held it forward in her fist, and then unfurled her hand to reveal it on her palm. "Well, it's not exactly something from one of my bags, but it did come from the mall. I, uh…picked up a gumball from a machine before we left. But 'darn it', I only had one quarter so I could only get one gumball. So…wanna share?" She blushed as she shyly brought her eyes to his.

Arnold was just grinning ear to ear, eyeing the little red gumball sitting so enticingly in his love's lovely hand. "Well, um…" he almost chuckled as he started to reply back, "…This is all 'so sudden'…" He laughed a little at the small joke and so did she. "But, um…yes. I would _love_ to share, Helga." He swallowed and scooched a little closer to her. "Who, uh…Who should go first…?" He asked the question sincerely with a little smile on his lips and his own little blush on his cheeks.

"Hmm…" Helga's grin picked up on one side. "How about you go first?"

Arnold nodded, happy to oblige of course. "Okay, Hel—"

He had been reaching out to take the gumball from her to go first, but stopped now, both in the action and in his reply.

Helga was sitting there now, blushing all throughout her face, and with the little gumball held delicately between her two pouted pink lips.

Seeing his hesitation and surprise, she giggled and then reached up and popped the gumball from her lips for a moment. "Hey," she quickly explained, "If you want it so you can go first with chewing it and everything, you've gotta come and get it." She popped the gumball delicately between her lips again.

Arnold took a deep blushing breath…and then that ear to ear grin of his returned. "Whatever you say, kitten…" And then he wrapped one arm around her waist to pull her in, used the other arm for balance on the bed, leaned over her, and brought his lips to hers to pluck the red gumball from them…though he also naturally took the opportunity to kiss her and quite deeply…and then to hold her extra tightly to make sure she would be okay as… "_Hrr_…" he purred directly into her mouth just as she had done to him.

He pushed his lips into final deep impression with hers and then pulled back with satisfaction, panting, as he opened his eyes. He heard her take in a shocked, deep breath, and then, "_Ahhhh…!"_ she swooned deeply and utterly collapsed back against his pillows, her eyes wide in wonder and dewy with love.

An arm still around her, Arnold kind of fell to the bed as she did, though he managed to land a bit beside her in an attempt not to hurt her or anything. He just smiled and brought up his arm that had been around her waist to rub her arm and brush her cheek and gently stroke her hair comfortingly. "See, told you that was kind of…really really really good…" He took a few small chews of the gumball now in his mouth. "But please, stay with me now, Helga—remember, I promised I wouldn't let you die from it?" He chuckled a little. "Besides, it'll be your turn with the gum soon—you don't want to miss out."

She just took in a deep breath through her nose, let out a deep breath from her nose, and then blinked a few times and her eyes started to come back into focus. "Oh Arnold…" she whispered out, seeming to be returning to him a bit. Then she giggled and 'corrected herself' a bit, "I mean _tiger_…" Another little giggle and then a little sigh. "Just hold me…and maybe help sit me up a little. I feel numb and tingly all over."

Arnold, blushing considerably at having such an effect on her, reached his arms around her and helped sit her up a little on his pillows. "A-Any, um…Any better now, Helga?"

Helga, indeed finally feeling some degree of coherent feeling returning to her body and limbs ( '_Oh, him doing that actually made my very heart tremble! My darling!_'), nodded. "Yes, Arnold. I'm…I'm making it through. Thank you for helping me survive all of that, my prince." She sighed and cuddled up against him, his one arm still around her waist and her liking it that way.

Her prince just sighed and blushed even more and held her close beside him. "You're welcome. And I'm…very happy you liked that."

"It was almost as good as when you moaned when we kissed yesterday at school in the cafeteria, Arnold…Nothing could ever truly beat that for me though." She giggled a little, giving him a small poke in the sweater right over his stomach.

"You're…You're the only one who'll ever make me need to moan during a kiss, Helga." He meant that in a lot of ways. His little heart fluttered.

"Hmm…I'll keep that in mind, Arnold," Helga answered playfully back. Then, tracing her finger lightly up and down his sweater over his chest, she added, "Now, uh…is it my turn with the gum yet?" She looked up at him with wide, 'innocent' eyes and a smirk underlying them.

A lovesick Arnold chuckled and nodded. "Yup. Do you want to, um…just pass it back and forth or…share it in the 'other way' ?" With a little extra blush but otherwise just smiling in his normal, loving way, he awaited her preference.

"Hmm…well…not that 'the other way' isn't something I dream about at night constantly but, um…" Helga looked a little sheepish, blushed a little extra for reasons different from why Arnold was blushing extra, and then cleared her throat. "A-After that whole 'purring in my mouth' thing plus half the other stuff we've been doing ever since we got up here, I could use a tiny bit of downtime so, would just passing it back and forth for now at least be okay?"

Arnold let out a breath and nodded, more than understanding. "Of course. And I understand…" He glanced down sheepishly as well. "I could, um…use a little downtime too. I've been…taking in a lot for the last few days, and then also, well…I guess we should be resting up for our anniversary weekend." He blushed extra hotly at saying something so suggestive.

He heard Helga's breath catch in her throat and then she giggled a little goofily and finally his eyes just barely came up to see her nod, looking all bashful and blushy and smiling. "A-Another good point, Arnold. Okay then, the normal way of sharing gum it is."

Arnold gave a little nod and then reached up and popped the gum out of his mouth and then offered it out to Helga. "Here you go, Helga."

She took the chewed gum and placed it into her mouth (and writhed in pleasure inside at the taste that flooded her senses). "Thank you, Arnold." She blew and popped a little bubble.

"You're welcome, Helga." Arnold bowed his head graciously.

She giggled and then popped the gum out of her mouth and offered it out to him. "Your turn again. Here you go, Arnold."

With a little smile he took the gum from her and placed it into his mouth (and tried not to propose then and there at the wonderful sensation that overwhelmed his taste buds…because for crying out loud it was Helga's taste _plus_ the bright cherry flavor of the gumball and it was incredible! But no, not just yet on the proposal…). Then he managed to mumble out, "Th-Thank you, Helga."

She giggled. "You're quite welcome, Arnold."

They both let out happy sighs through their noses and decided to just continue doing this at their leisures for the rest of the afternoon.

"Um…hey, Arnold?" Helga asked as Arnold chewed the gum. Her voice was shy and she was looking down very unsurely and humbly.

He looked back at her, squeezing her hand and ready to help her with whatever was on her mind. "Yes, Helga?" While he was waiting for her to say whatever she had to say, he took the gum from him mouth and offered it out to her.

She took it and placed it into her mouth, gave a shy little chew and then asked… "As long as we're up here…and we're kind of taking a break from the making out…if you…if it wouldn't be too much…" She hesitated again, and now kind of started tugging a little at one of her pigtails with her hands.

Arnold moved closer, giving her a warm and comforting smile. "It's okay, Helga. Whatever it is, please ask?" So as not to jinx it he refused to even entertain the idea that she might ask him to marry her again right here and right now…Well, he didn't let himself entertain the idea _too much_ at least.

"If…If it wouldn't be too much…" her eyes came up to his and she asked sincerely, "Could I…see the picture of your parents now?" She bit her lower lip just slightly.

Arnold blinked at first at this question, froze for just a second…but then the warm smile melted right back upon his face. Actually in a way he liked this question better than the 'will you marry me' one…It was a good question, a good request. And if she was going to be his wife he wanted to share with her completely and was just surprised that he had forgotten himself about his promise from yesterday to show her the picture of his parents the next time they were in his room. And so he took one of her hands and lifted it up, gave it a gentle kiss, and then looked into her still wide and unsure eyes and nodded. "Of course. I'd love to show it to you, Helga. And please don't ever feel funny about bringing them up…I told you, once I get used to it, I love sharing about them…especially with someone I love." He leaned over and gave her a little kiss on the cheek, and then separated from her for a moment to crawl over to his shelves. He moved aside Helga's little stack of pink books and then from behind them pulled out an unframed photo. He then sat back next to Helga on his bed, a little loving smile on his face as he continued to look at the picture in his hand. And then he moved the picture closer to her so that they could share in the looking at of it together, and then he said quietly (not before taking her hand nearest to him in his free hand and holding it for the comfort of it), "Um…I'd like you to meet my parents, Helga. Miles and Stella…"

Helga G. Pataki, almost shaking a little from anticipation, looked once more at her beloved (to make sure that he was smiling and that doing this really wasn't making him sad or hurting him or anything) and then she looked down and at the picture…reaching out her free hand almost without thinking out to hold a side of it as Arnold was doing.

She looked at these two people responsible for the existence of the love of her life.

"Arnold…" she merely whispered at first with wide eyes.

"Yes…Helga?" He squeezed her hand a little, still looking at and holding up the picture along with her.

"Your Dad looks so nice…so kind and nice and sweet, just like you…" These things just came from her heart right out to her lips, said with a touch of awe as she continued to gaze at the photo.

Arnold blushed a little, fought back a tear or two that threatened to come to his eyes, and merely replied with another little squeeze to her hand, still smiling, "Thank you, Helga…My Grandpa says he's a lot like me too actually. Very good hearted and helpful and caring…a bit, um…silly around girls, especially my Mom at first, but otherwise a very nice person." He almost blushed a little that comparison.

"And…Arnold…" Helga whispered, her surprised and wide-eyed sights going to the other occupant of the photo now at the mention of the word 'Mom' from him. "Your Mom…She's so beautiful, Arnold. She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Arnold blushed _extra_ extra at that and gulped shyly. "Th-Thank you, Helga," he just said quietly, feeling his lip a little trembly with more tears threatening to come (though at no point did his smile fade or were these tears of sadness…He was just…so touched to be sharing this with her that it was a little much…but he had never wanted to talk to anyone about his parents as much as he did with her). "I…I think she's beautiful too. Do, um…" he smiled more and almost laughed, unable to help it. "Do you think the head works for her too? Considering the shape, I mean."

Helga blinked at being asked that, and was about to reply with the totally earnest response of 'Arnold, everything about her is just…so beautiful.' Instead though she took a second, got that he was actually joking a little and being comfortable with actually joking with her about something involving his parents again, and then she smiled and shrugged and said back, "Well, doi! She went and did it _right_—it's just a delicate, oval shape, with a gentle feminine curve. You're the one who had to take it to an extreme with that football shape that just begs to be punted across a field."

Arnold laughed, she chuckled, Helga handed off the gum back to Arnold for his turn and they just kept looking at the picture together like this.

"Arnold, really though…" Helga began in a much calmer and lighter and casual tone, now that the awe of seeing Arnold's parents had finally passed just a little at least, "Your parents look wonderful and warm and loving. And…" this last part though was added with just a touch of melancholy and sincerity, "I really hope you can find some closure about them one day…that you can go to that San Lorenzo place and understand why they couldn't come back. "

Arnold nodded and let out a breath and leaned against her. "Thank you, Helga. I'm going to try if I ever can…Remember, I told you about that journal with the map in it? So…at least I'd have somewhere to start, right?"

He asked it with hopefulness and Helga could hear that, whether he knew it or not, he was seeking support for this idea…Like despite his natural optimism and hope and belief there really were small little doubts pricking at him deep inside (it had been nine years, after all). He needed her support and to know that she believed in him and his hopes about this.

And, interestingly enough, even though it was arguably a long shot, the normally pessimistic Helga G. Pataki did believe in him about this. Call it a gut feeling.

She let him lean into her, nuzzled her head against his a little and smiled. "Yes. I think it's very lucky and a good sign that you found something like that to lead you to somewhere they've been. And Arnold…from the bottom of my heart, from the deepest part of my soul, I truly believe that if anyone would have the will and the ability and the courage to go and find them, it would be you. You can do anything, Arnold. And…if you'll let me…when the time comes…I'd like to go with you and help you do such a wonderful thing."

Before Helga knew what was happening she was suddenly pinned down and realized after a shocked second to take it in that Arnold was hugging tight against her and burying his face against her and she could swear that she could feel a hot tear or two soaking against her jumper. "A-Arnold?" she asked hesitantly, worried that something might be wrong.

She just heard him take in a deep breath though and then finally reply, still clung against her, "Oh Helga! Did I…Did I mention that I love you?" And then he chuckled in between a sniffle or two and then let out his deep breath and now just rested against her with all the love in the world.

Helga let out a relieved sigh at this response and then just brought her arms around him as best she could and patted his back lovingly. "Yes you did, my darling…about a million times so far today. But I always do love hearing it at least one more time. And of course I love you too."

Arnold chuckled a little again, remained resting against her for just a little longer, and then let out a sigh and moved off of her, sitting up a little again on his bed and picking up the photo of his parents that had fallen to his blankets at his sudden spontaneous hug of Helga for her lovely words of reassurance. He quickly wiped a small tear or two from his eyes, still feeling just a little self conscious about actually crying in front of her too much, and then just smiled down at her and asked warmly and happily, "Hey, Helga? Um…Would you want to maybe…read some of my Dad's journal with me? Um…it's really nice. It's all about him meeting my Mom and their wedding and honeymoon and her having me and us being back here…And you know, um…the part that talks about them living here for a little while with me even mentions you at one point…" He recalled that harrowing scene from the park with the slide that his Dad had described which also contained brief descriptions of some of the little kids who had been in the park that day from the neighborhood whom his father had recognized would probably be his playmates and classmates one day. ( '_And my wife…My __wife__…__My__ wife…_' Arnold had started to really really REALLY like the W word over the last day.)

Helga instantly shot up, first with wide eyes and then with a big eager smile. "Really Arnold? Oh I'd love to! All of it! You didn't even need to sweeten the pot by telling me I might be mentioned in it, my darling!" She giggled practically giddily and clung to his arm in delight.

Arnold grinned widely and chuckled along with her. "Okay, then—I keep it over here on the same shelf as your pink books and the picture…"

He went to put the picture back as he reached over for the journal hidden away at the back of the shelf but Helga caused him to pause and stop. "Wait…Arnold?" He turned to look at her with a curious eyebrow raised. She swallowed and asked shyly, "Um…if it's alright, while we look at the journal, could the picture stay out too? I…just love looking at them, Arnold. Trying to see what parts of you are in your parents…and what parts of them are in you. And also seeing them would make your Dad's journal more real for me. Please."

Arnold just smiled even more at the sweet request and handed the picture off to her. "Of course, Helga. I like looking at the picture while I read too. It…makes it more real, just like you said."

She smiled happily upon receiving the photo back (her eyes then eagerly turning to it to take in its contents yet again) while Arnold reached back over to his shelf and snagged his Dad's journal from its hiding place in the back, and then sat back down next to his love on the bed and opened the old book to the first page. He looked to Helga. "Do you want me to read to you while you look at the picture, Helga?"

"Hmm…" she nodded, glancing back at him again. "Yes, if you wouldn't mind, that would be lovely, my prince."

Arnold smiled more and chuckled. "Okay, my princess. Oh and before I forget…" he reached up and popped the gum out of his mouth and offered it to her. "Your turn with the gum." While holding it out, waiting for her to take it, Arnold had let his eyes turn back to his Dad's journal to start reading.

He wasn't able to start though as his eyes suddenly went wide and his breath caught in his throat and all the blood rushed to his face at the feeling of Helga…obviously suddenly taking his hand, leaning down, and then placing her soft lips upon his fingers to slowly and intimately remove the little chewed piece of gum with them and bring it into her own mouth.

"Thanks for the turn, hot lips…" she quickly whispered and then with a giggle went innocently back to looking at the photo. "Now get to reading, Football Head—chop chop," she added then in her usual playful tone.

Arnold just…just let out a deep, shuddery sigh and for a moment had to grip his sweater over his (pounding) heart (all the while doing his best not to get too overwhelmed by the fact that he would get to have the opportunity of feeling Helga do _that_ forever too now that he had definitely decided to marry her). But then he managed to regain himself eventually, and he cleared his throat and finally managed to blushingly begin reading his father's journal. "Alright, um…M-March 15th…Today I met the woman I'm going to marry…" _'Oh boy…_' Oh for crying out loud—a smiling Arnold almost couldn't stand the irony of _that_ being the first line.

Helga just giggled a little from beside him. "Hey, your Dad sounds like me when I write, Arnold—straight to the point, and love is topic du jour."

Arnold had to laugh at that. "I guess he does, Helga. Good point." And then he nestled against Helga and Helga nestled against him, and he read on while she admired his parents and admired him.

And Helga just let herself enjoy all of this, enjoy being in this moment right here and now, her and Arnold.

Although one fleeting thought about something else did pass through her mind…It was in regards to her and Arnold's conversation before about them and their entire group of friends who were in the loop about them all accidentally missing baseball practice at once today. _'I suppose even if someone did notice…and even if they did suspect something, especially after all the practices we've found someone to excuse us from…that…well…after our last day of school on Friday…after I give Arnold the first part of his present…it…won't really matter…'_ It was a strange thought, both comforting and…not so comforting.

But Helga just took a breath and summed up her courage and let all her worries melt away in the wake of the love story of Arnold's parents.

(And, also, Helga tried not to laugh TOO much when Arnold mentioned, after he finished reading about Miles and Stella's wedding, that there had been a page after that which his Grandpa had started reading the first time they'd ever looked at the journal that started with something about 'The hottest night the jungle had ever seen…' but Phil had ripped it out, it seemed, giving Arnold the excuse that he'd understand how 'hot' the jungle could be one day well enough on his own without getting any previews of it now ( "Whatever that meant…Then again, Grandpa and his advice can be kind of confusing sometimes," Arnold, here and now, had added to the explanation with a smile). Helga had been really good though and just giggled a little and enjoyed how dense the silly little boy before her was about what that page had probably been about, and then she had taken the gum from her mouth and popped it right past his lips into his mouth and asked him playfully to 'get a move on with the story' because she was anxious for the part where he got born. A request to which (with a little blush about her putting the gum inside of his mouth herself this time) he readily acquiesced).

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright I hope you all enjoyed this! I know it was an emotional roller coaster but I really hope you guys liked what I did with stuff and this concluding part of the LTBH courtship ^w^ And as for future updates, like usually, they'll happen slowly but surely and the chapter lengths are going to stop being insane now which is good news for my own sanity, lol! XDXDXD

Alright, I'm gonna go make myself some popcorn now or something, lol ^w^

Please, please, please review! I love you guys!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

***ANOTHER SMALL NOTE***

A few of you reminded me in your reviews and PMs that Arnold actually did sneak into the movies once in "The List." I've added a couple of lines during Arnold and Helga's fight where Helga brings this up and Arnold addresses it. It's when she's bringing up the Frankie G. stuff so if you're interested in reading it, just run a search on the word 'Frankie' and you'll be at the right part ;) Thank you all! I always appreciate being helped not to violate canon ;)


	20. Operation UNgarde Commences!

**Second A/N:**

Hey again guys! For everyone reading this chapter for the first time, totally ignore this XD And for anyone coming to look back at this for a second time, just wanted to mention that I had forgotten to put in something in the Gerald and Phoebe part at the end of this chapter. It's just a quick paragraph explaining about that phone call from the last chapter-you remember, the one Arnold ignored because he and Helga were 'making up' on his bed and playing 'tiger/kitten' and he was like "Eh, don't worry, it's probably just Gerald wanting more girl advice. I can ignore it : 333 " XDXDXD So anywho it's just a quick paragraph towards the beginning of that Gerald/Phoebe stuff at the end ;) Okay, thanks! Love you guys!

**A/N:**

Hellooooooooo everyone! :D Wow, it feels like ages since I updated this story! Sorry again for the delay, lol ^w^ I was working a lot and also just needed a mini break from this fic after those soul-sucking courtship chapters with their 50 to 100 thousand word wordcounts XDXDXD I hope you guys enjoyed the few one shots and epilogues and stuff that I managed to get done over the last couple of months though! But anyway, I'm back and here's the latest installment of "Learning to be Helga" for your approval ;)

Also, I want to dedicate this chapter to NintendoGal55, KasuKAPL, and BrokenRose! :) They've just been really supportive and loving and kind to me, and I've really needed it over the last few weeks so…from the bottom of my heart, thank you guys! I love you all so much! *Huggles* *Hearts!* :)

Alright, and away we go! :D

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**CHAPTER 20:**

**Operation UN-garde Commences!**

* * *

"Helga, are you coming? We're going to be late!"

This was the third time, from his place on the sidewalk before the front of her house, that Arnold Phillip Shortman had called out to Helga Geraldine Pataki, who had finally at least yelled out around ten minutes ago, much to his amusement, that she would be, 'Down in a minute, Football Head! Sheesh, not all of us are bursting with optimism and ready to greet the day at 8:30 in the morning!'

Arnold wasn't as lucky this time around though as his most recent greeting got no response yelled out from Helga's open bedroom window to sarcastically and sassily ensure him once again that she would indeed be coming down soon. He just smiled to himself and sighed though, and then turned around to face Gerald and Phoebe (who were likewise waiting for Helga out here) and shrugged, his own partly amused, partly confused look being reciprocated by his two friends. The four of them had been meeting up to walk to school together (well, at least PART of the way to school) pretty regularly in the mornings for quite a few weeks now actually, but Helga had never been this late with coming down to join them before. And on the last day of fourth grade, too!

_CREAK_!

The sound of Helga's front door suddenly quietly opening now though caused Arnold to blink and then instantly turn around, a smile of anticipation on his face at first at the idea that the sound might have been caused by his girlfriend finally exiting her house to join them! However, a puzzled look quickly overshadowed Arnold's countenance and he had to raise an eyebrow at the fact that, despite the sound of the handle turning and the lock unclicking, the front door his eyes fell upon still appeared closed and no Helga appeared on the still vacant stoop. And yet…upon a second of closer inspection…Arnold realized that the door was actually just slightly ajar…suggesting that someone behind it had indeed started the process of opening it…and that said person was possibly still there…

Arnold smiled.

And then he took a step forward, an eyebrow still raised. "Helga?" he asked, hopefully.

He heard a familiar exasperated sigh come from behind the door and saw it open slightly more, though still not enough for Helga to finally appear before him. Finally, though, she did at least speak…very firmly and simply and getting directly to the point. "Okay, I'm going to come out now and when I do I just…I don't want to hear it from any of you—GERALD—okay?" She made sure to emphasize her boyfriend's best friend's name, knowing full well how sarcasm really was the language of choice between herself and 'Geraldo' even despite the decent friendship they had cultivated over the last month. "Believe me…" she went on, her voice sounding a little more pouty and defeated, "I'm sure I'm gonna hear enough about it at school from everyone else…"

At this cryptic announcement, Gerald and Phoebe, from their place on the sidewalk beside one another, just looked at each other with their eyebrows raised and then back at the door. Arnold, still in front of them and feeling a little braver, slowly went a step or two up Helga's stoop, looking even more confused and amused than before at these last mysterious words from his girlfriend. What was she hiding? He _really_ wanted to know… "Helga, what are you talking about?" He smiled supportively and spoke in a similar tone. "Come on, we're going to be late if we don't leave soon."

"Yeah, and I don't wanna get detention on the last day, so let's get going, Helga, or we're gonna leave without you!" Gerald piped up sarcastically from the sidewalk, putting a hand on his hip, though of course with a friendly grin still on his face.

Arnold couldn't help but smile a little more at his best friend's comment and add, still looking at the ajar door…only now with a half lidded gaze. He spoke a bit…coaxingly… "Yeah, Helga. And if we get detention, it's going to put you and me off schedule for our date tonight…And…I don't think it's fair that part of _my_ night for celebrating our one month anniversary might have to get cut into just because deep down you're so shy about things sometimes…sweet and shy, really…" His smile went a bit goofier and he blushed a tiny bit…He found her shyness about anything absolutely charming, after all.

That same exasperated sigh from Helga met his ears…though he could tell just from something in the pitch of it (as well as in the tone of her voice now as she replied to him) that he had gotten her to blush a little. "As usual, Football Head, you bring up the most ironic thing imaginable considering why, exactly, I'm seriously considering NOT coming out from behind this door…" _'It all always comes back to the two of us being in love, doesn't it?' "…_At least," she qualified with a hesitant voice, "…not without running back upstairs quickly and abandoning this stupid thing I'm actually considering doing today…"

Arnold blinked, and the smile left his face for a moment. He tilted his head a little to the side unconsciously, really genuinely confused now. "Helga, what are you talking about?" he asked seriously and sincerely now. She really wasn't making too much sense…So afraid of being seen by people…And then suddenly for a moment Arnold all but felt his heart stop beating at the idea that maybe something had hurt her since the last time he had seen her yesterday at school during the 'mandatory cafeteria food fight clean up', and she was worried about 'looking silly' walking on crutches or with a bandage over half her face with a big cast on her leg, and possibly from having attempted some 'crazy scheme type thing' or something and possibly all for him! He was ready in an instant to bust through the door and take her in his arms just to look at her and see for himself is she was alright! He wanted to see the pretty, healthy, safe face again of the girl whom he hoped would be his future wife, and to hopefully find her well, upon which he would hold her and smile and…and maybe even… maybe even say… A very small voice in his head kept him back from what might come next though. '_N-Not in the heat of the moment…D-Don't do it in the heat of the moment…Wait for tonight…just like you planned…'_ Still, though he had it in himself to resist doing this 'final step' for now (whatever it might be), if he had to endure any more silence or mysterious stuff from her side of the door at this point, he felt like he was bound to quite literally knock it from its hinges just to make sure that she was indeed alright!

However…Helga's voice responding to his question about what she was going on about luckily stopped this slightly overkill response of his. "I…" she hesitated, and the door became just a bit more ajar, though still admitting no sight of Helga. "It's kind of part of your…your one month anniversary present…I know we said that you wouldn't give me mine until tonight during _your_ celebration for us and that I wouldn't give you yours until tomorrow night during _my_celebration for us, but.…" she sighed again, "What I'm doing for this part of your present is only gonna work if we're in school so…"

"Helga, sweetie, why are you still here? School starts in fifteen minutes. Aren't your friends here yet?" Miriam's voice (obviously coming up the hall behind Helga). Then there was a second of silence. And then a little giggle on the part of the older woman. "Oh Helga, don't you look nice today, honey. Did you and Olga do that all for your little boyfriend?"

The front door was then very suddenly pushed wide open by a smiling Miriam Pataki (wearing a pale purple business jacket and skirt as opposed to her usual pale purple house dress)…only to reveal a VERY wide eyed Helga…and she had her hair not only down but obviously thoroughly brushed and practically styled very tenderly and carefully, and with her familiar pink ribbon tied neatly and artfully at the back of the crown of her head in a full and luscious bow.

"Mom!" She blinked, whipping her head around to look at Miriam, a deep blush growing in little rosy circles on her cheeks.

Miriam just grinned a little to herself and sighed at her younger daughter's overreaction to things. Her eyes then fell first to the little blond boy on her stoop…She smiled more. "Good morning, Arnold. Here to escort our little lady to school again, I see?" She tried not to chuckle.

Arnold smiled up at Miriam (and also blushed slightly to himself, as usual, about the 'boyfriend' comment and also about the idea of himself being Helga's escort…and at the little thought that popped into the back of his mind about being willing to escort her _anywhere_…e-even down an aisle…). "I-It's nice to see you again, Mrs.…u-um…Miriam…A-And yeah, I thought I'd walk Helga to school again…" he mumbled humbly. Meanwhile, inside of his football shaped little in love brain… _'Yeah…I'll walk her to school…every day for the rest of the years that we have school…then I'll walk her to work when we're grown ups…then walk her up the aisle to get married…then I'll go for walks with her every day just for fun… ( 'and maybe one day with us pushing a little stroller together_…' a small something inside of him quietly and slightly subconsciously added.)

(In case it wasn't obvious, even three days after the fact, Arnold was still…quite taken with his new little notion of having actually completely one hundred percent decided to marry Helga G. Pataki…Shortman.)

But meanwhile, back in the present (and _not_ ten or fifteen or twenty years from now or something), Miriam smiled a little more at Arnold, and then her eyes caught sight of the other two of her daughter's classmates currently waiting for her on the sidewalk behind our football headed hero. She smiled at these two children as well now, giving them both a little nod of welcome. "Oh and hello, Phoebe, and, um…" this one took her a second, but… "Gerald, right?" Her smile brightened with hope that she had gotten that final name correct.

"Hello, Mrs. Pataki." Phoebe (finally managing to take her eyes (and an intrigued grin) off the sight of Helga) looked up at the older woman and smiled pleasantly.

"Uh…Hey, Mrs. P…" Gerald managed to give the older woman a glance and a nod, though his eyes quickly went back to the sight of Helga…and his face never once lost the total look of disbelief and curiosity that it had taken on upon seeing her right now. Not that he hadn't seen her with her hair down before but…come on, with the way she was acting and then also having it down NOW when they were about to head for the most public place imaginable…and on top of that not just having it down but having it brushed and styled so neatly and obviously deliberately_…. 'Yeah, that girl's cooking up something…But what?_' And at the same time, to go along with all of this curiosity, he was also having to fight back a small smirk—hey, after seven years of watching her be a tough as nails bully it was hard after only a month to take in the sight of her looking 'all dolled up.'

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps running down the stairs inside of the Pataki house met the ears of the kids and Miriam, and then instantly the smiling face of Olga Pataki suddenly appeared in the doorway as well, holding a soft brush up high in her hand. "Oh, Helga, I really wish you'd let me try just putting a little makeup on you to go along with what we did with your hair!" She giggled. "You look just so precious, baby sister, but I think at least a little blush and some of that lip gloss would make you look even cuter if that was possible."

Suddenly the older girl's eyes fell upon the other kids, and her beaming smile brightened even more. "Oh hello everyone...and Arnold," he gaze specifically fell on him, her smile growing a little, "It's especially nice to see you again." Olga giggled slightly to herself, glancing back and forth from the young boy to her baby sister.

Helga just growled a little and rolled her eyes in response, scowling to herself. _'Crimeny, I get it—we're adorable! Do we all have to keep bringing it up again and again?'_ She felt her blush of frustration deepen a little. Normally she didn't mind this cutesy teasing so much but…she had a LOT on her mind right now and so her patience was wearing thin, and quickly!

While Helga tried to look annoyed, Arnold just chuckled a little and nodded up at Olga. "Hi, Olga. It's nice to see you again too. So you're home for the summer now?" Arnold asked politely and kindly.

Olga nodded back at him. "Mmm hmm—three whole months of spending time with the best Mummy and Daddy in the world and of course my wonderful baby sister!" She leaned down and gave Helga a big loving hug.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes at suddenly being squeezed almost to death… though it was obvious, at the same time, that she was fighting back a smile. "Okay, okay, Olga—b-bonding time later, please!" she managed to choke out eventually as her lungs remained compressed under her sister's grasp. "_Now_ we have school though and you're messing up my hair!" She wriggled out of Olga's grasp finally and ran her fingers through her hair a few times to undue some of the mussing Olga had caused.

Olga just sighed and laughed, straightening up once more (thought not before adding a little brush stroke through Helga's hair just to make sure it really did look perfect again). "Okay, Helga. You're right—you have school now—we can talk about the makeup _tonight_… and _tomorrow_…" she added suggestively with a rather large and obvious wink.

Helga half grinned and blushed, trying to ignore her sister's allusions to her and Arnold's anniversary plans for those two evenings. "Yeah, yeah…whatever you say, sister…" she mumbled out, more humorously than with any annoyance though.

Miriam Pataki, witnessing this whole little exchange between her two girls, couldn't help but laugh slightly as it finally concluded. Remembering though that the kids really must be running late, she let out a sigh and now placed a lunchbox she had been holding onto out of sight for quite some time into her daughter's hands, and then gave her a loving little push out onto the stoop. "Okay, Helga, now you get going, honey, so that you're not late for your last day, and I'll be at the school once I'm done at the Emporium today to pick you up at exactly three—"

"Actually, Miri—uh, Mom…" Helga, finishing shoving the lunchbox in her backpack, cleared throat and now turned her head back around to look at her mother, a little bit of rosiness returning to her cheeks. "It's, uh…you remember, like I told you and like Olga was hinting at…it's, uh…four weeks since Arnold and I started…you know, dating, so I'm just gonna basically hang out at his house all day after school today, heh…" She gave a small grin.

Miriam blinked and then smiled as she remembered, and gave a nod. "Oh yes, of course—your one month anniversary." She tried not to chuckle at how cute it all was but it was really really hard…after all, this whole thing _was_ really really cute!

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes. She could hear Arnold chuckling slightly to himself behind her. "Sure, Miriam, whatever." She smiled, finally coming out of some of her blushing as she added, "Anyway, yeah, right now I've got school and then right after that is our last fourth grade/fifth grade baseball game. I'll probably stop back here for a few minutes once all that's over just to clean up and change…and to let Olga do whatever it is she wants to do to me besides sprucing up my hair…" she gave a slight humorous glare and smirk at her sister who only giggled in response before going on, "But, yeah, after that, I'm…pretty much Arnold's for the rest of the evening…" She had to blush a little at her wording as she turned back to look at her beloved, who was now blushing likewise…and also looking at her with that same half lidded gaze she was sure she was uncontrollably giving him right now…

"Hey, Miriam!" suddenly came Big Bob Pataki's approaching voice from inside the house, effectively interrupting the moment. "Where's Helga? I know I saw her using the blowtorch last month and now I can't find the head for the darn thing and I need to—" Bob now entered the doorway as well…and then he instantly stopped talking and blinked as his eyes fell on the sight of his youngest daughter. "…Helga?" was all that escaped him as he cocked his head to the side just a little. "Uh…you look…different…"

Helga gave a very exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes as she turned to face forward in between Arnold, Gerald and Phoebe on her right, and her family on her left. As she did so, she shifted her head to get the piece of hair always trying to cover one of her eyes away for a second, revealing her fully annoyed looking scowl. "Yes, everyone, newsflash: tidal wave to strike the city, aliens have landed, and 'oh gosh' my hair's down and I actually put some effort into making it look nice! Now, I know it's probably going to take some time for all of you to absorb this sudden new shift in reality but, as Miriam so kindly pointed out, my friends and I have about thirty seconds to get to class. So, Bob," she looked at him, "the torch head is, uh…" Suddenly, Helga recalled that, if anywhere, she had most likely left the darn thing up in her Arnold shrine when she had dragged the fuel tanks and everything up to her room last month to solder together the glass bottles of her Yahoo soda bottle shrine. She swallowed and glanced away, and couldn't help but feel her stomach twist nervously at the slight snicker she heard come out of Arnold behind her as, she realized, he too probably realized where in all likelihood the thing Bob was looking for was currently located. Still though, she just did her best to play it cool as she took a deep breath and looked at her father. "Well, I'm not a hundred percent sure where it is, Bob…" '_Heh, it could technically be somewhere else after all…even if I'm like ninety nine percent sure it's up in the small attic space dedicated to my beloved…_' "B-But, uh, I could…help you look later…" _'Yeah, help you look as in snag it from my shrine, follow behind you while you're looking in the garage or something and then suddenly drop it on the floor and say in a surprised voice 'oh here it is!' ._' "But," she tried to resume her scowl (and to keep her voice firm) as she finished, "right now I have school and I'm not going to be home until late tonight so…"

Bob sighed and scowled a tiny bit—not an angry scowl, just an annoyed one really. "Aw, come on, Helga…" he started, "…_you're_ the one who's been griping at me for weeks to finally get around to giving you that third belated birthday present you wanted by replacing that old slide up window in your bedroom with two greenhouse panes that swing open and a love seat set in the wall just under them, and I need the torch to reshape some of the rods so that they'll fit in the—" He blinked, as the last thing his daughter had said suddenly processed with him. "Wait a minute, what do you mean you won't be home until late tonight? Where the heck are you going?"

Olga just laughed and gave her father a small, giddy pat on the back. "Oh Daddy, she's just going to spend a little time at that lovely old boarding house with Arnold—it's their last day of school after all and they just want to celebrate summer starting and of course their charming little friendship still going strong." Olga gave Helga a HUGE wink…and Helga just tried not to die from blushing as she gulped and mentally reminded herself that she really probably needed to get around to explicitly mentioning to Miriam and Olga that Bob…basically knew about the whole 'Arnold in love' situation. What with the last week being so filled up between her and Arnold's fight and then their making up and then their anniversary planning (and Olga only having arrived home a couple of days ago and Miriam spending a couple of afternoons a week at the Emporium) though, Helga hadn't really had time to bring up that awkward topic yet.

Meanwhile, adding to convincing the Pataki patriarch that Helga's plans for tonight were really no big deal, a smiling Miriam put her hand on Bob's shoulder and addressed him now as well to go along with her older daughter's assurances. "Yes, B, Helga's just going to spend the afternoon at Arnold's. She'll have some dinner, see his family, start off her summer with someone she cares about."

Miriam didn't give Helga some kind of big, obvious wink now upon finishing, though she did shoot her daughter a little extra smile and then gaze just a little too adoringly at herself and Arnold, much to Helga's further chagrin. Our young, blond heroine felt herself blush quite warmly and fully. '_Nightmare…this whole 'being open about my secret' thing is just nightmare in its purest form…Oh this is probably boding just freaking fantastically for how the rest of the day and the rest of my LIFE is going to be!_' "Uh…yeah," Helga just added to her mother's and sister's arguments, managing to turn her eyes in her father's direction again, though she could not even begin to make full eye contact with him. She held her arms behind her back and dug one of her feet into the ground a little as she spoke more. "I mean, I'm probably gonna come back here between our last baseball game today and Football Head's house to change though, so I can probably help you look for the torch head then if you want…"

"Change?" Bob blinked again, interrupting her, seeming even more perplexed than before. "What do you mean change?"

Helga's eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat and her blush was deep. '_I have the BIGGEST mouth in the world. Ever.'_ "Uh…well…we're, uh…and it's…" Yeah, Bob knew she and Arnold were…dating…but…to be honest she had no desire to let him in on the little shopping trip Olga might have taken her on a few days ago just so she could have a more… 'grown up' style date with the little football head tonight…complete with a more 'grown up' style outfit.

Helga was about to make whatever attempt she could make at explaining away her 'I have to change for tonight' comment, when suddenly, to her surprise, Arnold stepped forward to stand alongside her on the top of the stoop. He smiled and looked up at Big Bob…and also lightly took Helga's hand in his. He spoke to the older man. "Actually, Mr. Pata…uh...B-Big Bob, what Helga means about changing for tonight is that I…just thought that she might like to do something a bit more…formal…together this evening…since we've become such good friends and everything…you know, over the last, um…exactly one month as of today…" He blushed a little and half grinned a little sheepishly at his little attempt to kind of fill in Big Bob about the fact that it was his and Helga's one-month anniversary without having to outright announce it and possibly embarrass his 'still shy about openly telling her Dad she loved him' girlfriend. Feeling the need to add a tiny bit of something extra to his explanation though, Arnold cleared his throat and now finished with, "Don't worry, we'll just eat at my house and we'll definitely be done before ten." He smiled up honestly at Big Bob.

Olga, blinking at first at Arnold's way of putting things (and at him taking her sister's hand like that in front of their father) but then smiling in approval of it all, instantly stepped forward before her father could respond and added, looking at him with one of her usual cheerful smiles, "And of course I'll pick her up tonight, Daddy! Just to be sure she gets home on time."

Miriam smiled more too, anticipating any further protest her husband might make about Arnold and Helga's more serious than usual date tonight, and added with a nod, "Mmm hmm, and then we've got our first official weekend family breakfast of the summer tomorrow morning so all the more reason for Helga to be home and in bed on time so that she can rise bright and early tomorrow morning to eat it with us!"

Both mother and older daughter were smiling and on either side of Big Bob and braced for any further questioning he might do, despite their sound arguments and assurances…

Bob, however, just rolled his eyes and almost sighed a little. And then he just laid it on the line for them, getting now that Helga probably hadn't shared with his wife and older daughter yet over the last day and a half that he was in the Arnold loop too now, albeit unofficially. "Okay, okay, I get it, you two—she's got a very special evening planned with Arnold and she's basically not gonna be home tonight until she has to be. Yeesh, I just wanted to make sure." He added in a mumble to himself (though the others around him could sort of hear), "Sheesh, acting like I'm blind or something…"

Olga and Miriam and even Helga couldn't help but blink and look at each other at this sudden random announcement…Olga and Miriam from quite a bit of surprise, and Helga just because…it was still SO weird to her to think that her Dad KNEW about…her and Arnold in love… A little cringe went through her and she was only saved from gagging by the loving feeling of Arnold's hand still in her own. _'Ugh, okay, let's just wrap up this little family/friends lovefest already before I hurl, okay?' _she thought to herself with a resigning gulp.

Bob's voice then speaking again broke Helga out of her thoughts and caused her to look back up at him once more. He seemed unphased by her and her sister's and mother's reactions to his comments on her and Arnold just now, and was just smiling down at her normally as he spoke. "Anyway, don't worry about the torch then, Helga, I'll just borrow one from one of the tech guys down at the Emporium and I'll try and have that window finally fixed up for you by tomorrow, okay? And, hey, the timing actually works out perfectly with you not needing to be up there until later tonight so that I can get the job all done in one shot." He smiled more.

Helga just swallowed and blinked again, trying to smile as well, though it was hard (and it wasn't helping that she and Arnold were still holding hands in front of everybody…in front of HIM). "Uh, s-sure… thanks, Dad…" she replied awkwardly. The young blond then quickly turned to her two friends and boyfriend and grinned, ready for all of them to be on their merry way to school now. "Well, come on guys, let's get out of here before we're late…" And with that she quickly started yanking a half grinning and amused Arnold down her stoop to join a now slightly chuckling Gerald and Phoebe on the sidewalk. "Bye, Olga, Mom, Dad!" Helga quickly called over her shoulder!

"Bye, sweetie!" met her ears. Miriam.

"Bye bye, baby sister!" met her ears as well. Olga.

"Yeah, bye Ol-Helga!" Then there was a second of silence…and then… "And, uh, Arnold?"

Helga stopped moving forward, and only mere feet from her stoop. She felt like her heart had stopped and she felt a blush flood her cheeks. She gripped Arnold's hand tightly and just prayed that whatever her father might say to her beloved now wouldn't be TOO horribly humiliating…especially considering all the humiliation she was sure she would be enduring in school today…certain things considered… '_Please don't let this be bad, PLEASE don't let this be bad!'_

Arnold, still in her grasp, likewise felt a little nervous as well about suddenly being addressed by Mr. Pataki (after all, this was the first time he had been specifically addressed by him since that whole… 'You're in love with Helga, aren't you, Arnold?' thing the other day…) but the young boy just did his best to turn around and smile politely at the older man (all the while still holding Helga's soft little hand in his for comfort and support). "Yes, Mr. Pataki?" He looked up at him.

Bob just cleared his throat and glanced away, a slightly stern look on his face though there was something soft and sincere about it as well. "Uh…you did a decent job as short stop in last week's game…"

Arnold blinked. "Oh. Uh…thanks, Mr. Pataki…" Arnold's smile grew slightly, though he couldn't help looking with a slight bit of confusion at Bob…After all, it just felt like…Bob had something more to say than that.

And indeed, Bob wasn't done yet….That shortstop thing had been kind of an icebreaker. Still looking a little preoccupied, the older man then added to Arnold, as casually as he could so as not to embarrass anyone further, "Yeah, you're welcome, and, um… look, I…forgot to mention this the other day when we, uh, 'bumped into each other' in the kitchen, but, uh…you just…keep taking care of Helga, alright?" He cleared his throat again and quickly added with a grin to help lighten the mood, "I-I mean, you know, with the taking her places and doing stuff she likes with her and making sure she gets home safe each night and stuff. Heh…"

Arnold blushed extra, and glanced down feeling a little funny…but also a little fluttery inside. After all it sort of felt like he was…being given Helga's hand in marriage or something. He smiled a little and squeezed her pretty hand a little more. He knew he had gotten very sappy ever since his and Helga's whole big rooftop apology to one another the other day but…he couldn't help it. Besides, he liked being sappy. And so with a little sigh he looked back to Big Bob and nodded. "I…I will, Mr. Big Bob. I promise."

He just looked into Bob's eyes and Bob looked into his eyes.

Then Bob let out a deep sigh and rubbed the back of his neck, nodding a little himself. "Yeah, okay…" He swallowed and now glanced over to his younger daughter hesitantly. "And, uh…Helga?"

Helga blinked and managed to slowly turn the rest of the way around to fully face him again, trying to hide her mad blushing underneath her hair. She had stopped breathing fully a while ago. "Uh…yeah?" she just asked with a nervous swallow, trying to keep the blood from rushing to her head and causing her to pass out.

Bob cleared his throat. "You did a good job as catcher last week, girl and…also…just…make sure you get a decent meal out of him tonight, okay?"

"Uh…" Helga just felt SO awkward and on the spot right now…and so she decided to wrap this all up and _fast_…Preferably BEFORE she blushed herself into a faint. "Thanks, Bob, and you got it! I-I'll do what I can!" she quickly replied, and then with a gulp she gripped Arnold's hand a bit more tightly, turned around again, and now started pulling him up the street even more quickly than the first time, once again though with a still smiling Gerald and Phoebe starting to follow behind them again. "Okay, let's get to school, everyone—not much time left!" she announced brightly as she jumpstarted the start of their little procession in this way.

And with that the four kids (at a pretty decent clip) made it up the block and around the first corner, and finally out of sight of the Pataki household and family.

Finally free from the sight and comments of her family, Helga released Arnold from her grasp now and then stopped walking and leaned over, taking several deep breaths of relief. "I swear," she finally announced in a tired voice with the release of one final deep breath, "my family knowing everything and especially my DAD knowing everything in secret is going to kill me before the fifth grade. No question." She took in another breath and straightened up again, crossing her arms over her chest now (but not before touching her hair a tiny bit again to make sure it was still okay after that little jog just now… ( _'I know it's girly…but for crying out loud, if I'm going to go through with today then I just want to dive in and do it in my own style! No more being what everybody expects me to be just because they expect me to be it! Helga G. Pataki is officially her own woman—hair and all!_'). "Oh," and speaking of people who had 'commented' on her hair just now, a new little source of annoyance occurred to Helga, and so she turned her sights to Arnold who was stopped right beside her on the sidewalk (and looking all amused and blushing and smiling), "…and thanks for the random little 'guy talk' with my Dad just now, Football Head—seriously can the two of you save the 'passing the torch' symbolism for times when I'm not around?" She rolled her eyes at her beloved's actions. "It makes me feel like I'm some kind of 'hand me down', and Helga G. Pataki, no matter how loving a daughter or girlfriend she may be, NEVER belongs to any man!" She smirked proudly to herself.

Arnold blushed a tiny bit and shrugged. "Sorry, Helga…I don't think we meant for it to seem like that. I think he was just trying to let me know again that he really trusts me…and I just wanted to be a little honest with him about it being our anniversary…and also to let him know that I'm grateful that he has that much confidence in me to make you happy." He smiled more and looked into her eyes. "But I know the only person you 'belong to' is yourself, Helga…I'm just…the boy lucky enough to love everything there is that's you…" He let out a small sigh and still looked into her eyes sincerely.

Helga blinked several times…then smiled quite a lot…then blushed….Then she reached out and gave him a small playful punch in the shoulder. "Aw, stifle it, Football Head. Always trying to butter me up with that silver tongue of yours…" She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head with a grin. "And yeah, okay, fine, I forgive for the little public 'guys chat' with my Dad, paste for brains…especially when you explain it in the way you just did." She gave him a little wink and a smirk…and then sighed and faked a little cringe as she had to add, "Still though, speaking of Bob…ugh, he KNOWS…" A genuine little grimace went through her. "Yeah, it's gonna take me a bit of time to get used to that, especially when he goes off making little side comments about our relationship and stuff right along with Olga and Miriam's jokes and giggles…_More_ stuff that'll kill me before my preteen years are out…Fantastic." She sighed and rubbed her temples with the fingers of one hand again, though at least some of the smile of her smirk remained on her lips, showing she wasn't _too_ upset about the whole situation, however annoying it might be.

The sound of Gerald laughing a little now made Helga aware of his and Phoebe's continued presences not too many feet from herself and Arnold. She scowled a little and crossed her arms over her chest again, looking over at him as he grinned widely to himself and said in response to her current 'lamentations'. "Yeah, well, maybe it all WILL take _you_ out, Helga, but," the tall-haired boy smirked a little, "…at least your parents and sister knowing can keep _me_ amused now that the shrines thing is almost out of my system!" He gave a few more 'restrained' chuckles that came out in small snorts and laughs. "Aw man, the giggling and the 'all-knowing' glances and the awkward symbolic exchanges, and you blushing and bailing out of there all 'in a fluster'—perfect way to kick off the last day of school!" He laughed a little more to himself in good-natured amusement.

"Gerald!" Phoebe called out playfully, giving him a slight elbow nudge from beside him…her own laughter not too far away from escaping though actually. "Yamete…" she managed with just a grin.

Gerald just let out a playful sigh and smiled at her, getting his laughter under control and gesturing with his head in Helga's direction. "Aw, demo Helga no kazoku wa—"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Gerald wa okashiidesuyo, demo—"

"Oh for the love of—" Helga rubbed her temples again and took a step between the two of them, interrupting in a frustrated tone. "Okay, you two NEED to stop the elementary Japanese conversations before I smack one of you! It is TOO early in the morning and in case you hadn't noticed I am already stressed out enough about my family AND the hair thing since I wouldn't even come out of the house and show you guys until my mom went and 'flung' open the door!" Despite the young blonde's annoyed exclamations right now though, she couldn't help having to try and fight back a smile. '_Gerald and Phoebe having little private lover's talks in Japanese…'_ To keep herself from full on giggling at the idea she added, shaking her head though she was also still grinning a lot, "Sheesh, I knew letting you two have so many private dates together lately would find some way to annoy me…"

Gerald and Phoebe just blushed a tiny bit and then looked at her and then at each other and then laughed warmly a little. The happy couple then shook their heads and began walking forward again together side by side up the street.

"Tanoshikunaine?" Phoebe grinned.

"Ee, soodesuyo." Gerald nodded.

They both giggled and nodded to each other again.

Helga let out another frustrated sigh and scowled and was about to say something to them again (albeit more playful than chastising…and more really to distract herself from something on her mind right now than because she really minded the Japanese much) when she felt Arnold put a hand on her shoulder and prompt her to walk forward with him behind their friends, hanging back a little though so that they could just talk to one another and let Gerald and Phoebe have their own conversation. "Um…speaking of your hair, Helga…" Arnold began directly, still rather curious about it actually, "why are you…gracing me with the sight of it down and brushed and looking so beautiful…again, exactly?" He finished with a smile and the movement of his hand on her shoulder downward to hold one of her own again as they walked together. He also gave her that look she loved…the half lidded one…and entwined his fingers with hers a little extra. Hey, he really did want to know what was up with he hair…and maybe he also wanted to let her know how really beautiful he really did think it was.

Helga felt her heart beat a bit faster and her eyes go a bit wide as his question made her recall fully her intentions about her hair…On top of that though, she was also reacting this way to Arnold at just…the sight of how he looked right now. Ever since the other day when she had knocked on his door with a few shopping bags to do some anniversary planning only to have him grab her and dip her back and plant a searing spontaneous kiss on her lips followed by playing 'big scary tiger and cute little kitten' complete with IN MOUTH purring all over his room, she had found herself much more constantly aware of that…daring little dark side of his…It felt to her for the first time in her life like he could suddenly 'snap' at any moment and just whisk her away to an existence of unending passion and romance. "O-Oh, well, uh…" she barely managed to get out, trying to put these thoughts at bay for now and stay focused…especially since she really didn't want this to turn into some kind of 'hooky date day'—it was very very VERY important to her that she and her love to attend the last day of school today. "You'll, uh, you'll see what the deal is with my hair when we get to school, Football Head." She cleared her throat and glanced away…holding his hand a little more. "Let's just say I'm going to be trying something…new, today. A, uh…a little experiment…okay?" She glanced at him nervously out of the corner of her eye.

Arnold continued looking at her lovingly but also with an eyebrow raised now, still unsure of what she could be getting at with all of this nervousness…and all over her hair?

Helga just sighed at that clueless, lovesick little look on his face and rolled her eyes. _'He always does need to be walked through everything big_…' She smiled at him, feeling a lot calmer and more confident all of a sudden. "Just…don't worry, Arnold," she assured him. "I…I think we'll both like how things turn out. Or at least we'll both not entirely _hate_ it…probably…" She laughed and so did he, which made her even more comfortable with her decision about today. She couldn't help but swallow nervously once more though as she then added (she knew it was better for her to give him a bit more fair warning about what she might have in store, after all), "But, uh, listen…if I act…oh, I don't know…a little strange today or something…just…just go along with it, okay, Arnold?" She looked at him with a touch of something unsure in her eyes, though she was doing her best to maintain her smile. She waved her free arm a little bit in gestures as she resumed speaking, due to the nervousness she was trying to suppress. "I-I mean, go along with it only as long as it all makes you comfortable, of course. If it doesn't though then just say the word and I'll call this whole thing off because even though I'm kind of curious about trying it, it's still partly for you and I'd be more than happy to wait until September to give it a go again if you need time or anything, alright?" She ended with a small, nervous shrug, dropping her free arm to her side once more.

Arnold had just continued to look at her curiously as she had spoken and gestured and grinned, but now he couldn't help smile warmly at this last nervous request of hers. He squeezed her hand a little as they walked on together, still trailing behind their best friends (who, Arnold could faintly hear, were indeed still having some kind of small private conversation, partly in English, partly in Japanese). "You're the boss, Helga." He nodded at his girlfriend supportively. "If you think it's the right time to try something new then I can't see how you couldn't be right." He winked at her.

Helga let out an amused sigh and smirked, rolling her eyes…and swinging their hands a little. "You're such a kiss up, you know that, Football Head?"

He laughed. "Yeah…And…speaking of kissing…" he let his voice go a little lower…watched how doing that made Helga's breath catch in her throat and a blush threaten in her cheeks, and her little feet stumble for just a second…And it was heavenly for him to see that effect of his on her again in their lives… "…what was that about a new double window that opens in and out in your room and a…loveseat, was it, Helga?" he finished with a playful grin and an eyebrow raised at her, VERY interested in this new little piece of information to come his way.

Helga instantly felt her face go bright scarlet as she recalled him now being in the loop about that. '_Aw and darn it, I wanted it to be a surprise for the next time he tried to sneak in…Oh well…'_ "Oh, uh, well…heh, heh…" she quickly explained, "…that's, uh, that's just part three of that three part belated birthday present from my parents that I mentioned a few weeks ago, Football Head." She swallowed and grinned sheepishly and shyly. "Just thought that old bedroom window of mine could use a little, you know, remodeling...I mean, heck, it's practically a walk in the park getting up to _your_ room secretly but you've almost killed yourself trying to get into _mine_secretly those few times…So you know, just in case you ever tried again, I figured, uh, why not…? Might as well make your entrance easier and even safer since now you won't have to worry about tumbling in there anymore like last week after, uh, y-you know…the library…" A very hot little blush rose to her cheeks—honestly, she couldn't even say the word 'library' anymore, all things considered, without just trembling and giggling and swooning…Even the mere sight of a book made her blush. It was an interesting new involuntary reaction of hers, to say the least.

A small chuckle from Arnold beside her. "Yeah…_library_…" Out of the corner of her eye she watched a distinct ruby color creep into his cheeks as well. And then… "And the…_love_seat?" her beloved suddenly prompted further about her present, still in that sultry tone of his, his eyes going even more half lidded and his warm laughter getting harder and harder to subdue…

Helga blinked, swallowed again and did her best to scowl a little over at him in a small attempt at playing hard to get toward his charming of her (though said scowl came off as entirely more playful than anything else). "H-Hey, sheesh," she started with an eye roll as she commenced her fake little attempt at saving face, "…can't a girl want a place to park herself with a bit more light to write by every once in a while? Don't think this whole 'loveseat' thing's got anything to do with you and me and, you know, a _really_ close place for two people to sit together or anything. Sheesh, you just plain think you're irresistible or something, don't you, Arnoldo?" She smirked at him a little, letting her hair shift over her shoulder for effect and really starting to like the feeling of the weight of it loose and moving whenever she moved her head. It felt good.

Arnold just laughed at the question…and also at the warm feeling it gave inside of him watching her hair bounce as she walked and shift as she turned her head. "Whatever you say, Helga..." he merely replied with a complacent and adoring smile.

Helga just let out a sigh and then finally smiled at him normally again. "Very good, Arnold—I've trained you well," she joked with a chuckle. "Now," she suddenly went on, all former nervousness seemingly gone for a moment and replaced by eager curiosity, "…moving on to things that YOU owe ME explanations for, are you going to fill me in on what the heck you've got planned for your part of our anniversary celebration tonight at the boarding house? You know I'm just DYING to know…" She leaned a little closer, fluttered her eyelashes, pouted…the whole works. Charming him right back just as he always tried charming her…

And it might have worked a little if Arnold wasn't absolutely bent with ever fiber of his being on this night being…perfect. And a perfect surprise on top of it. And so he just sighed and smiled and shook his head at her. "No, no hints, Helga. I told you, just show up dressed in something nice tonight…and I'll take care of the rest…and make all of your dreams come true…" He added this last part as a whisper into her ear, and then pulled back to watch with joy as she all but melted before him into a smile and a blush.

Eventually Helga regained herself enough to roll her eyes and clear her throat and even speak again, though she was blushing considerably. She sighed then and almost shook her head in amusement at her beloved. "Oh fine, fine, Arnoldo. I'll throw together something half way decent for tonight and show up at your door, I guess…Sheesh you're a demanding little thing, aren't you?" She grinned more and nudged him. "But, hey, _you_ better come up with something decent to put yourself in too, you know! I expect a very handsome, 'grown up' looking Football to let me in later for our big, 'grown up' anniversary date!" She winked and then laughed to herself, recalling several memories of the past at once… "You always did look good in a suit, Football Head. At least to me…" She felt her smile grow and noticed with satisfaction out of the corner of her eye that Arnold was just blushing slightly now and looking ahead as their walk continued.

"Th-Thank you, Helga," he managed to reply finally in an obviously flattered yet nervous voice.

Helga couldn't help but giggle. "You're welcome, Arnold."

Arnold managed to take a deep breath in and out, and then he turned and smiled at her again, and added (their hands still clasped so tightly as their little walk went on), "I hope you're really not too nervous about your hair today, Helga…It looks…It looks really pretty. _You_ look really pretty."

Helga half smiled and glanced shyly at him. "Oh…uh, well, thanks, Arnold. That makes me feel a little better and…and I'm glad you like it so much. Just, uh…doubled up on the conditioner and spent a good hour letting it air dry and slowly brushing it out…and I got that haircut to get rid of the dead ends that I mentioned to you the other day. No big deal." She gave a little shrug and blush.

Her beloved just chuckled and shook his head. "_Very_ big deal…After all, how am I supposed to pay attention for the last day of class or during our last baseball game when I can't take my eyes off of you…?" He winked.

She caught it out of the corner of her eye and blushed fully and rolled her eyes completely. "Arnold!"

He just chuckled a little more and gave his own modest shrug. "It's just the truth, Helga…"

He let out a little sigh and so did she.

They just continued walking and holding hands and glancing at each other lovingly for several seconds more.

And then…

"Hey, guys, if you can call a ceasefire on the flirting, we're about to hit the school's block so we should probably split up!"

It was the sound of Gerald's amused voice that broke Arnold and Helga out of their trance and reminded them that they were indeed walking with two other people and not just each other. They stopped their progress forward now, as had their best friends a second ago.

Arnold blinked and then recalled that he wasn't on some little pre-anniversary date with Helga right now—they were indeed on their way to school (and the last day too! No more six-hour blocks five days a week of pretending not to love Helga! He would only have to keep up the act whenever they hung out with their other friends! It was a definite bonus to go along with no classes for a couple of months!). "Oh, uh, right, right…" he replied to Gerald, clearing his throat and now taking a small step forward and away from Helga towards his best friend. The standard plan of action for these four over the last several weeks whenever they had decided to walk to school together had been to walk together as couples until reaching P.S. 118's street upon which Helga would go off with Phoebe first to enter the building, and then Arnold and Gerald would head there together as well after a brief wait (similar to what the two couples had done that first Monday after Arnold and Helga's one week anniversary).

And so now, as stated, Arnold had just taken a small step forward to commence their traditional separation…

However…

Arnold blinked rather curiously as he felt Helga not only _not_ release his hand like she usually would have at this point but actually…grip it all the more tightly! And then this fact plus the next words out of her mouth couldn't help making him turn and raise a VERY surprised eyebrow at her!

She cleared her throat…and let out a breath, her tone trying to be casual though there was something just a little shaky underneath it. She spoke to their best friends. "Uh, actually…Gerald, Phoebe, if you don't mind…I'd…kind of prefer to just walk with Arnold _all the way_ to the school and class today." She swallowed nervously and quickly tacked on, heat building in her features, "I-I mean, if you two aren't comfortable walking together then we can split up like usual of course, but if you're okay with heading up there together then…well, like I said, I'd like to try actually walking with Arnold…just him and me." She glanced at them hesitantly, awaiting their responses to her request.

Gerald and Phoebe just blinked at Helga's unprecedented suggestion, then glanced at each other and then back to Helga and then back to each other. Phoebe just shrugged her shoulders at her boyfriend. "It's perfectly okay with me if it's alright with you, Gerald…I mean…even if someone said something about us walking together, it wouldn't particularly bother me." She smiled at him.

Gerald reciprocated her smile and gave a small, likewise-approving nod. "Hey, I'm cool with it if you are, babe. Besides, who cares what anyone might say—summer starts in six hours!" He grinned.

Phoebe giggled and then, still smiling, turned back to Helga. For a moment, her smile took on something a little more serious and caring… "Are you certain you're okay with this sudden new arrangement, Helga?"

The young dark-haired girl watched her blond best friend let out a breath…seem to be almost in a small bit of frustrated thought with herself for a moment…but then get a determined look in her eye and give a quick nod. "Uh, yeah…I'm positive," she replied firmly and sincerely.

Phoebe's gaze lingered on her for a second…but then she realized that Helga seemed to really need this for some reason (even if there was an obvious touch of worry in her about doing it) and so the young Asian-American girl just smiled warmly again and nodded once to her best friend and then turned to Gerald. "Ikimashyo!"

"Hai, Babe!" Gerald nodded.

And then the happy couple faced forward again and turned the corner onto P.S. 118's block, smiling and laughing and talking together.

"And no more Japanese!" Helga called out in a bit of mock anger before they were out of earshot, though doing so was mostly to cover up her own heart-pounding nervousness at taking the first step in what she had planned today as part of Arnold's one month anniversary present. She quickly paraphrased in her head a debate and firm resolution she had come to with herself over the course of the last week or so, just to psyche herself up a bit and remind herself of why she was doing this right now: '_Arnold's been so sweet about keeping this whole thing a secret just for me…our whole entire beautiful mutual relationship! He's lied to our friends and put himself through nightmares of nearly getting caught, he's ended up having to do everything from crawling around in rat and mice invested air ducts to getting covered in cafeteria food and nearly being suspended all for the sake of our ruse, he doesn't even make me feel guilty about being too paranoid to walk into school with him for crying out loud, and through it all him and his loving self have just been supportive and patient as heck in general! And how do__ I__ compromise with __him__ about my feelings about us as a secret? That's just it: I __don't__! I give him the occasional handhold on a deserted sidewalk, 'let him' eat next to me at Slausens or the pizza parlor sometimes and tell all our friends that one of us lost a stupid bet, oh and I don't go into nuclear meltdown anymore if a member of his extended family catches us kissing! Yeah, all that's 'fair and equal!' Well, I'm about to make it all REALLY fair and equal! I've just been feeling more and more ridiculous about hiding things and I've finally reached my limit! I finally have good friends and a good family and of course Arnold himself which is all I need to make me happy no matter what anyone else might say about us and our love! Well, no more living in fear…at least not for today… Helga G. Pataki is going to try at least a preliminary run at total honesty today not just for Arnold but for me…and if anyone's got anything to say about it, well…well, who cares? Heck, I've got a date with Arnold tonight and tomorrow—an ANNIVERSARY date! The elementary school jungle could toss me on the four square court and ritually sacrifice me to the fifth graders for all I care so long as I have my beloved's love and my own personal happiness!'_

A determined look came to Helga's face as her thoughts concluded and then she turned her sights back to a still somewhat curious looking Arnold, gripping his hand just a bit more firmly. "Well, you coming Football Head—don't want to be late, especially on the last day like you said, right?" She gave him an eager smile and a nod.

Arnold just blinked at her, still a bit in shock about the request he had just heard come out of her mouth a moment ago about walking to class with him…and at the fact that it seemed to be really really REALLY happening! "Helga…" he spoke to her slowly and seriously, not budging from his spot on the sidewalk still, "…are you sure you're okay with us, you know, walking in together…?" he couldn't help but glance down at their joined limbs for a second and then back up at her, "And…holding hands? I-I mean, I know you said you wanted to try something 'new' for today and I really do love the new look with your hair and I'm sure everyone else will too but, um…you're really okay with the hands…together…around school?" Not that he didn't trust her judgment but the only thing bigger than holding hands to announce a relationship in elementary school would be to kiss in front of everyone or something…so he really just had to be sure…that she was asking him to do what she indeed seemed to be asking him to do…

In response to his (expected, actually) questions of concern, Helga just took a breath and looked at him and shrugged, half smiling. "Hey, like I said, I'm trying something new today. Guess I should have gone into more detail when you asked me about my hair, but, well, basically…" she rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand and gave a little sigh, a small full smile coming to her lips as she looked into his eyes and went on, "_You_ don't really want to keep 'us' a secret, no matter how wonderful and supportive you've been about it, _I'm_ getting pretty sick of keeping 'us' a secret at this point, to be honest, so why don't we call today a 'trial run' of NOT keeping 'us' a secret? Don't get me wrong, there's not going to be any making out in the middle of the cafeteria or some big announcement over the PA from me about how 'the mere sight of you sets my soul aflame and makes my lips hunger for yours', or anything but…why don't we just say I'm going to let the guard down a little for once…about a few things about myself…and see what happens…Who knows—if it's a nightmare I'll probably go back to normal tomorrow and blame it on summer vacation fever but, I mean, if it all turns out actually kind of okay then maybe…" she smiled to herself, "I-I just mean, it…it might be nice to start giving you a little hug and a smile every day instead of having to force myself to call you a loser and trip you in the lunch line or something to show my affection for you, you know?" She shrugged a little and looked at him sheepishly, a little bit of her hair falling over one of her eyes, though she shifted her head to the side a little to move it away. "Uh…happy first part of your anniversary present, heh…" she tacked on humorously.

Her love looked at her with continued blank, dense confusion for a moment longer.

He then spoke, his voice quiet and serious. "Are you…sure…that this is what you want to do, Helga? Are you sure that you're…ready…and that you're not just doing this because it's our anniversary or something?"

Helga blinked, surprised at the serious tone…She nodded, not having to give it a second thought. "Yes, Arnold," she replied back, just as seriously and truthfully, "I want to do this with all of my heart…for both of us. Even if it wasn't our anniversary, at this point I still would…I don't want to spend the whole summer going places with our friends and pretending to hate you…I don't want to have to pretend to hate you anymore ever, Arnold. I love you." She was silent…then added. "My only fear is that you will be teased too, my darling….That's the only thing that would hold me back from doing this at this point. If you're afraid of that at all, please tell me…I never want to have to pretend to hate you anymore…but I also never want to cause you pain." Her eyes almost shimmered with love and sincerity and nearly a tear.

The blank, dense look from Arnold continued for exactly one more second… "You…want to tell…_really_ want to tell…" he repeated to himself quietly.

And then he smiled completely from ear to ear as he processed everything she was suggesting…and realized she was serious! One hundred percent, bona fide, fully and completely serious! "That's, that's…" All of a sudden his happiness overtook him, "That's great, Helga!" he yelled as he suddenly lunged toward her and embraced her in a warm, tight hug! '_She wants to tell everyone! She's ready and really wants to and not just for me but for both of us and…she'll never pretend to hate me again…_' He felt all warm inside and he let out a little lovesick sigh to himself. '_G-Good….It really would have put a kink in the wedding after all if no one could come because no one knew about us…_' He almost chuckled to himself a little at the idea, squeezing her all the more in his love and happiness and appreciation! "And Helga, oh Helga…" her only fear about doing this processed with him as well now and he just had to respond to that too, to clear up the last of her doubts! "I'm not afraid of getting teased! It's so sweet of you to care but…I have YOU! I don't care what anyone says! You're worth everything in the whole world to me!" He squeezed her more tightly, smiled in total joy.

Meanwhile, Helga was just chuckling warmly to herself as she felt herself reel back a bit from her love's sudden, forceful little gesture, though she managed to regain her balance pretty quickly (still locked in his loving embrace, of course). "Hey, hey, take it easy, Football Head…" She laughed a little more. "I'm filling in the last two thirds of the fourth grade about the fact that I don't hate you, not bringing about world peace or anything." She rolled her eyes and grinned.

Arnold just let out a final big happy sigh and pulled away from her, blushing slightly at just everything. "I'm sorry, Helga," he chuckled a little as he said that, smiling all the more, "but it's just…I guess I'm just really happy that you're happy enough with everything to really want to show everyone else just how wonderful of a person you are." His smile went a bit goofier and he blushed a little as he just gazed bashfully at her. "A-And also, I…well…to be honest I really have been kind of dying to have everyone in the world know that I've been lucky enough to have the most fiery woman at P.S. 118 as the love of my life." He chuckled a little more and added with a secret little smile, taking her hand in his again and giving their enjoined hands a tiny swing, "Although…I guess we can still keep the fact that she can be a 'cute, playful little kitten' too when she wants a secret though…just between her and her 'big, scary tiger'…" He winked at her and chuckled warmly.

Helga blushed considerably and her smile went goofy and her eyes went all dreamy. "I-I…y-yeah, um…some little intimate things should definitely probably stay just between you and me…m-my big, scary tiger…" She gave an almost giddy giggle at the very idea of Arnold having more than earned the right to be called that by her at this point.

Despite how cute this thought was to her though, the responsible part of Helga's mind now finally recalled that she and Arnold really were pressed for time in regards to this whole 'getting to school before the bell rang' thing. And so, Helga took in a breath and resumed talking to him in her normal tone, returning their topic of discussion to the main point at hand, "A-And anyway, um, as for me 'being myself' today, well…we'll see if _everyone_ thinks the 'real me' is as wonderful as you do, Arnoldo." She smirked a tiny bit as she added, "Keep in mind that their opinions might be a bit skewed from yours as I won't have been dating and doting on and kissing them for the past month."

Arnold squeezed Helga's hand again, just chuckling at her cute joke and still smiling supportively at her. "They'll love you, Helga, just as much as I do, okay?" he encouraged her. And then he blushed a little and added, "Just, um…when every guy between the ages of eight and twelve starts falling all over themselves for a second chance at scooping you up once they realize what they've been missing out on, don't forget about me, okay?" He winked at her.

Helga blushed and glanced away with a smile and a little laugh. "Ha ha, very funny…and nice job at making me feel less nervous by making me laugh some more, Arnold…my little sultry preteen…" She looked back to him, her eyes half lidded, eyelashes fluttering a little. "And, hey…now that you've got free reign to let that romantic charm of yours out all over the place with me, just promise me you won't go using it to trade up for some training bra wearing sixth grade girl or anything, okay?" She winked at him.

Her love's face turned all rosy and he glanced down bashfully. "H-Helga…I-I…I, um…already told you once…" and then he moved closer and whispered to her, still glancing down, "Wh-Who needs some stupid older woman…? I'd rather have a young, warm, fiery girl goddess any day…" He then raised their hands between them and gave the back of hers a tender kiss. He heard her swoon and then removed his lips from her and looked up into her eyes. "And really, Helga…" he added quietly, "everyone's going to love seeing the real you today…and I think, even if it gets a little hard sometimes, that you'll be a lot happier now that you're doing this…and of course I'll be here to support you every step of the way, my Helga…my precious Helga..." His voice went as low as could be.

Helga just looked back into his eyes, blushing and her heart fluttering. "I…hope you're right, my darling…and I think you will be." And then with a small, shuddery sigh she leaned forward and gave him a small, tender kiss on his warm cheek, pulling back eventually to look into his dreamy eyes…the dreamy eyes of her 'big scary tiger'…and she was his 'little kitten'…and there were so many alleyways within sight…ripe for pulling someone into…or being pulled into by someone…And resistance…seemed futile…It was almost enough to make a person purr really…

For a moment the two of them just let themselves stay like this: hidden from the school's block since they hadn't rounded the last corner yet, the two of them close and blushing and warm…wanting kisses so badly…knowing that a summer of them was just mere hours away…so maybe why fight it _right_ _now_…?

But of course they could partake of such things as that later at Arnold's house tonight. For now though there was work to do!

And so, in light of this fact, Helga (having a little more self control than Arnold after all those years of developing it by resisting sharing her feelings with him), managed to finally make herself take a small step back from him and to turn facing forward (hand still locked with his of course though.) "W-Well, um…" she stretched up with her free hand and gave a little yawn, just waiting for all of that romantic tension and passion going through her to slowly ebb (for now)… "Sh-Shall we, then? I mean…now or never, r-right, Arnoldo?" she asked rhetorically with a smile, unable to help her continued blushing though…or her still somewhat flustered sounding voice.

Helga was about to finally start their walk forward and around the corner when she felt Arnold (and her hand clasping his) not moving once again this morning though. She blinked and turned around, speaking to him seriously now. "Arnold, come on—we're seriously going to be late if we don't—"

She was cut off by the feeling of him moving forward, taking one of her shoulders with his free hand, (pressing up on his toes a little as usual) and then gently pressing his lips to her own for what must have only been a few seconds but for what felt like forever. She didn't even moan or melt, she just let it happen…let it fill her up with warmth inside…let her heart beat quicken and quicken and quicken…

Eventually her love separated from her and when that happened and the spontaneity of it all final hit the young blond girl in question, it took all a smiling, goofy looking, trembling Helga had to remain standing. It reminded her again of him suddenly dipping her back and planting one on her when she had shown up at his door the day before yesterday. Oh it was just so thrilling never knowing when one of those was coming! "U-Uh, what, uh…was that for…my t-tig…uh, A-Arnold…?" She couldn't say 'tiger' right now without shivering—after all, his last spontaneous kiss had led to him purring into her mouth…Who could keep from all but collapsing in pleasure at the memory of something like that?

She just heard Arnold chuckle to himself and the sound made her eyes come back into focus on the sight of him a step away from her now, smiling and blushing as he replied with a little innocent shrug, "Just…wanted to give you a little confidence boost before you got started on everything…Did it help?" He smiled supportively, giving her hand a little caressing squeeze.

Helga just let out a swoony sigh and nodded. "Mmm hmm…" She giggled a little, and then her voice went a bit back to normal as she added with an appreciative little smile, "Uh, thanks, Arnold."

"No problem, Helga." He smiled back at her…and then his grin picked up a little on one side. "Besides, we…did have to pass over a little 'moment' together just now since we really do have to get to class so…it was nice to get in at least one kiss before it passed away entirely." He winked at her.

She just rolled her eyes and shrugged with a little blush and a grin. "Hey, _I'm_ not complaining." She winked right back at him.

Arnold smiled more and then gave her hand one final squeeze, and then turned to face forward again now. "Well, anyway…like we said we don't want to be late…no fun getting detention on the last day and especially when it's your anniversary with someone…So I guess we'd better get going then…Ladies first…" He bowed a little low and gestured forward for her to start walking first…both as part of his usual chivalry and also because he wanted to make sure that she was taking this big literal and figurative step forward by her own decision and not just from him giving her a little pull along and her figuring that now she couldn't go back on her decision to do this today even if she wanted to.

Helga felt a twist of nerves come to her stomach ( '_It…It's really here, isn't it…Now's the time, heh…_') but she did her best to only focus on the elation of Arnold's most recent kiss and her own determination and she summed up her courage and replied with a nod, "Yup, here we go, my chivalrous little gentleman…" and then with a grin, as she started walking forward with him following alongside her and their hands still connected, she added, "…my shining hour or the day I go down in flames…"

They officially rounded corner to the school's block together.

"Helga…" Arnold began playfully at her sarcastic comment, rubbing his fingers against hers a little to give her some comfort.

Helga just half grinned a little more and shrugged, her eyes half glancing at him…and also half glancing at the large red brick building they were approaching…filled with every single one of their peers. "H-Hey, when I'm nervous I deal with things with sarcasm so just let me get it all out of my system _now_ so that I don't bite 'the first person who says good morning to me's' head off or something once we get in there," she replied obviously nervously but also while still walking forward with thorough determination.

Arnold just let out a breath as they crossed the street now to head for the school's stoop (luckily, considering how late it was, the area was completely abandoned, and Arnold was grateful that Helga would at least get a few more seconds to psyche herself up for this…and to receive whatever comfort he could provide for her). "Whatever you need to do, Helga…" he let her know sincerely. "Anything at all…I'm here for you all the way, just like I said. I love you and I'll keep you safe forever, remember?" He recalled his words to her up in the air vents earlier that week after the food fight when she had seen the mouse and been frightened, and he had done his best to make it all better.

Beside him, Helga nodded. "I know, Arnold…A-And please keep that in mind about how 'whatever I need to do' is okay because, um, like I said I might do some strange things today as part of this little 'trial run'…and not even just strange things as part of how I'm going to act around _you_ but also as part of how I'm going to act about a lot of things in general…and…it'd be a big help if you just kind of went with it… O-Of course, I'd rather you didn't start 'swooping in' and 'saving me' or something every time things start to get a little choppy—I know you care about me, Arnold, but…I really do want to try standing up for myself with all of this as much as I can, so like I said just…general support is what would be most appreciated. And also…maybe this goes without saying but please don't feel weird about, you know, acting in public like you can actually stand me instead of your usual act of patient indifference. Trust me, it'll make this easier." She smiled more and focused only on him now for a moment.

"Yes, Mam," he simply replied back, focusing only on her as well, and also obviously trying to stifle a small laugh.

They were walking along the front of the school building now.

Helga did her best not to laugh too much in response (or blush too much for that matter at a few of the memories that the phrase 'Yes, Mam' from him brought to her mind). She just sighed and shook her head. "Arnold, I swear, if you actually _try_ to make me blush and giggle and stuff today you will not live to see the fifth grade, Football Head." Another little giggle couldn't help escaping her now of course though.

"Sorry, Helga," Arnold replied innocently, smiling, "I'll save it all for tonight, okay?" His flirtatious and irresistible little grin picked up on one side.

That response actually got Helga to crack a full-blown smile and completely give in to some giggles. And she knew what he was doing right now was good for her—she had a serious capacity to be taking this whole thing WAY too seriously, which would end up making it a lot more difficult and emotionally draining than it had to be. She needed to loosen up a little…and he really was helping so much. Still, that didn't keep her from continuing to playfully act like he was bugging her. She smirked at him, quirking her mouth to one side. "I hate you—you know that, right?"

Arnold couldn't help but laugh more to himself, and then reply with his own small smirk, "You know, I _used_ to think you did, but with all the stuff that's happened over the past few months I'm starting to second guess myself a little."

"Oh, just shut up," Helga added, almost unable to keep suppressing all the calming laughter and warmth he was building up inside of her.

They were walking up the school stoop steps.

Arnold just sighed and smiled and shrugged and said back, "Hmm…well, _usually_ I like a kiss to do that to me but just this once, since it's almost our anniversary again, I guess I could shut myself up on my own this time." He smiled more…looked at her fully… "You remember, Helga…" an image from their first date flashed into his mind. "How your kisses shut me up and keep me that way…?"

Helga just let out a sigh at this point and shook her head. "You know, I think I preferred Gerald and Phoebe and their Japanese under-the-table mocking to your lame attempts at comedy, Football Head."

She just rolled her eyes as she finished delivering the sarcastic comment, and Arnold couldn't help continuing to smile to himself.

"Good one, Helga."

"Aren't they always, Arnold?"

He laughed a bit more and nodded as she just continued to smile with smug satisfaction at her own comeback.

And now suddenly both ten-year-olds stopped walking and looked up and realized that they had officially reached the top of the steps…and thus the front doors…of P.S. 118.

"Hey, Arnold?" Helga asked him as they just stood for a moment looking at the school doors with kind of wide 'this is it' eyes.

Arnold nodded, looking up at the door as well. "Yeah, Helga?"

She let out a breath. "I'm calling what I'm doing today 'Operation: UN-garde'…Just to fill you in."

Arnold blinked. "Operation: UN-garde?"

She nodded. "Yeah…. It's sort of a play on words. Like the term 'En Garde 'in sword fighting is when you tell someone to get on the defensive and 'put up their guard', except now I'm doing the opposite and I'm 'unguarding' my most intimate guarded secret…and some other stuff about who I am too... So, yeah…Operation: UN-garde."

They were silent for a second.

Then Arnold spoke again (eyes _still_ transfixed on the door). He gave her hand a little squeeze. "Okay. I like it. Operation: UN-garde it is."

Helga smiled and nodded (_still_ staring at the door as well). She gave his little hand a squeeze back. "Okay then…Operation: UN-garde commencing in three…two…one…"

* * *

"Helga…are you _really_ sure you want to do this?" asked Arnold with concern as he glanced down at his hand that Helga was still holding…which was currently turning white from how hard she was squeezing (or rather crushing) it in her grasp. They had indeed entered the front doors and now the hallways of P.S. 118 together about a minute ago but, with the bell only a minute or two away from ringing, the halls, much like the front stoop outside, were empty…thus technically still leaving Arnold and Helga the opportunity to release each other's hands, head to class a few seconds apart from each other, and thus go back to their former public relationship of bully/bullied…

Arnold glanced up at Helga for her response to his question and he had to blink at the wide-eyed look of near panic on her face as she managed to speak back to him in a weak, shaky voice. "Of…Of course, I want to do this. It…" she shut her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, "It's going to be fine…" Arnold raised an eyebrow, as all of a sudden she seemed to be whispering to herself…talking herself down… "It's going to be okay, Helga old girl. It's going to be okay…besides, laying your cards out on the table has got to be better than one of these chuckleheads suddenly stumbling across everything one day and parading the news about you and Arnold around the school…r-right?"

Okay, Arnold was really starting to worry about her now…What she was doing wasn't like one of her cute little internal monologues or debates—she seemed like she was just saying whatever she could to herself to prevent a total nervous breakdown or something! He stopped their walking and put his free hand on her shoulder, turning to face her and turning her to face him. The action made Helga's eyes pop open and the whispering to herself cease. Arnold looked up at his pretty, brave little love and gave her a reassuring smile and then said to her as sincerely and softly and kindly as he could, "Helga, I mean it… I know you want to do this today at least partly for me and also because it feels right for you right now, but…if you're not ready…if you need some more time, it really is okay. I understand. I just…want you to be happy, alright?" He looked into her eyes, and then reached up trying to brush back her hair from falling over one of her eyes again so that he could look into both of those perfect, blue orbs he had come to find such peace in in his life.

Helga blinked and at first just stared blankly back at him…just looking at his loving eyes and warm smile…all of him brimming with sincerity…and then all of that before her hit her and it felt like her heart started beating again, full breaths started returning to her lungs, she even felt like she could speak without stuttering and spazzing all over the place. And to top it all off a smile finally returned to her lips. "Arnold…my darling…" she spoke warmly, "Just two things…First of all…thank you so very much for your comfort and support, my beloved. I'm…probably going to be slipping into little nervous states throughout the day and…I can't tell you how grateful I am that you'll be here to help pull me out of them and to remind me that nothing that happens today will be 'the end of the world'…especially since, when all is said and done, I have you in my life and that is what's most important." Her smile grew.

Arnold let out a deep, smiling sigh, feeling so much relief wash over him at seeing her returning to her normal, warm, smiling self. "Like I said, anything you need, Helga…I just want to support you and love you and for you to be happy."

She gave a small giggle. "And thank you for that, my darling…from the bottom of my heart…Oh and second of all…" and now a bit of a smirk came to her face and she put her free hand on her hip and even some sarcasm managed to enter her voice, "For crying out loud, _stop_ finding these perfect things to say to make me feel better when I'm in a jam, Football Head—your accuracy's starting to creep me out a little." And then with an eye roll she started to walk up the hall again, pulling him along a little.

Arnold matched pace with her quickly enough and then just chuckled at her joke as they rounded a corner (the corner that put them now in the hallway of Mr. Simmons' room.)

…But before Arnold could respond to her with some other small piece of confidence-building and nerves-relieving comfort…the two blond children were met with their first real challenge of the day…in the form of Sid and Stinky approaching the classroom door from the opposite end of the hallway.

Helga caught sight of this fresh situation first and instantly felt all color drain from her face again, and it took all she had to keep moving forward at a steady pace. Her reacting this way all of a sudden to something naturally took Arnold's attention off of her and brought it up the hall to where she was looking…and though he had been looking forward to him and Helga becoming public for a very long time, Arnold couldn't help a touch of nervousness going through himself as well at wondering how this first attempt at being open with their classmates might go over.

Arnold and Helga both then watched as suddenly, Sid and Stinky's eyes obviously lit on the two of them…both parties approaching each other still…to meet right in front of Mr. Simmons' closed classroom door.

"Oh, hey, Arnold!" called out Sid with a smile now that they were so close to meeting at this point.

"Yeah, howdy, Arnold!" Stinky added with his own wave and smile. "Did you have a good weekend?"

Helga blinked and utterly froze on the spot (causing Arnold to stop walking too. They were a few feet from Simmons' door). She felt disbelief flood through her. '_Am I suddenly invisible or something? Where's the taunting and the jeering and the dropped jaws and…_' She couldn't believe it—after all, certainly she hadn't REALLY expected 'the world to end' now that two random friends of theirs had seen her and Arnold walking together and holding hands but…she had at least expected SOMETHING!

Helga snapped out of her surprise at the feeling of Arnold caressing her hand just slightly and leaning up and over to whisper to her before addressing their friends, "You see…no one's going to hurt you, Helga…" And then with this reassurance delivered, the young football headed boy (who was happy, of course, that things seemed to be going okay…though he also couldn't help but be a touch curious about how genuinely smoothly this incident seemed to be going over) looked back to their two friends as they finished their approach toward the classroom door and gave them a little wave of his own. "Hi guys. My weekend was pretty good…how about yours?"

"Pretty, good I guess," Sid replied with his usual smile, stopping on the other side of the outside of Mr. Simmons' door.

"Yeah, reckon I can't complain," added Stinky with a nod, stopped beside him now.

Helga was in the middle of being torn between thanking her lucky stars that this was all going so freaking smoothly…and a desire to scowl and jump between the boys and ask what the heck was up and if she really was suddenly invisible or something!

This internal debate ended though when suddenly, to her total surprise, Sid's eyes at least finally went to her…and then he slid up near her and smiled in a very 'friendly' way, giving one brief glance back to Arnold before turning his sights totally to her. "So, Arnold…who's your friend? Another cousin of yours or a new student? Hello, there, I'm Sid." Sid held out his hand to her for her to shake it.

Stinky, however, despite the slightly forward efforts of his friend, was still hanging back for a second and just scratching his head, hesitating approaching the girl in question. "I don't know, Sid, are you sure she's new—I reckon there's something familiar about her…"

Well, this was one thing Helga hadn't expected upon trying out this new open relationship with Arnold…_her own_ jaw to end up on the floor!

Arnold, meanwhile, couldn't help but just glance back and forth from their friends to Helga (who's hair was indeed over her one of her eyes and partially covering her face, probably adding to the identity mix up)…and then he felt himself having to try very hard not to laugh…a lot! And maybe also a small prick of jealousy went through him (Sid...had smiled rather nicely at her, after all…though he could be kind of a flirt with most girls he hadn't met, to be honest) but…it was very very fleeting and seriously our football headed hero was mostly just as amused as he could possibly be right now! '_I told her everyone would be all over her the second she started acting like herself…She'll be more popular than Rhonda by lunchtime. No question.'_ He chuckled more to himself.

Meanwhile, Helga just scoffed several times as she tried to recover her power of speech in the middle of all of this…this…whatever it was! Then she briefly considered faking being some kind of transfer student to get out of the mess she was indeed about to plunge herself into, but then finally (at the sound of the warning bell ringing and bringing her out of her shock) she just scowled, took a breath and removed her hair from her eyes and pushed it firmly behind one of her ears to lodge it there for good. She then finished by giving Sid a _more than gentle_ push away from her with her hand not currently engaged with holding Arnold's hand. "Ha Ha, very funny, you dolts—I get it, my hair's not in pigtails and it looks weird. Now cut it out so we can get to class! Come on, Arnold!" And with that firm, take charge, and most importantly _honest_ reply, she pulled a still smiling Arnold after her and into the classroom before Sid and Stinky could respond to her revelation (hey, she was all over being honest today…but that didn't mean it might not take her a couple of tries to ease into dealing with everyone's full reactions to her new attitude and behavior).

Once inside of the door Helga already could feel herself starting to blush, and the idea of having to be seen like that along with her new hair style _and_ while holding Arnold's hand was enough to just make her want to get through this classroom entrance as quickly and neatly as possible: sort of like just ripping off a band aid instead of slowly and painfully and fearfully peeling it away. And so, with a flustered scowl, the young girl speedily pulled her beloved across the front of the room, then plopped him own in his desk in the first row (all of this much to Arnold's amusement…and he was still pretty amused by the whole 'Hey, is this your cousin or a new student' thing from out in the hall before). Helga then seemed about to walk down one of the aisles back to her usual seat automatically…when she suddenly stopped and hesitated (the reason being that she was suddenly recalling another part of her plan for today that she had already set into motion last night after a certain 'lil sis' had eaten dinner over at her house as part of welcoming home Olga). And so Helga turned around and walked back to the front row of desks, all the while refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the full classroom who might be watching her, and then approached Lila (who's usual desk was next to Arnold's). Helga and Lila shared a brief smile and then Helga bent down and whispered something into the red-haired girl's ear, upon which Lila nodded with an affirming smile at her friend and then grabbed her books and stood up…allowing Helga to have her seat while Lila walked down the aisle and went to the back to take Helga's usual desk.

This exchange over, a very tired at this point Helga just let out a deep sigh and plopped herself down in her new location, slouching and folding her arms over her chest as she continued to scowl. '_Anybody says a word and I swear I'll deck them. Heh…and really, what was I worried about with everyone finding out? I should have known that any amount of teasing or shenanigans would just make me half a second away from blowing my top and punching everyone's lights out!'_ Still though, Helga knew that she really couldn't just start physically harming people… '…_Because that would be wrong and I have a conscience now that I can't avoid thanks to the fact that Arnold's finally made me admit to myself that I really am a good person deep down inside…'_ She sighed and smiled a little at that, however inconvenient a thing it might have seemed at the moment.

It was then a Helga noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over to see Sid and Stinky finally entering the classroom…the former looking totally dazed and bewildered and blushing a tiny bit…but also seeming like he was starting to grin about something…and something _funny_. And as for the latter, he was just scratching his head, seeming confused about lots of things, possibly. Helga turned her head away from the sight and did her best not to notice them. Her change in direction led to her facing her beloved now (really looking at him for the first time since the hallway) and he was just smiling at her…just smiling and smiling and smiling away…and looking about ready to bust from pride.

"New desk?" was the first thing he observed, an eyebrow raised and his grin picking up a little on one side.

Helga blinked and blushed, her thoughts moving away from Sid and Stinky back to her new seat. "Oh! Uh, yeah—I…asked Lila last night at dinner if I could trade with her for the last day." She grinned a little sheepishly and added with a small chuckle, "Not that torturing you from _afar_ to share my feelings hasn't been fun for the last seven years, Football Head, but I thought it might be nice to just plain sit next to you like I've always wanted to do for once, all things considered." Her smile brightened a little for the first time since the hallway before Sid and Stinky had come along. "By the way, along with Lila I also let Brainy know that I'm telling the truth today…I figure the more people in the loop who know, the more support we'll have to look forward to." She winked.

Arnold had to just laugh in amusement and even more happiness and pride at these statements, and the warmth of the sound couldn't help but make Helga feel her nervousness about everything melt away a bit more. She even managed to quickly joke with a grin under her breath, under the cover of the background sounds of murmurs and talking in the classroom that could still be heard since there were still a few more seconds until the final bell rang, "I guess I'm just lucky that delusional _you_ did your best to get a seat next to Lila all those months ago when you were still on that crusade to get her to 'like you like you instead of just like you'…_and_ that, even after all the torture I put her through ever since your little attempt at dating, Lila's been so helpful about everything."

Arnold just sighed in contentment and replied, unable to help himself…and giving her the half lidded gaze she liked and KNOWING he was giving it the whole while he spoke... "I like liked Lila once? Really? Are you _sure_, Helga, because whenever I think about like liking someone all I can think about is yo—"

Helga sighed and rolled her eyes and blushed, cutting him off. "_Stop_ being a flirt, Arnoldo!" '_Heh, he's certainly taking to this whole 'love each other in public' thing like a duck to water, isn't he?'_ The idea made her want to giggle…as did the fact that she could finally just sit and chat with her beloved in the morning before class and NOT via risky little love notes thrown back and forth to each other over the course of the day…

"Helga!"

The sound of a new obstacle on this day of honesty cut off Arnold and Helga's private conversation and moment…and also it made Helga's heart stop. She managed to force herself to glance behind them though in the direction from which the voice had come…only to be met with the sight of Rhonda Wellington Lloyd marching up the row of desks right between herself and Arnold…and she…looked both SEVERELY intrigued…and also a little…fierce, was probably the only word to describe it?

Unsure of what she might be in for but as ready as she would ever be, she guessed, Helga just took a breath and braced herself and made direct eye contact with Rhonda (who had now reached herself and Arnold and was standing between them), and replied to the fashionable girl's address with a small, forced smile and in as casual and steady a tone as she could manage, "Oh, hi, Rhonda…how's, uh, how's it going?" '_Just maintain and don't hit and take it in stride…When all is said and done Arnold is here for you and he loves you…'_ Helga reminded herself quickly.

In response to her casual question Rhonda just blinked at first, then she got an almost indignant look on her face, and then she let out a huff of a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest and spoke very matter-of-factly to Helga G. Pataki. "Oh don't give me that, Helga…you _know_ you're slowly becoming the talk of the entire classroom!" She gestured with her head behind her to their classmates who, Helga now noticed, were indeed not just engaged in their usual pre-class chatter and games…but very obviously whispering busily to one another and throwing glances over at herself and Arnold…and…even a couple in the directions of Lila and possibly Brainy (though Helga's head quickly rationalized that they were probably just looking at Lila while remarking that the red-haired girl was now in Helga's former seat, and as for Brainy, well, his seat was only two back from Lila's new one in the same row so maybe she was just imagining people's eyes every once in a while drifting that far back). Rhonda resumed her focus on Helga and the sound of her voice caused Helga's eyes to snap back to the dark haired girl towering over her. "I mean, first of all you've got this whole new…hair thing going on…! Even I…I have to say that, well…it looks rather stylish…" Rhonda finally admitted (in a rather frustrated and petulant tone, crossing her arms over her chest). "If you wouldn't mind I'd actually like to know the name of whatever salon you got it styled at…" she trailed off with a tiny embarrassed blush.

Helga blinked! She was taken so aback by the slight compliment and request that all she could do was stutter out a perfectly honest and straightforward answer of, "O-Oh, uh…yeah, my hair, heh…" Considering the whole 'holding Arnold's hand and sitting next to him and having a smiling little public chat with him' thing, her hair had long since moved to the bottom of her list of 'things I may have a mental breakdown about today.' "W-Well, actually I didn't get it done anywhere special…I-I mean, I got the dead ends cut a little bit the other day but my sister did most of the styling this morning…Uh, no big deal, heh, heh…" She gave a shrug and a sheepish grin, pushing her hair more thoroughly over her ear again in a touch of self-consciousness.

Rhonda didn't seem to get the whole 'let's lighten the mood' thing Helga was trying to go for though. She just put her hands on her hips and huffed again. "Oh fine, BE 'modest' if you want to…But anyway that's NOT why I'm over here…" She looked back and forth from Arnold to Helga. "What's going on?" she asked firmly. "Everyone knows that ever since they broke up, Arnold's been sitting up here next to Lila in a pathetic attempt to win her back." She glanced at Arnold, her scowl softening a tiny bit. "No offense, Arnold," she quickly tacked on.

Arnold, who had been observing Rhonda's behavior with a mixture of curiosity and interest (and also just more amusement…more and more amusement…He had a feeling he would be amused by a lot of things today…), just sighed and shrugged good-naturedly at her. "None taken, Rhonda."

Rhonda gave a small nod and then turned her sights back to Helga. "Anyway, Helga, everyone sees that you and Lila switched seats…and then ON TOP OF THAT, according to a couple of reliable sources whom I just had the 'pleasure' of hearing from…"

Helga had a pretty good idea where Rhonda was going with this particular comment, and quickly interrupted her with a scoff and a slight eye roll. "I don't know if I'd exactly call Stinkeroo and Frog Boy 'reliable sources'…" She made air quotes around the last two words.

Rhonda just ignored yet another attempt of hers at levity and continued, still going strong and firm. "_Anyway_, it's been confirmed by several people that you and Arnold were holding hands coming all the way up the hall… Which is a little…unusual…you have to admit Helga…Arnold…" She glanced at Arnold again but then her frustrated eyes went right back to Helga…almost like she was…annoyed with her about something…very _specifically_ annoyed with _her_ about something. "I'll ask the question one more time—what's going on?" she finally finished sharply.

Arnold was aware that Rhonda was acting a little…differently than either he or Helga had imagined she would act on this day…but at this point he just sat looking at the dark haired girl and feeling completely clueless about how to even begin to figure her out right now.

Helga, meanwhile, a bit more astute (especially, as she had noted once long ago, about the romantic subtleties of their class) just looked at Rhonda curiously at first…feeling her mind working on trying to pick up on what had her so peeved right now! The young blond girl was broken from this task for a moment though by the sight of some movement in her peripheral vision, and then she noticed with a blink that behind Rhonda (and obviously having heard some of the fashionable girl's challenging words), Gerald, Phoebe, Lila and even Brainy were all looking over in Arnold and Helga's direction and had all shifted a little from their seats, obviously about to get up and try and throw in some kind of comment to tell Rhonda off and save their friends from whatever social humiliation might be threatening to come. However, Helga quickly gave each of them a meaningful look and a small shake of her head to show her thanks but to let them know to please let her handle this on her own.

Arnold, meanwhile, saw this gesture of Helga's to their friends, but despite it he was thinking that she might not mind at least _himself_ intervening and trying to say something non-confrontational and peace-making to Rhonda in the hopes of saving Helga any trouble or grief…and also in hopes of preventing Helga from maybe having a more 'physical' response to Rhonda's slight attitude (fighting was never the answer and also, after all, if she really did sock Rhonda and then get detention today it would completely throw off all of his plans for their night together, not to mention putting them a player short for their baseball game!)

However, just as he was about to intervene between the ladies, Arnold's eyes had turned to Helga…and how she looked now made him recall her words from their walk to the school about how she didn't want him 'swooping in' and 'saving her' at every turn…She wanted to try dealing with this fear of hers on her own as much as possible. And so between that memory and the look upon her face right now, Arnold decided instead to wait and keep silent and really let her handle this all on her own.

Now as for Helga, at first, of course, she had seemed a little thrown off at Rhonda's final demanding question…but then the sight of something in the far corner of the room seemed to have caught our young blond heroine's eye…and then her attention turned back to the situation at hand and she just smiled to herself at Rhonda's demand for information and an explanation, and then cleared her throat and gave a perfectly innocent shrug, and replied casually to the dark haired girl, "Hey, I'll be happy to respond to this little interrogation of yours, Rhonda, but first just give me a few seconds…" And with that Helga simply proceeded to cross one leg over the other, cross her arms over her chest, and wait in silence, smiling contentedly…

About thirty seconds passed (during which the entire class' attention slowly fell on the standoff between Rhonda and Helga…all whispering dropping away at the sheer tension of it all) and then finally Rhonda, tapping her foot in impatience and scowling much more sternly by now, dropped her arms to her sides with clenched fists and let out a sigh. "Okay, Helga, so—_what's the deal already with you and Arnold and this new look?_"

Helga glanced once more at something in the corner of the room, waited another second or two, then smiled to herself in satisfaction. "Yup, that should do it." She then turned back to Rhonda, took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and just plain told the truth...and it felt really REALLY good, however small of a truth it was in comparison to some kind of 'full blown confession' about her love for Arnold. "Yes, I was holding Arnold's hand walking up the hall just now. And I was holding it on the way to school. And yeah, I'm sitting next to him now…by special request actually. And as for the new hair, maybe I'm just trying to change things up a bit—I think I might even like it better this way. Arnold likes it like this too, by the way. Any more questions?" She managed to open her eyes now and did her best to maintain a firm face as she looked Rhonda right in the eye…even though inside she felt practically sick…_ 'Oh for Pete's sake I just…Whew, okay…just did something I never thought I'd do in my life…and…no problem…. We're okay…We're actually okay!' _And actually…she really did feel…pretty good considering how she had always thought she would feel after being crazy enough to do something like this. She felt like she had been brought a challenging situation and instead of hiding from it or trying to strangle it with her bare hands she had just…let herself be herself and handle it however it felt right. The whole thing felt…just great, really!

Meanwhile, as for Helga's little planned delay with answering Rhonda until right this moment, the young blonde girl had timed things very perfectly, because just as she finished and Rhonda opened her mouth, obviously bursting with new interrogations…

_BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

…The final bell rang and Mr. Simmons instantly entered the classroom with his briefcase in hand and a big, sunny smile on his face.

"Hello, class!"

"Hello, Mr. Simmons…" came everyone's distracted replies as they were still pretty focused on Helga and Rhonda and Arnold.

Mr. Simmons didn't notice the lack of enthusiasm much though and just put down his effects, turned to the board and erased several things to make a clean slate for the rest of the day, and then turned around with a smile. "Alright everyone, I'm sorry I was almost late—I had to see a special visitor in the teacher's lounge for a few minutes. But we're all here now and ready to start another special day! So please take you seats—you can continue talking at lunch and recess and of course after school when summer vacation finally starts! But for now let's have the last day of fourth grade begin! What do you say—doesn't that sound special?" He grinned enthusiastically!

His words were received with eager head nods and smiles from the kids—the latest schoolyard drama was interesting of course, but as their teacher had just pointed out it WAS the last day of school before summer break! (Diving into the Arnold/Helga/ 'whoever else might be involved' thing could wait…it would HAVE to after all, because of class…for a little while at least…though not TOO long…)

But anyway, back with Mr. Simmons…Noticing Rhonda still standing right up front between Arnold and Helga's desk, the young educator turned his sights to her and addressed her specifically, still with a smile though of course. "Rhonda, please take your seat so we can begin."

Rhonda blinked but then just let out a breath and nodded at the request of her teacher, though a touch of frustration still remained in her eyes (she was now totally aware of the mini time scam Helga had just pulled on her). "O-Of course, Mr. Simmons," she managed to reply compliantly though, "Sorry." She smiled and then turned away from him to face in the direction she would have to go to return to her desk.

Before embarking though she managed to lean close to Helga and whisper. "I don't know what's going on here, Helga, but if you're trying to tell everyone something about you and Arnold…a surprising turn of events that I'm still trying to process by the way…all I can say is you sure picked a bold way to do it…Either that or you're playing some kind of game…Either way though I'll get to the bottom of this. See you at lunch." And with a smile that was half devious and half frustrated, Rhonda straightened up and then finally returned to her own desk to sit down.

Mr. Simmons, meanwhile, was now occupied with taking attendance quickly and just glancing at each student's desk to make sure they were filled when he paused and blinked as he noticed Lila in Helga's seat…and then looked to the front of the room to see Helga (albeit looking a bit…different than usual) sitting in Lila's seat. He glanced from Helga to Arnold and then back to Helga…and smiled. "New seat today, Helga?" he asked in a quiet, understanding voice, trying not to let the other students hear.

Helga blinked and blushed a little. "Oh, uh…" she began to reply in an equally low voice, glancing down shyly, "Uh…just thought I'd try something new for the last day. Is that okay?" She glanced up at him with hopeful eyes.

Mr. Simmons just smiled even more down at her and gave a little nod. "Of course, Helga. I think that's a very good, special decision on your part." And with that and after checking off the last of the student names, he stepped away from the front row over to his desk, put away the attendance sheet, and then addressed the whole room of kids, still with his usual beaming smile. "Okay, class—since it's our last day and it's time for math class and we already had our final exam yesterday, I was thinking we _could_…" he paused to build up dramatic tension and suddenly reached into his briefcase…only to pull out a large, clear grocery bag…filled with a lot of an item that no self-respecting elementary-schooler could ever fail to recognize instantly on sight! "…figure out the areas and volumes of these Fudgy Nut Nut Bars before eating them as a mid-morning snack! Isn't that exciting?"

The entire class burst into cheers as Mr. Simmons starting passing out the chocolate!

* * *

In a third grade classroom down the hall, about twenty students were just sitting at their desks, fidgeting and impatiently staring at the clock that still had six hours to countdown until summer break officially began.

Suddenly though one of the students…a familiar messy boy in a blue shirt and red shorts, and who happened to be in mid-yawn, instantly blinked and froze, his eyes going incredibly wide and his jaw snapping shut. Then… "Chocolate…" he whispered under his breath.

He felt that familiar craving enter his system as somewhere in this school someone took out…what was it—chocolate…_bars_! '_Yes, that's it! Bars—about, oh, eighteen or nineteen, I believe. Quality grade A sixty five percent pure cocoa…Classic Original Fudgy Nut Nut…'_

Chocolate boy felt himself drooling but then remembered that he had been avoiding chocolate for weeks ever since breaking the habit the first time.

With a heavy sigh he settled on munching on some of the several dozen radishes currently stored in his desk…which he had _maybe_ come to coat with a thin layer of chocolate over the last few weeks...Not a full relapse of his old ways, mind you...just a little 'take it or leave it' crutch to get him through the days…probably. Okay, fine, he needed Arnold rehab again and not just for the chocolate but probably for his radish addiction too, but for crying out loud it was the last day of school, and he was just going to get through it however he felt like it and THEN get completely back on the wagon! Arnold had given him the confidence!

He smiled to himself and managed to put away his chocolate covered radishes for now and focus on his last day of studies (even though he would doodle a picture of one or two of them in the margins of his notebook paper with a hungry smile as the day would wear on.)

* * *

_Back in the fourth grade classroom…_

Simmons had finished handing out the chocolate bars and now had his back turned to the class again as he wrote something new on the board. Arnold, seeing an opportunity amid the rustling of plastic wrappers and the fact that the educator at the front of the room wasn't watching them right now, finally turned to look at his girlfriend again (whose eyes were wide with a bit of shock…and she was also obviously in thought about something). He placed his chocolate bar to the side for a moment and whispered over to her, "Helga, what did Rhonda say…? Is everything okay?" He hadn't been able to quite make out Rhonda's whispered words to Helga before she had departed.

Helga beside him just took a breath at his question and nodded, and then she whispered back to him, turning her eyes in his direction finally. "Yeah. She's, uh…she's interested in whatever's going on, obviously. At the same time though she's also coming off as a little…annoyed at me and I'm not sure what to do with that. But, uh…so far so good in general, right?" Helga smiled sincerely at her beloved. "I mean, there's been some whispering, I had to make a clever comment or two, but people haven't started 'rioting' or anything so, hey, maybe there really is a chance that this insanity might not turn out to be _so_ bad." She couldn't help but smirk a little and add, actually finding the idea a bit more humorous than unpleasant now that the first step had been taken with all of this 'being herself' stuff, "I'm pretty sure we're going to be dealing was a whirlwind of fun at lunch and recess though, Football Head. Don't worry though, I've got your back." She winked at him. "Oh and thanks for letting me handle that one on my own, Arnold…Bliss said it would be healthy for me to do that when I talked over this plan with her, and to be honest it felt really, really, really good just telling the truth and not caring if anyone had a problem with it." Her smile brightened.

Arnold's look of concern changed over to a smile…He could tell that she wasn't just making jokes right now to avoid stuff—she was genuinely…okay. He was very grateful for that. "You're welcome, Helga…And you did really well with handling that—I'm proud of you." He winked…and then went on…a little more bashfully now. "And, um...hey, Helga? Um…I don't know if it'll hurt or help things today, but…," his voice took on a touch of shyness as he whispered something to her he had been dying to ask her to do for weeks… "I could sit next to you at lunch if you want…? Just to be supportive…and also because I'd really really like to sit next to you at your table finally." He looked to her hopefully.

He watched as Helga just sighed and smiled more at him, and then gave him a nod that he had been longing for in response to a question like that for so long. And then Helga even did him one better, showing that the idea of eating lunch officially together in public in school with him had been on her mind as well. "Actually, I'd already planned to have you and me and Gerald and Phoebe sit at the same table today…with you and me right next to each other…maybe even sharing one chocolate milk with two straws…if you're all okay with that, of course, Arnold." She blushed a little extra and hoped he would be just as thrilled with the idea as she had been figuring he would be.

The bright grin that came to her beloved's face let her know that her prediction had been right on the money. "Absolutely…" Then he sighed airily and just gazed at her in wonder for a moment. "You really do want to be open about everything today, don't you, Helga Geraldine?"

Helga just did her best not to laugh (or giggle much… '_Geraldine'_…Him calling her that still made little butterflies keep happening in her stomach) as she responded with a shrug, "Hey, you know me—if I'm going to blow the lid off of something I go for the full monty." She gazed at him a tiny bit too as long as Simmons was still writing on the board and the room was full of kids obviously (probably) distracted by candy at the moment. "Oh but, Geraldine still stays between us and our best friends, okay?" she added, her grin picking up a little extra on one side.

Arnold just laughed to himself a little and gave her a small smirk, resting his head on one of his hands for a moment. "Of course, Helga Geraldine…" He gave her a reassuring wink. "And as for 'blowing the lid off of something' and 'the fully monty'…Huh…_you_, Helga? Getting carried away with a confession?" He shook his head a little, the smirk still there. "That just seems…so unlike you…"

Helga was really trying not to break into full-blown laughter and to look like she was actually starting to focus on taking some notes about what Simmons was writing on the board more than she was obviously flirting with Arnold. And so…"Don't actually make me lean over and kiss you to shut you up right now, Football Head," she merely quipped back, recalling their chat together during their 'hand in hand' walk up to the school stoop before…. "Otherwise I think our class' heads might explode from the paradox of the sight or something." Along with writing in a note or two on the page before her now, she also lightly traced over one copy of the phrase 'Helga G. Pataki-Shortman' in purple ink (which was etched into every crevice of the margins of every one of her notebooks at this point, actually.)

"Well, maybe not from the sight of us just kissing…Them catching us playing 'a la mode' together or something, though…now that might lead to some head explosions," her love suddenly added quietly from beside her.

"A-…I…Uh…e-excellent point, Football Head…" Helga merely managed to stutter back with a huge grin…and a rather bright blush at the many memories the idea of being 'topped with ice cream' made bubble up in her mind.

Arnold laughed a little at her stuttering and Helga laughed a little at his laughter. And then they both let out sighs and smiled to themselves and went back to writing notes (and also eating chocolate), happy for the small break of class between now and the midday break of eating and recreation when they inevitably would have to deal with quite a few more reactions to their apparent sudden close relationship.

* * *

Just some quick notes for all you Gerald/Phoebe fans out there!

Yup, as might be obvious from their sweet little walking and talking this morning, Gerald and Phoebe were still going strong and sweet as ever…

F-For the most part…

That's actually what that phone call Arnold had ignored in his room the other day during the whole 'tiger/kitten game' thing had sort of been about... Rather than asking Arnold for more general girl advice this time, Gerald, on a sudden impulse had been actually considering spilling to his best friend just how, uh...'different'...things had started to feel between himself and Phoebe lately...But Arnold, wrapped up in continuing to make up with Helga that day, had not answered this time, and by the time Gerald had called him later after dinner, the tall haired boy had lost all courage to admit to Arnold how, uh...once again, 'different', some of his more romantically-based feelings had been lately. And so Gerald had just asked his best friend more general girl questions and shared with him about his and Phoebe's latest date instead...Though there had been times over the last day and half that he had regretted chickening out like that... (And Phoebe, in her occasional phone chats and private chats with Helga lately, might have sort of been having a similar problem...and similarly regretting constantly chickening out from mentioning some things that had been on her mind more and more lately...)

Because, well...

...The thing was that…with their friends who knew about them being together (mostly Arnold and Helga), Gerald and Phoebe were fine and okay and great. Group things are always easy and fun, after all!

But…in private lately…there was something there…kind of awkwardly there actually…And it had been making their 'one on one' dates a little…more pressured feeling for the last week or so. Like, they had suddenly been filling them up with everything from fencing to blues records to Japanese lessons to spoken word poetry recitals to taking a quick peek at some fifth grade textbooks to watching Pop Daddy marathons, and basically any other distracting activity they could come up with to fill the time and not have to be left in one of those awkward, silent, 'tense' moments where…something…might be waiting to spring up on them and happen when they least expected it and were least able to control it!

But, when you were a little boy with a crush on a little girl…and both of you prided your relationship on having it be sweet and simple and normal…how were supposed to begin to explain to her that you were thinking about wanting something…not so 'sweet and simple and normal'…s-sometimes…And how would you even begin going about getting to that new stage, even if by some miracle she ended up wanting it too? Which she couldn't POSSIBLY ever want…not his lovely, innocent, modest Phoebe Kyoko Heyerdahl!

And…from another perspective…when you were, let's say…a little girl with a crush on a little boy…and, once again, both of you prided your relationship on having it be sweet and simple and normal…how were you even supposed to begin to explain to him that, w-well…sometimes the idea of 'experimenting' a little with your 'sweet, simple, normalness'…was starting to have a hold on your mind and heart? And even if he would be willing to let you experiment a little…which she was sure would be far too much for him and would gross him out considerably, even though he might go along with it just to please her…how could she even begin to broach such a subject? And with her cool yet shy…confident yet still learning…charming yet still kind of spazzy sometimes Gerald Martin Johannsen?

So, yes, the end result of all these personal doubts coupled with an almost blinding fear of bringing them up to one another was that Phoebe and Gerald had been perfectly fine and comfortable and happy around their friends or family together just doing whatever…But…the alone stuff…unless there was a BIG distraction there to take their minds off of it, the alone stuff had like an instant, hot, unbearable tension to it that mostly made them both about a second away from passing out in a total faint at the slightest sound or peep or move from one another. Heck, they hadn't really even been able to bring themselves to have one of their little kisses (lips or not) in a few days now too…what between that little 'arm kissing' incident that Arnold and Helga had interrupted at Phoebe's house the other week and then all the 'Chloe' stuff the other day leading to that first extended (exactly 5.4 seconds long, to be precise) kiss between them and then also just…starting to find it more and more difficult to avoid the situation of 'do we announce ourselves officially to the class or not' as the weeks had now progressed. It was all too much, all too much pressure…so how could you even hope to have just a little, simple kiss like before…when all the pressure was constantly pushing underneath it.

To sum it up, Gerald and Phoebe were young and confused and inexperienced…and so they were dealing with things by sort of putting them off and avoiding them and just…hoping the situation would work itself out or at least that a solution would present itself soon.

Although, honestly, you think they would have learned from Arnold and Helga what avoiding your feelings for an extended period of time can lead to—the stress, the drama…the kissing…

For now though they just sat comfy and cozy in class on the last day of school, ready to support their best friends and Helga's plan to go public about herself and Arnold! (Another perfect distraction for everyone's other favorite P.S. 118 couple from dealing with the bits of awkwardness from their own relationship right now.)

* * *

**A/N:**

I hope you guys liked this! Please review! And, I'm pretty sure it's obvious but…EPIC AMOUNTS OF SLAPSTICK CHAOS ARE ON THE WAY XDXDXD I hope you guys enjoy it all ^w^ And while updates for this are going on (since the chapters are a lot shorter now) I'll also try updating "April 2nd" and "Dinner AND a Show" ;) Promise! :)

Also, before I go, I'd like to wish SuprSingr a Happy upcoming Birthday. I love her, and I hope she will be well and happy.

Happy Reading, all!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER! *Hearts!*

**P.S.**

Oh and some quick translations for the Japanese (and, for anyone who's like fluent, please be kind-I'm seriously going off of three semesters of elementary Japanese plus my obsessive love of anime XD If you have corrections though please let me know :) ).

"Yamete" (Stop it!), "Aw, demo Helga no kazoku wa-" (Aw, but Helga's family is-), Gerald wa okashiidesuyo, demo- (Gerald, you're funny, but-), "Tanoshikunaine?" (She's no fun, huh?), "Ee, soodesuyo..." (Yeah, you know it!)


	21. For Better or Worse

**A/N: **

Hey there, guys :D Wow, I haven't updated for six weeks? I'm sorry ^^;; I've just been crazy busy and also these chapters still manage to take FOREVER XDXD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this latest LTBH installment : 3 Oh and btw, at the end of the last chapter, a little bit after it was published I added a small paragraph to the Gerald/Phoebe stuff. You can find an explanation about it in the "Second A/N" at the top of the chapter page ;)

Also, before we start, I'd like to give a special thank you to **NintendoGal55, KasuKAPL and BrokenRose. **They were really helpful and supportive about something that happened with the last chapter of this fic, and I appreciate it with all of my heart. And extra hugs to _NintendoGal_ who probably caught the brunt of some stuff about all of this, and who's been sweet enough to put up with me and my basketcase-ness. ^w^ Thank you, and thank all of you girls!

Alright, let's get to it, shall we then ;) Read and review please! Thank you!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 21:**

**For Better or Worse**

* * *

Lunchtime. Recess.

A total of a full hour of nothing but social interaction.

And Arnold and Helga were center stage…for better or worse.

"Hey, Helga! I like your new hairstyle. I almost didn't recognize you. It's really pretty."

Helga just let out a good-natured sigh and tried not to get too annoyed at yet another compliment on her hair this morning (the first had come from Sheena on the way to lunch and then Eugene when they had all finally entered the cafeteria…and now it appeared to be Nadine's turn). It wasn't that Helga didn't enjoy these few words of praise that she had been getting today from these few classmates about her new look (hey, they beat out the strange secretive whispers she kept seeing half the guys in the class engaging in while pointing at her and Arnold and sometimes in the direction of her old desk near where Lila and Brainy were). But the point was that Helga really didn't like being the center of attention, at least considering the circumstances of this day…

But of course, she wasn't about to blow up at a person genuinely trying to be nice to her just because she was having a stressful day. And so, Helga just glanced up at Nadine from her place sitting alone (for now) at a lunch table and did her best to smile at her and reply appreciatively, "Uh…thanks, Nadine. Just, uh…going for a shift in the Helga G. Pataki image." She gave a small shrug and nervously brushed a strand of hair behind one of her ears.

Nadine just smiled warmly and nodded. "You're welcome, Helga." And then she went over to her usual table to join Rhonda and some others.

Upon Nadine's departure, Helga let out a breath and slouched down in her seat, rubbing her temples and mumbling to herself with her eyes closed. "I'm going to need a sedative after this day, aren't I? Or at least a serious nap…or a permanent vacation to the funny farm for not only coming up with but actually GOING THROUGH with a stunt like this! Going public with my soft, mushy, good-hearted center, complete with my feelings for Arnold as the icing on the cake!" She moaned slightly to herself. "I am either ridiculously brave or ridiculously stupid, aren't I?"

"I'd…go with the first one, Helga. Like I said once, you're the bravest person I know…" suddenly came as a warm response in a familiar voice to Helga's rhetorical question to herself.

Her eyes opened and she let out another breath and sat up straight again, glancing at up her beloved's smiling face as he stood right beside her now, two full lunch trays in his hands (his and hers…She had told him several times upon arriving here that she was more than capable of getting her own lunch, upon which he had told her more than several times right back that he had been practically pining away for weeks to be allowed to act like her boyfriend in school, so if she wasn't going to let him carry her books or pull out chairs for her or open her locker door for her or let him scoop her up in his arms to carry her on an off the bus each day—all requests he had made via little notes in class today and all requests that had been denied—the least she could let him do is get her lunch just like Phoebe might have done any other time, to which Helga had finally agreed) . "Hey, Arnold…" Helga addressed him now in a casual voice, "…catching me in the middle of talking to myself again, I see. And after four weeks are you sure my little one woman conversations still aren't freaking you out?" She gave him a half smile.

Arnold just shrugged, half smiling right back at her as he sat down in the chair beside her and placed their respective trays in front of each other…and a single carton of chocolate milk between them. "Actually, they always make me smile. I like getting to hear what you're thinking every once in a while, Helga. It's fun." He grinned fully now, warmth in his obviously enchanted eyes.

Helga couldn't help but roll her eyes and almost chuckle at his response as she picked up a spork and did her best to try and take a bite or two of her food, though she wasn't really feeling in the mood to stomach much of anything today. "You know, I still say you're even more of a loon than I am, Arnoldo—_I _might come up with all the crazy stuff I do and say but _you're_ the one who's always just pleasantly okay with it." She smiled to herself and turned her own warm eyes upon him now. "You seriously need to explain to me in detail one of these days the logic behind how the heck it is again that me loving you actually managed to make you happy instead of freaking you out beyond all reason like it looked like it was going to do at the beginning there." She smirked a little as she finished.

Helga was met with Arnold just laughing to himself a little and giving a little shrug as he picked up his own spork to start in on his own lunch, though he was more interested in being with and talking with her at the moment than eating the last day of cafeteria leftovers. "Hmm…" he started just a little playfully, "…well, not to give too much away about your anniversary surprises and presents but…after tonight I think you'll definitely understand what it is about you that makes you so impossible not to love…" His eyes went a little half lidded, just a little sultry looking... But then, reigning in the flirting for now, considering that they really were in a rather crowded cafeteria and also the center of attention for the fourth grade for today, Arnold let out a breath and his normal smile returned and he turned his eyes to his tray and began to play with some peas and mashed potatoes. "For now though…why don't we just worry about lunch, okay?" He glanced over and gave her a wink, unable to help at least doing that.

Helga just sighed and smiled and tried not to blush too much at all of his adorableness, and then glanced to the chocolate milk cartoon between them…and couldn't help blushing a little a the fact that her beloved had prepared the single beverage with two straws as per her suggestion to him this morning (and one of them was even a bendy straw which Helga hadn't even had to especially ask him to get since he knew her and her tastes so well, she noticed with an impressed glance). "Whatever floats your boat, Football Head…" she replied in her own little playful and coy way. She leaned forward took a sip from the carton and then added in a slightly more sassy voice and with a grin at him, "But quit dangling these anniversary surprises in front of my nose, already! I know _you're_ enjoying finally having a secret from _me _for a change, but I'm already anxious enough about today without having to worry about what nutty romantic plan you've come up with the sweep me off my feet tonight." She gave him a little elbow nudge, her playful grin picking up a little on one side as she added, "Heck, on our last anniversary you practically gave me a heart attack by sneaking into my room, _then_ put me through a major emotional crisis, _then_ made me guide you out of a major emotional crisis, and THEN nearly gave me pass out from elation when you came back to finish up the night! And all of that was just for celebrating one week together. I shudder to think what that wide head of yours has been cooking up to celebrate our first blissful month of love!" She laughed, barely making an effort to hide it behind her hand, and mostly doing that just to bug and tease him a little more as she added with a slight roll of her eyes, "Are we gonna elope or something?"

"Mmm_ mmm_…!" Arnold, who had gone for a bite of his mystery meat right before that last humorous observation of hers, had to clear his throat as he was now choking on the mouthful of 'meat' he had managed to take in though not successfully to swallow as her comment fully processed. He picked up his napkin and dabbed it at his mouth and just tried to play it cool.

Helga blinked at his slight bout of intense coughing and then a touch of worry came to her face. "You okay, Arnold?" she asked in concern.

Finishing up clearing his throat, Arnold gave a small nervous nod and then put down his napkin and took a sip of their milk to clear his throat (feeling a little bubble of giddiness come over him at actually getting to share a drink with Helga in public WITHOUT some shame of a platonic excuse to cover up the romanticness of it all), upon which he let out a breath and looked at her again, a funny smile threatening to come to his face. "Uh…yeah. No problem. Heh, mystery meat's always so dry. Thanks, Helga. A-And, elope?" He rolled his eyes with an almost amused grin now and shook his head a little. "No, not quite yet, Helga." He winked and she giggled, and then, feeling calm once again, he smiled appreciatively at her and then went on much more casually and sweetly, "And, um…as for tonight… I'm just…going to do my best for your a-and hope the whole time that nothing happens to mess anything up." He smiled a little sheepishly in his slight nervousness about making tonight really perfect for her, but then had to add appreciatively, "And I'm really glad you let me take care of everything tonight in secret as part of my present to you…" He reached over and lifted up her hand slightly, causing her to blush. "It really was a lot of fun planning everything out…I've never had an anniversary with someone as big as this one…and it was nice to work on something special to make you happy, Helga." He let out a small sigh and then softly and quickly kissed the back of her hand before dropping it gently to the tabletop once more and returning to playing with his, all the while utterly thrilling inside about having done something like that with her public!)

Helga was paralyzed at first: handhold, hand kiss, public… And yet…despite the fact that not too long ago she was sure that if Arnold had showed her such blatant affection in public or vice versa she would have died from humiliation, instead Helga right now just felt a warmth and happiness come over her at his small kiss…maybe there was a vague awareness there too that the outside world might be observing them for all she knew, but otherwise…she felt very good and okay. Indeed, somewhere along the line of their courtship, being happy with Arnold had genuinely shifted to a place of greater importance to Helga than her false pride or social fears. Helga sighed internally, feeling so very just…blissful. _'Wonders never do cease do they?' _And then she did her best to resume eating…and to hide her slight blushing underneath her hair. Glancing out of the corner of her eye at her beloved she couldn't help but notice that not only was he glancing at her as well as he went back to eating a little, but that he was blushing just a bit right along with her. And in this moment, as in several so far this morning, Helga felt perfectly very grateful for about the millionth time today that Arnold was here to share in this 'coming out' experience with her.

"Hey guys, how's taking 'Helga and Arnold' public treating you so far?" Gerald asked with a smile, interrupting the afterglow of the Arnold/Helga moment as he and Phoebe, both with full cafeteria trays of their own, approached the table and took seats on the other side of it to join their best friends.

Helga just sighed at the tender moment being interrupted and rolled her eyes at Gerald before looking to him and responding to his question. "Well, let's see—the entire female population of our class plus Eugene officially has an unhealthy obsession with my hair, Sid and Stinky caught me holding Football Head's hand coming up the hall this morning and before they knew it was me I think Sid was trying to come on to me, I'm pretty sure I'm deaf from the amount of snickering from the guys that went on behind us during Simmons' class when I was sitting next to Arnoldo, oh and Rhonda informed me just before she took her seat this morning that she's circling overhead to swoop in for the kill, on top of which I think she's actually taking the whole 'me and Arnold' thing personally for reasons far beyond the comprehension of those of us who _haven't_ fried our brains with hairspray and highlights for the last decade!" She smiled with sarcastic over enthusiasm as she finished, swinging a fist through the air, "And the day's barely _half_ done, guys! Isn't that exciting?" She glanced at the three other members of her table, feigning brightness and excitement in her eyes, and then she pushed her barely eaten lunch tray away and lay her head down on her arms on the tabletop with a dramatic sigh, just needing a minute to let all of this chaos that she had gotten herself into absorb yet again.

From across the table Phoebe frowned and paused in eating her own lunch for a moment. "Helga…" she started in consolation, "Please don't worry. If it's any consolation I think you're doing a wonderful job of sharing your and Arnold's relationship with our classmates. The worst part of it with your initial revelation of the truth is over with and now I'm certain that things will only get better." She smiled encouragingly.

Helga sighed once more and popped her head back up, resting her chin in one of her palms. "Actually, Phoebe, with the few other 'honest' things I've got planned to do for today, things are pretty much guaranteed to get worse before they get better…" Seeing Phoebe's look of concern grow, Helga smiled at her best friend and added reassuringly, "Don't worry about it though, Pheebs—I've been mentally preparing for this for a few days now and I'm ready to face whatever the world can dish out. Oh and thanks for trying to help back in the classroom by the way when Rhonda started interrogating me…" She glanced at Gerald, likewise with a smile, "And thank you too, hair boy…I appreciate the effort. I only told you to stop though because I don't want to drag anyone else into this today who doesn't have to be in it, and also I…I think it might be important for me to kind of handle this stuff on my own—you know, face the consequences and see for real that my world actually isn't going to end if my love for Arnold becomes public knowledge…" Helga did her best to recall the words of Dr. Bliss at yesterday's session when our blond heroine had revealed her plan for 'Operation: UN-garde' to the psychologist (a plan which had, needless to say, met with the good doctor's distinct approval).

Gerald and Phoebe smiled back at Helga in approval of her strategy and logic…

…But Arnold, focusing on a different part of what she had just said, blinked and turned to look at Helga curiously. "Wait…what do you mean 'other honest things' that you've got planned for today, Helga? I mean…" he appeared to be seriously considering the possibilities for a second, but drawing a blank no matter how hard he tried to come up with something, "…what else is there besides us just spending time together and sitting near each other?...And also I guess you wearing your hair differently because you want to?" he finally asked her with genuine curiosity.

Helga smirked at his little query and, without missing a beat, leaned her head resting on her palm closer to him. She batted her eyelashes and whispered in a low, suggestive voice, "What do you _think _I mean, my lunch bringing little boyfriend?" She winked and let out a small giggle.

Arnold's eyes went a bit wide and he felt a blush come to his cheeks and his heart pound just a bit at that familiar look on Helga's face and at that tone of voice she was using…the look and tone she always gave him right before…she…and he… Would she really…_in public?_ Would she really…possibly kiss him in public? On his lips? And not like in a 'school play' or 'Babewatch mouth-to-mouth' scenario? He gulped at the very notion, as the first image that entered his head wasn't some sweet little peck in front of their friends like he had always actually kind of wanted from her, but rather, considering her flirtatiousness right now and their kissing history together...an image of Helga clearing away the trays from the lunch table with a sweep of her arm, then tossing him back onto said table (much as she had tossed him back onto her coffee table during their first date four weeks ago), then tossing herself on top of him and announcing to the whole cafeteria that he was hers and she wasn't going to hide it anymore, and then just…just…just undoing seven years of a public façade of hatred toward him with one passionate and perpetual kiss…and…

Arnold was very lost in daydreams. To those watching him, he appeared wide-eyed and blushing and his little jaw hung open and he was barely breathing anymore.

Helga, seeing all of this, just pulled back from him a little and laughed to herself at his adorable and hilarious fluster. "Hey, relax, Football Head!" She gave him flick on the ear, which brought him back to reality with a small cringe of pain. "I already told you before—no spontaneous makeout sessions in the cafeteria…though it's interesting to know you wouldn't exactly not be open to something like that…" She raised her brow twice and winked at him, and then pulled her tray back in front of her and managed a bite or two more of food, feeling a lot more relaxed and mellow now.

Arnold let out a sigh deep, trying to get his blush under control and smiling the whole time, both from his private thoughts and from her little jest, unable to help it. "Very funny, Helga…" He picked up his own spork as well and took another bite from his own tray, all the while trying to keep his heart from pounding at the idea of that daydream he had gone off into…or how the location of it could easily be switched from the crowded cafeteria to maybe…their dinner table…tonight…and how maybe _he_ could be the one doing the 'clearing away' and the 'tossing back'…

Helga, not privy to any of these intimate thoughts of her boyfriend of course, just sighed in satisfaction at having successfully gotten him all flustered, and reclined back in her seat a bit, laughing to herself. "Hey, just keeping you on your toes, Arnold. And as for what I really meant by the other honest things I've got planned for today, well…let's just say I've got at least a stunt or two more up my sleeve to try before 'Operation: UN-garde comes' to a close that might shock people a little to see in Helga G. Pataki. Some stuff in class, some stuff after class…you'll find out as we go along, Football Head." She winked at him with a half grin.

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes, half grinning right back at her. "Don't I always?" He raised one of his eyebrows.

The two shared a small mutual laugh, which caused Gerald to turn to Phoebe and fake a gagging motion at the obvious overly-sweet flirting between their two friends, which caused Phoebe to giggle in amusement at his dramatics and little joke.

"Oh, hello, Arnold, Helga, Gerald, Phoebe, how are you all doing today?" Lila suddenly approaching their table with a smile and this cheerful greeting interrupted the joking of the four friends and caused all of their attentions to turn to her.

"Oh, hi, Lila," Arnold smiled up at her and gave a small wave. "We're doing okay, thanks."

"Yeah, we're all getting by," Helga seconded with a shrug and a smile. "Oh and hey, Ms. Perfect…" she then added, grinning and leaning back a bit more in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "…You know, you've only been absent from our house for 24 hours and Olga's already just busting to get you back over." Her smile grew and she gave a casual shrug and pretended to be checking her nails as she added jokingly, "Me, I could take you or leave you, of course, but Olga seems bent on 'bonding' so I'm sensing another girly slumber party in the works for all of us. I…take it you'd be down for something like that in the very near future, Lila?...Like sometime in the next two weeks…even if it'll probably drive what little sanity I have left over the edge, of course…" She raised part of her brow at the cheery red-haired girl, doing her best not to chuckle the whole time at the idea of the response she was probably about to be met with…

Lila positively beamed at Helga! "Oh I'm ever so certain I'd love to spend some more time with you and Olga, Helga!" She raised her hands and clasped them together enthusiastically over her heart. "Oh and could we really have another ever so fun slumber party with you and me and my big sis and Phoebe too of course _that soon!"_ she asked with lights practically dancing in her eyes.

Helga let out a good-natured sigh, shifting the front of her chair forward to sit normally again and nodding to her bubbly buddy. "Yup, it's pretty much official. And as for the exact date, you and Olga can hammer out the details of course when you plan our little get together since I would have no patience for that. Besides, it's been almost a month since our last little soiree, which means that I'm a bit overdue for psychological torture from both of you at once. Not that it hasn't been fun to de-stress a bit and spend most of my time with the Football Head, but a little mayhem to keep me in practice dealing with you two wouldn't hurt." She winked at Lila.

Lila just giggled at the observation, obviously absolutely thrilled that her summer was going to be starting out like this. "Oh, Helga…" she replied pleasantly and with a warm smile, "…you know, I'm ever so certain you like spending quality time with Olga and I a little more than you let on…don't you think she must, Arnold?" The red haired girl turned, with a bright smile, to the football headed boy for support.

Arnold smiled back at her and then glanced at Helga smugly as he replied to Lila, "Oh _yeah_—you know, Lila, when Helga and I are alone she goes on and on about how much she actually loves all those romantic movies and the makeovers and the gossiping and giggling with you and Olga. Don't listen to what she might say about it to you—she's just being stubborn, aren't you, Helga?" He grinned at her more, first at Helga and then at Lila.

Helga just rolled her eyes to the side and gave her boyfriend a little punch in the shoulder and did her best to smirk at him despite feeling the need to just smile and laugh. "Oh, ha ha, you're hysterical, Football Head." Arnold chuckle and Helga just sighed and smiled and turned back to Lila. "Anyway…okay, yeah, MAYBE I don't ENTIRELY hate spending time with you and Olga. There, are you two happy?" She glanced between a smiling Arnold and a smiling Lila. "So, yeah, give Olga a call and set something up so we can 'get this over with'…" She sighed and laughed a little to herself and rested her head on one of her palms again, but then suddenly she blinked as though something had just occurred to her and she turned to Lila once more and added, "Oh but of course don't plan it for this weekend…since I've, uh, you know, got a lot of plans already…" She shyly and barely gestured with her head over to Arnold.

Helga then felt a blush bloom in her cheeks as she felt Arnold allow his hand to rest upon hers on the cafeteria tabletop again today. Was this going to become a regular thing or something? And if it was—how in the world was she to keep herself balanced between freezing up in nervousness…and melting in utter bliss? '_Eh_…' Helga thought to herself, almost starting to smile, _'A-As long as I've got the 'bliss' part of it all…I can work with this.'_ She almost wanted to giggle inside.

Arnold's voice speaking brought her out of her thoughts as she listened to him with blushing interest. "Yes, we've got lots of plans…" our football headed hero nodded and looked at Lila with a warm smile, "We decided to take the whole weekend to celebrate our month anniversary…four weeks since the first date you and Olga set up for us before that sleepover."

Helga just let out a sigh and gulped, and managed to quip quietly, "Yeah, yeah, it's an anniversary extravaganza." She looked to her boyfriend with half lidded eyes and a smile and a small shake of her head…. "Crimeny Arnold, I know I'm finally giving you your wish of being able to shout about our love from the rooftops, but rope it in, Mr. Eager. Just spilling all over the place that it's not just our anniversary, like I already had to break down and tell Miss Perfect yesterday when I was setting up our whole 'seat swapping' thing and also because I knew Olga would fill her in if I didn't, but also filling her in on the fact that I'm dedicating the next three days of my existence to you and only you? Some girls don't like to kiss and tell you know." She winked and then giggled warmly, and then she shifted her hand, partly consciously and partly unconsciously, so that they were now holding hands on the table.

Arnold just chuckled as well and squeezed her hand a little, not missing a beat. "Ah but as of today shouldn't you LOVE to kiss and tell?" he asked with a grin and a wink.

Helga blinked and then rolled her eyes with a grin, blushing once again. "Oh shut up! Crimeny, such a egotistical and bold little bad boy I got myself roped in with..." She winked right back at him, and Arnold was the one smiling shyly and blushing again this time…

Lila just put a hand to her mouth and giggled, finding their little couple exchange ever so adorable. "Oh well I'm ever so certain that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard, you two—a whole weekend of celebrating. I hope you two enjoy yourselves! And I'm ever so happy things are going alright with letting everyone know about your ever so charming relationship today!" Lila, with a smile and a small wave, was about to turn and leave to eat lunch at her usual table with some of the other girls when she stopped at the feeling of a hand hesitantly grabbing one of her arms…Helga's free hand not holding Arnold's, to be precise.

"Hey, uh…Lila?" came Helga's nervous voice then.

Lila blinked and turned back to Helga with a smile. "Yes, Helga?"

Helga swallowed, took a breath, and lowered her voice…and then asked, "Uh…from an outsider's perspective…really…how…how obvious is it that I…that Arnold and I…I-I mean, I just keep not getting any real direct comments on it all from people about it, and honestly I also feel like I'm getting some mixed signals from some people…So I'm just curious—I mean…a-am I being to subtle about us being in love or something? Or is it really obvious that we're a couple?" she finally asked point blank, genuinely curious, especially considering the morning she had had.

Lila blinked at first at the unexpected question, but then smiled again and put an understanding hand on Helga's shoulder and leaned a bit closer to her. She sighed, carefully and kindly choosing her words. "Well…I don't believe anyone would guess that you're preparing to celebrate your one month anniversary, Helga, or necessarily that you're 'in love'…but people have been noticing and…talking quite a bit… Or at least…" a puzzled look came to her face for a moment, "Well, I'm ever so certain, now that you mention it, that I can't tell what exactly it is some of the boys seem to be whispering about but…Sheena and Nadine and Eugene and even Curly have definitely been noticing how nice you and Arnold have been to each other today and finding it ever so charming." She smiled again, but then frowned for a moment though as she added, "Well, except for Rhonda, of course…she seems ever so upset today. But, like I said, I was talking with Nadine and Sheena and they definitely find your new behavior just oh too fascinating and delightful," she assured brightly in finish.

Helga let out a sigh letting all of that absorb and considering it all and all of its potential implications and consequences. "My 'new fascinating and delightful behavior', huh?…" were the first words to pop out of her mouth. She chuckled a little at the idea. '_Crimeny, am I really that pleasant today?_' She glanced back at Lila with a grin and just shrugged. "Eh, I'm just kind of trying to turn over a new leaf…Didn't realize I was coming off as that enjoyable but, hey," she jerked her thumb in Arnold's direction, "I blame Football Head here for getting me all good humored." She chuckled a little more to herself. "Anyway, thanks for the run down, Lila. I figured it wouldn't take too long for everyone to figure things out but I was just wondering how bad it had gotten…So some of the guys are snickering behind my back—expected. Rhonda's still a mystery. And, well, at least Sheena and Nadine and a couple other people are cool with it, right?" She smiled in genuine optimism.

Lila removed her hand from Helga's shoulder and couldn't help but smile and giggle with an encouraging nod. "I'm ever so certain that's the spirit, Helga. And, as for the effect of your ever so charming new behavior, well…that has certainly been part of the reason for people's oh too various reactions to you today…along with your ever so delightful new hair-do, of course, which looks great by the way Helga. Did Olga—"

Helga sighed and rolled her eye, waving her off with a half grin. "Yeah, yeah—Olga may have assisted slightly with making me look like a girly girl today. Now please get back to your conclusion about what other havoc my charming new behavior has wrought…" she prompted politely but sassily nonetheless.

Lila giggled at her friend's always direct attitude and then cleared her throat and went on. "Oh, well, like I said, Helga, I'm oh too certain that your new sweeter disposition and your new hair style caused a small bit of commotion by themselves…but I believe the fact that Arnold was staring at you for all of class this morning might have contributed the most to whatever gossip is going around."

"Huh?" Helga blinked and her jaw fell open in curiosity and instantly she whipped her head around in Arnold's direction.

She found him blushing and coughing from the milk he had been in the middle of drinking from their carton while Lila had been speaking, which had apparently just come out of his nose in his surprise at the red haired girl's words. With a hot blush on his face he proceeded to try and clean up the area in front of his tray with a napkin, totally avoiding eye contact with Helga.

The young and still rather surprised blond girl turned her eyes to Gerald and Phoebe now questioningly and for some confirmation about this whole thing. The young couple looked at each other and then back to Helga, both shrugging and then nodding their heads.

"Sorry, man," Gerald looked to Arnold, who was very deliberately continuing to try and occupy himself with cleaning up the small mess he had made, "…But, uh…everyone including me and Phoebe might have caught a nice little show of you practically boring holes into Helga during the entire class. I mean seriously, man, I was ready to poke you with a pencil to snap you out of it before you lost it and dove on her or something." He gave his best friend a bit of a smirk and a look.

Arnold, his blushing at its peak at this point, just let out a very deep exasperated sigh, pushed to one side the napkins he had just finished using to clean everything, and then rested his head on one of his hands and barely glanced at his best friend as he scolded, though a smile could be seen trying not to form on his face, "Gerald…"

Gerald just shrugged again, still smiling. "Hey, man, I call 'em like I see 'em…and me and Phoebe and the rest of the class apparently saw you staring at Helga G. Pataki like she was the clock ticking away the final seconds until summer break." He chuckled and snickered a little to himself, eating some more from his tray.

Phoebe cleared her throat and couldn't help but add in further confirmation, though she at least did try her best not to join her boyfriend in his laughter, "Yes, Arnold…It was very obvious that you were looking at Helga the entire time. And the smile on your face while you were doing so made it a bit obvious that it wasn't one of your usual glares at her in response to one of her usual tactics to annoy you." Phoebe looked to her best friend now and asked with curious amusement, "Certainly you must have noticed, Helga? I assumed it was just another part of the efforts you've been making today to be more open about your secret."

Helga just blushed more and blinked again and looked to Arnold (who was now just sitting there with his eyes closed and a hand resting on one of his temples with a half sheepish smile on his face) with surprise once more. "No, I, uh…I wasn't aware…." she managed to reply to her best friend in an incredulous voice.

Lila giggled from behind her. "Oh yes Helga," she chimed in cheerily, "…it looked very sweet to me. You just sitting there taking notes and Arnold watching you and looking ever so happy and thrilled and adoring just at the sight of you and every move you made. Just like what you used to do to him from the back of the classroom, right?" she observed, looking at her favorite couple ever so dreamily.

As all of these confirmations as well as Arnold's total embarrassment at the moment finished sinking in, Helga finally felt some of her shock start to melt and ebb…followed by the feeling of a small pull upward at the corners of her mouth. She rested her chin upon one of her hands and addressed her beloved…her grin only growing as she spoke… "So…Football Head…" she was seriously trying not to laugh. "…Where to begin? Yes, where, _oh where_, to begin…"

At the sound of her voice Arnold opened his eyes, still half smiling, and sighed and then finally turned to her to face the music. "U-Um…sorry, Helga…" he gave a small, sheepish shrug, his face all flushed still, his little smile still there and unable to depart him… "I…guess I'm just not used to you sitting next to me yet. I…I didn't even realize I was doing it…much." He sighed once more and almost laughed, squeezing her hand a little on the tabletop (and reminding Helga that they were still holding hands like that in public—the touch had felt so natural to her that over the last few minutes she had almost forgotten it was there). "I guess I just thought it was funny to see you sitting there doing something besides preparing a few dozen spitballs to throw at me. And also…you're very cute when you're studying, Helga…" He added that last part in a bashful mumble.

Helga went all blushy and goofy for a moment at that last little comment of his about her (as well as at the feeling of his warm hand still lovingly holding her own), but she managed to get it under control quickly enough and then just sighed and rolled her eyes and replied playfully, "Y-Yeah, yeah, a likely 'innocent' excuse, lover boy…Barely knowing you were doing it and liking how I look when I 'study'…" She winked and laughed and Arnold just smiled more at her and laughed a little himself. Then Helga turned to Lila, and mentioned, before she forgot, and as long as this topic of conversation was reminding her of it, "Oh and speaking of Arnold and his ability to look at me during class which seems to be a wish come true for him, thanks for the seat change this morning, Lila. I really appreciate it." Helga smiled up at her gratefully.

"Of course, Helga. Anytime." Lila replied graciously, and then she smiled at all members of the table and took a step back. "Well, I'm ever so certain I should get back to my table before lunch ends." She glanced specifically at Arnold and Helga once more and added, "But I'll let you know if anything else starts getting said about you two. I'm ever so certain I wish you good luck with everything!" She turned and was about to leave the table again…when she was stopped and compelled to turn back again just one more time…though this time by the request of a different friend than Helga.

"Hey, uh, Lila…?" Gerald Johannsen's voice suddenly timidly questioned, a sort of a nervous though trying-to-seem-casual grin on his face. "…Anyone, uh…anyone saying anything about…you know…_us_?" he suddenly asked, gesturing with his head between Phoebe and himself and then looking back up at Lila imploringly. The question aroused Phoebe's attention too, who turned to Lila as well.

Lila smiled down at the other young couple, understanding what Gerald meant. She brought her arms behind her back with a shrug and replied simply, "Well, so far all I've heard is one or two people remarking that 'it's about time.' I'm…ever so certain that pretty much everyone has suspected about you and Phoebe since the beginning, Gerald. After all, between all the smiles and looks and small bits of time you two always spend together, even before you started dating…To be just perfectly honest, I've only lived here a few months and it's even become obvious to _me_. So, overall, you and Phoebe holding hands and sitting together and smiling at each other doesn't seem to be affecting everyone all that much. I'm ever so certain Arnold and Helga are the big surprise to everyone. Well, have a good recess, you four! Oh and Helga, thank you ever so much again for giving me Arnie's number last week…" a coy and enamored half lidded gaze and smile came to her face, "I've been calling him and he's actually finally stopped hanging up on me! Isn't that just ever so wonderful? I'll tell you more about it during the sleepover! Well, bye!" And with that final happy statement and a sincere smile and a wave, Lila went to rejoin the other girls.

Gerald's' eyes were just wide and he was blushing considerably…and the same could be said of Phoebe.

Arnold and Helga just remained silent across the table, trying to eat their food casually…though upon each turning to catch a glimpse of the other and their eyes meeting, they both couldn't help but let out quick snorts, which then turned into small chuckles, which soon grew into full blown laughter on both their parts.

Gerald just cringed a little at first. "Alright, first of all…Arnie and Lila—I don't even want to know." Then he rolled his eyes and put a hand on one of his hips, scowling at them a little. "And second of all, oh, ha, ha, very funny, guys. Meanwhile was anyone going to _tell _Phoebe and I that we were being that obvious all these years?"

Helga barely managed to get her laughter under control to reply with, "Hey, I filled you in over a month ago about the fact that all those little glances you were giving her were the most obvious thing in the world. Don't blame me that you can't keep a secret, Hair Boy! Doi!" She went back to laughing fully, and thoroughly enjoying it!

Gerald just rolled his eyes, though it was obvious that maybe a small smile was trying not to come to his face. "Oh, yeah, well…hey, _some_ of us express our feelings by actually trying to spend time with the person we like instead of, you know, designing secret monuments to them in a closet for a few years…" He smirked at Helga, happy for having come up with the joke as a comeback.

Helga's laughter ceased for the moment and she blushed brightly, her eyes going wide for a second, though she quickly followed things up with a scoff and crossing her arms over her as she shot back sarcastically yet good-naturedly, "Oh, low blow, Geraldo, low blow...Seriously it's been three weeks—let the shrines go! Besides," she grinned more, "I'd rather be the one building shrines to Arnold than the one who had to ask Mr. Goodie Two Shoes for dating advice last month before you could even take my best friend to dinner and an outing for the first time!" Helga raised her brow at him, awaiting his next move in their little exchange.

Gerald though, rather than shooting an 'all-in-good-fun' line right back at her, just went wide eyed and blushed distinctly at her words! Then he looked to his best friend in frustration. "Arnold! You told her about that phone call?" Then his eyes went wide again and he glanced in Phoebe's direction and rolled his eyes away and quickly added, "N-Not that I'm admitting that such a phone call actually took place or anything, heh…"

Helga snickered a tiny bit more to herself at Gerald's attempt at a save.

Arnold, his own full blow laughter finally subsiding a bit, just finished up with a chuckle or two more and then sighed and shrugged at his best friend. "Sorry, Gerald…It just kind of came up one day when Helga and I were talking."

"Yeah," Helga chimed in with a grin, "And if it makes you feel any better, of course I had an epic phone call from Phoebe the morning of that first date. Something about her dying for you to kiss her…And Phoebe, don't even start with me…" Helga, seeing Phoebe blink in a touch of anxiety and turn scarlet and then open her mouth, cut her off, smiling all the more, "You know it's true and besides, even if he knows now, who cares? You're together, just like Arnold and I are together. The time for secrets has passed." She shrugged.

Phoebe's jaw popped closed and she blushed a little more…but then in the end a little smile couldn't help coming to her face at Helga's rather valid points.

Gerald just sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing them with his thumb and index finger as he glanced over at his girlfriend with a grin. "Phoebe, I know we've been saying this on and off for weeks but really, we've gotta find some new couples to hang out with…"

The comment actually made Phoebe giggle slightly and put a hand on Gerald's shoulder. "Oh, Gerald, daijoubuna." She looked at him with a warm smile.

Gerald sighed and smiled at her as well…and he kind of liked her hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, I know, I know, it'll all be okay." Suddenly a touch of concern came to his face though as he added…just having to ask her, just to be sure and safe, "But seriously though, babe…are you really okay with everyone pretty much knowing that we're, uh…you know…_together_…but like…_officially_ now?" He gulped, awaiting her reply.

Phoebe removed her hand from his shoulder and blinked at the question at first, of course, not really having expected it at the moment. But then her familiar pleasant smile returned and she just shrugged and nodded and replied, quite truthfully, "Of course, Gerald. I'm perfectly fine with the situation…And…are _you_ alright with people being aware of our situation as well, Gerald?" She had to ask too, likewise just to be sure and safe.

Gerald just smiled brightly at both her response and inquiry and nodded his head, "Sure thing, babe. What cool dude wouldn't like everyone knowing once and for all that he's dating the foxiest girl on the planet?" He winked at her, unable to help himself. Perhaps it was a bit flirtatious for him, considering Arnold and Helga's proximity coupled with the full cafeteria around them, but, hey, he wanted her to know as completely as possible that he would never feel bad about people knowing he liked her…_like_ liked her…Heck, maybe one day that he even….he even…

Gerald swallowed quickly and focused on reality again, pulling himself out of that potential thought that had been creeping up on him lately…and especially when around Arnold and Helga.

His eyes went first to Phoebe and she was blushing brightly with a flustered smile on her face. "G-Gerald…Yamete…Watashi no kawaii shonen desu." She was doing her best not to giggle at the little extra Japanese she had added under her breath.

Gerald caught her words though of course and instantly blushed about as much as she was doing and blinked and then glanced down nervously and sheepishly. "U-Uh…thanks, b-babe…I-I mean, arigtoo."

Both kids were just sitting next to each other and blushing and looking shy and smiling privately and goofily.

And of course, Helga just couldn't resist. After letting them have their moment for about ten seconds (lunchtime really was drawing to a close, after all, and they really were getting pressed for time here), Helga finally let an audible giggle escape her to snap them both back to reality again. And just to be sure they got the message (and just because of the adorableness of the two of them), she then released slipped her hand away from that of her boyfriend (who had been both watching Gerald and Phoebe as well as eating more of his food) to give him a slight elbow nudge, and said to him openly and with a grin, "Aw, football Head, seriously—remind me to carry a disposable camera this summer whenever the four of us do stuff together because Gerald and Phoebe looking like they do right now would make the most adorable Christmas card picture or something." She shifted her chair around the table slightly right up next to Arnold's so that she could get a better view of Gerald and Phoebe. Arnold couldn't help but laugh, and especially as Helga then added, all for his benefit and all the while glancing specifically at Gerald, "And meanwhile, NOW who's staring down their girlfriend? _Hmm_?" She raised her brow triumphantly.

Gerald was just blushing and blushing and blushing away and getting a little exhausted from feeling like a summer heat wave had just entered the cafeteria to visit only him. And so the tall haired boy just let out a deep sigh and scowled slightly but also half grinned a little at Helga and was about to resume his playful sarcastic banter with her…when the reverie of their table was interrupted by the sound of several people approaching from behind its two blond occupants (most of the other kids had finished their food at this point in the lunch period…leaving the rest of the time until recess for… 'recreation').

It was Harold, Sid and Stinky…and they were snickering to each other like crazy.

Harold spoke first, a very sly grin on his face. "Hey Awww-nold. Hey Helga." And then he laughed loudly and dropped the bomb. "So…Awwnold likes Helga now, _huh_?" came the sound of his voice followed by some amused stifled chuckles.

"Yeah," Stinky chimed in with a smile and a big wink in Arnold's direction, "I mean, garsh, this is kind of an unexpected turn of events. I reckon it's a bit more understandable though considering how she looks today…You do look right purty, Miss Helga…" Stinky nodded to her, and though he was a bit more polite about it than Harold, it was obvious that he too was fighting back a laugh about something.

"Okay, just for the record though, are we _really_ still sure that's Helga?" Sid suddenly piped up, stepping forward so that he was between Arnold and Helga.

Meanwhile, during this entire little banter going on behind them Arnold and Helga had just been continuing to sit with their backs to the direction from which the three boys had come with totally shocked and pale faces. Finally, though, the quite startled couple caught peripheral sight of one of their visitors as Sid, after voicing his concern about the validity of Helga being Helga, went to Helga's side and glanced scrutinizingly at her face. "I mean…" Sid continued curiously, putting a hand to his chin, "Arnold had a weird cousin who was like the creepy version of him, right? Maybe this is like the nice pretty cousin version of Helga…"

The comment only took a second to process (and to effectively snap a certain blond heroine of ours right back to reality), and then Helga instantly scowled and, very much to Sid's surprise, turned on him and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close. "You want _proof_ that I'm the one and only Helga G. Pataki, geekbait?" she hissed, the acid in her voice making it obvious that she wasn't messing around.

Sid gulped and his eyes went wide as could be, his pupils even dilating a little. "Uh, no, no…I believe you, Helga. Just checking, heh, heh, heh…And really, uh, nice look by the way! And kudos on Arnold…" he managed to get out in a high pitched and obviously terrified voice. Then he got a desperate look in his eyes and added quietly with a small cringe, "Please don't kill me."

Helga just let out an exasperated sigh and pushed him away a bit forcefully, still scowling to herself as she did so, "Yeah, yeah, whatever—like I'd go and do something like that and get detention from Wartz on the last day just to teach YOU a lesson…"

"Oh so, what—now we're supposed to believe that you'll hit one boy while making nice with another at the same time? Pick a personality, Helga! Hate Sid or 'like' Arnold, but just choose already so we can all get on with our lives! Hmph!"

Helga absolutely spazzed and almost fell out of her chair at this surprise attack question from none other than Rhonda Wellington Lloyd (who had apparently stopped by for a visit as well) suddenly entering her ears! "IDon'tKnowWhatYou'reTalkingAbout—IHateThatStupidFootballHead!" the still discombobulated young blonde quickly shouted back in a high-pitched and nerve-ridden voice!

About a second or so of silence then passed during which the only sound was Helga catching her breath. The ten-year-old girl then blinked several times and finally turned her head around, upon which her eyes finally fell on a frustrated-looking Rhonda now standing right up beside her, complete with Nadine, Sheena and Lila in tow (the latter three who were obviously, from the looks on their faces, there more because they had been ordered to accompany Rhonda than for any other reason). Taking in that sight, Helga then swung her head around to the other side to glance once again at the 'Harold, Sid and Stinky group', all the members of which just had eyebrows raised in confusion. And then Helga's gaze went over to Gerald and Phoebe for a brief moment, who were looking at her with interest, and then finally her eyes found their inevitable way back to Arnold…who just had a very inquisitive eyebrow raised at her…and from the ever growing smirk on his face he was obviously trying to fight back a lot of laughter, obviously at the retro exclamation that had just flown out of her mouth.

Now done taking in the state of her surroundings and feeling a bit calmer, Helga took one last deep breath, straightened herself up in her seat and pulled it back in to the table, cleared her throat and then looked to Arnold again with a little sheepish shrug. "Sorry, uh…reflex. She surprised me a little, heh…" She jerked her thumb in Rhonda's direction. And then…obviously with a great deal of self imposed force…but suddenly determined to do it, no longer wanting to be afraid or hold back anymore in her life…Helga, in front of all of these people, managed to reach up and over and…put her hand atop Arnold's on the table, just has he had been doing to her for the better part of this entire lunch period so far.

Arnold's eyes went very wide for a moment…and then they lit up in the loveliest way imaginable and he smiled so very much and in such a very appreciative and grateful and warm way, knowing full well how difficult it must have been for her to do such a thing and especially with so many other people around. And then, to give her as much of a source of comfort as possible and also as a further gesture today that they really were in all of this together, for better or worse, he shifted his hand a little and placed his fingers among hers, and now they were holding hands with _each other_. In response to her little explanation of her exclamation just now, he just smiled more at her and chuckled a little and replied warmly, "No, don't worry about it, Helga…Actually it was kind of…" he blushed slightly and swallowed, but then continued, despite the audience they had, "It was actually kind of cute."

Helga had felt a VERY unwilling blush threaten to enter her face at the sight of herself and Arnold now indefinitely holding hands so very close to so many people. But at this reply from him all color instantly drained away in shock and wonder, and she really did all but need to pass out. Being called cute…by Arnold…in public! It was both a nightmare realized and a dream come true. She gulped, and said the first thing back that came to mind… "O-O-Oh…uh, thanks, Arnold…" Yes, the 'dream come true' factor won out over the two in the end as she softly and sincerely and sweetly responded with these words to him.

Arnold and Helga then couldn't help just looking at each other shyly for a few seconds, lost in each other's eyes and smiles…their handhold going on…

The sound of Gerald loudly clearing his throat who-knew-how-many seconds later broke through the romantic tension of the moment though. Not that the tall haired boy ever wanted to interrupt his two friends in one of their 'moments' (provided things weren't getting too gross for him to stomach, of course), but knew how very much _potential_ the two blondes had for 'gross-out worthy intimacy' when they got lost in gazing at one another like they were starting to get right now, and so he had figured, just to be on the absolute safe side, that a friendly reminder to bring them back to the reality of their current location and rather large audience wouldn't hurt either one of them. "So, uh…" Gerald watched as his effort met with success as Arnold and Helga instantly blinked and then cleared their throats sheepishly and broke the gaze they had been sharing (though their hands still remained together, of course). The tall haired boy then turned his eyes to the other members of their class currently surrounding their table and addressed them, "Anyway…is there something we can help you all with or is it okay for us to finish up our lunches?" He smiled politely though his tone was very obviously firm. After all, it WAS a little hard to finish one's tapioca with one's significant other when over half a dozen people were flocking around your table to point and ask questions and make side comments.

_BRRRRRIIIIIIIIIING!_

The sound of the bell ringing answered Gerald's question before anyone else could though. Lunch was over.

Now it was time for recess.

From her side of the table, Helga let out an incredible sigh of relief and before anyone could say anything more she squeezed Arnold's hand tightly and suddenly pulled him out of his seat, up from the table, through their surrounding peers, all the way across the room and finally out the cafeteria doors to the playground. She glanced around only for a second at the still empty recreational area and then continued her little journey by pulling (a very stunned and confused looking, at this point) Arnold across its full expanse and over to a dumpster on the playground's far side of the playground, behind which she finally released him and then collapsed to the ground with her back against the schoolyard fence, panting a bit to catch her breath in the cover of this little private space.

A few breaths later she let out a deep sigh and then finally spoke, her eyes closed, as she let vent to some of the panicking she had been doing her best to bottle up and/or dismiss for the better part of the morning and especially during all that stuff in the lunchroom just now. "This is the most INSANE idea I have ever come up with—actually sharing my feelings with other people. What am I THINKING?" She opened her eyes and scowled slightly to herself, looking down in thought and gesticulating with her hands. "Things were working out perfectly fine until I decided to screw it up by trying to be 'honest'. Ha—me, honest? Yeah, I totally have the capacity to pull that off." She rested her head in her hand and moaned slightly. "And now our friends know everything and we'll be mocked and ridiculed for the rest of our lives everywhere we go, just like today, and we'll never know a moments peace, and I dragged _you_ into all of this, Arnold, which is the worst thing of all and I—"

Helga now ceased talking at the feeling of something very warm sitting down upon the ground beside her…or more specifically sitting down beside her and leaning up against her and nestling it's oddly shaped head deep into her shoulder and neck.

The sound then of Arnold laughing slightly made Helga's heart flutter and calm... He spoke to her right near her ear in the happiest, sweetest voice she had ever heard from him. "That was the first time you ever touched my hand all on your own in front of everyone, Helga… Thank you."

Helga could feel her heart beating wildly all of a sudden again at his words, though this time of course from love rather than panic. She glanced to the side in an attempt to see the look on his face right now, but couldn't because of the angle he was at and how his head was tilted slightly downward as it cuddled against her…His soft hair grazing her cheek and mixing with her own soft hair…She did her best not to swoon and collapse upon him entirely.

Arnold continued then, that bit of a laugh still behind his voice his he spoke. "I don't know why you think you don't know how to be honest with people, Helga. Dragged me into this?" Upon recalling these words of hers, he suddenly sat up a little and looked at her with a smile. She turned to face him with part of her brow raised, still feeling a little confused and curious about this response of his to her small rant. Arnold just chuckled a little at the adorable questioning look she had, and went on warmly and sincerely, gazing into her eyes. "Helga, I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing than helping you get through this today...sharing our love with everyone. What you're doing, what you did…" he took her hand in one of his own again and raised it a little to show his was referring back to the gesture she had made in the cafeteria, "…The desk change and the hair and how you're acting and the hand…Helga…I can't even imagine after seven years of doing nothing but trying to keep your feelings a secret how hard all of that must have been for you. And I'll never be able to thank you enough for it ever…my beloved Helga…" And then he inclined his head and gave the back of her hand a gentle kiss before lowering it again and raising his eyes once more to look into hers.

Helga swallowed and blushed, feeling not only flustered but also just a touch of pride at how much Arnold seemed to be appreciating her new openness and also at the idea, now that she thought about it, of just how far she really had gotten herself to take things back in the cafeteria. And he appreciated her efforts so much…and was so supportive…so kind. All of that random panic of hers melted away entirely again today, just as it had done this morning during their walk to class when Arnold had assured her very sincerely that if she wasn't ready for this he wouldn't force her but that he had faith in her to be able to do it just the same. She smiled and even managed a small giggle and a joke to him now, "Yeah, well…hey, it's not like I whipped out the Arnold locket and its contents or anything during show and tell…Just a little hand hold and some smiling at you right in full view probably wasn't going to destroy the cosmos _too _much…" She gave him a little sheepish and sarcastic shrug.

Arnold smiled a bit more, shaking his head playfully. "No, it was a brave thing to do, Helga. Come on, admit it…you're really, really good at being honest…"

Helga rolled her eyes, her smile growing. "Hey, I am just as sneaky and crafty and deceptive as ever!"

Arnold laughed and leaned in a little towards her, almost smirking a bit. "No, no…I think deep, deep down you've got a conscious and you like telling the truth…You're almost as good at doing the right thing as me…" He winked at her.

Helga rolled her eyes and scoffed, fully grinning now at this familiar little game between them. "No, I'm not, Arnold. _You're_ the goodie two shoes and _I'm_ the evil genius. I am NOT good at being honest!"

"I think you _are_ ,Helga…" He leaned a bit closer, smiling.

"No, I'm _not_, Arnold…" She leaned a bit closer, smiling right back at him.

"_Helga loves being like Arnold…_" Arnold whispered to her in a singsong voice.

Helga both blushed and smirked fully. "Okay, that does it!" And then suddenly she lunged forward as though to playfully pin him down…though agile Arnold managed to duck her and slip away with a smile at the last minute.

"Oof!"

The result was that Helga ended up hugging the ground instead of hugging her favorite Football Head, who was now just standing near her with his arms crossed over his chest and looking down at her with a slightly proud smile. "Missed me, Helga…" he couldn't resist pointing out with a small little laugh.

Helga blinked several times, still a touch surprised that he had gotten away, and then sat up on her knees and looked at him with a slightly impressed smirk, her hands on her hips. "Oh ha-ha, very funny. Meanwhile, Football Head, someday you've _got_ to teach me how you ever got that quick!" She stood up from the ground now as well, dusting herself off as she went on. "I mean really-ducking me on the FTi building and in the janitors closet all those weeks ago…if there's anyone I should be able to keep from slipping out of my arms it's _you_, you know." She laughed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him with a smile.

Arnold just laughed as well, putting his own arms behind his back as he replied with a little half grin, "Well, if you'd let Grandma and I teach you some karate like we've been offering to do lately…"

Helga let out a breath, still smiling, and waved him off. "Hey, I told you, I'm not into all of that precision and practice. If I have something physical to settle with someone, Old Betsey and the Five Avengers take the reins." She held up her two fists. "We've been together over a decade and they haven't failed me yet. Just ask Brainy!" She winked and gave into some chuckles she couldn't resist.

Arnold joined her, unable to help chuckling a bit himself at the joke, and then the young football headed boy casually took a step forward and toward the girl before him, looking at her with a half lidded gaze. "Well, then…" he shrugged and let out a 'forlorn' sigh, "I guess you'll never be able to catch me…" His grin picked up a little on one side.

Helga processed his proximity and response…and the obvious bit of a challenge underlying it, and at first she felt her eyes go wide for just a second in a touch of surprise and fluster…The tiger/kitten thing, the gum kissing during chess…and now a little chase? Her formerly mild-mannered Arnold really was getting into 'games' lately, wasn't he?

Of course, despite the initial surprise that she would always have throughout her life at Arnold's dark and daring side suddenly shining through, Helga quickly got used to both his closeness now as well as the idea of what he was suggesting, and she grinned right back at him. "Oh, you are ON, paste for brains! Your reflexes might be quicker than mine but you've only got those shrimpy Football Head legs to run on! Whereas, _you know_…I've got my nice long pretty legs to work with…" She gave a coy giggle and winked, and then seeing the ruby blush that flooded Arnold's features and the tiny goofy smile now upon his lips, she was fully prepared to use the flirting advantage she had just secured herself over him, and she instantly sprung forward to snatch him…though to her immense surprise Arnold snapped back to reality quickly enough at her movement to slip out of her grasp yet again! And now he began to run away from her with Helga quickly following behind him, the two of them completely forgetting that they were behind a dumpster and on a playground that was by now probably full of kids.

The dumpster thing was the first thing to trip them up though…or specifically a small used tire was the first thing to trip up Arnold. 'Well at least a good race might take Helga's mind off of—' "WHOA!" Arnold's thoughts ended and he fell quite swiftly to the ground.

He was down on his back and about half a second later Helga, who had been just behind him and heading into a full force run, managed to trip over him land upon him on the ground herself as well. "OOF!"

For the first moments of just processing their initial falls and slight discomforts, both children just reached up and rubbed their respective heads for a second with their eyes closed.

Eventually their eyelids fluttered open and they found each other staring into each other's eyes, at first with looks of nervousness…but then quickly with knowing and familiar smiles.

"Are you okay, Helga?" asked Arnold warmly first, looking up at her…Her lovely hair falling around her head and framing her face like she really was an angel or something.

Helga giggled slightly in reply, looking down at him…and at how adorable his flushed and dazed little football headed face could be. "Indestructible as always. You, Arnold?"

He laughed a little, and nodded. "I'm fine. …Just happy you landed on me instead of the ground, Helga."

The comment made Helga blush quite a bit more and her eyes glance down shyly for a moment…the fingers of one of her hands starting to play nervously with the button at the top of her beloved's shirt collar. "Uh…what a coincidence…me too." She giggled a tiny bit again.

Suddenly a piece of Helga's hair fell forward a bit from behind her shoulder to rest just above Arnold's face. He chuckled once or twice as the ends brushed his cheek. "Helga…your hair tickles…" He laughed a bit more.

Helga felt her blush grow stronger and a nervous little flutter go throughout her body. She smiled a bit sheepishly. "O-Oh, uh, sorry, I—" She had been about to brush the piece back behind her ear when she felt Arnold's hand come up to rest upon her mid-raised arm, stopping the gesture.

"No, I…I like it…as long as you like it…" Arnold assured her quietly, looking away a little shyly. "I'm really happy you decided to wear it down today. I told you, it's…it's really pretty…it's _always_ really pretty…" He let out a small breath and his eyes managed to go up to hers again…his green jelly beans half lidded and so very warm with affection. "You look like an angel…" managed to escape him before he could stop the love-induced observation.

Helga couldn't help giving into a chuckle at this point. '_Loopy little thing…_' "Football Head," she started in a quiet voice and with a coy smile, her fingers starting to play with the top button of his collar much more deliberately now, "You know…if you're bucking for a kiss or something, not that you aren't going about it right, but on the playground? Where all that separates us from the eyes of the world is a well-placed dumpster? Sheesh, the goal of today is to give a gentle nudge to our friends about us being together, not to induce psychotic breaks in half the elementary school by introducing them to the 'unthinkable' sight of Arnold and Helga kissing." She laughed and rolled hr eyes to the side. "I mean, I think Sid's _already_ losing his marbles about how I look and Rhonda's practically having mood swings about who the heck knows what… And besides…" she shifted her face a little closer to his, "…what happened to having 'all of tonight and all of tomorrow night together' to worry about kisses?" she asked coyly.

From beneath her Arnold let out a small, shuddery sigh as he just continued to gaze up at her with his half lidded gaze, his smile only growing in response to how cutely she could put things sometimes. "Good point, I guess, Helga…and I-I know we have this whole weekend together, but…well, it…it really is kind of a long time to make a guy wait when you keep acting so nice to me today…all day…in front of everybody…You know how much I like that, Helga…" he tacked on a little sheepishly…But then Arnold looked at her sincerely for a second, removing all the flirting and romance from his tone and gaze, as he added, "But I understand if that would be a little too much for you, Helga…taking that big a risk of someone actually catching us kissing. I mean, everything you've done already today is so much and—"

Arnold was cut off by Helga putting a finger across his lips and smiling down at him mischievously. His breath stopped and his eyes widened a bit. Her smile only grew at the sight. "Oh shut up, Arnold. I had kissing those 'red hot lips' of your half in mind when I pulled you behind here in the first place." And then she slipped her finger away and grabbed his collar and closed her eyes and he closed his eyes and she leaned down, and then…

…And then someone who, Arnold and Helga both noticed pretty quickly, was not either one of them, cleared his throat…and then spoke. Or rather _wheezed_ and spoke. "Uh…hi….heh…"

Helga and Arnold's eyes flew wide open just before their lips had been about to touch, and Helga, in her rather abrupt and total fluster, instantly fell off of her precarious position on top of Arnold, landing on the ground beside him with a light thud.

She sat up a little and rubbed her head and blinked several times and then her confused eyes fell upon the sight of Arnold sitting beside her and glancing away with a guilty and somewhat embarrassed looking countenance, and none other than Brainy standing a few feet away from them both, looking rather uncomfortable at the moment.

"BRAINY!" Arnold and Helga both exclaimed at the same time, sounding about as guilty and embarrassed as Brainy looked.

"Uh…" Brainy wheezed nervously, clearing his throat a little. "Yeah…S-Sorry…a-about…interrupting…"

Of course, Brainy was cool with Arnold and Helga dating, Arnold was cool with Helga and Brainy being friends, and Helga was just happy that her boyfriend and her best buddy guy friend could hang out together without the former slipping into a jealous rant and the latter cowering in fear of being karate chopped.

But, uh…despite all of these facts, Arnold and Helga had tended to cut out ALL intimacy in front of Brainy whenever the happy couple ran into him at the same time. It just felt too awkward for Helga to think of getting close with Arnold while a guy who had almost loved her was right there, it had felt too awkward for Arnold to think of getting close to Helga while a former rival was watching, and, as for Brainy, well…okay, honestly, the idea of seeing Arnold and Helga being intimate like that didn't make him feel all that funny—they were a couple, he had seen it coming from the beginning, and couples were naturally intimate. And yet, Brainy did still have his own share of awkwardness about the subject, though for him it was feeling funny about the idea of his presence making Arnold and Helga feel funny.

It was a transitional period for them all, in other words. The hump had been gotten over with the awkwardness between these three parties…and now it was just a matter of smoothing out the bumps. And this moment was certainly one of those 'bumps': Arnold and Helga had literally been about to touch lips (not to mention while being on top of each other and smiling goofily and all in private) just as Brainy had entered the scene, and they had never gotten that close to a kiss in front of him ever, and certainly never in such an intimate fashion!

"_Hmm mmm!"_ With a loud clearing of her throat, Helga was the one to break the ice and speak first. She stood and let out a breath and addressed Brainy. "Heh…uh, hey, Brainy." She sighed now and crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes to the side with a sheepish grin. "Alright, alright, let's not beat around the bush…This was nearly an awkward moment because Arnold and I were almost off in one of our little 'kissing' states, and then you showed up. Yeah, it _shouldn't_ be awkward but it still is a little and we'll deal with it later." She glanced back to Brainy and shrugged. "Anyway, good buddy, what's up? The other kids start burning Arnold and I in effigy yet for our forbidden love or what?" She couldn't help but smirk a little at her small joke to help ease the mood.

Brainy blinked at first at her sudden bluntness and then transition, but then cleared his throat and smiled at her in his usual way, remembering how grateful he was sometimes for Helga's constant ability to just lay things on the line and move past them when necessary. He pulled out his inhaler, gave himself two puffs, but it away again, and then answered her question (in full sentences now). "No, no flaming pyres for you and Arnold yet, Helga. I'll be on the lookout though, of course. But I knew you two had rushed out onto the playground when the lunch bell rang and this seemed like one of the only places to hide…You used to hide here a lot, after all, to talk to yourself about Arnold…" He did his best not to chuckle too much at the memory.

With a sheepish blush and half smile, Helga just sighed and went with the little jest and even added to it. Honestly, at this point, things like that about the past had become sort of a running joke between her and Brainy. "Yeah, and then you'd always come along right at the most intense part and interrupt things by making me hit you. Crimeny, at least when I used to stalk Arnold he never knew about it—you were just hiding in plain sight, weren't you? Cagey choice, Brainy, very cagey…" She laughed and so did he and Arnold even smiled and chuckled a little, all three unable to help feeling much more relaxed.

Brainy cleared his throat then and continued with what he had to say. "Yes, well…anyway, Helga, I just came over to look for you because I wanted to check on how you were doing after everything in the cafeteria…" He frowned a bit. "I didn't notice so many people flocking to your table until you were all but surrounded, and then the bell rang and you ran out so…I was just a little worried about you and Arnold…Oh and also, I believe Gerald and Phoebe want to make sure you're alright as well. Phoebe seems a bit worried herself about your sudden disappearance and Gerald too though he won't be as open about it, of course." Brainy smiled a little bit at the small observation about Gerald, and then went on with, "Oh and Lila's off with some of the other girls trying to, well…" he cleared his throat, a touch of curiousness coming to his tone and expression, "Well, let's just say Rhonda doesn't seem too happy today, Helga, though I don't believe she's told anyone exactly why. And finally, Helga, I…" a somewhat puzzled and almost…uncomfortable look came to Brainy's face now and he looked very intently at the girl before him, "Helga…perhaps it's been my imagination…or a coincidence—possibly I thought I saw something but it was really something else, or something like that. But…along with people paying extra attention to you and Arnold, and even Phoebe and Gerald a little…I…can't help but feel like _I've_ been a little… 'noticed' as well today…" He actually blushed upon stammering out those last words, thoroughly unable to help the reaction.

Helga had been taking in most of Brainy's message with nods and smiles and an occasional look of appreciation during the parts where he or others had been worried about herself and Arnold, but at this last observation from him about himself she blinked, almost in shock at the strange concern of the boy before her…and also at the sight of him blushing so distinctly and fully like this! _'Crimeny, he's never even blushed like that around ME! This __must__ be huge.'_ "Brainy, what are you talking about?" she quickly asked in concern, wanting more details.

Brainy shrugged, almost unable to look up at her, he was feeling so flustered and full of worry, to be just perfectly honest. He struggled to find the right words, his usual articulateness failing him a bit, considering the situation. "W-Well, I'm used to…privacy, I suppose, Helga. And I-I know I said I would try to be more social gradually, but…people have been actually glancing at me today…whispering things…_pointing_ sometimes! I really don't know what to do or to make of it!" He looked up at her now with definite distress in his eyes, wringing his hands together, and it even sounded like some of his wheezing was starting to come into play despite his use of the inhaler just a moment ago!

Helga's eyes flew open a bit wider. And then the thought popped into her head: _'I KNEW it looked like people were looking over at Brainy in class this morning…and even at Lila too…Hmm, I wonder if that means she's been getting some extra attention too…Although Miss Perfect is such a social butterfly I'm sure she wouldn't even notice…_'. Helga had to roll her eyes and almost smile a little at the idea. But then she quickly blinked several times and shook her head, coming back to the moment at hand. She looked to Brainy (who still seemed so very touched with distress) and spoke to him in as sincere a tone as possible, "Brainy, I…don't worry. It'll…I-I mean…" She paused. She wanted to comfort him but at the same time…for crying out loud, when she got right down to it, she had NO clue why anyone would care about him at all today as part of she and Arnold practically flirting with each other all over the place in front of everyone! So it made trying to find some advice to give (especially when advice giving was really a talent she had to work at) almost impossible for her on the spot like this.

Not so for Arnold though.

The young blond boy had been standing to the side as Brainy had delivered all this news to Helga, and most of that time he had spent in absorbing things and nodding…and also at the back of his mind really trying to tell himself that, with how often he and Helga ended up kissing, said kissing was bound to happen sometimes over the course of their life within eyesight of Brainy, and so it wouldn't do anything but stress out both himself and Helga to hold onto any awkwardness about it.

But then Brainy's last observation—his revelation of his little dilemma, as it were, had snapped Arnold out of his thoughts and made him consider carefully and fully his friend's issue.

And so now, hearing Helga sort of start out floundering a little with trying to help their friend, Arnold stepped up and stepped forward, more than willing to assist. "Brainy…" he started seriously…and then his face shifted into a caring smile, "I know you're uncomfortable. And if Helga and I and…our 'coming out' today caused any of the extra attention you're getting, then we're really sorry, Brainy. You're our friend and we'd never want to hurt you. And we promise we'll try and figure out why exactly people might be giving you attention, and then maybe we can figure out how to stop it. But until then, we just want you to know that we're here for you, Brainy. If you're upset you can come to us and we'll do our best to help you no matter what, because today's not just about me and Helga…it's also about everyone who's helped us with our secret. And…I think just this once Helga will let me speak for her when I say that we both appreciate you keeping Helga's secret all these years very much. So we'll do our best for you, Brainy. That's what friends do after all, right?" He smiled at Brainy…For a moment though he then blinked and cleared his throat and looked down a little uncomfortably, but then his smile quickly returned and he added with a little sigh and a shrug, looking back up at the boy before him, "A-And, um…about…_before_…" Letting the sentence hang, our football headed hero then suddenly leaned over and gave Helga a small kiss upon her cheek. He pulled back after several seconds (just leaving her standing there with wide eyes and a distinct blush on her face), and then continued addressing Brainy. "I'm sorry about seeming uncomfortable with you before, Brainy. You're my friend just like Gerald or anyone else is my friend, and if I'm going to be willing to show my, um…a-affection for Helga publically now and to people who are going to probably spend quite a while after today teasing us, then I want to be okay enough to show it in front of someone who's supported us from the very beginning…just like you." He gave his young friend another smile, though this one had a touch of sheepishness in it.

Brainy took all of that in curiously, shyly, interestedly, surprisedly almost…. And when it was all over that blush of nervousness finally subsided from his face and relief came to his eyes and he smiled quite amiably. "Thank you, Arnold…I…I feel better. And it helps…that you'll be there to help me figure out why this is happening…." Brainy gave him an appreciative nod and then addressed Arnold's concerns about him and Helga and their 'intimacy'. "And no need to apologize for before, Arnold. Of course both of you would feel funny for a while expressing your love around me . I've felt funny too, to be honest…though mostly about the idea of making _you both_ feel funny. But if you want to move on to the next phase in our friendship, I'm more than willing." Smiling sincerely he held out his hand.

A likewise smiling Arnold held out his hand as well and the boys two shook.

Their gesture finished, Brainy then retracted his arm and gave the couple a small nod. "Thank you. Anyway, I'll leave the two of you alone now to…finish up." He cleared his throat but the smile still remained on his face. "And whenever you two come out, Gerald and Phoebe and Lila and I will be there to support you. I'll see you soon, Arnold…" he nodded to him… "Helga…" he nodded to her. And then with that he gracefully left.

"Bye, Brainy." Arnold watched him go and smiled, happy for the bit of good his advice and words of consolation had seemed to do.

"Whoa….Arnold…"

Helga's rather surprised sounding voice met his ears, and he turned back to look at her, still smiling casually. "Yes, Helga?" he asked.

She was just looking at him with wide, intrigued eyes. Then she half smiled. "Uh…nothing, I guess. That was just…kind of neat." She smiled more as Arnold gave her a curious look about this statement. "I mean, I know you've been hanging out with Brainy sometimes just like I've been doing, but the three of us have kind of avoided hanging out all together until we could get more used to our, uh, 'unique situation' so, I've never really seen how you are with him." She took a step forward, tilting her head to the side, her eyes and smile warm. "You really do treat him like a good friend, just like he says you do, don't you? I mean, it took _me_ weeks to stop treating _Lila_ like some evil cosmic force trying to steal you from me and to become good friends with her, but you're just…so naturally good and kind that even though Brainy's 'the only boy besides you whose lips have ever touched any part of me', " she rolled her eyes to the side at recalling that little observation of Arnold's to her that day after they had had that small blowout about her being over at Brainy's house, "…you can accept that and move past it and be the exact kind of friend he needs, Arnold. Thank you very much for that, my beloved. I appreciate it a lot." And then with a light blush Helga leaned over and gave him a small, soft, reciprocal kiss upon his cheek, pulling back after a second or two to look at him with warmth and adoration.

Arnold, eyes wide, just blinked. And then a grin burst out upon his face, spreading ear to ear as a matter of fact. "Uh…" a goofy chuckle escaped him and he shrugged modestly. There was just…something about a sweet kiss on the cheek from her that could get him even more lovesick sometimes than even making out could ever do…The gesture was so adorably sentimental after all…and she was so cute every time she did it. "You're welcome, my beloved Helga. But it...I…of course I really like Brainy, Helga. Even despite how he might have felt about you… He's been there for you in a way I…couldn't be…until now. He…well…the way I think about it, he was sort of there watching over you a little…making sure you really were okay…until I was ready for that important job. So I'm very very grateful for him, Helga. He kept you safe for me. And also he really is a good person…and he respects you and cares about you and supports you…For all of that, I consider him one of the best friends I have." This speech done, he stepped forward extra close to her, his smile picking up a little on one side. "And besides, what do I have to be jealous about? Sure, you're brilliant, fiery, attractive, witty, charming, beautiful…but, I know now, after everything we've been through and especially lately that you won't leave me, Helga. You'll always be here for me. And I…I plan to always take full advantage of that wonderful situation…and to always be there for you too." He smiled more and then wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes and gave her one of those warm hugs he had been giving her ever since before he could remember whenever she would make him happy. Just another little piece of evidence that he must have been smitten with her too from the day they met…

Pulling back gently, the first sound that met Arnold's ears was one of Helga's giggles. His eyes then went up to hers as he took a small step back from her now, and she was blushing rosy red and glancing down coyly, and her eyes were all warm, and her hair still hung so gently on her shoulders. It looked like she had a soft spot for his hugs just like he had a soft spot for her simple, delicate little kisses of affection…and also like maybe she was tending back into a certain romantic direction which he was tending back into at the moment as well…and well, they _were_ alone again... "Oh Arnold…" she responded so sweetly... "You're such a good boyfriend. And a good friend…to me _and_ Brainy. I'm so happy." And then with a joyous smile she went forward and pounced upon him in a tight little hug of her own, her eyes shut in joy and giggling happily. And then she added into his ear as she still held him close, playfulness coming to her tone, "And of course I'll always be here for you, my Arnold—and I'm so happy you know it now in our lives. Like I could ever get over you even if I tried, Football Head." She opened her eyes and rolled them, a memory suddenly coming to her…something she had brought up around the time of their first argument about Brainy actually… "And hey I think I mentioned to you once that I actually did try to abandon my devotion to you one time, my darling….Not that a full day's break after six years of devotion wasn't maybe a little necessary but overall _worst_ experiment ever! After all, why fight fate? You and I are meant to be!" She chuckled to herself giddily at the lovely sentiment.

Arnold just smiled, totally melting into her hug and mostly doing his best to keep his knees from giving out from underneath him. "Oh…You tried once…like you told me…a full day's…Yeah…"

A second then passed, and then suddenly Arnold's eyes went wide and all color drained from his face. "_A full day?"_ he suddenly exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, his heart pounding in anxiety!

Helga just sighed and hugged him more, barely even processing the tone in his voice. "Huh? Oh, yeah…just me moping around without any emotions at all. And I threw out all my poems and shrine stuff and my locket too—ugh, talk about a nightmare sifting through garbage bags in my garage to get all of that back. But, hey, at least it didn't all end up at the dump like your hat that one time, right?" She winked at him, then went on with, "Oh and hey, a fun fact: that little misadventure of mine was actually where calling you 'ice cream' came from…and in the end I decided I _needed_ ice cream to love, to hate, and to inspire me!" She giggled warmly a little again and then pulled back to open her eyes and look at him again.

Arnold's eyes were just rather wide and he was getting a little late. "I…I-I'm sorry…so…" he looked like he was really trying to comprehend this, "You…loving me and then not loving me…went on for…an actual complete _day_? And you…threw out your poems and the shrine and…your locket?"

Helga blinked at his question but then just shrugged and smiled. "Uh…yeah. Football Head, didn't we both just agree that I mentioned this shenanigan of mine to you once before?" She looked at him curiously.

Arnold blinked and nodded. "Yes, but…" a touch of distress came to his tone, and his little mouth fixed in a sad pout, "I don't know, when you said it that time you really didn't mention details and I guess I figured that…one day in class you were bored so you decided to try not loving me, tried really hard at it, but then the bell rang or something and you realized you couldn't do it. I didn't realize there were…days involved of…of you just not caring about me anymore…and that you threw out…e-everything…" He frowned a little, looking down in a touch of sadness. "I'm sorry, Helga, I know this probably seems silly...but it…it's a little…scary to me, thinking about that…I just…I know _I _couldn't stop loving _you_ for a day even if I tried…ever…" He shrugged, feeling both worrisome…and just a touch ridiculous. But still…she was the woman he wanted to marry for Pete's sake? What guy in his position _wouldn't_ feel a touch mindblown at the idea of her love just 'ending' for a day?

"Oh…Arnold…" Helga cooing these words in a sympathetic tone that was like balm to his fears caused Arnold to glance up at her again. She was smiling warmly at him, almost chuckling a little in amusement. "First of all, my love…The only reason back then that I tried to stop loving you was because...well…I make the unrequited lifestyle look a bit easier than it actually is on a girl…and I was so lonely and I didn't have your love. I thought that if I could make my own love go away it might…hurt less if I really wasn't the one for you, my prince…" She looked deeply into his eyes. "But now I know that I _am_ the one for you, and I have your love, and I've also learned the lesson that I can't deny my feelings just because they're hard…So I will never stop trying to love you, Arnold, never like I did that one time. Alright?" She reached out and placed a fingertip underneath his chin, gently inclining his head upward.

Arnold, already blushing, just gulped and blinked and gave a nod as his green eyes were compelled to come into total contact with Helga's blue ones.

She gave a little nod in return. "Good. And second of all, I didn't stop loving you, per say. I just...got myself into DEEP denial and convinced myself I had stopped loving you…That's why I threw out everything. It's complicated but if you'd like I could share the full and complete story with you later. Maybe at dinner tonight? It's sort of a particularly mortifying one—I come off as about as much of a loon as possible. But if it'll help you understand things better then it'll be worth telling it…and plus…" she grinned a little, removing her fingertip from his chin and crossing her arms over her chest and giving him a once over, "…Hey, if I can't trust _you_ with my embarrassing escapades then who can I trust, right?" She winked at him.

Arnold, all calmed and relieved and back to normal now from his worrywart little self, had to smile and even chuckle a little at the joke. "Yeah…you can trust me, Helga." He winked back at her. "And, um…thanks for all that…and for offering to tell me the details of the story later. I feel better. And I'm sorry I got a little funny about for a minute there…I trust our love, of course. I was just a little surprised…But I think I understand better now so thank you." And then he added with a little blush and in a quieter tone, "Oh and…I'm sorry I interrupted, um…_us_…again...I feel like we've spent all of recess 'almost' kissing…when actual kissing is a lot more fun." He gave a little sheepish shrug.

Helga blushed as well and an amorous little smile returned to her face. "Oh Arnold…I know _exactly_ what you mean, and I really am okay with risking doing it while hiding out on the playground, but…now really, you know we won't be able to stop at just one…on top of which recess has to be over half over…which means we've been MIA from the class for a good twenty minutes at least now, so…we might have to hold off on our desires for now, my darling, and just go out there and face the music…otherwise who knows what people will imagine we've been doing alone back here for so long…and especially when, ironically enough, we haven't had a chance to do anything? Because crimeny if I'm gonna get teased for liplocking with you, I'd like there to be some actual lip locks involved." She leaned a little closer and fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously and giggled…( _'All part of enticing him to get him worked up about tonight…_'), and then she pulled back and added, almost casually, though with a grin she couldn't help, "Oh but before we go, Football Head, I was thinking…" '_Hey, as long as he's putty in my hands, might as well go for it…_' "…since you're being so stubborn about giving me any kind of clue about what I'm walking into tonight with your date for us, why don't we strike a little deal to satisfy at least some of my curiosity, hmm? You give me a hint about your plans for us for this evening…and maybe I give you a little hint about one of the anniversary presents I'm getting you besides this whole 'open relationship' thing today?" She grinned at him enticingly.

Arnold, for a moment, was too befuddled by all of the flirting that Helga had suddenly bombarded him to even begin forming words for a reply to her offer. But then slowly reality started to come back to his love-drunk head full of daydreams and memories of kisses… Their anniversary, the playground, Helga confessing publically today… Finally he indeed processed Helga's offer now too and had to smile just a little more to himself. She was so adorably curious sometimes, and he loved that little cunning side of her that could come out too…and conveniently right when he was at his most vulnerable about her considering her little coy advances and the fact that he wanted kisses he couldn't have just yet. '_She's so…clever…_' He sighed dreamily to himself but then just smiled at Helga and shook his head, his resolve to surprise her standing firm. "No, Helga. I can't do that. I'm sorry…I'm more than willing to wait a day to find out what the rest of my presents are as long as it means you get to be completely surprised tonight." He smiled more at her.

Helga, having more than expected this response from her determined little gentleman but figuring 'eh, a girl can at least try, can't she?', just sighed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and flipping back a side of her hair that had fallen forward when she had leaned extra close to him just now. "Oh fine, you great big stick in the mud. We'll do it YOUR way." She chuckled and looked at him with a grin, shaking her head a little. "Honestly, Arnold, let me guess—you're one of those kids who NEVER peeks at his Christmas presents, right? Always waits like a good boy until Christmas morning to see what they are…?"

Arnold smirked a little back at her and then just let out a breath and nodded. "Yes, guilty, Helga. I don't peek. But I'm sure _you_ do…and I'm sure that's going to make getting presents for you for your birthday and Valentine's Day and Christmas and our anniversaries a real challenge over the years. But I'm up for it if you are." He winked at her. "I like challenges…and challenging girls…remember?" He put his arms shyly behind his back.

Helga blinked and got all flustered looking again this afternoon and dug one of her feet into the ground shyly, her own arms going behind her own back now. "Y-Yeah, I guess that makes sense…" She chuckled warmly and then glanced at him again.

For a moment, Arnold was just continuing to gaze lovingly at her. Then he let out a sigh and started with a touch of sheepishness, glancing downward and bringing his hands forward to play with them a little. "Hey, Helga?"

She smiled more at him, still looking perfectly pleased. "Yes, Arnold?" She nodded, letting her own hands come forward as well to clasp them in front of herself.

He swallowed, still smiling to himself…almost…meaningfully… "I…I know you told me not to bother apologizing a few weeks ago about something similar to this because the past was the past and I should just 'catch you the next time around', but…I'm sorry for all those Christmases and Birthdays and Valentines Day before this one that I never really got you anything…I-I mean, the few times you had a party when we were really little I know I got you presents but we were so young that I didn't have any money of my own so my grandparents mostly bought those…but still I don't really think that counts, you know? So, I really am sorry for missing out on so much…that we both had to miss out on so many holidays and celebrations and times to give each other nice things to show each other how much we care. But I promise I'll do my best to make up for it from now on." He looked to her with a sincere smile.

He was expecting something along the lines of a giggle and an eye roll from Helga, and her probably telling him again that he needed to not worry about it because the past really was the past.

But instead he got Helga looking at him kind of…funny. There was some sheepishness, some guilt, a touch of a smile, some hesitation and indecision.

"Helga?" Arnold asked curiously at being so unexpectedly met with all of this.

"Huh?" she replied, her eyes opening wide and all attention instantly snapping to him. "Oh! Uh…yeah? Heh…" She gave a half sheepish grin.

Arnold smiled at her, a knowing look coming to his eyes. "Something's on your mind…Will you tell me what it is?"

He could see her about to go into painfully obvious 'Uhh…I don't know what you're talking about, heh!' denial mode for a second, but then she just sighed. She knew trying to keep secrets from each other was pointless at this point in their relationship, just as he knew it as well. So instead she just shrugged and said back to him sort of plainly, "Honestly…it's nothing too big, Arnold. It's just that you were just going on about how it's so nice that we can give each other present's now and how bummed you are that we missed out on a good six years of it, but…" She shrugged again as she spoke and looked at him, "...um…_you're_ kind of the only one who missed out. _I've_ gotten _you_ presents for at least every birthday and Christmas ever since we've known each other, heh. Birthdays weren't too bad for me to still keep my secret…I mean, everyone who got invited to your parties had to bring you a present, obviously, so it wasn't suspicious whenever I did, but I did have to be really careful about what I got you—I wanted it to be memorable but also not suspicious. Usually I picked something right on the line and then when you liked it I acted like I had no idea you'd feel that way and didn't care at all anyway. Christmas was a bit trickier though—finding a way to get you your gift, or what gift to get you in the first place, never was easy." She almost chuckled to herself at some memories and then looked at him again with a smile as she finished with, "But now at least we can give each other stuff openly and freely which is going to make the holidays a MUCH less stressful for me, Football Head…and it'll also make your birthdays a lot more fun…and Valentine's Days too…and of course all of our happy anniversaries." She winked. And then she sighed, glancing up at the sun overhead for a moment to see how westerly it really was getting at this point in the afternoon before she looked back to Arnold again. "Anyway though we really have been back here for a while and recess really is almost done. Let's go let Gerald and Phoebe and whoever else cares know we're alive already." She chuckled and then took Arnold's hand to start leading him from behind the dumpster.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute." This exiting of their private space behind the dumpster was stopped though by Arnold, who was now digging his heels firmly against the playground pavement.

Helga blinked and turned back to him, the two children still not clear of the dumpster's shelter. "Uh…yeah?" she asked, totally cluelessly.

Arnold just looked at her like she should know why he was stopping her. And he really didn't see how she couldn't see it. "Um…" he sighed, removing his hand from hers to bring it to his temple and rub it a little. "Okay, look…the birthday presents I remember and now that you mention it they always _were_ something I kind of liked, which I guess always stuck with me a little. But…I'm sorry, but I don't remember you ever giving me a Christmas present, Helga G. Pataki? What are you talking about?" He looked at her in utter and sincere puzzlement.

Helga blinked at first, taking in his issue, but then she just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Arnold, for crying out loud, can we talk about this when we're NOT in the middle of destroying the social hierarchy of the fourth grade?" At the same time though, she was also blushing just a tiny bit, and some worry was pricking at her. _'Stupid mentioning the Christmas presents, stupid_…' She had always liked that those had been anonymous…like little mysteries from a Christmas angel of his or something…and especially the last Christmas's present she had given him... She never wanted to tell him about that one, if she could help it. It had been the single closest thing to an anonymous good deed that she had ever done in her entire life, after all. And, on top of everything else, the existence of that last Christmas present really made her see all the ones before it—all those material gifts—as petty and shallow and not worth him knowing about anyway. No, the only one truly worthy of him and truly worth bringing up had been the last one…and it could only remain truly worthy of him if she never breathed a word about it to him ever.

"I just want to know what you got me for Christmas, Helga?" Arnold asked very simply and sincerely, pulling Helga out of her thoughts rather quickly.

"I got you whatever I felt like getting you, Football Head!" Helga couldn't help but shoot back in stubborn and slightly panicky reflex and with a touch of a defensive scowl now.

Arnold blinked at her response and the attitude that went along with it. It was so strange…Why wouldn't she want to tell him what she had gotten him for Christmas? And why get angry about it?

Seeing his continued dense reaction to her words, Helga sighed and rolled her eyes and then grabbed his hand again. "Look, I usually…I don't know, just wrote 'From Santa' on them and tossed them into a pile of Santa ones, okay? So it's probably been one of those ones every year…I can't remember details…"

"Can't remember…" Arnold almost rolled his eyes with a smirk but instead just let out a deep breath. '_Patience…Patience is everything with her…_' Then Arnold remembered a tactic he had used a bit over a month ago to 'jog Helga's memory'…though back then it had been about a certain recent poem she had written about him and her confession that he had accidentally got a hold of one afternoon after class just before Mr. Simmons had assigned her to be his poetry tutor…But Arnold figured the strategy could work just as well for a Christmas present, in this case specifically a recent Christmas present. "Okay, well, Christmas was only six months ago, can you at least remember the last one you got me?" He smiled a little, waiting to see how she would respond to this.

"_No_!" she shot back though, totally and firmly shutting down his fun. She scowled to herself and rolled her eyes, grumbling. "Christmas…WHY are we even TALKING about Christmas—it's JUNE! Anyway, come on, we've got a public to face and we're burning daylight! This whole 'telling the truth' thing doesn't count if we spend half our time hiding the shadows, paste for brains," and then instantly she was pulling him along and out from behind the dumpster and finally into plain view of the playground…

…Where the two children were met with… a fairly average sight, actually. Kids playing, no mobs demanding the details of Helga and Arnold's love…pretty quiet, overall.

"_Too_ quiet…" Helga couldn't help but mumble to herself with a scowl. Her eyes scanned the playground and then suddenly lit upon Gerald and Phoebe talking together near the school doors, the sight of whom at least managed to put her suspicions on hold for a moment as her worry was replaced by a touch of relief.

Helga let out a breath and then let Arnold's hand go, realizing that if she didn't want to attract attention to them right now in this most social of settings, walking directly across the playground with their fingers laced together probably wouldn't help much…Yes, handholding had publically taken place in the cafeteria for a few seconds but Helga still needed baby steps a bit about it all, especially on only day one of being the 'new, honest Helga.'

Our blond heroine now turned to her beloved, who was currently taking a second to gather himself after being so suddenly pulled from their hiding place like this. He dusted himself off and then fixed his hat, which had almost fallen off of his head from how swiftly she had taken him with her in tow, and then he smiled at Helga (his mind focusing on the present moment for now…He would deal with the Christmas mystery later). "See, Helga," he started brightly, gesturing to the peaceful playground at large, "…being honest really does pay off…no one's bothering us anymore. I bet they even forgot all about everything in the cafeteria and the classroom…"

Helga just rolled her eyes at this little positive observation from her beloved, trying her best to be patient though of course. "Football Head, you are WAY too trusting sometimes. This isn't the rest of the fourth grade 'giving up'…this is the rest of the fourth grade _plotting_…" A shiver ran through her. "And I shudder to think of the diabolical taunts and jeers and amounts of teasing those chuckleheads might be cooking up for us..." She then gestured with her head some distance behind her and went on with, "Now come on, let's give Gerald and Phoebe a high sign to let them know we're good and then maybe head over to the swing set or something for the rest of recess. I think we'll be safe doing something as simple as that together with our best friends watching our back in one corner of the playground, Brainy keeping an eye on things from the shadows, and Lila probably still dealing with the other girls. Yes sir, strength in numbers and know how to be inconspicuous when you need to be, Arnold. Two rules you need to know and love if you're going to keep being a central player in Helga G. Pataki patented stunts and schemes." She half grinned and winked at him.

Arnold just smiled and did his best not to chuckle too much at her slight dramatics about all of this, though he would respect her concerns, of course. "Okay, Helga," he nodded, "I wouldn't mind spending some time swinging anyway…or pushing you on the swing…if you want." He smiled just a bit more to himself at the sweet idea of an activity she had come up with for them.

Helga actually had to chuckle a little at that unexpected suggestion from her beloved, and then she grinned a little extra at Arnold and couldn't help countering with a smirk, "Anything to get your hands on me, huh, Romeo?"

Arnold instantly blinked and blushed and crossed his arms over his chest and started with a bashful gulp and voice, "I…well, I—" _'H-How does she always…'_ Not that getting to touch her by pushing her had been Arnold's _only_ reason for offering to help her with the swings…but…our honest football headed hero couldn't necessarily deny to himself that such a consequence had at least been a factor in the suggestion from him.

Helga just laughed to herself once more and reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Oh relax, Football Head, you should be used to me seeing through your thin romantic plans by now. Besides…" She took a step closer, still grinning away, "I could use a good pusher…maybe we could even take turns, if there's time. What do you say?" She tilted her head to the side and let some of her hair fall a little bit over her shoulder and eye, just for the effect of it all.

Arnold remained blushing and wide eyed for just a second more… and then a half little grin of his own came to his face...and it was only growing. "Taking turns? You really do like being an honest, nice, considerate person don't you, Helga?" He smirked at her a little, very proud of his well-chosen reply.

Helga blinked and then scoffed and blushed and smiled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh just put a sock in it and come swing with me so we can enjoy this day of 'openness' while it lasts, you little shrimp!" she exclaimed with an eye roll. And then, suddenly finding herself not caring one bit again about what anyone saw or said about them or how much attention they might attract (no one seemed to be bugging them much so far at least—right?), she resumed her holding of his hand in order to pull him over to the swings. Yes, all that mattered today was she and Arnold in love and in public…and anyone who had to say anything about it could just take a hike!

Helga sustained herself with these confidence-boosting thoughts as she and her beloved prepared to pass under the monkey bars, past slide and jungle gym and through the hopscotch court, all of which were all obstacles on their way to the swings and all full of other kids seemingly having an average good time….

Of course…most of these other kids surrounding them (so far) happened to be from other grade levels and were people Arnold and Helga didn't know particularly well…

"There you are, Helga G. Pataki!"

Then the sound of Rhonda's (quite unhappy-sounding) voice and the sight of her storming forward to approach them broke in upon the happy couple, causing Helga to cringe involuntarily and stumble in her walk with Arnold right almost at the heart of the playground. The young blond girl closed her eyes and sighed deeply, doing her best to calm her startled nerves and also to not lose her temper. _'Be calm…you're a lover not a fighter and you know it…unless she really really really REALLY starts bugging you, that is!' _"Rhonda, I swear I—" Helga started through gritted teeth in an effort to be calm and use her words…not knowing what fresh misery her classmate had in mind to inflict or what overreaction Rhonda was planning to have this time, but fully ready to shut it down instantly and, at first, at least, with every nonviolent tactic she possessed. '_Having a conscience you actually listen to is such a pain sometimes…'_ she couldn't help but comment to herself in slight mental complaint though of course.

The dark haired girl meanwhile had now reached Arnold and Helga, and Helga (opening her eyes, though with a scowl) could see, peripherally, that it looked like Rhonda had actually broken from the grasp of Sheena, Nadine and Lila about twenty feet away, who, with worried looks on their faces, seemed to have been coaxing if not actually trying to hold her back.

"Helga G. Pataki. I think I've decided that I would like to have a word with you in private!" Suddenly, all of Helga's attention snapped back to Rhonda, who had made this sudden and rather rude demand right into her face.

Helga blinked, taken aback at first, but then her assertive personality kicked in (not her defensive personality, mind you, or even the tiny part of her personality that was violent—just the assertive part), and she squeezed Arnold's hand, looked Rhonda straight in the eye and said right back to her, "Hey! If you 'want a word' with me that's fine, but at least ask like a civil human being and throw in the word 'please' maybe! And DON'T get in my face! And also, anything you've got to say to me, you can say in front of Arnold so just spill and get it off of your chest, okay!"

Rhonda gave a startled blink, looking a little taken aback _herself_ all of a sudden. "I…I-I…" Indeed, almost a small blush seemed to come to her features, though perhaps it was just redness from the 'apparent' anger coursing through her…

However, before the young ladies could settle this situation, they were joined by a few more fourth grade classmates who, at the sight and sounds of the conflict/exchange in question (and now seeing that Arnold and Helga were out and about again), were eager to get back into a public analysis of the 'Arnold and Helga thing' (as today's latest turn of events had been so affectionately dubbed by the middle grade of P.S. 118).

"Hey _Arnold_….whatchya still doing with Helga? Ha ha ha!" Harold laughed raucously and elbowed Stinky and Sid, who were positioned on either side of him, all three of them right before the two blondes in question.

"Yeah, who would have thought you had it in you?" Sid chimed in with a grin. "And sheesh, she must have you hooked pretty deep to get all dolled up like that for you." Sid laughed but also hid slightly behind his friends, fully recalling Helga grabbing him by the collar at lunch for his last crack about her appearance today.

"Garsh, I reckon no one saw this turn of events coming," Stinky observed with a grin and a scratch of his head. "I mean, we all knew you were always kind of desperate for a girlfriend, Arnold, but…getting one through Helga?" A baffled look came to his face. "I know she's nice sometimes and everything of course since I had that crush on her once but this whole dang thing seems plum loco!"

Helga was really having to strive to keep from blowing her top or from running off in a frightened panic at all of this—half the male population of her class basically critiquing her love life. She compromised by just clearing her throat and announcing to the group of boys in question, all the while holding Arnold's hand very very tightly to calm herself, "Well, thank you three for trying to socially eat me and Arnold alive. We get it—you all think I'm the creepiest choice for a girlfriend on the planet! Any OTHER predictable responses you want to throw at us today?" She tapped her foot and put her free hand on her hip, looking at them in annoyance.

"Guys…" Arnold was speaking up now too. Yes, Helga really wanted to handle this 'going public' thing today as much on her own as possible but when it came down to it that did NOT mean to Arnold that he was just going to sit there and let her take on everything all by herself for the entire day, and especially when she really had been sort of insulted right now. Still though Arnold tried to be patient with addressing his friends and to keep his own temper under control. "Look, I…I understand that this is all…new for you but…this is the way things are now and they're…not going to change…for a very very long time. Helga and I…um…we…" he gulped, searching in his shyness for the right words, and squeezing Helga's hand extra tightly in hopes of it helping him find them.

"Hey Arnold, come on!" Sid smirked at him a little, crossing his arms over his chest and taking a step closer. He even lowered his voice, like he was suddenly bringing up some kind of 'on the down low' information. "Lila's not anywhere around here so you can tell us the truth."

"Huh?" Arnold stopped trying to find his words and looked at Sid and the other boys with an absolutely blank look. '_Lila?'_ What did _she_ have to do with anything?

(Interestingly enough, Rhonda also uttered a soft 'Huh?' and a blank look likewise came to her face right in unison with Arnold at Sid's suggestion, though no one seemed to notice much…except for maybe Helga, of course).

Sid shrugged and leaned back again, though he still kept his voice a bit down. "Oh come on, Arnold. Look, we know it was probably supposed to be a secret but…it's just us guys and Helga now…and Rhonda always knows what's going on anyway, so…we know, Arnold…so just spill."

Still, that blank look remained on our football headed hero's face. "Know…what?" he asked, totally, genuinely, sincerely and utterly puzzled.

Sid replied with a grin on his face like the explanation he was about to introduce was the most obvious thing in the world. "…That this is a last ditch, last day of school effort by you to get Lila by making her jealous, and that Helga's helping you by pretending to 'like like' you because the two of you have been secret buddies or something ever since that poetry tutoring thing last month."

Harold and Stinky nodded, likewise in a way that suggested this conclusion was the most obvious thing in the world.

Helga's jaw fell open.

Rhonda's eyes lit up…almost with salvation!

Arnold blushed about as red and fully as he could, in a way that no one (outside of Helga) had ever seen him do so.

"You're blushing…" Sid observed of his friend, his grin growing even slyer, "We're right, aren't we? Arnold, _you dog!_ We really didn't know you had it in you! Well, I mean, okay, we knew you had _some_ of it in you ever since your weird Cousin Arnie was here and you started acting like Helga's slave here and there to make Lila jealous, but this is taking it to a whole new level! You're not even just _flirting_ with Helga to get to Lila—you're making her your full on fake girlfriend! Holding hands, sitting together, smiling, checking her out all during class, running off in private with her, even playing hard to get with Lila to top it all off! Very shrewd!" Sid winked.

Reactions _this _time around:

Arnold let out the most mortified sounding sigh imaginable.

Rhonda looked curiously to Arnold and Helga now as this latest observation from the boys about their situation fully sunk in and started to process with her.

A small (very small)…un-helpable…little scoff of a chuckle escaped at the back of Helga's throat.

"I reckon your plan's working too, Arnold!" Stinky suddenly chimed in now with a smile. "We all saw Miss Lila talking to you at lunch and she seemed real happy and smiling!"

Harold nodded, smiling as well. "Yeah! That was actually a really neat trick to get to her, Arnold! And plus it means we get to see Helga all dolled up and girly looking! And you having to act like her slave! Ha ha ha!" He broke into laughter again, unable to help it.

The other boys joined him in snickering. "Y-Yeah…" Sid added between laughs, "I-It's been funny enough to watch you and Helga trying to be secret friends with your random walks together and getting ice cream and even pizza together sometimes, and that story about the pranks and even getting handcuffed to each other the other week and stuff, but this TOPS it! Absolutely! She even had ME thinking she was a real girl this morning!" He broke into serious chuckles again, knowing at the back of his mind that there was a physical danger but just not caring—it was too funny to pass up!

Once again, reactions!

Rhonda was smiling like she was very very very VERY pleased about something!

Arnold and Helga were just looking to each other with wide eyes, almost communicating silently. THAT was what everyone thought was going on? That they were playing at some kind of stupid game? That it was a trick? That Arnold still had the hots for Lila? Oh no, no, no, no, no, this HAD to be corrected, right now!

"I reckon the most interesting part of it all though has to be how Brainy must be feelin'!"

"Huh?" Yeah, the mention of Brainy's name definitely warranted this surprised exclamation from Helga. Brainy HAD been something she wanted to look into, after all…

"Oh come on, Helga…" Sid gave her a look. "Don't play dumb—we all know you've been sneaking off with Brainy ever since that whole thing with the love poem he wrote for you."

"Ha ha! Yeah—Helga's got a boyfriend!" Harold couldn't help but chime in with a hearty laugh.

Yeah," Stinky nodded with a grin, "And plus you've been writing all those purty love poems for him that Mr. Simmons reads in class everyday by anonymous. Now that we know you're such a dang good poet, Helga, we all know those poems have to be by you…and now that we've all seen how much nicer you've been to Brainy lately we all know they must be about him." Stinky had to chuckle a little as well while his other two friends went off into full-blown hysterics.

Do I need to say it? Reactions!

Rhonda giggled.

Arnold's face contorted a little and a small scoff escaped him—there was a mix of surprise and confusion and jealousy overall.

Helga blushed. Fully. And no one but Arnold really had ever seen her blush. At all. Ever. She quickly jerked Arnold closer to her and whispered with panic into his ear, "Arnold! You told me the guys made some stupid cracks about me and Brainy that day I went over to his house for the first time…You didn't tell me they were SERIOUS!"

Arnold's eyes went wide and he shrugged a little and quickly whispered back, "I didn't _know_ they were serious!"

"Aw, Helga wikes Bwainy!" Harold clasped his hands together and fluttered his eyelashes for a moment, and then burst into fresh laughter, effectively ripping the attention of Helga out of her mini conversation with Arnold and right back into the fray. "Look, she's all blushing!"

Even Stinky, who really did try to be a bit more polite than his two friends most of the time, couldn't help but grin widely and laugh a little more himself. "Garsh, Harold, you're right—she's the color of a tomato! I reckon she's thinking about all the purty love poems they write to each other all day!"

Sid nodded in agreement, barely able to breathe, the laughter had such a hold on him! "Yeah! Then they probably kiss and snuggle all creepy and nerdy like! Oh Brainy, my darling! Oh Helga…BIG WHEEZE…my dearest!"

Okay, that was it—Helga had learned to tolerate people teasing HER without resorting to her fists and she had even learned to sort of accept that Arnold might have to stand up for himself on occasion about things like this even though, overall, he had said he really didn't care what other people said so long as he could be with her…but so help her, right now they were talking about her friend, and a very dear and kind one to her at that, AND one who was not here to defend himself at the moment. She instantly broke her handhold with Arnold and had Sid and Stinky's collars grabbed in Old Betsey, and Harold's collar grabbed in The Five Avengers. She seethed at all three of them. "YOU…"

"Uh…" the sound of a wheeze, "…Helga?"

The sound of her name being said with an all too familiar wheeze accompanying it snapped Helga out of her bullymode more quickly than just about anything else but a kiss from Arnold could have done. Her eyes went and her breaths stopped for a moment. Her gaze shifted to the side and she could see Brainy now standing right beside her, looking worried.

To give Brainy's sudden arrival now some context…

Brainy had actually been watching this little scene between Helga and Arnold and some of the boys unfolding from a secluded place on the playground for about five minutes now. He had noticed Gerald and Phoebe off in another area discussing something amongst themselves at the time and thus probably unaware that Arnold and Helga were starting to be 'ganged up on' a little again. His first instinct, of course, had been to go over and assist his blond friends, but he had checked the urge initially, deciding it might be hasty to interfere in something that might pass over quickly (especially since recess didn't have too much time left in it) and also keeping in mind Helga's explicit desire to be allowed to handle things as much on her own as possible today. And so Brainy had decided to wait and observe instead…and, if the situation merited it, he had promised himself that despite Helga's preferences or his fear of attention or confrontation, he would go over to her and help in any way he might be able to.

…And then, well…seeing her suddenly go from calmly handling the situation on her own to suddenly hoisting three kids high at once with a mean glare in her eye while Arnold was stuck in too much shock for a moment to try and stop her—yeah, Brainy had figured that _that_ was a sure sign that his assistance might be helpful.

And so now Brainy was right beside her, waiting to help...

And all Helga could think now that he was there was, '_Please go away, Brainy…Please. I didn't realize they really would think that…that we….Oh please, please, please go away, Brainy…Please, before they tease and hurt you! At least Arnold and I have been prepared for it but not you!'_

Brainy of course didn't know of any of our blond heroine's internal hopes and pleas. He just smiled obligingly at her now that he had her attention, hoping a friendly face would soothe her a little. "You…okay?" he asked between wheezes, his inhaler having worn off a few minutes ago.

Helga just let out a long, deep sigh and closed her eyes, her grips on the three boys still in her grasp loosening. That one question from Brainy was going to be all it would take, wouldn't it?

Yes, indeed it was.

The three boys burst into even more laughter.

And the traces of this song began… "_Helga and Brainy, sitting in a tree_…"

"I WILL MAKE ALL YOUR LIVES A LIVING HECK FOR THE REST OF OUR ELEMENTARY, JUNIOR HIGH, AND HIGH SCHOOL CAREERS IF EITHER OF YOU SAYS ONE MORE WORD!" Helga announced with firmness and fire and in the most no-nonsense tone she had _ever_ used, and that said flat out that she genuinely and sincerely would go through with this threat if not obeyed!

Her exclamation actually shut up the three boys, at least for now. They just blinked and looked at each other in slight confusion and even worry, very thrown off for a moment…Helga had never spoken like that. Ever. On top of which…they all knew from watching her with Arnold all these years (the present day excluded) that she was _more than able_ _to_ come through on this threat of perpetual if she felt like it…and in spades!

Helga took advantage of the opportunity of her opponents' slight befuddlement and quickly shoved their collars away in disgust, and then reached out and snagged a confused Brainy toward her by his arm. She whispered a quick rundown of the situation into his ear so that only she and he could hear. "They're _idiots_ and think today I'm just 'playing along' with my 'secret best buddy' Arnold so he can make Lila jealous, a-and they also think that you and I, um…h-have been dating ever since you 'wrote that love poem for me' last month." And then she pushed him behind her before he could respond to all of that (and all the while she tried to keep a fresh threatening blush down) and then turned her glare away from the boys and to Rhonda, whom she had all but forgotten about until now. "Rhonda Wellington Lloyd…Did you start THIS?" she hissed firmly, pointing right at the three offending boys and meaning the misunderstanding they were under…which had to capacity to sound an awful lot like a fabricated rumor, and, well, Rhonda was pretty much the go-to girl for those. "Tell me…NOW." Helga finished. Her look, her tone…There was nothing there to be messed with.

"H-Helga…" Arnold started quietly, cautiously from behind her. He knew she wanted to be left on her own with the things like this but…He was worried. Very worried. He had been worried ever since she had grabbed Harold, Sid and Stinky actually but had been just too shocked at the time to come up with the right thing to say to her. But now he knew he needed to remind her that he was here for her…She didn't have to do this alone even thought she wanted to a little…and especially if it was going to lead to something bad…

"Arnold…" Helga merely replied back calmly to him, though she didn't turn to face him and the scowl didn't leave her face, "It's okay. I'm fine. I just want an answer." She turned her words back to Rhonda and glared at her, her eyes flashing. "DID YOU START THIS, RHONDA?" she asked again firmly and in a way that didn't just not allow for a lie but that fully _demanded _an answer. And an immediate one at that.

Rhonda gulped. Her eyes were wide. She was rather surprised. Likewise, she had never heard Helga speak this way. She did her best to play it cool though…Though doing so wasn't exactly easy as the titles 'Old Betsey' and 'The Five Avengers' kept flashing through her mind. "I…h-have…heard of this…idea about you and Arnold and Brainy…and Lila…before…But I didn't start it…" came truthfully and simply out of her mouth at first. But now that she had spoken, she was gaining more courage, and then a slightly more determined look came to her face as she added, "…But I'm leaning toward it as the truth."

"Well then you're just as much of an _idiot_ as these three chuckleheads!" Helga announced back smugly, simply and instantly, pointing at Harold, Sid and Stinky, and looking right in the fashionable girl's eye.

"Rhonda, come on, I really think you and everyone else should stay out of this." Nadine was speaking, and it was because, unable to just sit idly by anymore and watch her best friend make such a social spectacle of herself and others, she had finally gotten herself and the shy Sheena and even the always chipper Eugene over here to settle and soothe some things (and Lila was bringing up the rear, though she hadn't entered the scene just yet…She had been spending a moment conversing with Curly, actually…)

Rhonda blinked and looked to her best friend. "Excuse me?"

"Rhonda, you heard me." Nadine was scowling now. "I know you don't like the idea of Arnold and Helga together for whatever reason—maybe it's not fashionable, maybe it's not trendy, maybe you're just upset that you didn't figure it out before they came out about it, but it's not fair to them to keep bugging them about it. Besides it just encourages Sid and the others to tease them and assume things." She gestured over to Harold, Sid and stinky.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Nadine, Rhonda," added Eugene with his normal, friendly smile. "Talking behind people's backs and sharing in rumors isn't helpful or nice. If anyone's taught us that over the years it's Arnold."

"Nadine and Eugene right!" piped up Sheena with a determined nod. "Gossip only leads to hurt feelings. And I think for one that Arnold and Helga are very nice together. They've been smiling all day with each other." She smiled at the happy couple. "Congratulations, guys!"

Reactions, reactions, reactions…

Harold, Sid and Stinky just rolled their eyes, probably at the idea of Nadine and others still actually entertaining the idea of Arnold and Helga as a couple.

Brainy was still in the process of blushing in a rather flustered way about apparently having people under the impression that he was dating Helga, though he did smile almost gratefully as Sheena and Nadine's words and the sound perspective they displayed upon things.

Arnold had a pleasantly surprised smile on his face though a touch of doubt was in his eyes—after all, even though they seemed on the right track…what if the girls and Eugene were secretly misinterpreting something too?

Helga blinked and then smiled and seemed rather impressed. She looked to Nadine, Eugene and Sheena. "Wait…so…you three _aren't_ under some loopy impression that Arnold and I being together today is all a ruse to win Lila for him?"

Nadine and Sheena and Eugene each kind of gave Helga curious looks at first but then just smiled and shook their heads. "Nope…" Nadine gestured over to the three boys. "That would be _their_ theory and…I guess Rhonda likes it…and the one about Arnold and Lila too." She shrugged, rolling her eyes in her best friend's direction.

"I'm ever so sorry but…did I hear my name said?" Lila suddenly chimed in, appearing now between Nadine and Sheena with an innocent smile.

Helga just sighed deeply and rolled her eyes to the side at the arrival of yet another person the grand old 'social party' that this was becoming. "Yes, you did, and it's a doozy of a story, Miss Perfect." She crossed her arms over her chest, trying not to smile too much at the irony of the fact that she was looking to Lila, of all people, for comfort now in her life.

"Hey Awwnold, Lila's here! Don't you want to smoochy her!" Harold Berman suddenly interjected and then added some kissy noises to this comment before bursting into fresh laughter.

Arnold, who had gone back to silently observing ever since the arrival of his female friends, colored quite a bit at these words and then scowled a little, looking to the portly boy in question and starting to lose his patience a little now. "No, I _don't_, actually, Harold. I—"

He was cut off though by Sid giving him a shrewd look and smile, glancing back and forth very obviously from him to Lila and back again. "RIGHT. You're 'with Helga' now." He gave Arnold a big wink (on top of which he had made air quotes around the phrase 'with Helga), and then cleared his throat and announced, looking to Lila. "Boy Howdy, Lila, I don't think anyone would blame you if you got jealous."

"Huh?" Lila blinked in total confusion at Sid's suggestion.

"Yeah, Miss Lila," Stinky added with a nod and smile, causing her puzzled sights to turn to him now, "I reckon it'd make sense if Arnold and Helga being together bothered you." Then Stinky turned to Arnold and gave him a big, obvious double thumbs-up.

(Arnold, meanwhile, was starting to understand why Helga felt like just punching people so very often sometimes).

Lila just smiled at Stinky with cheery innocence and shook her head. "Oh but…it doesn't bother me at all. In fact I think it's ever so charming. Don't they make an oh too adorable couple?"

Harold, Sid and Stinky all simultaneously lost their smiles and smug grins and blinked.

There was a moment of silence.

Then Sid quickly leaned over to whisper to Arnold. "Hey Arnold…I don't think your plan's working. Maybe it's time to ditch Helga and go with a different strategy to get Lila. Maybe fake a breakup and play the sympathy cared."

Sid winked and was about to pull back when Arnold grabbed his shoulder and gave him a firm look and spoke in a level voice. "Sid…shut up." And then he let him go and focused on other matters.

Helga, meanwhile, was just trying not to grin too much at having heard Arnold tell someone to shut up for the first time in her life. It was edgy…She liked it.

"Hey Arnold, hey Helga, you two alright?" Yes now Gerald had joined the party, unable to avoid seeing the building conflict even despite his talking with Phoebe. And Phoebe was right beside him to help come to the rescue.

"Yes, do you need any assistance, Helga?" she asked sincerely, looking to her best friend with worry.

"What I NEED…" Helga suddenly started to announce, her fists clenched at her sides, glaring at everyone around her who _wasn't_ willing to accept the obvious truth about herself and her beloved and instead had to come up with a bunch of cockamamie theories to get around it, "…Is for these chuckleheads to shut up and let me lay it flat out on the line for them about what's going on. Because for crying out loud, I—"

"But we KNOW what's going on!" Harold, Sid and Stinky protested at once!

"Y-Yes…and I agree with the boys," Rhonda added quickly and with a frustrated shrug, glancing down a bit shyly for a moment.

"You guys don't KNOW what's going on! You just KNOW the gossip you all made up!" Nadine protested.

"Oh come OFF IT, Nadine!" Rhonda suddenly burst out passionately and totally unexpectedly at her best friend. "What's the other explanation? That Arnold and Helga ACTUALLY are dating or something? That's just…CRAZY!"

"Did somebody just say…CRAZY!" Suddenly, Curly slid in between the boys and girls and right in front of Arnold and Helga (and 'conveniently' right beside a certain dark-haired fashionista) and looked at Rhonda with a smile. He raised his eyebrows and grinned at her as he went on with, "…Because you know I'm CRAZY for _you_, baby cakes, and all this talk of crushes and romantic intrigue has me in the mood for some _alone time_…" He got right in front of a shocked and jaw-agape and now blushing Rhonda and grabbed one of her hands before she could even process that he had just done what he was doing. "And now that I finally don't have lunch or afternoon detention anymore from my little escapade with the janitor's closet last month, why don't we head to the Cocoa Hut and—"

Helga quickly turned to Arnold and whispered to him with a smirk, unable to help herself, "See, I _told_ you that EVERYBODY knew about what goes on in the Cocoa Hut after hours, paste for brains!"

"UGH! I AM GETTING A RESTRAINING ORDER, YOU LITTLE FREAK!"

Helga's attention was instantly back on Rhonda as the girl in question all but screamed these words and then moved away and snatched her hand from Curly's grasp just as he had been in the middle of leaning forward to kiss the back of it.

"Whoa!" Her actions caused him to stumble and fall forward onto the blacktop.

Rhonda just looked at her nearly violated hand and shuddered and then she looked at Curly on the ground with a frown and a scowl. "B-Besides," she added in an indignant, shaky voice, "Can't you see we're all in the middle of something? We're trying to have a debate about what the 'Arnold and Helga thing' is about!"

Curly stood up, dusted himself off, and then said in a surprisingly calm and reasonable sounding voice, looking at Rhonda with a shrug, "Well, why don't you just _ask them_ what it's about, yet? I mean, all of you have _told_ them what you _think_ is going on all day but Arnold and Helga haven't gotten a chance to really speak for themselves yet…" A grin grew on his features. "And I for one am DYING to hear what they have to say about each other..." He took a step forward and leaned in, getting close into Rhonda's face with a big, enamored smile on his own. "…And then you'll know I was right about them all along, my sweet. Oh isn't it grand when '_amore'_ is in the air?" He winked at her.

Rhonda gasped, a look of fright almost coming to her eyes, and her blush reaching its brightest brightness! "I…I…_Oh_…" She shut her eyes, cringing, and finally spluttered out, "Oh for crying out loud, Arnold and Helga, say whatever the heck you want to say and just get it over with already, okay?"

Arnold and Helga, their attentions rather rapt by the scene that had just gone on before them between these two classmates of theirs, took a second or two to absorb Rhonda's question.

Arnold was the first one to finally find his voice to respond to her though. He blinked several times, then cleared his throat and opened his mouth. "Helga and I…" he started, doing his best to sound confident as he prepared to openly announce the truth once and for all.

…But then the sound of Arnold commencing to make such a final announcement instantly snapped Helga back to the reality of the situation at hand, and before he could go on with one of his epic speeches and finally outwardly profess his love for her like she was sure he intended to do right now, Helga took a step in front of him, scowled, and decided that enough was enough—she was done being pushed around. And she knew just what she wanted to say to get it to stop.

Helga let out a breath and did her best to address both sides of the crowd that had formed around them (snatching up Arnold's hand into hers again for support and courage). "No, you know what? Arnold and I don't have to explain _anything_ to you. To ANY of you! We are what we are—deal with it! Now, it's the last day of fourth grade recess and Arnold and I going to enjoy what's left of it playing on the swings together, and YOU four…" she glared at Rhonda and then at Harold, Sid and Stinky, "…can fight out what's going on between us amongst yourself all you want, but _we're_ out of here! And I hope the rest of you will have sense enough not to put up with the stupid assumptions coming out of all of their mouths! Come on, Arnold!" And with that a firm-faced Helga G. Pataki pulled (a now smiling) Arnold out of the crowd and toward the swings. She hesitated though a few feet away from the surprised mob and with a devilish grin turned back around to face them, a certain gleam in her eyes. "Oh but if any of you are looking for a bone of gossip to have a little fun with since Arnold and I aren't biting…" she cleared her throat and announced so very proudly something she had been keeping , "Two cheese festivals ago Rhonda forced Harold into a tunnel of love boat…and even though he was fighting her tooth and nail when she pulled him on, both of them seemed more than a little reluctant to leave when it was over…Have fun with that!"

And with that she turned on her heel and finished pulling Arnold along with her over to the swings, definitely leaving the fourth grade with something new to talk about, though she didn't bother to tune in much to the whispers and laughing and snickering that started up. The sound of Curly screaming, "A challenger? UN GARDE, you PLEBE!" did at least manage meet there ears though.

As she and her beloved reached the swings now, Helga finally released Arnold's hand, then let out a huge breath and collapsed onto the nearest free swing, closing her eyes for just a minute to recollect herself.

She finally opened her eyes at the sound of the free swing beside her moving a bit, only to see that Arnold had sat down next to her…and he had a very pleased smile on his face again today. She saw him open his mouth to speak to her but Helga instantly cut him off with another sigh and a wave of her hand, rubbing her temples and guessing pretty accurately what might be on his mind right now. "I know, I know, Arnold…me standing up to them all just now was brave and more evidence that I love being honest and you're just so proud of me…And you'll also probably say that maybe I shouldn't have thrown in that last thing about Rhonda and Harold but I can't keep my temper under control _all the time_, Arnoldo…which I'm sure you'll just smile at because you love accepting everything about me so much, warts and all." She smiled at him "And by the way you need to quit being so supportive, Football Head—it's going to make me go soft one of these days."

Arnold closed his smiling mouth and finally just laughed at both her final observation and at how adorably accurately she had just predicted the direction of the conversation he had been about to start with her. "You? Go soft, Helga?" He closed his eyes for a second and shook his head with a grin. "I don't think that could happen…" He opened his eyes and looked at her with his half lidded gaze as he added with just a touch of smugness, "…_Unless_ of course you had a secret sweet side or something… In that case, I'm not sure—maybe spending time with me _would_ make you go soft and smile and laugh and do the right thing all the time…" He winked at her and chuckled a little, unable to help both actions.

Helga chuckled a little herself and glanced down, gently moving herself a little on the swing by digging her shoes against the ground. "Yeah, well…I don't know about doing the right thing ALL the time—Old Betsey and the Five Avengers have their own schedule and list of priorities to keep too, you know…And besides, if there's anything that would keep that whole 'tough as nails' part of me around it's the fact that it rubs off a little on _you_, Football Head…or have you forgotten your newfound habits of eavesdropping and breaking into my house and all those little side trips and sidebars we manage to take on our dates to do something besides talk…so many of which you start…and so many of which you don't seem to want to stop, my beloved..." She added that last part of her reply in her familiar cooing, monologuing tone and with a wink, just for the fun and effect of it all.

Arnold's breath was heard to catch in his throat, and he visibly blushed and glanced down. "Oh…um, well I—uh…g-good point, I guess, Helga…" he finally got out with a gulp. And Helga could see to her amusement and happiness that even though her love was embarrassed at her reminders of some of his behavioral changes lately ever since admitting to himself that he loved her, he was trying to fight back a smile…and a very proud little smile, she might add.

Helga chuckled to herself a little again and shook her head in amusement at Arnold. "Eh, don't get so embarrassed all the time about your aggressive side, Football Head…You know I like it. And, hey, if it'll make you feel any _less_ embarrassed…" she sighed and rolled her eyes to the side and blushed, a touch of something both nervous and sheepish coming to her countenance, "I've, uh…got one last big 'at school' thing planned for today to get our classmates a bit more in touch with the real Helga G. Pataki, and I'm pretty sure that the amount of blushing I'm going to be doing before during and after this last little escapade of mine will more than make up for anything I'm getting out of you now…Just wanted you to know that there's at least one more fun thing coming up for today, Arnoldo." She winked at him.

Her words got a big grin and small laugh out of Arnold and he made eye contact with her again, raising an eyebrow. "Really? You have something else planned? What is it, Helga?" he asked sweetly and curiously, likewise starting to move himself a tiny bit on the swing just by pushing the tips of his feet backwards and forwards on the pavement below.

Helga just sighed and glanced to the side…with a coy smile. "Oh…you'll see…_Although_…" she let the word hang for a moment, let the tension build, "…I _might_ be willing to trade the information for a few hints about our date tonight…" She glanced back at him, feigning the picture of perfect innocence. "Come on, Arnold…just _one_ little hint to the woman you love about how you'll delight her for your once month anniversary together?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him a little and threw in a giggle just for the heck of it, starting to really like teasing him about this little desire of hers.

However, Arnold, as he had done today once or twice before, just sighed at her and shook his head. "Sorry, Helga…you'll just have to wait." He winked at her.

"Then so will you, my love…" She smiled and winked right back at him.

Arnold and Helga shared a chuckle once more, just enjoying and savoring another one of their rare peaceful moments together today.

Eventually, Helga sighed and rolled her eyes to the side with a grin. "Okay, okay, enough flirting and mushy moments for now—the last thing we need is to give anyone who might start glancing over here once that melee over there is over…" she gestured with her head in the direction they had come from…where it appeared that not only was the mob of their classmates still gathered but there was quite a little brouhaha going on right in the center of them—flashes of blues and reds and black bowl-shaped haircuts popping up now and again, "… any more ammunition in this epic debate of confusion over what's going on with us. Let's get to some swinging! Bet ya' I can get higher than you can, Football Head!" And with that adorable little 'friendly' challenge she started to commence said action, thrusting out her legs and pumping them to gain more height and momentum.

And a smiling Arnold readily followed suite (all the while trying not get too distracted by the fact that, well… '_I'm swinging with my girlfriend…_' and all the goofy chuckles that inevitably built up within him at the idea).

Meanwhile, as the pair swung together, Helga continued talking to her beloved, unable to restrain her need to comment on certain events any longer. "Oh and seriously, can we talk for a second about he sheer amount of stupidity that went on over there with some of our 'less than brilliant' peers just now?" She jerked a thumb back in the direction of the fourth grade fray. "I mean, okay, at least a few brighter people seem to know what's up...and they're actually being really cool about it." She smiled with pleasant surprise at the idea.

Arnold smiled as well. "You see, Helga..." he began, so optimistic and so happy to see this particular little smile on her face today, "I told you other people could be okay with us...And the other ones will come around too once they see us together more."

Helga nodded, glancing to him, a touch of her own rare optimism in her eyes. "Yes, you and Bliss were right. There are people in this world besides you and our closest friends who won't destroy me for loving you." She smiled appreciatively and winked at him...but then let out a sigh and rolled her eyes and had to go on, with an amused grin, "But sheesh, Football Head, it's like for every one person we've got being cool about this, we've got one to two more who are either stubborn or stupid or some combination of the two! I mean, come on, Arnold, I'm not exactly being subtle here today-CRIMENY, I've done everything but push our desks together, toss you down on top of them, and ravish you with kisses in the middle of class, and half these dolts STILL don't get that we're together? _And_ they're dragging Brainy into this, and Lila…? AND they think you're some kind of shrewd ladies man with enough cunning to use one woman to get another? Sheesh, I really am going to just have to shout it to them all plain and simple in some way that I love you and you love me, won't I?" She smiled to herself for a moment, but then looked over at Arnold with an interested look, losing focus of her pumping for a second, which caused her swinging to slow down a little. "But, um…Arnold? …Do you think I did okay telling Rhonda and the guys that what's going on between us is none of their business—I mean…I don't mind the idea of telling them outright that I love you much anymore, but it was just…it just didn't feel right to have us say something like that under the circumstances. I just don't think we should have to feel like we _need_ to explain ourselves on the spot to them just because they backed us into a corner and 'demanded' it of us or something…you know?" She looked at him hesitantly, hoping she really hadn't been too presumptuous before when she had assumed he would be okay with that decision of hers.

Her beloved's swinging pace likewise slowed, almost unconsciously, to match hers, and at her question he just smiled at her and sighed and nodded. "I understand, Helga. And actually I think what you did was really smart. You're right—we shouldn't _have_ to 'explain ourselves' and especially just because people demand it or because they'd rather believe gossip than what's right in front of them. We should just be allowed to act affectionate to each other, no explanation required. And if we do want to outright tell someone how we feel then that's great, of course, but otherwise it's probably better if we just act how we want to act around each other without letting the teasing get to us." He gave her a reassuring wink.

Helga blinked, almost impressed by how eloquently he had put her thoughts. "Really?" She smiled, glancing downward a little shyly, still swinging lightly…

Arnold smiled more and nodded, still gazing at her, his swinging light as well right now. "Really, Helga…" he affirmed.

A peaceful silence (broken only by the far off sounds of the little 'conflict' still going on over with all the other kids) settled over the happy couple and their light swinging together continued throughout it. And they were thankful for some quiet time with each other on this day.

Then Arnold recalled something and interrupted the tender silence for the sake of an important thought…

"Hey Helga?"

"Yes, Arnold?"

"Um…"Arnold looked at her with a small curious smile as they both gently moved side by side on their respective swings, "Before we saw everyone just now, and when we were talking about our anniversary and presents and stuff…you never let me finish asking you about my Christmas present. Or at least, about what the last one was…since you'd be most likely to remember that one." He tried not to chuckle. "So, now that we're alone and we have a few minutes, can I please know, Helga? I'm just curious." He smiled at her innocently and sincerely.

He was met with the smile instantly leaving Helga's face and her letting out a small sigh. She stopped swinging entirely by digging her feet into the ground. Her eyes went downward. She took in a breath, paused to consider her words, and then addressed Arnold's question, plainly, simply, calmly. "Arnold…you know I would never keep secrets from you, my love, ever. But…it…this is different. I know we're equal and the same in this relationship and that I do have a small conscience but, Arnold, you are…you really are a much better person than me in a lot of ways. And your Christmas present…the last one, at least…it's one of the few small things I have in my life that's ever made me feel like a really decent person ever. But if I tell you what it is then it'll just…ruin it. It'll turn into something selfish. Like something I only did to impress you or something. And I don't want that. So please, Arnold…no more questions about that, alright? I'll tell you what any of your other Christmas presents were…except that one." She looked upward to him again now, her eyes brimming with sincerity and hope and need.

Arnold was just…quiet at first. His swinging had stopped completely long ago.

She had never talked to him like this before. And his first instinct was to smile and maybe touch her and then to assure her that she was just as good of a person as he was, maybe even _better_ at times with how she had secretly cared for him all of these years…

But then Arnold considered for another moment and realized that doing all of that might come off to her as him trying to pressure her a little to tell him about his present, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable like that…and especially about something that seemed so uniquely important to her.

So in the end Arnold just nodded at Helga, looking into her eyes. "Alright, Helga. I won't ask you about it anymore. I promise. For what it's worth though…I'm sure whatever it was, it was something very important…and very good…so thank you for it, Helga. From the bottom of my heart. I love you so very much." And then, glancing over and seeing that everyone else was still pretty distracted with the whole 'Harold v. Curly' duel, he quickly stood up from his own stopped swing, got behind her stopped swing, and then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her from behind with a smile. He heard her breath catch in her throat, felt her spin stiffen and arch, and it only made him hug and hold her more warmly and more tenderly.

He ended the hug a couple of seconds later, just to make sure no one really would catch them and start bugging them again. And then Arnold opened his eyes and smiled and put his hands on the swing chains just above where Helga's hands were holding. He leaned his wide head a little over her shoulder, smiling warmly. "I just remembered, Helga…I was supposed to push you on the swings once we got over here, not just swing with you, wasn't I? So, um…would you like me to push you a little now while you swing until the bell rings, Helga?" Something in his tone was so shy…like he really was unsure about whether or not she would say yes, though it obviously wanted her to say it SO badly…Like a little boy with a secret crush just hoping to spend time with the girl he liked. He just couldn't help it—even a month into it all, his Helga was still sort of a miracle to him…and especially in public.

Helga who was just so touched and so relieved (and so utterly mush thanks to that hug from him and how very close he was to her now…and also at the idea of him pushing her while she swung…his warm, strong hands gently pushing against her back over and over again…) just smiled warmly and nodded…and let herself fall back a little against his stomach and chest for a moment. "Yes please, Arnold. You can push me now." A big smile and near giggle both came from her as she glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. "And thank you, my darling…about the Christmas present thing. And I promise, now that we're together, next Christmas you will get to know what your present is, and right when you open it too." She let out a dreamy sigh. Arnold and her together at Christmas—she hadn't even imagined that possibility before but oh what a merry Christmas it would be. '_Remind me to snag one of big bob's beeper delivery trucks and fill it with mistletoe and dump it all over Arnold's house.' _She almost giggled to herself in yuletide joy at the idea.

Meanwhile, Arnold just smiled, very happy that Helga was feeling better about all of this…and of course about the fact that she had said yes to being pushed. He was excited for it…Getting to push against her cute little back and shoulders in that cute little pink jumper and white t-shirt combo of hers…watching her loose hair blowing back and forward with every push…He could almost imagine it: he pushing her forward and she giggling as she ascended, glancing over her shoulder and calling back to him playfully, 'Push me harder, Arnold! Come on, my big strong boyfriend!', and throwing in some eyelash-batting for effect.

Barely aware of reality at the moment, a goofy-grinning Arnold just nodded in response to Helga's assent to be pushed as she swung, and, though tongue-tied at first, he managed to find words finally as he pulled her back using the swing chains and set them up to start things. "Y-You're welcome, my love. For everything…And I'll get you the best present ever next year." He chuckled at the idea and let her go forward, which led to her moving backward, upon which Arnold put out his hands and finally started to push Helga a little. Meanwhile, his daydream-drunk brain now started to move on to musing on the idea of Christmas with Helga next year…Sharing hot chocolate, having snowball fights, the decorations everywhere, hanging from the tree, the walls…the ceiling…

The swinging went on for a couple more seconds, and then Helga, still with a certain sprig of something Christmassy on her mind…and suspecting some things thanks to Arnold's dazed silence behind her as he pushed her…and also knowing how in tune their thoughts tended to be at this point in their relationship…finally had to suggest a certain concept. She remained facing forward as she spoke, just enjoying the cool air breezing around her courtesy of the swinging. "Hey Arnold…so…you thinking what I'm thinking when it comes to Christmas for us?"

From behind her, Helga felt Arnold falter a little with his next push of her, but then as she swung back for another push she felt him not only do this one calmly again but she heard him let out an amused sigh from behind her as well. "Is it mistletoe, Helga?" he asked simply… 'innocently'…

Helga giggled a little, unable to help blushing and smiling very coyly to herself (all of which Arnold could just barely see as he did his best to angle his gaze over her shoulder as much as he could). "Very good, Football Head," she replied humorously.

Arnold smiled more and with a touch of pride at having his thoughts coincide so well randomly with Helga's. Then he chuckled and added, after another push to his girlfriend, "You know, Helga, my Grandpa's got this hat where it's a band that goes around your head and attached on a wire at the top is a sprig of mistletoe. I could…borrow that next Christmas, if you'd like…" he suggested humorously, shyly, suggestively before his modesty could stop him.

Helga took in a sharp breath at first and blushed furiously, but then giggled a little but shook her head in amusement, feeling her hair fly all around her face as the swing moved to and fro. "No, no, Arnold, don't wear that hat please…" she glanced at him over the corner of her shoulder. "…if you do then EVERYONE who sees you gets to kiss you, and with my luck the six grade girls chorus would show up at the boarding house door belting out carols and you'd answer, and then you and all of your cuteness would get attacked by every twelve-year-old chick in the neighborhood….maybe some of them would even be thirteen-years-old!" She chuckled a little. "You _know_ how you like teenage girls, after all, Arnoldo!" She winked at him and then resumed looking forward as she swung and he pushed her, an amused and also smug grin on her face. '_Gotchya again, Football Head.'_

From behind Helga, Arnold just let out a slightly more embarrassed sigh and rolled his eyes, his own chuckle unable to help escaping him though. '_Chorus of teenage…Only Helga would come up with that…And she's the only girl who could make that fantasy unappealing to a guy…since she wouldn't be one of the ones giving the kisses in it…'_ Arnold grinned a little to himself, a counter reply to her coming to his mind, which he delivered, still just casually pushing away, "S-So…what then…? Should I give the hat to _you_ to wear instead? What if Brainy pops by for some eggnog and you answer it? Since you two are 'secretly dating' after all…At least, that's what I've heard." He chuckled even more as he finished referencing the idea, any jealousy it might have caused him in the past seriously completely gone right now.

Helga chuckled herself again and rolled her eyes as she continued gently soaring through the air. '_Touché, Arnold…_' "Darn rumors…" she rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh, and then smiled and went on with, "And eh, actually, instead of the hat, I was thinking we'd just put mistletoe all over the outside and also hanging from the inside of your skylight ceiling and then we would go and have a very interesting little Christmas date in your room… Oh but meanwhile, Arnoldo, going back to the 'hat scenarios', way to be fair—all I get from you is one moment of heat with a nice guy like Brainy who'd probably be too gentlemanly to take me up on it anyway, while in _my_ scenario _you_ get absolutely mauled by scheming girls dressed up as Christmas angels in training bras. Nice." She smirked to herself in total amusement, blushing a little and loving every moment of it.

Arnold smiled a lot at that random little challenge from his girlfriend…and also blushed a lot too, naturally. He rolled his eyes to himself and sighed and gulped and shrugged, giving her more little pushes. "A-Alright, Helga, fair's fair, I guess. …Would you prefer to get theoretical kisses from Brainy AND a few older yuletide pranksters that might be passing up the street when you opened the door for him…? You know, the ones who would stop dead in their tracks at the sight of a fiery Christmas angel like you…"

Helga giggled a ton and blushed considerably at his words, an effect that, as usual, made Arnold's smile widen and his heart flutter. "Yes that would do nicely," she replied coyly and with a little smirk at him over her shoulder as the swing went back and forth. "Thank you, Arnold!" She smiled proudly to herself and then resumed looking forward again.

Arnold just chuckled a little. He loved that they could really joke about things like this now with no awkwardness or jealousy. Yes, he had had a thing for older women, yes, Brainy had had a thing for Helga…but that part of their lives was all done now and they could move on to the new part…the one with them…together…forever…in private and in public…for better or worse…

Arnold thought about these things, thought about his anniversary plans for Helga tonight, thought about how her hair swooshing back and forth as she swung this whole time had looked even prettier than he had daydreamed it would…

And…Arnold also had another thought…going back to their 'mistletoe scenarios'… _'Christmas angels…angel.' _

Arnold pushed Helga a few more times on the swing.

'_Christmas…angel_…' For some reason that phrase was sticking in his mind a little. Like he had heard it before or something…like a while ago…even before Helga had first brought it up in their conversation just now.

Still though for now Arnold was just happy to be pushing his Helga on a swing in a public place on their one-month anniversary. No more secrets to hide. So he chose to mostly focus on that instead.

Arnold and Helga remained at the swings privately, Arnold pushing Helga and Helga being pushed in total bliss (and making a mental note to return the favor to her beloved one day…Her beloved, with his 'good hands' that she was in…) in content and peaceful silence, ignoring whatever else might be going on in other parts of the playground, until the bell rang. Then they waited for most of the other kids to clear off of the playground first (just to avoid any more last minute confrontations), upon which the happy couple finally ceased their playing on the swings together to head inside the school once more…and to see what the second half of the day and of 'Operation: UN-garde' would have in store for them…

* * *

**A/N:**

YAY another chapter done :D Lol, and for crying out loud I hope half the chaotic stuff in that made sense, because it confused the heck out of me writing it so I can only imagine what weirdness reading it must be XDXD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed how this story is progressing, and here's hoping I can have it all wrapped up before the winters out ;) Next chapter: allow another four to six weeks please ^^; Sorry, still crazy busy XD But I'll try and get it to you all asap ;)

Love you guys!

And YAY for HA! being on the 90s Are All That block now 8D We did it!

AXH Forever!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	22. To Start and End with a Poem

**A/N:**

YAY finally another update :D Lol, I'm sorry it takes so long between these guys—I don't know, I'm always running around doing a million things and not to mention these chapters, no matter the length, always take a lot out of me, lol. Anyway though I hope you all enjoy this latest installment :) This is the conclusion of Arnold and Helga's day at school, and then the next chapter will be the baseball game and then the next three chapters after that will be all about their one month anniversary and all the antics it will bring ^w^ Please R&R and thank you all so much again for your patience! You're all so sweet!

Also, there's a poem in here called **Time ****Alone** : 3 The title comes from a three shot **companion ****fic**** NintendoGal ****did**** to**** Tutoring ****Arnold** (_**Time **__**Alone**_**)** that went into a little more detail with the content of the second epilogue and then into Arnold and Helga's weekend after that :) She published it before LTBH got started so it's not entirely continuous with it but it was still very well done! I think she's taken down all but the first chapter but I hope she puts the other two up again one day because that was the first time anyone ever wrote a companion fic for me and it just touched me so much that she did that! ^w^ Thank you, NintendoGal!

Alright, then, let's start ;) And also, I know this chapter's a tiny bit shorter than usual (only about 20,000 words) but there's a ton of fun stuff, I promise! I hope you all enjoy it!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 22:**

**To Start and End with a Poem**

* * *

_A snippet of Gerald and Phoebe's brief conversation on the playground before coming to assist Arnold and Helga with the other kids…_

"I-I know, Phoebe…And now that…Arnold and Helga…aren't going to need us as 'cover' for public dates anymore…I guess we're just…on our own…and that's going to make things even more official and a little more tricky now..."

A slightly nervous-looking Phoebe let out a little sigh and nodded. "Precisely. Arnold and Helga's actions today, despite their intentions to have them solely affect the status of their own romantic involvement, can't help but effect on ours too. What I mean to say, pardoning my vernacular, is that we're sort of…on the spot…more than we might have realized…After all, even if we're okay with people knowing about us just as Arnold and Helga are now okay with people knowing about them, now people are also going to start to get used to openly questioning Arnold and Helga's emotional situation…And so now when the same people see _the __two __of__ us_ inevitably together and, if they ask…how do we briefly surmise _our __own_ feelings for one another?" She gulped now…and the lightest tint of scarlet threatened her features.

Gerald saw all of that in the girl before him…the gulp, the little blush threatening…And he tried to deny to himself where she might be going with this. "W-Well, uh…we…could just say that…we've got a crush on each other…" he finally managed to get out with a nervous little clearing of this throat.

At that reply…a certain spark of anticipation and wonder couldn't help but leave Phoebe's eyes. "O-Oh…" She did her best to explain something as she continued on. "But, um…Gerald? The thing is…since it seems that everyone's always known about there being something between us, they must have always known about our crushes on each other…But now things between us are a lot different than they used to be back then so…it seems we'd have to say something a little different too…a-a little more…official sounding…a little deeper…" Phoebe couldn't help herself, she was just testing the waters…She was just curious if…he might start coming to the same conclusion about their feelings that she had maybe started coming, if not _to_, then _towards_, at any rate…

Gerald's eyes went the tiniest bit wide at this 'counter' from Phoebe. "O-Oh…" She actually made a good point, didn't she? '_Oh __boy__…_' "Good point, babe, heh…" He smiled a little sheepishly, having to give her that. "A-And…" he also had to admit, "…with how we do more now than just sneak glances at each other, I guess…everyone's bound to notice that it can't just be a crush anymore, what we have..." He smiled a little more and suggested a touch nervously, arms behind his back, "H-Hey, um…we could just go with the old standby and say we're dating…Leave it at that…"

At his agreeing with her at first, that spark of anticipation and wonder had briefly returned to Phoebe's dark eyes…but now, at his pulling out that fail safe…to just leave their status as 'dating' with no further explanation…such sparks couldn't help but extinguish entirely in her gaze. "Oh…yes…I suppose…That, um…That doesn't really explain our 'feelings' though, of course, but…it…does explain part of what's different now I guess…" she replied with a shrug, trying not to seem as slightly disappointed with all of this as she actually was starting to become.

Gerald could tell though—he knew her like a brilliant book. He had just said the wrong thing, hadn't he? And even though he knew at the back of his mind _why_ it had probably been wrong, he really didn't want to think about that possibility right now! It was just that there were a lot of things going on right now today and this was all so sudden and…okay, fine it _had_ been building up for a bit but still! "Well…" he started unsurely with a gulp, "Wh-What, um…What do _you_ think we should…say…t-to them…if they ask…how we feel…about each other…specifically?"

Phoebe blinked and her eyes went WIDE! She had not exactly expected that question to be turned to her. "Oh, I…I…" she looked up into his eyes—warm and brown and so…inviting sometimes… "I…don't know…" she said softly… "…but I think we have to discuss it soon…and stop putting it off…b-before something h-happens…and…and…" her voice had gotten so very quiet now…and she had moved a little closer…and she was still looking into his eyes…and, well…no one did seem to be around at the moment…And then, as her thoughts went to her best friends (on top of her thought about everyone and where they might be right now…), so did her gaze go just a little over Gerald's shoulder to the large crowd at the center of the playground, their best friends in the middle of it… "…and before we figure things out like how Arnold and H—" Phoebe's eyes popped open wide once more all of a sudden and she instantly stopped dead and blinked and suddenly put a hand on Gerald's shoulder too move him aside a little and look past him. "Oh dear!" She had gotten so distracted with Gerald and had let her defenses for her best friend and Arnold down so much since they hadn't been able to find them for so long on the playground that she hadn't even realized this new turn of events taking place all of a sudden! "Gerald, look! Oh we have to help them—come on!" And with that she grabbed Gerald's hand and pulled him along to assist their best friends, deciding (and maybe almost grateful for the chance) to put off their current conversation for a little while longer.

And Gerald just let himself be pulled along, grateful for Phoebe's gaze being off of him now so that he could subdue his blushing and return his rate of breathing back to normal. '_Oh __boy_…' IT had been about to happen again, hadn't it? Something…Something big that they couldn't take back? An intimate kiss, a deeper confession, a moment of heat, something… '_O-Oh __boy__…' _Gerald just did his best not to panic for now though and to quicken his pace to match Phoebe's as they reached the gang of their friends surrounding Arnold and Helga.

And once there he (as well as Phoebe) were calm and supportive and helpful…and yet of course had other things at the back of their minds too now…

And with Arnold and Helga spending this whole entire weekend together…it would leave the two of them entirely alone as well…and their best friends bursting with romance at every turn…

Another couple of little thoughts that Gerald and Phoebe were both trying to avoid…

* * *

_A brief snippet of Lila and Curly's conversation from the playground before Lila joined in the efforts to help Arnold and Helga as well…_

"Well, I'm ever so certain I asked you, Curly, because you're the only boy besides Eugene who seems to not be laughing about and teasing Arnold and Helga, and Sheena already told me that Eugene finds the idea of them together ever so charming even if it is a little unbelievable, so…I suppose I was just curious about _you__'__re_ reasons for being okay with them as an ever so charming couple. Thank you again for letting me know, Curly. I appreciate it, and it makes a lot of sense." Lila smiled at the glasses-wearing and bowl-shaped-haircut-sporting boy sitting beside her on a bench against the side of the school where the two of them were just finishing up a brief private chat.

Curly just grinned and shrugged. "Don't mention it, Lila. And like I said, there's been a lot of stuff but the final nail in the coffin that made me KNOW Arnold was mad for her had to be two weeks ago when me and the other guys were over at his house and he said he stole her shoes as a prank." A chuckle escaped him. "No guy steals a girl's shoes unless he's totally gaga in love with her. Heck, I've got like three pairs of scuffed shoes Rhonda didn't want anymore in my bedroom." Curly smiled more, swinging his feet a little off the edge of the bench. "Oh and as for Helga, like I said, she's always seemed a little bit unstable in sort of a kindred way to how I'm unstable, and anyway, to put in a nutshell the point you brought up about her, she does sort of personify that whole 'methinks the lady doth protest too much' thing. Over the last few years I've mostly just been waiting for her to crack and throw herself at Arnold like I do at Rhonda, then I figured we could team up and help each other stalk our true loves until they finally broke down and realized they couldn't live without us. Hee, hee, hee…" Curly couldn't help but end on a slightly maniacal chuckle.

Though Lila found the laugh and smile…and some of the words…that accompanied it a touch creepy, not only had she seen her fair share of dramatics and emotional hysterics from Helga before but…this was also the girl who openly loved _Arnie_ of all people. So she just smiled and took it in stride, understanding that Curly was just expressing himself in his own ever so unique way. "Aw, well, I'm ever so sure Helga would have appreciated your help if she had reached that point, Curly, and that she would have been willing to help you too, considering your feelings. But I'm oh too certain that even now if you asked her for help with winning Rhonda, she'd do everything for you she could. And Arnold would help too of course. And so would I, Curly. To be honest…" she leaned a little closer to him and whispered with a happy smile, "I think you and Rhonda would make just an oh too charming couple! And I think she's very lucky to have someone who cares about her as much as you do." Lila giggled and then pulled back again.

Curly's usual slightly insane smile suddenly softened a bit to something very warm and happy and sincere, and his voice even changed in tone in the same way. It was just…no one had ever…been supportive of him and his love for Rhonda like that. "Really, Lila? Thanks. And thanks for offering help but…actually…as of today Arnold and Helga are helping me in every way possible." A bit of the craftiness returned to Curly's grin.

"Hmm?" Lila raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Really? How so?"

Curly's smile grew. "By just being together and being open about it!" He threw his arms out in an exciting gesture. "They're challenging every social expectation ever today! Flying in the face of all those sheep who'd like to pretend they've never wanted passion and romance and who can't see how sometimes…" (by this point in his harangue he had stood up on the bench with his chin held high and proud and he was pointing off into the distance)… "…the two most insanely different-seeming people can find something together that binds them to one another for eternity and creates an amore so deep and throbbing with life and potential that the world can no longer deny what the heavens have ordained! Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa, haa!" Be broke into full on crazed laughter!

Okay, yes, by now, Lila was a 'tiny' bit 'overwhelmed' by Curly's 'enthusiasm', but…overall, of course, she could see the charm and sweetness beneath it all, and ultimately it really was just because he loved and cherished Rhonda so very much. So she just smiled and giggled…and let out a little forlorn sigh inside as she wished Arnie could act about her like Curly did about Rhonda or Arnold about Helga or even Gerald about Phoebe... "Oh Curly, that's all…ever so…poetic. And I'm certain I agree—perhaps Arnold and Helga just being together could help you and Rhonda come together as well!" she suggested supportively and sincerely. "Has she been acting at all differently toward you today?" she then asked with an interested smile.

Curly let out an amorous sigh, gazing across the playground toward where Rhonda was…along with a bunch of other kids…and Arnold and Helga…and his dark-haired vixen was scowling… _'__She__'__s__ so__ hot__ when__ she__'__s __angry!__'_ "No, not in the least…I think my baby is still so very deep in denial…It's understandable though when you've got a red hot love like ours in your future…But I think much more time having to see Arnold and Helga together might just make her crumble! And then I'll be there to scoop her up and carry her off into the sunset! Just her and I…and all the animals we can free…Hee hee…"

Lila had to giggle a little again, her eyes going half lidded as her thoughts returned once more to the idea of Arnie acting as passionately as this toward her. She began to turn her head to look over toward Rhonda as Curly was doing as she spoke, "Oh Curly, that's ever so—Oh my!" Lila blinked! She had certainly seen kids crowding around Arnold and Helga before—that was why Sheena and Nadine and Eugene had gone over there in the first place, though she herself had chosen to stay behind and talk with Curly for a moment, finding him available. But now it looked like things were taking a turn for the worst! Despite Sheena and Nadine and Eugene's support, which Lila was certain they were giving, a lot of the boys seemed to be teasing and bothering Arnold and Helga, Rhonda was definitely deeply angry about something, and even Brainy was over there now and blushing away and looking so very distressed!

Lila stood up instantly, knowing she had to help. "Curly, I'm ever so sorry but I think Arnold and Helga could use my help." She turned back to the dark haired boy. "Would you be willing to join me?" she asked with a small smile.

Curly snapped out of his craziness and looked to her, hopping off the bench. "I'll be over in a second. I like to sneak up behind my hottie Rhonda and wait for the perfect opportunity to make an entrance. You go on ahead though…" Curly glanced back to Arnold and Helga, a touch of concern actually coming to his face, "They really do need some help…Poor kids…" He sighed. "And my sweet Rhonda isn't making it any easier for them with her denial…She and I will have to have to take them out on a double date sometime soon to make it up to them."

Lila smiled at Curly's sweet sincerity and nodded at him. "Alright, I'll see you over there, Curly. And thank you for the talk! It was ever so informative! Bye!" Lila gave him a little wave and then was off to help her friends…

Curly gave a little wave back and then was off into 'stealth mode' and sneaking along the edge of the school and outskirts of the crowd to find the perfect opportunity for jumping into the fray in a way sure to impress his lady love…

* * *

_Alright, that's enough flashbacks…Let's return to Arnold and Helga heading back inside of the school at the end of recess, the two of them making sure not to head in, of course, until the rest of the fourth grade had gone inside as well, just for the sake of avoiding more ludicrous gossip…_

Holding hands, fingers laced, and even swinging their clasped appendages a tiny bit (and not caring one lick about what anybody might have to say about that even if the hall's hadn't been basically deserted of their classmates at this point considering that the bell to end recess had rung several minutes ago), Arnold and Helga were heading down a hallway of P.S. 118 together to reach Mr. Simmons' room before the bell signaling the start of class would ring…

…when it happened…

A certain series of events occurred to make a boy…and an older one at that…make a pass at Helga… Not that it was in a really serious way and actually it only lasted for a second…Actually, it was more _funny_ than anything else…and yet…

Oh the fun ramifications, both present and future (mostly future though), of this event.

But for just this moment, at least, things were going swimmingly and rather adorably for P.S. 118's cutest new couple.

They were in the middle of a playful conversation, which Helga had to interrupt for a moment though to point out with a grin, "Oh and by the way, Arnold…when you told Sid to shut up before…_Wow_, that was attractive. I've never heard you get so…bold before…Well…bold with a person you're not in the middle of giving lots of kisses to, at least…" A very impressed Helga giggled and winked at Arnold in that enticing way she had of doing.

A flustered Arnold just blushed and looked at her with a little grin and gave a modest little shrug. "O-Oh, well…h-hey, _I__…__I _can get angry with people too…And I can even tell people to shut up. I'm not THAT much of a wet blanket…" He smiled more and moved just a smidge closer to her as they walked on. "I'm happy you liked it though…"

Helga giggled more. "I _adored_ it—you should tell people to shut up more often! Oh but not me of course otherwise I'll slug ya!" She winked and then a fresh idea occurred to her in regards to the conversation they had been having prior to this observation of hers about Arnold telling Sid to shut up, and she instantly brightened and brought it up. "Oh, oh, I've got another one—we take them all on a tour of my shrine to you! Now if THAT doesn't convince those nay-saying chuckleheads who just won't believe that you and I are a couple that you and I are indeed a couple and desperately in love, then nothing will!" Helga chuckled and winked Arnold.

Arnold chuckled as well and rolled his eyes with a little blush on his cheeks at her latest 'never actually going to happen in real life because we both would totally die from embarrassment, but still it's fun to joke about it' suggestion of a way to convince the more 'in denial' part of their class that they were dating (put on the table so far had been breaking into all of their doubting friends' houses in the night and tattooing 'A+H Forever' on their foreheads, inviting them all over to observe one of their (intimately more milder, of course) dates and see that indeed Arnold and Helga really could behave civilly and even affectionately with one another, making a blunt announcement over the PA about their status as a couple, and baking a few banana cream pies with the phrase 'We're dating, DEAL with it!' written on them to smack all of the most notorious naysayers in their faces with). Ever since coming into the school doors the two had been having this little back and forth joke about what wacky full-proof antics they could do to prove to their remaining doubtful and misguided classmates that Helga was one hundred percent in love with Arnold and that Arnold was one hundred percent in love with Helga and that was the way it was going to stay.

And now to Helga's latest suggestion of a shrine tour, Arnold smiled and replied, "Not bad, Helga…Doing that would cause me to die from humiliation at having everyone we know see your beautiful creations that you use to worship me as a love god…but otherwise not bad." A stifled giggle or two escaped Helga at this, which made Arnold chuckle a little more in return. And then he added as another playful suggestion, "Or instead I could take them to see the stack of pretty pink books always in my room and we could have a poetry jam session—Gerald could lead…in between gagging about me as an 'orzo shaped Prometheus' of course. And also, that plan would probably only paralyze me in embarrassment instead of actually killing me from it so…I'd still be around for you to love when it was done." A fully blushing and smiling Arnold winked at his love.

Helga laughed…and this time turned to look down with a little very distinct and rosy blush and slightly awkward shrug as she did so. '_Us __r-reading __my __poetry__ out__ loud__ to __everyone__…'_

"Eh…n-not too horrible of a plan, I suppose…e-especially if it would keep you alive for me to continue worshipping you with things like my shrine…" she managed to reply, and then she quickly cleared her throat.

Helga knew Arnold would probably pick up on her slight 'reaction' to his poetry suggestion (wait for the scene _after_ the whole 'older boy making a pass at Helga' thing for the reasons behind her reaction to be revealed, please), and so she didn't give him the chance to comment on it but rather grinned and quickly tossed out a suggestion sure to distract him with blushing. "Or we could always just go with sending them invitations to the wedding. We'll get hitched right in front of them. Perfect way to kick off the summer. Sheena's uncle Earl's a boat captain—I'm sure if I slipped him a five he'd do the honors for us. We could use the dock as an aisle, I could give you such a fiery kiss after we said our 'I do's ' that it would send up steam from the salt water and make me have to carry you into the boat, and then we could go and have a little honeymoon on Elk Island…all alone…where I could give you lots of fiery lake-steaming kisses…and maybe you could give me some too… What do you say?" She gave his hand a little saucy squeeze.

Helga really did except just _a__ ton_ of blushing and chuckling and cuteness from Arnold at this particular little joke of hers. After all, she'd on occasion pulled out the marriage stuff to play with him…but never the idea of their honeymoon yet…And he always was a goner for fiery kisses…

Instead though Helga found Arnold…blushing darkly, yes, but…looking forward…down…free hand behind his back…He seemed to almost be holding something inside of himself, and the touch of soft tension in his quiet voice as he replied to her now suggested it as well…And what he said was interesting too… "Is…that another marriage proposal, Helga?"

Helga raised part of her brow in curiosity at him for a moment but then she just chuckled and rolled her eyes, not getting why he was being a little funny about something like that but figuring he was entitled to a little extra nervousness today all things considered. "Eh, not as official as the last one….Think of it as more of a friendly marriage/honeymoon 'suggestion'." She winked at him.

Her beloved was silent for a moment as they walked on, still looking quite pensive and shy. Then he just sighed and smiled more and looked back at her again finally. "Alright then... Just checking, Helga. And not the worst suggestion for telling our friends either." He winked back at her.

Helga just laughed a little to herself and rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, my loopy little Football Head, whatever you say…Now come on!" She squeezed his hand a little more tightly. "If our butts don't get to class by the time the bell rings, then we'll get detention just like we almost got this morning when we were nearly running late, and then our whole afternoon'll be spoiled! Race ya, paste for brains!" She giggled and blew a raspberry at him and then ripped her hand from his own and went to take off down the hall and around the corner and…

"Oof!"

"Uhhhh…What hit me?"

"Helga, what…"

"A-Arnold, I'm fine, really…"

Helga was in the process of standing up, Arnold was in the process of helping her up.

And just to make things weird, Wolfgang was on the other end of this sudden little collision and he was standing up too now, Edmond behind him.

And was it bad that Arnold already felt a tinge of at least subconscious jealousy at the fact that Helga had just crashed into SOMEONE ELSE while going around a corner?

"Hey, look, it's that little wimpy football headed fourth grader and some girl. And the girl knocked you down, Wolfgang," Edmond observed with one of his usual obsequious and vacant smiles.

"Hey, shut up!" Wolfgang said over his shoulder with a scowl before turning back to the two kids in question (actually specifically at Arnold for a moment, whom he recognized all too well considering their past adventures together). "And hey, you shrimpy little goodie two shoes fourth grader, what's the big idea? Why don't you watch where you're going? And why are you walking around the halls now anyway? The bell's about to ring and it's time for the FIFTH grade recess so you and all the rest of those fourth grade babies better be off our playground by the time we get out there." And indeed, the sounds of other fifth graders approaching from down the halls now that it was their recess time could be heard to back up the information Wolfgang had just delivered. Then Wolfgang smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning proudly down at Arnold as he added, always having to be an instigator, "Unless you're trying to be late to class to get detention because you're scared of our baseball game this afternoon. Is that it, wittle baby fourth grader?" He laughed raucously to himself and elbowed a still grinning Edmond to make him join it.

Arnold was more than ready to just roll his eyes at all of this ridiculous and obviously antagonistic talk and take his girlfriend's hand again and head off to class with her.

Helga, however, always did like a challenge.

"Hey, the Football Head is NOT scared of you—_no_ fourth grader is, Wolfgang! And come this afternoon, you're gonna get clobbered!" she announced proudly, crossing her arms over her chest with a grin.

Arnold just let out a sigh and almost shook his head to himself and tried not to smile. _'__Of __course__…__I__ wouldn__'__t__ have__ expected __anything __less __from__ her__…__even __if __it __is __going __to __probably__ complicate__ the __situation__ a__ lot __now__…'_

Wolfgang blinked at the unexpected retort meeting his ears, and from _the __girl_ in this situation, no less…and it didn't help his slight embarrassment that fifth graders suddenly started trailing by them in the hall as they headed to recess…and some of them were starting to notice the little exchange currently going on at the hallway corner. Wolfgang looked to the co-ed in question. "Hey, you take that back, you little…" Of course, now really looking at the girl he had bumped into…the kind of tall girl with one blue eye that he could really see (his bump into her had caused Helga's hair to shift over part of her face once more today), and all that soft, shiny blond hair (and Wolfgang did like shiny things!)…he sort of blinked and paused for a second… "Uh…do I…know you…and…if I don't…" he grinned a tiny bit… "_can_ I? No girl's ever talked back to me like that before. You've got…spunk."

"Wolfgang, what are you saying?" Edmond instantly whispered from behind him, glancing around at their fifth grade classmates, more of whom were passing by, meaning more of whom might notice things. "She's with the fourth grader! For all we know she's a fourth grader too!"

Wolfgang scowled and gave a frustrated sigh and elbowed Edmond again, glancing at him over his shoulder. "Hey, first of all, if she's a fourth grader too then how come we don't recognize her? And second of all, yeah, she's shorter than us but she's still pretty tall…definitely taller than the shrimpy football headed kid anyway! Now shut up! I'm trying to do something here!" He elbowed Edmond once more and then turned his sights back on Helga with a smile. He leaned against a locker suavely on one of his arms. "So…you live around here?"

Silence.

Then…

"Alright…" a _deep__…__disgusted__…__disturbed__…_sigh from Helga… "I didn't realize that this whole 'girly' thing would make not just _annoying_ but _creepy_ people…ugh… 'like'…me too…"

Arnold…actually couldn't help but just chuckle mostly at this latest little incident on this day to befall him and his girlfriend…because honestly, if there was ONE person in the whole world he could never consider a threat, even if he ever did think Helga would ever maybe leave him for anyone ever, it was certainly Wolfgang—_please_! Arnold knew Helga so well…two seconds romantically with Wolfgang and she would throw her hands up in the air, punch him, and stalk off to spit in the river and then end the day by rapturously worshipping at her shrine to him, her beloved football head. So now Arnold, his small chuckles ceasing, just rolled his eyes, and moved close to his girlfriend and said to her in a lower voice so that only they would mostly hear, "See…I knew this was going to happen…You're not hiding under the scowl anymore and now twice as many boys as before can't help but fall for you…" He couldn't help but grin, "Would you two like to be left alone or something?" He hadn't been able to resist.

"Arnold, shut up!" Helga practically gasped with a surprised grin and an eye roll and the pinkest little blush he'd ever seen her get as she gave him a playful little push away, to which Arnold just responded with another little chuckle.

"Hey, Hey…" Wolfgang couldn't help but interject with a slight scowl at Arnold. "Shrimpy, the big kids are talking. Go play in the sandbox or something…" Then he turned back to Helga and instantly that smooth smile was back on his face. "So…" He even slicked his hair back a little with his hand. Even his vocal tone changed to something trying to sound a little more cool (both for Helga and for his fellow fifth graders all around him), "...you are very cute and…that kid…" he pointed to Arnold, "…is very young…I know you're probably new here and that totally explains why you're walking around with him but don't worry, I'm here now. Hey, you ever check out the school's club, The Cocoa Hut? It's, uh…very fun…after hours…" He pumped his eyebrows up twice…and he had slid very much closer to her.

Helga gasped, her eyes wide, and she was even leaning back a little at his movement closer…and he mind fully processed and recalled after a few seconds of numbness and what went on there after hours…

She blushed in SUCH indignation, her jaw hanging open a little, and unable to find words and speak! She just felt so…ugh, besides disgusted at the notion of being pursued by anybody but Arnold (which had always been her usual feeling over the years whenever a boy had shown any interest in her) she just felt utterly…mortified! What he had just suggested and having it be so random and having to accept that she really did look that pretty! Ugh it was too much! She didn't want to handle it right now! She wanted to just…

"Wolfgang, if you ever say anything like that to her again, I will hit you. I won't talk to you about it, I won't challenge you to a baseball game or something about it, I won't ignore it…I will hit you. And it will hurt."

Helga had never heard Arnold speak to anybody with that much…silent rage underlying his voice. It was almost frightening…it reminded her a little of how he had been during that whole 'karate rampage' thing but…with an extra passion underlying it…A passion _for __her,_ she realized with a gulp.

Helga was still facing Wolfgang so she couldn't see Arnold, but she _could_ see Wolfgang…and despite the fact that he was nearly twice her beloved's height and weight and that in the past Wolfgang had tossed her poor Arnold in trashcans and pushed him in the dirt and mud during games and had even given him a black eye once…she saw a distinct flash of fear go through the older boy's countenance.

Of course, very quickly it was replaced with a scowl and a preparation to say something nasty back to Arnold and to possibly reach forward and grab him and hoist him up and pop him one, but for that first moment it couldn't be denied that Wolfgang had been afraid.

But she wasn't going to let her beloved get hurt over this. Never! And besides, they really should get to class anyway.

She was instantly between the men and she took Arnold's hand firmly and safely in her own. She spoke plainly, simply and very clearly to Wolfgang. "Wolfgang, get a life, shut up, you disgust me, and we're leaving…now_._" She rolled her eyes, scowling a little now. "Oh and…" He gave her head a shake to flip her hair back behind her head again so that her face was in full, perfect view and she looked him right in the eye. "Yeah, I'm Helga G. Pataki, fourth grader and proud of it…and the Football Head is more than enough man for me…So why don't you, I don't know, go practice kissing the back of your hand or your stuffed animals and leave me alone before I barf! Oh and make sure you show up at Gerald field today so we can cream you! Come on, short stop, let's get going!" And with that she gave her beloved's hand a little extra squeeze and briskly started them on making their way up the hall right toward Mr. Simmons' room and right through the remaining fifth graders coming down it…who had all noticed the incident between Wolfgang and the fourth grade girl and boy at this point and had actually stopped to watch the two younger blondes in question walking away, and after such a firm and challenging announcements from them both!

Wolfgang just stood there in silence for a moment, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide.

Instantly, all the other fifth graders who had noticed started to whisper to one another and snicker and chuckle, and especially the girls, all glancing at Wolfgang.

Even Edmond started chuckling. "Heh, you got turned down by a fourth grader, Wolfgang!" he observed obviously.

That sentence from his friend snapped Wolfgang out of his humiliated and surprised shock and instantly he scowled and sent an elbow behind him and much more sharply than usual right into Edmond's gut. "Shut up!" Then he looked back in Arnold and Helga's direction as they were heading away and called out to them, doing his best to save face, though he felt it was impossible (and it didn't help that half the fifth grade girls around him were still pointing and quietly laughing). "A-And hey, pinkie, like I really thought you were cute anyway! I remember you now with the one eyebrow! So what if you did something stupid to your hair! Like it's even all that pretty! I was just messing with you! And w-we'll clobber you later! You'd better believe it! You and your Football Headed little boyfriend! Wh-Who I could pound anytime I felt like it, you know! Like he could scare anyone! And we're gonna beat you later, you babies!" And with that he snagged Edmond and turned around to storm off through the hall past the other fifth graders and out to the playground to avoid any further embarrassment.

Meanwhile, as Helga and Arnold reached Simmons' door now after their brisk trip toward it, Helga paused before entering and let out a deep sigh (a little tremor passing through her as she did so). "Arnold…" she turned around to look at him, not having laid eyes on him once since Wolfgang had gone from casual flirting to full on making a pass at her: he was a little red in the face (though she could tell from the hue it was based in indignation as opposed romantic fluster of any kind), his mouth was quirked to the side a little funny and she realized then that it was probably because was clenching his teeth a little and might not even realize he was still doing it, and also his eyes were a bit wide with a touch of curiosity and seriousness.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but she didn't give him the chance, speaking first. "Arnold, you listen to me. Don't you ever, ever, no matter what happens, ever talk back to someone who can seriously hurt you, ever. _Please_…I couldn't bear it if you—Mmm!" Helga had seen him look up and down the hall during her last few words but she hadn't realized it was to check to make sure they were alone so that he could suddenly come forward and put his arms around her and kiss her passionately.

Helga utterly melted inside and was so intoxicated that she was close to moving her arms around him as well (as well as she _could_ move her arms, she was so emotionally overpowered all of a sudden), but the kiss ended almost as quickly as it had begun, and Arnold's embrace was gone and now she was just left standing there, catching her breath, eyes half opened, face flushed.

Arnold, meanwhile, likewise flushed and catching his breath a bit, straightened his sweater a little, cleared his throat, then looked deeply into Helga's eyes and spoke quiet plainly to her now himself. "Helga Geraldine Pataki…Sh-Shortman…" at adding his own last name to hers, which he had only ever done to her once before, he leaned over and gave her an extra kiss on the cheek and then pulled back, smiling a little now… "You know that I'm very good at 'taking orders' from you…and very willing to… You're smart, Helga, and you're a good leader and I trust you… But no matter what you say or do I will never sit by and listen to another boy suggest kissing you and right to your face and not let him know that if he ever talks to you that way again, I'll hit him." He took her hand and raised it up. "You're my beloved Helga…and if I don't defend you, then who will…and how could I be worthy of you if I didn't just for the sake of saving myself from maybe getting hit?" And then he kissed the back of her hand.

He pulled his lips back from her skin after a moment to look into a blushing Helga's wide eyes.

_BRRRIIIIIIIIIIING!_

The bell rang then.

Arnold smiled more, still holding her hand up. "Now come on, Helga…the last half of our first day at school as a couple awaits."

Arnold was about to reach out and open the door with his free hand when suddenly, "Whoa!" He had to pause at being caught up in a near bone-crushing hug by Helga. Her arms were tight around him and she was burying her head against his chest and under his neck a little. "Arnold…you're…" she chuckled a tiny bit and sounded like she was getting a little misty eyed…and also like she was smiling so very much… "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, you big lug…you big, loveable, caring, adorable lug…"

Arnold blinked…and then smiled…then snuggled into her hug a little, gently bringing his arms around her back in reciprocation. "Thanks, Helga…and you're welcome…" He cuddled into her a little.

Helga let out a sigh, cuddling into him for a moment as well, and then, the two of them really having to move things along, she finally let him go and just smiled at him, brushing away a near tear or two from her eyes. "A-Anyway, speaking of all of that insanity back there…" she scoffed a little, glancing to the side with a bashful smile, "First of all, I said it before and I'll say it again, I _told_ you everyone knows what goes on at the Cocoa Hut after hours." She chuckled and winked at him. Then she sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes, still with a smile though. "And secondly, seriously, Arnold, am I _that_ cute like this…? All smiling with my hair down and everything about me calm and fun…And don't give me the standard 'lovesick Arnold' answer about how I'm a goddess in your eyes. Just…seriously…first Sid and then this…am I really a pretty girl…in general?" She looked to him with genuine curiosity in her eyes.

Arnold, during the entire delivery of this question, had just looked at her in utter wonder. Then he smiled and sighed. "Helga…" he looked right into her eyes, "All the love I have for you aside…yes, you are a very pretty girl in general. You…just…are a delight to see…and that plus your…whirlwind personality just makes the whole package perfect. I told you you'd get compliments on your appearance and your personality today…and from boys…" He blushed a little. "I'm just happy that no matter who comes along you really do want me and only me…and that either way I'll always be there to defend you."

Helga blinked…and then of course melted into even more of a smile and a little giggle. "Thanks, Arnold…Oh but, Arnold?" She faked a little pout at him, putting her arms coyly behind her back. "Aside from your passionate quest never to let anyone insult me…before when Wolfgang was just flirting only a little bit and you were laughing and joking about it with me…weren't you even the tiniest bit jealous of him…maybe…just a little…just for the sake of my ego?" She smiled a bit at him.

Arnold smiled a little more at her…then he looked to the side sheepishly. "A-Actually, I…I…you'll think this is stupid but…" he turned his eyes to hers again, "I was jealous when you crashed into _him_ going around a corner instead of into _me_…"

Helga blinked looked at him for exactly one second blankly.

And then she burst into warm laughter, shaking her head. "Arnold, just get into the classroom before Simmons has a chance to mark us tardy or any more misadventures distract us!" She pushed him toward the door and put her hand on the handle. "Oh and hey if it'll make you feel better I'll be sure to crash into you very soon." She winked and rolled her eyes to the side and laughed a little more and then opened the door and gestured for him to go first (which he did with a little laugh and nod) and then Helga stepped in behind him and closed the door behind them and they went to take their seats (Mr. Simmons was distracted at the moment with getting some things ready at his desk and most of the class was still only slowly making their ways to their seats after gossiping a little bit before the bell, so the two of them were safe despite having come in a few seconds late).

'_Heh__…__This__ has __been __one __screwy __day__ at __school__…_' Helga sighed and mused to herself as she sat at her desk. _'__And __with __English __class __fast __approaching__…__it__ is__ about __to__ get__ screwier__…_' She gulped as she looked up to Mr. Simmons who was erasing some things from the blackboard and prepared to be taught Geography for a little bit…which she was sure would be fun since Mr. Simmons had made every subject today fun but still…She sighed again, just a touch of a frown threatening to come to her face…because…

…English really was going to be a hoot in a couple of hours….

Helga was about to let herself get part lost in doubts about some thing that was on her mind, part lost in whatever fun geography-based class Simmons had prepared for them, and part lost in the happiness of Arnold still sitting next to her today…and for the rest of their scholastic careers, if she had her way…

"Okay, class," Mr. Simmons turned to the kids now, clapping his hands together brightly! "I hope you had a very special last day of fourth grade recess! And that you all have had an extra special time today counting with and weighing the chocolate bars in math class and making your own personalized soda flavors in science and painting the back classroom wall during art class…because next we've got geography, history and English! And I have very special plans for all of them! First we'll…" But then Mr. Simmons paused, noticing finally an…obvious vacancy of about three seats in his room. "Hmm…" he looked to all of the other seated students curiously, recognizing who normally occupied those seats. "Class, where are—"

His question was preempted though by the classroom door opening and the arrival of the three missing students in question…a very furious looking Rhonda (with her hair quite out of place, fists clenched at her side…), a very frustrated looking Harold (with a bruise on his cheek and some obviously forming on his knuckles…) and a very enraged looking Curly (with a black eye and mumbling to himself).

All three of them entered the room, the door closing behind them.

Rhonda spoke for the three…her voice quick and sharp and low. "We're sorry we're late, Mr. Simmons…There was a problem on the playground." And then without a word more she walked across the room (the boys following suite)…and the entire time she _glared_ at Helga (who caught it and proceeded to look upward with a light blush and twiddle her thumbs innocently), before finally taking her seat, as did the boys.

Mr. Simmons just watched this whole little procession with a curious look, but when the children were all finally seated he just smiled at them and then addressed Rhonda (since she was the one who had addressed him in the first place upon entering). "That's alright, Rhonda…You three were only a minute or two late anyway, so let's not worry about it and get right on to the special world of Geography!" He clapped his hands together again and then reached into his attaché case and pulled up a big, rolled up paper, then walked over to the blackboard, unfurled it, and stuck it to it with some magnets, and then turned back to the kids joyfully (he was standing in front of the large posted paper so that the kids couldn't quite see what it was yet). "Alright class, for geography today…." And then he jumped out of the way of the poster and held out his hands toward it to display it, "We're going to be studying this map of Dino Land and figuring out the best route to take to try out the maximum number of rides with the maximum number of special, and hopefully healthy, snack breaks! Isn't that special?"

Instantly, all the fourth graders (even the grumpy gus Rhonda) were smiling and cheering a little about this idea, really sort of loving Mr. Simmons' method for dealing with the 'last day of school' blues.

Seeing their enthusiastic reactions, Mr. Simmons decided to give them a little spoiler about the class after this one. "Oh my, well, if you kids like this for Geography, I hope you'll like the film on the history of baseball and this city's long stickball tradition that I'll be showing for History class…complete with Yahoo sodas for you all to drink while we're watching!" He bent over and pushed a cardboard box formerly hidden by his desk (and that he had brought in from the teacher's lounge during recess) into sight and it indeed said 'Yahoo Soda' on it and was obviously full of fresh glass bottles of the stuff!

And now the kids were all smiles and almost wishing the school day didn't have to end! Heck some of them were even clapping and whistling!

An elated Mr. Simmons' smile brightened to its utmost. "Oh class, I'm so happy that you're enjoying all the special things I planned for today." He started to get a little misty eyed and wiped a tear away from his face. "It's just that you've all been so special and I've enjoyed getting to know all of you so much and—"

A familiar sarcastic…though much more playful than usual…sigh interrupted the 'big emotional moment', followed by a familiar sarcastic (though, again, much more playfully than usual) voice saying, "Yeah, yeah, Simmons, quit getting all mushy on us…" This was accompanied by a little chuckle from Helga G. Pataki. "Let's just get on with our special Geography class, and History class…and English class…" She rolled her eyes at that last one—a little tick to soothe her nerves.

In response (and almost no one ever dared to respond or try to add to or one up a Helga G. Pataki joke), came another person's familiar voice…as calm and level headed and nice as ever…but maybe with a touch of playfulness underlying it as well. "Helga…"

Helga almost felt a touch of nervousness at first at her beloved directly addressing her openly like this…but then she just chuckled and shrugged, looking to him, still speaking out loud and publicly, just as he was. "What? I'm just saying—there's two hours of fourth grade left! Let's get in as much stuff as we can—mushy stuff can happen later!" It took a lot out for her to say that with a straight face and without a blush.

It took Arnold a lot to reply in the same fashion. "Hmm…whatever you say, Helga…" He smiled at her a little more and then turned like a good little schoolboy to his books and to listen to and start in on the lesson.

Helga just rolled her eyes to the side and turned to face forward. "Quit sucking up, Arnold…" she merely replied, her smile growing, still out loud… "It's not nearly as cute as you think it is…" She couldn't help a dusting of a blush coming to her cheeks…

Arnold's cheeks tinged with a blush too. He just shrugged a tiny bit. "Whatever you say, Helga…" he merely replied again, doing his best not to chuckle, and doing his best to keep his gaze on the board…for now, at least… No promises, though.

Meanwhile, at this whole precious little exchange, Mr. Simmons couldn't help but put a hand to his mouth and chuckle a tiny bit. He hadn't had the heart to interrupt it…and it really was the last day of class…and it certainly hadn't been one of their former 'antagonistic' little back and forths…no, not by a long shot… He smiled meaningfully down at the two children in the front row. "Yes, well, thank you, Arnold and Helga…Arnold, it was very special of you to worry about me being interrupted, and Helga it was very special of you to care about us having time to fit in all of our special plans for today."

The two kids just blinked at first at being addressed like that by their teacher but then they both looked up to Mr. Simmons with small smiles and nods and mumbled little 'uh…you're welcome' s '.

A chuckle or two more escaped Mr. Simmons, which he did his best to hide, and then he let out a sigh and turned his attention back to the full class again. "Alright then, class, so to start with our Dino Land geography project how about each of you let me know you're favorite ride from the theme park and we'll write them down on the board, that way we know which rides to try and hit twice? Won't that be special?" And instantly he had a piece of chalk in his hand and was half turned to the blackboard and ready to write.

In the front row Arnold and Helga, who had been smiling up him, turned to smile to each other now and exchanged a loving look and then went back to paying attention to the class at hand, not caring at all about what anyone might have to say about their little performance just now and feeling so much better by this point in the day.

(And Arnold snuck glances at Helga as much as he pleased as the afternoon progressed…daydreaming about her…e-except of course when she started doing it back to him which always made him turn away shyly and blush a little and focus on his notes way too much…which were as covered with doodles of her name as her notes were covered in doodles of his…).

Meanwhile, in all of those rows behind Arnold and Helga…

Their closest friends were smiling in happiness—it really did seem like Arnold and Helga had gotten over the hump with all of this public confessing stuff, and they were glad for that.

The newest supporters of Arnold and Helga looked curious at first…but then they were sort of smiling too…happy that Arnold and Helga weren't letting the misguided ideas of certain other people bring them down…

The naysayers were looking at the couple curiously but still rolling their eyes a bit at the idea of…themselves being wrong and Arnold and Helga actually not just playing some weird complicated 'make other people jealous' game now…And yet still they couldn't help but find it a little…disturbing…that now not only was Arnold staring with googly eyes at Helga…but Helga was starting to do it right back. Still though, maybe just a trick to bug them for the stuff at recess…I-It was a possibility at least…right?

And Rhonda, who gets to be in a class of her own for not-as-of-yet disclosed reasons… Rhonda was still glaring away at Helga…and really, it wasn't even so much at 'Arnold and Helga'…it was really mostly Helga. And she really was just…not happy with her blond classmates for multiple reasons at the moment.

Geography and History went off without a hitch…

* * *

Then English class came…

"Okay, class, now it's time for…that's right, you're last English class of fourth grade ever! Isn't that special?"

At this statement, on reflex, the entire fourth grade couldn't help putting down their soda bottles that they had been drinking from during the History class baseball movie and giving a quick, aching glance toward the clock on the wall which stated that there were currently only forty five measly minutes between this very instant and when they would be free for almost three months for summer break. And yet despite that promising future goal, most of the kids were able to turn their eyes away from the ticking bringer of their liberty now to give Mr. Simmons a smile and nod and some attention too… After all, he HAD been making this a pretty fun last day of class! Heck, at this point, some of the kids actually couldn't help but feel sorry that the day was _already_ ending…and who knew what new fun English would bring?

At the sight of his students' smiling and obviously eager faces, Mr. Simmons took a breath and clapped his hands together, beaming at them. "Alright, then class. Now, I know we've had a lot of fun today and I wanted to end with a chance to really let each of you express who you are for your final minutes as fourth graders. So, since we're in English class, I thought I'd just let each of you have the special opportunity to fill the class in on your favorite genre of writing and why, and maybe read a piece of something you've been working on or something you might like, or just make some recommendations for summer reading to the other students! Oh won't that be special?"

Now, of course, the kids trusted their teacher but…they couldn't help but feel a little leery at this request…Not to be unappreciative of the easy ride they'd gotten today so far but…they were really hoping things would end with a bang and it seemed like whatever Mr. Simmons was suggesting now might involve actual work.

Mr. Simmons' next words, though, did manage to ease their doubts at least a little…. "And don't think you can only talk about books or works we've read in class—the floor is open to anything you can think of! Comic books, Purdy Boy novels, lyrics to your favorite songs—I'd just like each of you to think of one style of a few styles of reading or writing that are special to you and share with everyone else! Isn't that exciting?"

The class wasn't exactly up in arms cheering now but they were definitely smiling more and that slight look of worry on most of their faces had slipped away. Comic books, song lyrics—this could actually be a lot of fun and anyway it was only for the next half hour and change until the bell rang, right?

Seeing their nods and accepting smiles, Mr. Simmons' own smile grew. "Terrific, class! And while we're doing that, just to make this an extra special end to an extra special day…" He then went over to the classroom door and put his hand on the knob… "…Along with finishing the rest of our Yahoo sodas…we're going to have a pizza party! Isn't that exciting!" He suddenly whipped open the door to reveal Principal Wartz standing there with a bunch of familiar looking, flat, square, cardboard boxes, upon which all of the students' eyes lit up and…

"YAY!" the kids all began to cheer in excitement.

"Uh…Mr. Simmons…?" Principal Wartz, doing his best to keep his balance, entered the room and placed the boxes down on the teacher's desk. "I know you ordered these to be delivered to the school but if your class gets them then every class is going to be demanding pizza, we don't really have the budget for…"

Mr. Simmons knew where he was going though and waved him off with a smile. "Principal Wartz, it's very special of you to care about our school's budget but please don't worry—I know it wouldn't be unfair to treat one class to pizza with the school's money and not all of them so these are on me for my very special first fourth grade class!" And with that he took out his wallet, opened it up, and handed Principal Wartz the money for the pizzas.

Alright, if the kids hadn't been in love with Mr. Simmons before thins then they certainly were now! A chorus of "Thank you, Mr. Simmons!" echoed throughout the room complete with cheers and high fives and every gesture of happiness and appreciation imaginable.

Mr. Simmons just beamed and turned to his class, putting his wallet away. "Oh you're welcome, class! Now come on, let's start our special pizza party and English class!"

Principal Wartz just smiled and shrugged at the sight and pocketed the money and headed towards the door. "Hey, if it doesn't cut into the budget, have fun, Mr. Simmons!" he called over his shoulder and then departed (most likely for his last day of playing with his toys in his office until next fall).

Mr. Simmons just chuckled at his departing words and then went behind his desk and pulled out some paper plates and napkins and prepared to pass them out to the students along with the pizza. "Okay, okay, class, settle down—now, who wants to go first for English class?" He surveyed the room.

'_Do it…Do it…Helga, quit being a baby and get it over with and—'_

"Ooo can Sheena and I go, Mr. Simmons?" Eugene's voice instantly piped up eagerly, seconded by Sheena's.

"Oh, yes, Mr. Simmons! We have some new musicals we've been studying and we'd love to sing some of the numbers and talk about the lyrics with the class!"

"Well, sure, Sheena and Eugene! Come on up here. Thank you for being so special and kicking things off for us!" Mr. Simmons replied happily.

From her desk in the front row, Helga rested her head on her hand and let out a deep sigh. _'__Great__…__Okay, __come__ on, __Helga, __just__…__even __if__ it__ takes __you __a __few__ minutes __to__ psyche__ yourself__ up__…__you __know __you__ HAVE__ to__ do__ this for yourself__…__And __ironically __enough,__ Simmons __just __presented__ you__ with __the__ perfect __outlet __for__ it!__ You__ don__'__t__ even__ have __to__ make __any__ special__ requests __or__ anything__…__You __just__ have __to__…__go!__'_

Eugene and Sheena were already up at the front of the room and starting to talk/sing.

Helga sighed again and did her best to smile and buck up and to also pay attention to her peers, who happened to be in the group of a few nice people welcoming her and Arnold's love with open arms. '_It__'__ll __be __okay__…__just__…__you__ don__'__t__ have__ to__ be__ the __first__…__Just __take__ some__ time __to __prepare __yourself__…__You__'__ve__ done__ so __much __already __today,__you__ can__ definitely __do __this!__'_

It was then that she felt a little something flick against the skin of one of her arms. She blinked and looked down. It was a spitball…and it had come from beside her.

Her eyes went wide and she blushed and then her eyes instantly went over to Arnold.

He was just looking at her with a little smile. He gave a little shrug. "What?" He was so obviously trying not to burst into laughter.

Helga's mouth popped open.

Then she grinned devilishly. " 'Bad boy'…" she whispered back.

He just smiled a little more…found it in him to give her a little wink…and then both children went back to paying attention to the class at hand…

…And Helga was feeling a lot more confident and relaxed yet again today. _'__Do __it__ when__ you__'__re__ ready,__ Helga__…__Do __it __today __but__…__when__ you__'__re__ ready__…'_

And Helga then proceeded to mentally do her best to get ready…

* * *

She needed _a __lot_ of mental prep though, it seemed, as it was now almost the end of English class and almost time for the bell to ring and Helga G. Pataki still hadn't done it…the thing on her mind…

Though that didn't mean she wasn't still intending to do it…

"Alright, class, we only have a few minutes left?" Mr. Simmons announced brightly. "Would anyone else care to share or should we all just talk amongst ourselves and finish our pizza until the bell—Oh!...Helga, you…you have something to share…" Mr. Simmons eyes lit up at unprecedented sight of Helga…_volunteering __to __share__ during __English__ class!_ Granted, ever since the poetry tutoring thing with Arnold, Helga had gotten a little better about things like participating in English discussions and giving much more constructive criticism on the works of her peers, but…she had never offered to share yet…out loud…all by herself…ever! He was positively bursting with potential pride inside!

The young blond girl in question, her eyes closed in a slight cringe and her arm indeed having shot up high in the air not a moment ago, slowly let out a breath then lowered her hand and cleared her throat. She finally managed to open her eyes and reply in a bit of a forced voice, doing her best to stay calm and confident, "Uh…yes, Mr. Simmons. I…I was wondering if I could maybe read one of my poems out loud today…"

The look of elation on Mr. Simmons' face was indescribable. He clapped his hands together in delight! "Oh that would be wonderful, Helga! Truly one of the most special things of all! I'm certain the rest of the class would love to hear one of your pieces, especially after all of the help you gave them with our big poetry assignment last month. Would you like to come up to the front of the room or to just sit at your desk to read?" he asked so very eagerly.

Helga just swallowed and, shakily, stood. '_If __I__'__m __going __to __do__ this__, might__ as __well __go __all__ out__…'_ "No, I'll…I'll come up to the front…" she replied. She reached into her jumper pocket grabbed a folded up piece of light pink paper out from inside of it, and then she stood up and moved a few steps out and around her new front row desk to the front of the room and then finally found the courage to turn around to face in the direction of her classmates. Helga really couldn't bring herself to look directly at the looks that must be on their faces right now though of course, and instead just did her best to focus on the paper in her hands. However, Arnold not being seated more than a couple of feet to her left, her eyes did fall on him for just a second and then she couldn't help but do a double take at just how wide his eyes were…his whole gaze and attention locked right onto her form…and at how much his jaw had fallen. She blinked at the sight of him frozen like that and then it couldn't help but make her have to hold back a little laugh at all of his adorable surprisedness, an effect which seriously helped to take some of the edge off of her nerves right now. '_Thanks, __Arnold,__' _she mentally thought to herself. She took a breath and focused her eyes back on the page in front of her again. _'__Okay,__ Helga__ old__ girl, __don__'__t__ worry.__ I __believe__ in__ you,__ you__ can__ do __this,__ piece __of__ cake.__ And __besides, __it__'__s__ not __like__ I__'__m __giving__ a __reading __of__ some __epically __revealing__ piece__ of__ poetry__ about__ the __most __intimate __recesses __of __my __girlish __soul __or __anything__—__this __one __should __be __just __vague __enough __that __it __shows __a __little __bit __more __about __who __I __really __am__ without __making __me __and __Arnold __laughing__stocks __for __the __rest __of __our __lives __and __having __our __intimacy __run __in __school __paper __headlines __from__ now __until __grammar __school __graduation.__'_

Helga cleared her throat, swallowed, and then with one more breath finally found the courage to open her mouth and speak. "Okay, so…this poem's called Time Alone." She cleared her throat once more, took in a fresh breath, and began…

_Time Alone_

_We were always together in the wrong way  
Until, in a heat, everything changed  
Then burned into something lovely and new…  
That I made us hide…like all was the same…_

_So for hours and hours, for days and days, for them all  
I'd fight and yell and mock and deride  
And you'd sigh and scold and make excuses  
And it was fun…yet it was also a lie._

_But for a few brief hours at the ends  
When we finally found some time alone  
Then we could laugh and smile and be together,  
Every moment the source of another poem._

_And even though I've enjoyed our gaps  
In the charade of our lives I've set into place,  
I think we both know it must come to an end  
And that who we really are must take its place._

Helga remained staring at the paper in front of her, practically cringing, trembling, paralyzed, still unbelieving that she had actually just read one of her poems…her love poems…ALOUD to the rest of the fourth grade. _'__Please __let __a __bolt __of __lightening __strike __me, __let __a __meteor __fall, __let __SOMETHING __happen __because __I __CANNOT __move! __Literally, __I__ think __I'm__ actually __frozen__ in __fea__—'_

The sound of a single person starting to slowly clap made her blink and look on instinct to the crowd before her…and to the first row first, of course.

Arnold was just sitting there, smiling away and indeed clapping slowly. And then the sounds of other people slowly joining in caught Helga's ears…and the applause (for that was what it had become at this point) started gaining and growing and becoming rich and full! Phoebe was following Arnold's example and then Lila and then Brainy, even Gerald was throwing in a few claps…and as Helga's eyes finished observing her friends they fell upon the other kids in the class too and noticed, much to her surprise, that no one was snickering or getting ready to laugh or even looking bored out of their skulls. They were all just sitting there, looking pretty surprised to say the least and just a bit awestruck…and even the naysayers were even clapping slightly! For _her_!

And for the first time in her life…Helga G. Pataki felt publicly proud of herself as a poet…genuinely and sincerely and publicly proud.

Helga came out of her trance of noticing this unexpected reaction from her classmates at the feeling of Mr. Simmons coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Very nice, Helga. Another masterpiece. Thank you so very much for sharing." He looked down at her meaningfully, a touch of mist coming to his eyes again.

"Um…you're welcome..." Helga managed to mumble back to him before quickly moving back to her seat and ducking into it. She was really happy that she was in the front row right now where no one could look back and see her because she could already feel the blushing that she had been doing her best to keep at bay while up there suddenly flooding her cheeks now that it was all over.

"Okay, class!" Mr. Simmons turned to the students. "Even after Helga's lovely presentation we still have a few minutes left before the final bell rings to just sit and chat and talk all about how special our summers are going to be, and please feel free to converse and move about the room as you prepare for your well deserved summer vacation!"

With smiles the whole class instantly broke into gossip and laughs and just general conversations about how boss this summer would be…and maybe other stuff too of course…

The whole class, that was, save Helga who was just continuing to sit with her eyes closed and her head in her resting in the palm of her left hand on her desk, trying not to actually allow herself to die from embarrassment at just the _idea_ that she had read an Arnold poem out loud in front of the entire class even if the actual action of doing so hadn't seemed to cause _too__ much_ social devastation to her…

And then our blond heroine felt an all too familiar warmth cup her unengaged right hand upon her desk.

"Helga…" came Arnold's soft, quiet, and obviously brimming with happiness voice to her ears.

Helga let out a sigh and turned to him, her eyes opening a little…a small smile managing to come to her lips. '_You__ know, __I__'__d __worry __about __our __entire __class __behind __us __seeing __him __hold __my __hand __like __this __again __today __but __after __what __I __just__ did, __a __little __public __affection __from__ Arnold __is __going __to __be __a __drop __in __the __bucket.__'_ "So, how bad?" She spoke aloud now to her beloved, though in a quiet voice so only they would hear. "The humiliation, I mean. Do you think when I change my identity and skip town I'll have to leave the country or will just a relocation to somewhere in the Midwest be enough?"

Arnold, his eyes and smile and whole football shaped face beaming with love and warmth, just laughed at her joke and then he squeezed her hand a little, leaning a little bit more toward her as he rested his head in one of his hands on his desk as well. "Well, I think the Midwest would be fine but…if you head to Europe or something then when I come after you to bring you back to me at least we'll get that dinner in Paris you've always talked about…You know, the one I tried to carry you off to once one morning before school." He winked at her, recalling that little attempt of his the Monday after their one-week anniversary.

Helga just had to laugh a little. "Stop being so good at making me feel better, Football Head! Sheesh!" she joked back with an eye roll and a hand squeeze of her own.

Arnold just chuckled a little and was about to say something else comforting to her when he was interrupted by the arrival of a couple of their classmates who had chosen to use part of their few minutes of class chat time to pay a little visit to a certain blond, young poet laureate to expression their admiration and congratulations to her.

"Wow, Helga, that was a really great poem you wrote!" Sheena said with an encouraging smile.

Helga blinked, NEVER having expected direct side compliments about her poem (direct side INSULTS maybe but NEVER compliments), and looked to Sheena with a blank face. "Oh! Um…th-thanks, Sheena." She barely knew what to say! And she was so taken aback that she never once thought of separating her hand from Arnold's.

"Yeah, gosh," piped up Eugene now, which caused Helga's wide eyed blank stare to turn to him, "Sheena and I have been to a lot of beat poetry events and readings by adults, and you have a real knack, Helga! No wonder Mr. Simmons thought you'd be a good poetry tutor!"

"Uh…th-thanks, E-Eugene…" Helga stuttered out…and then she…actually managed a smile…and to add… "That's…That's really nice of you to say."

"Well gosh, no problem, Helga. You're quite welcome!" Eugene replied back brightly with Sheena nodding in agreement beside him.

"Well, we'll see you at the baseball game this afternoon, I guess! Bye, Arnold and Helga!" Sheena added sweetly, and with a quick wave each, Eugene and Sheena walked away to head off to other parts of the classroom.

The smile remained on Helga's face and then only grew as, before she could even say anything or question it all, similar events suddenly proceeded to happen with Nadine and Sid and Stinky and Park and Peapod Kid…so many kids in their class! And the whole time Helga was just numb and tingling all over with some new feeling, and holding Arnold's hand warmly, never once feeling the need to pull hers from it out of fear.

"Football Head…" Helga finally turned back to Arnold at one point as things seemed to be dying down (mostly since the bell was about a minute from ringing), and her eyes were lit up like fire rockets! She spoke in a quiet voice again so only the two of them might hear. "They…they actually like my poetry! And they like me for writing it…" She sounded so amazed by this simple fact, so utterly utterly amazed! But after all, it was one thing for _her __beloved_ to like her poetry—for better or worse he had a stake in it and also he adored anything that came from her and was important to her just as she adored anything that came from him or was important to him. But…to hear _other __people_, with no stake in her writing at all, (excluding Mr. Simmons who, for all she had ever known, had been encouraging her writing at least in part just for the sake of improving her self esteem and junk) praise it and say they actually enjoyed it…It was a heavenly sensation almost equal to her soaring love for her beloved! She was so happy!

Arnold had to smile at her adorable observation about everyone's reactions to her poetry and nod. "Of course they do, Helga," he replied sweetly and supportively, and likewise in a quiet voice to keep things just between them, "I told you—doing everything you're doing today, everyone's bound to love you just as much as I do…from your pretty hair to your pretty poetry which I didn't even realize we were all going to have the privilege of hearing today on top of every other wonderful thing about yourself you're giving everyone the privilege of in public…" He winked at her…letting his fingers start to entwine with hers…

Helga giggled, her heart fluttering a little at his actions and sweet words… "Yeah, well, okay, maybe so far overall this whole honesty thing today _has_ led to a lot of good." She shrugged at him, her grin picking up a little on one side…her fingers starting to entwine right back with his... "I can actually kind of almost see doing this every day from now on…"

"Helga?"

Helga had to blink and pause in the near full-on flirting she was doing with her beloved at the sound of none other than Rhonda Wellington Lloyd's hesitant voice coming from behind her.

Her focus left Arnold for a moment and she turned to see the fashionable girl (who had managed to fix up her ensemble and hair a little since coming in from the 'playground incident') standing a little behind her desk with an eyebrow raised. Helga's face quickly took on a look of suspicion at this latest visitor, all things considered... "What?" she started bluntly, squeezing Arnold's hand a little for support and also just because she felt like doing it right out in the open in front of 'Miss RhondaLloyd.' "Here to point out the fact that Arnold and I are holding hands again? Or maybe the fact that he was the first one to clap when I was done reading my poem? Or maybe the fact that he and I keep talking and smiling and even blushing and actually having a good time together today DESPITE the efforts of certain people to the contrary? Take your pick, princess, because I just don't care anymore! Hmph!" And with that Helga turned right away from Rhonda and right back to her beloved, not in the least bit interested in what the dark-haired girl might have on her mind to say _this_ time!

At such a blunt and abrupt reply, Rhonda blinked and then cleared her throat and glanced away haughtily and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, not caring if Helga was looking at her or not, "Actually, first I wanted to let you know that I'm going to find a way to get you back for that nightmare of events you set into motion with Harold and Curly before on the playground! We'll be lucky if we don't start out the fifth grade with a two week detention if Wartz ever finds out!" Rhonda glared at Helga.

Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes, still refusing to look at her though, and still openly and freely holding Arnold's hand. "Yeah, yeah, anything _else_ besides your empty threats about getting me back for teaching you a lesson?"

Rhonda crossed her arms over her chest and turned a little red in the face from anger and then spat back stubbornly…and yet also a touch sincerely, "Well, I also wanted to say that, everything today aside, your poem was actually really good and I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time last month about not believing you could write decently, but if you don't want to hear it that's just fine with me!" And with that Rhonda quickly turned on her heel and with a 'hmph' of her own stomped straight back to her desk.

Silence.

And then at this MOST unexpected response of all to her public poetry reading, Helga had to blink and look slowly to Arnold. She barely knew what to say at first. This entire day was so confusing…just so freaking confusing sometimes… "Did she just…kind of sort of compliment my writing?" merely left her mouth in a tone of quiet disbelief.

Arnold, equally rather surprised, managed to half smile and nod to her. "Uh…yeah, I'm pretty sure she at least tried to."

"Hmm…" Helga had to smile and even chuckle a little to herself. She gave a small shrug. "Well…I guess now I just need to get her to compliment me on snagging you instead of trying to get the class started in on a chorus of 'Helga and Arnold Sitting in a Tree', and then we'll be all good, won't we?"

Arnold chuckled a little right along with her, then just sighed, savoring the feeling of her hand still in his...and the bliss of seeing her happy right now despite all of the bumps the two of them had hit along the road of this day. "You know, Helga, I know I keep saying this but…I really am proud of you for doing all of this today…especially the poetry thing now…and I'm…I'm really happy that we can be more open about things now in front of everyone…" He glanced down, still smiling. "I mean, not that keeping our secret wasn't fun but…I think being honest about things might be good for both of us."

Helga let out a smiling sigh and nodded, glancing downward as well (and likewise just savoring the feeling of his hand and hers touching.) "Yeah, as usual you probably have a point, Football Head. And besides, as for the fun of keeping our secret…" He grin became just a bit wryer and her eyes (now half lidded) went to look to him again, "…Well, as we've said before, that there _are_ still _quite __a __few __things_ that can stay just between you and I for privacy's sake…" She winked at him with a touch of suggestiveness in her grin.

Arnold felt himself blush slightly as he glanced away from her, his smile getting just a bit goofier. He swallowed. "O-Oh…well…yeah, another good point, Helga…" He cleared his throat.

He heard her giggle cutely. "I really need to start carrying around a camera so that I can snag a picture of you and half the cute looks I get out of you, Arnold."

Arnold next heard her sigh and at that point he glanced up to see her just sitting and staring dreamily at him, her head still cupped in her free hand…wavy blond hair still framing her face…cute little pink bow at the top of her head…so brave and…all his all this weekend…

He just did his best to fight the almost uncontrollable urge to release a lovesick sigh and take her in his arms and kiss her all over that pretty face until she giggled and sighed and blushed and whispered his name in love…though really the image felt so natural to him at this point that it was a little hard to resist even despite their current location. "As I've always said, whatever you say, Helga…" he managed to just say playfully back to her under his breath…putting aside his compulsion for later.

Helga just giggled more and rolled her eyes and waved him off with her free hand. "Oh Football Head…I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing those words from you…"

They chose to pass the last couple of minutes of fourth grade just holding hands and smiling and gazing at each other, not needing to actually _say_ anything…to say everything in the world to one another.

* * *

"…Six, five, four, three, two, _one_…"

Suddenly the final bell trilled loudly throughout the classroom and the hallways of PS 118, officially signaling the start of summer break! Instantly, all of the students in Mr. Simmons' class flew up in elation, high-fiving each other and getting their notebooks and pencils together to bring home so they could shove them in a corner and not have to worry about them until fall!

"Oh, class, it's been such a special privilege teaching you…" Mr. Simmons began as he watched them all prepare to depart, eyes still misty with emotion. "I hope each of you has a special summer vacation and thank you so much for the card!" Mr. Simmons held up a class card that everyone had signed and that Phoebe (who had spent the better part of the last week organizing people to put the project together) had just presented him with before the traditional 'T minus ten seconds and counting' countdown to summer break. It was big and colorful and made out of construction paper and macaroni and glitter and had everyone's names and a message from each signer on the inside of it.

To Mr. Simmons' sweet parting words, all the kids just called back to him, above the din that they were making, individual 'your welcomes' and 'thank yous' as they approached the door and began to head out of the classroom.

Arnold, his backpack over his shoulder and all ready to go, smiled at Helga who currently had all of her stuff together as well and was leaning with her hip against her desk, arms folded over her chest…

And yet, despite the fact that it was now officially summer vacation…the enthusiasm of Helga's smile left a bit to be desired.

In fact, though the way her face looked right now couldn't be called 'nervous' exactly, it did at least look like she had something on her mind or like there was something she had to do and was very aware of having to do it and having still not yet done it, Arnold couldn't help but notice. '_Maybe__ she__'__s __nervous __about __how__ everyone __might __treat __us __at __the __baseball __game __now__…__and __especially __Wolfgang__…'_ he wondered to himself. "Helga…are you alright?" he asked her considerately with a caring smile.

"Huh?" Helga blinked and looked up at him as though he were taking her out of an important thought, though she quickly smiled in her normal way and replied, "Oh, uh, yeah, of course, I'm fine, Football Head. Actually, I…feel really great." Her smile brightened a little. "I made it through school today being honest about myself and us, and…I feel like a million bucks, Football Head! Like I could do anything!" She grinned proudly.

Something in Arnold's countenance brightened as well and he let out a happy sigh. "I'm glad, Helga. So…" a touch of boyish shyness crept into his features and he asked softly, "Could I walk you to Gerald Field for our baseball game, maybe?" He glanced up at her hopefully, that touch of sweet uncertainty about asking for her time and presence still within him…as it always would be on some level, his love for her was so great and sweet.

Helga smiled so very warmly, so very appreciatively, so very lovingly…but she had to turn him down this time…just this once. It was for a good reason though. "A-Actually, Arnold…" she started as nicely as she could, not wanting to hurt his feelings or anything, "…I hate to ask but, could you maybe go on ahead without me…? I…just, um…wanted to say something to Mr. Simmons. Okay?" She gestured over her shoulder to their educator who was still watching the last of his students depart the room, tears in his eyes. Helga then focused back on her beloved and added sincerely, "And as long as you'll be alright without me for just a little bit on this day, of course...?"

Arnold blinked, not having expected her turning down of his offer for a walk and _extra_ not having expected that she suddenly wanted to talk to Mr. Simmons of all people.

Still though, for all he knew this was relating back to something deep and necessary to truly finish up her last moments of her first day of school with being honest about herself and their secret. And so Arnold just let out a breath and nodded to her with a warm smile. "Alright, Helga…I understand. You go and…I'll save us two spots in the dugout for you, alright? Unless you want me to wait for you outside on the school steps? Whatever's better for you." He looked at her with a totally supportive smile. "And I'll be okay for a little while on my own, Helga, I promise. I've got Gerald and Phoebe and Brainy and Lila and that's just to start-I'll be okay." He nodded affirmatively.

"Thanks Football Head," Helga replied back with a grin and a little light punch to his shoulder. She chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest again. "But it's okay-if you wait for me then you really will be alone for a few minutes and I don't want to risk you having to take any teasing on your own. You go with our friends and save us those seats and I'll be less than two minutes behind you, I promise! Besides, I don't want to have to sit my butt on the ground on the technical first afternoon of summer vacation." She winked at him.

Arnold smiled and chuckled and shifted his backpack more onto his shoulder. "Okay Helga. I'll see you at Gerald field." He gave her a little wave goodbye.

Helga returned the gesture. "See you, Arnold…" And then watched him turn away and leave by the classroom door.

It only took another few seconds for the rest of the kids to clear out, upon which Helga then hesitantly approached Mr. Simmons' desk. "Uh…Mr. Simmons?"

The teacher, who had been in the process of getting the empty pizza boxes and soda bottles together to throw away, paused at the sound of Helga addressing him and turned to her with a smile. "Oh, Helga, I'd thought you'd gone off with the others already. Did you need something?"

Helga took a breath, glancing away shyly, rubbing one arm with her opposite hand... "Uh…actually I just…well…" Then Helga let out a breath and looked up at him and told what was on her mind, because if she had managed to be open enough to do half the other stuff she had done today, she figured she could certainly be open enough to do this, and especially considering the fact that that none of other peers were even around to mock her about it, "I just wanted to say, well…I wanted to say thank you, Mr. Simmons." She gave him a polite, appreciative nod, arms still crossed over her chest.

Mr. Simmons, smiling at her a little curiously, put down the empty pizza boxes and soda bottles on his desk and sat down in his usual chair behind it. "Well," he started appreciatively, "…it's very special of you to come and tell me that in person Helga, and you're welcome and thank you very much, but," he reached into his attaché case and pulled out and held up the class card again, "I think the wonderful card you and the others made for me won't ever let me forget just how much each of you seemed to like having me as a teacher."

Helga blinked and couldn't help but smile at him. "Oh, well, that's great Mr. Simmons and I'm glad you liked the card…I'll let Phoebe know—she's been working on putting it together for a while now…but…I didn't mean 'thank you' just for being our teacher for most of this year and stuff…I…well, I…I meant it for how you…" She hesitated and considered her words, a touch of shyness coming to her countenance. Her arms relaxed and then went behind her back. "I meant it in a more…personal way… for how…uh…_you__ know_… cool you were about m-my poems and…and always saying 'anonymous' instead of my actual name and never…never bringing up the fact that a lot of them…okay, _all_ of them… were pretty obviously about…you know…Arnold…and…certain private f-feelings of mine…" She gulped and cleared her throat, doing her best to keep moving with this. "And then also I meant it for that whole thing with the poetry tutoring last month and kind of nudging me into it even though I didn't want to do it…and then helping me and Arnold out when things went a little crazy with his poem…" She almost had to laugh at the memory…and then she sighed and added, looking to him a little sheepishly… "…oh and also for not, uh…pointing out Arnold's hat on top of Principal Wartz's toys in his office after that whole food fight thing last week, heh…" She took in and let out another breath, and looked at her teacher confidently and sincerely. "So, anyway, that's what I meant—that I just…wanted to say thank you for all of that, specifically, between us, because, well, thanks to all of those things and all of your help with them I'm a lot happier now and I think Arnold's a lot happier too, and, well, now I'm not scared anymore to have my poems get read out loud and have people know they're by me…and I'm not even scared to have people know that I li…that I love…Arnold…" She let out a breath, a little twitch going through her at having to use that particular 'L word' in front of another person and especially in front of an adult, but she trusted Mr. Simmons, very much actually, so it felt more right than nerve-wracking… "So…thank you, Mr. Simmons. You're not just good at teaching us things, you're also…" she searched for the right words once more, though they barely took a moment to come as she looked up at him, "You're also really good at helping us grow up. And I think that sometimes that can be even more important than the stuff we learn in class everyday. So, yeah…thanks." She let out a breath and smiled at him…having meant to get all of that off of her chest since that girly slumber party with Olga after her first date with Arnold when she had realized just how much of she and Arnold suddenly ending up together had been due to the indirect efforts of their teacher, and how (and especially if things worked out with her beloved) she would be eternally grateful to him for all of his 'special' assistance.

And Mr. Simmons, who had been just beaming more and more and the little blond student before him had spoken, was now grinning ear to ear at her, and almost in full-on tears as opposed to his misty-eyedness from just before with saying goodbye to the class! "Oh Helga…" was all he could manage at first, just looking at her. He wiped a tear from his eye and finally took a breath, managing to regain his voice again. He leaned over toward her, his face full of sincerity and happiness. "Thank you…I'm…I'm so happy that you've had such a special experience from having me as a teacher. Both you _and_ Arnold." He sighed, something in his countenance seeming even more touched by and proud of her now, if that was even possible. "And what an insightful point to make, about the difference between teaching kids curriculum and teaching kids how to grow up…I knew you'd make a great teacher yourself one day, and if anything could have proved it to me even more, it was that." He chuckled a little, just so very pleased with her at the moment.

In response to all of his sentimentality, a still smiling Helga just sighed and chuckled slightly herself, glancing to the side with a little eye roll. "Hey, hey, Simmons," she started in feigned sarcasm, putting her hands on her hips, "don't get all mushy on me with the water works and the big dreams for my future, or anything. Just wanted to clarify how incredibly awesome you've been—I didn't mean to turn this into some big emotional scene." She looked back to him with a little grateful smirk.

Mr. Simmons just laughed, sitting back a little from her again and putting away his class card. "Of course, Helga," he replied, understanding her way of doing things perfectly. "No need to get all sentimental, I suppose. You'll accomplish great things when the time comes and when you're ready. And I'll still have plenty of special chances to remind you of how special you are in the future since you and me and the rest of the class will probably see each other over the summer now and then, and then of course fall's not too far away either when we'll all be back to school." He swung his fist through the air in a little show of sincere enthusiasm.

Helga gave an appreciative smile to him letting her off the emotional hook, but also had to fake a dramatic cringe at his last point. "Hey, hey, now, teach, you're talking to a ten-year-old who just got done with her last day of school before summer vacation—don't start bringing up how quickly fall can arrive, okay?" She laughed, but then couldn't help her face falling slightly as another thought occurred to her now, considering the concept of fall and a new school year, "It _is_ kind of a bummer though that we're not going to be your class anymore next year..." She sighed but then did her best to look happy and to put on a touch of optimism for the 'special' educator before her. "But at least we'll see you around the halls." She couldn't help but laugh and add, "Oh and good luck with teaching this year's third graders next year…Chocolate Boy's in that group, if you remember from the whole Yahoo Chocolate and Soda Factory field trip. And I heard that sometime during recess today he went on a bit of a rampage throughout the halls screaming something about 'his kingdom for a chocolate fondue pot for his radishes'." She rolled her eyes, still grinning away and then pointed at her teacher with the index finger of one of her hands. "All I can say is good luck to you, Mr. Simmons—though if anyone can whip a group like that into shape, it's definitely you!" She winked.

Mr. Simmons had to laugh at her comments, and then he just rested his head on one of his hands on the desk and smiled, quieting his voice a little as he spoke. "Well, thank you, Helga, that's very special of you to say…But actually…" He glanced from side to side as though making sure they were alone, and then pulled a piece of paper out of his attaché case, "I'd appreciate if you wouldn't let it get around too much since Principal Wartz still has to sign off on the decision, but…" He held up the official looking sheet with the school's letterhead on top and smiled happily and hopefully, "I've actually applied to teach a fifth grade class next year…and I'm hoping I can convince Principal Wartz to let me have your same group again. Isn't that exciting?"

Helga's eyes lit up at the sudden news and instantly she was grinning quite a bit herself. "Really? That's great, Mr. Simmons! I-I mean…" she blinked and cleared her throat and shrugged, trying to remain casual but still unable to help smiling away, "G-Good…At least that means I won't have to break in a new teacher on the whole 'anonymous' thing." She gave him an appreciative look once again for that whole part of their relationship.

Mr. Simmons just laughed at her little joke (and her obvious happiness with the idea of being in his class again) and put the paper away in his case once more. "Thank you, Helga, I'm happy you like the idea. I've been thinking about doing it for some time now. Since I didn't start being your teacher until almost the second half of the year I feel like I didn't get to spend as much time working with and getting to know each of you as much I would have liked, and I think another full year together would be the most special way ever of fixing that. And besides, I've taught most elementary grade levels in jobs I've had before so it wouldn't be a very big change for me." He smiled at her.

Helga smiled back at him and shrugged. "Hey, works for us! And don't worry, I'll keep the news under wraps, Simmons." She gave him a wink and a nod. "Besides, I'd love to see everyone's faces when we walk into the classroom in September and see you behind the desk."

Mr. Simmons chuckled and nodded as well. "Thank you Helga. And yes, I'd like to see all of their surprised special faces too." He smiled at her and Helga smiled back.

For a moment, teacher and student just remained looking at each other in this happy accord…but Helga knew she had somewhere to be right now…and someone to be there with…and so she sighed, now that her work here was done, and glanced in the direction of the clock and then the door. She turned back to her teacher. "Well, anyway…I'd better get going…The gang's expecting me at Gerald Field for our last fourth graders versus fifth graders game…"

Mr. Simmons smiled and nodded. "Of course. You go have fun with your special friends, Helga. After all, it _is_ officially summer now."

"Thanks, Simmons!" Her smile brightened and she gave him a little salute and turned to head for the door. Just as she was about to exit into the hallway though she turned back around once more. "Oh and Mr. Simmons?"

Mr. Simmons, who had stood and been about to place all of the boxes and bottles into some trash bags for the janitors, looked over to Helga, still smiling kindly as always. "Yes, Helga?"

Helga's smile picked up a little on one side and a touch of a blush threatened to come to her features as she asked with a little shrug, "I know you can't tell me anything specific since it's about another student but…has Football Head been keeping on the ball with his poetry?" She rolled her eyes a little to the side. "I've been giving him tips all this past month whenever we've had another assignment but he gets so self conscious about his stuff and about how much he likes my stuff that he barely lets me see any of it…so I just want to make sure the little shrimp's not slacking." She smirked a little.

Mr. Simmons did his best to hold back some serious laughter. "Well, like you said, I can't get too specific because it's about another student, but…I think you'd be proud of Arnold, Helga. He only writes small things and brings them in to me, in terms of poetry, but…there's something in them that wasn't there before at all…Why don't we say that just like I noticed a shift in your writing a couple of months ago…there's definitely been quite a shift in his writing as well, to say the least…and I think it's a good shift." He smiled at her.

She smiled back at him. "Good…" She put a hand on her hip. "I'll be sure to keep him running drills over the summer though, just to keep us both fresh." She winked and waved. "Well, bye, Mr. Si—Oof!" Helga had been about to venture out into the hall when she had definitely bumped into someone…tall…wearing a skirt… '_Well,__ at __least __I__ know__ it__'__s __not __Wolfgang__…_' she couldn't help joking internally as she sat up on the floor and rubbed her head for a second. Then she looked up and her eyes brightened and a big smile grew on her face and she was standing instantly. "Dr. Bliss! What are you doing here today?" Yes indeed, it was her faithful and intelligent therapist!

"Dr. Bliss!" Mr. Simmons announced with a smile, standing up from his desk and clapping his hands together. "Oh please come in, I'm happy you hadn't left yet! I know our talk got cut a bit short this morning because I was running late, but I was actually just about to come look for you in the teacher's lounge before I went to our final faculty meeting of the year."

Dr. Bliss smiled at her two friends eagerly greeting her. "Hello Helga," she nodded to her little patient, "Hello, Mr. Simmons…" she nodded to the educator before her. "Yes, I know, I was hoping to find you too. I definitely wanted to finish up our talk from this morning…" She looked back to Helga now, her grin picking up on one side a little. "And Helga…well, you didn't think I'd not show up on a day like today—even if it _is_ a Friday." Dr. Bliss glanced to Mr. Simmons and then back to Helga for a moment as a way to let the young girl know that since a third party was here she would only talk in vague terms about things of course.

Helga picked up on her ethical point and blinked and then smiled and jerked her thumb back to indicate her teacher. "Oh, you can say whatever you want about all of this stuff today in front of Mr. Simmons, Dr. Bliss. He's cool. And yup, today was the day for my plan of honesty…and thanks for showing up, doc, I appreciate the support."

Dr. Bliss just smiled more. "Yes, well, I had to see how things went after all. And by the way, from what I've been able to observe, I have to say that things are going beautifully. You were honest and brave and patient… I'm very proud of you, Helga." Then she knelt down to the floor and hugged her ten-year-old little charge.

Helga's breath caught in her throat at first at the sudden affectionate gesture, but then she quickly smiled and melted into it and hugged her therapist back. "Thanks, Dr. Bliss. I'm happy I did alright with it all…although there's still a big baseball game to get through—we'll just have to see how I handle that, I guess." She chuckled a little, but then blinked and pulled back, looking to the doctor in curiosity. "But, wait, you've been here all day…why didn't you let me know until now, Dr. Bliss?"

Dr. Bliss looked at her with a sincere smile at the question and explained quite simply and logically, "Because I knew you could do things on your own without any of my help, and because you did them so well that I didn't have any need to step in, and also because I thought feeling like you had an 'audience' might make you a little self conscious. But if I didn't see you by the end of today, I was going to tell you Tuesday that I had been here…" she assured the last words with a nod.

Helga's happy smile returned and she nodded in understanding to all of that. "Ah, I get it…Very crafty, doc." Then she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned proudly. "And yup, I have kept it together all day—not bad if I do say so myself."

Dr. Bliss chuckled a little, standing up from the floor. "Yes, well, I'm sure all of your friends are very proud of you just like I am…Phoebe and Lila and Brainy and Gerald…and Arnold…" She smiled at Helga with a touch of meaning.

Helga's smile grew and she looked down to the side a little bashfully and nodded. "Yeah, that's…what I've been hearing from them…Phoebe and Brainy…and Arnold…and all the rest…"

Dr. Bliss did her best to hide a chuckle behind her mouth at Helga's shy acknowledgement of Arnold. Then she just smiled at her and added, "But speaking of your friend's you still have the baseball game to get through, like you said…" And then she leaned down close and added with a little smirk, "And I for one am looking forward to hearing all about how you manage to finally convince every one who might be doubting you that you're love for Arnold is real is his is real for you too. I know you, Helga, and if you've set your mind to having everyone know you're with Arnold today then by the end of the day they'll know it. And I know you'll find the perfect way to convince them all once and for all." She winked confidentially at her little patient.

Helga beamed, very glad for the confidence boost. "Thanks, doc. And you know, you're right—I've decided today's the day everyone realizes Arnold and I are together and if some people are trying to put me off schedule, well, then they'd just better look out because when she has a mind to, _nobody_ stops Helga G. Pataki from doing what she wants to do!"

Dr. Bliss smiled widely, her eyes lighting up a bit as she straightened up and gave Helga a nod. "There's my girl. You do what feels right, Helga, and everything will work out—you have a good sense of people and what they can handle and I know you'll make the right decisions for the rest of the day."

Helga looked up at her very sincerely. "Thank you, Dr. Bliss…" Then she let out a breath and added, her tone deeply sincere and obviously referring to more than just her pep talk right now. "Thank you…" And then instantly the ten-year-old girl had shot forward and wrapped her arms around Dr. Bliss's waist in a tight hug. "You and Simmons are completely boss!" she added, hugging Dr. Bliss a bit more tightly. Then she let out a sigh and released her a little and looked up at her. "And I'll fill you in on everything on Tuesday, including about my and Arnold's dates this weekend." She winked up at her.

Dr. Bliss chuckled a little, looking down at her with a smile and then a wink of her own as she replied with, "I'll be looking forward to it all. Would you like to schedule a double session back to back, just to be sure to have time to fit it all in. I'll bake us cookies again…" Dr. Bliss added with a little extra smile, recalling how towards the end of Arnold and Helga's fight the other week with Helga scheduling all double sessions, the therapist had been kind enough to start cooking them up little snacks to eat to help get them through the two emotional hours at a time.

Helga's grin grew at the suggestion and she put her hands on her hips and stepped back, still looking up at the doctor. "Hey, you make them chocolate chocolate chip and you've got yourself a deal." She winked at her.

Dr. Bliss gave her a sincere nod and winked back at her. "You've got it."

"Thanks again, doc." Helga chuckled a little and then let out a sigh and glanced from the doctor to her teacher and then to the clock and door. "Well, I've definitely gotta be going now. Bye Simmons, Bliss! See you when I see you!" She gave a little salute and then she was out the door with her things, moving lightly down the hall to reach her beloved and their friends and the baseball game as soon as possible.

Mr. Simmons and Dr. Bliss just watched Helga leave…

And then when she was gone they turned to each other and their smiles grew at a certain silent understanding between them…about a certain young person who had just exited the room.

Mr. Simmons was the first to speak as he finished up the last bits of the pizza party clean up and organization at his desk. "It really was very special of Principal Wartz to let you come for the last day of school to make observations, Dr. Bliss. I must thank him again at the faculty meeting."

Dr. Bliss smiled a little more. "Actually, that's part of why I'm here right now, Mr. Simmons—I was hoping to catch you here before you went to the meeting. I'll be joining you at it, actually—I just finished talking with Principal Wartz for my last interview and as of next year I'll officially be starting as the school's part time guidance counselor on Mondays and Wednesdays in the afternoon."

Mr. Simmons blinked at the unexpected news at first and then he put aside the now full trash bags of pizza boxes and Yahoo soda bottles and beamed happily at the woman before him! "Oh, Dr. Bliss…congratulations! That's the most special news I've heard all day! I'm certain the children and Helga will be thrilled!"

Dr. Bliss chuckled and nodded her head, sort of obviously beaming _herself_ at this new happy turn of events. "Thank you, Mr. Simmons, I'm quite happy about it too. I enjoy my private practice but…I know children have to talk to their parents first before they can come to me there and sometimes that's hard…so this way they'll be able to come to me whenever they need to. And I really do love to work with children at this age…" A thoughtful and pensive look came to her face as she glanced off…in the direction Helga had gone, actually…and added, "Around nine, ten…if there are problems…it's the best time to work through them before they grow into something worse later…A lot of…unnecessary heartache can be eased and cured…or at least helped…And that can mean a world to a child." She smiled at Mr. Simmons again…a bit more meaningfully this time…

Mr. Simmons smiled back…a bit more meaningfully as well… "I agree, Dr. Bliss…"

There was a moment of quiet and silent mutual understanding between them again.

Then Mr. Simmons smiled a little more and let out a sigh as he walked out from behind his desk, grabbing his attaché case to take it with him. "Dr. Bliss, I know I started to say this this morning but I…really did want to thank you again for coming to me and speaking with me about Helga last month. I know that it was a little difficult for you to express your concerns and opinions while still making sure you maintained your doctor/patient confidentiality…it was the same for me in a way with us talking since I sort of like to think I have a kind of an 'unofficial' teacher/student confidentiality with the kids…But I'm glad we both knew enough mutually just from observation that we didn't have to say too much but were still able to help her…"

Dr. Bliss nodded, smiling a little more herself. "No, thank you, Mr. Simmons, for taking my advice…Normally I wouldn't interfere in this way and especially not with you since you're one of the best educators I've come across in a while but…it was just a thought…and I just had a gut feeling, I guess, that it would help. But you were the one kind enough to set it into motion, and I appreciate that very much."

Mr. Simmons nodded as he walked over towards her so that they could both head out the door and go to the faculty meeting. "You're very welcome any time, Dr. Bliss, but without you I don't think I ever would have tried something like that for her, at least not this year. Of course, I've always tried to pair Arnold and Helga up for as many class assignments and subjects that call for partners as there are considering their…'special friendship', but I never considered giving them a special project all their own…or making it poetry." He had to laugh a tiny bit as he added, "Helga's so possessive and quiet about her poetry, after all, that I was half afraid she's sock _me_ in the nose for suggesting something like tutoring Arnold in it, considering the silent agreement between the two of us that as long as she keeps being brave enough to submit her most special poetry, I'll always say her work is by 'anonymous' when I read it out loud to the other kids until she tells me to do otherwise."

Dr. Bliss's smile picked up on one side and she chuckled a little too and let out a little sigh, reaching out and opening the classroom door for them to leave by. "Yeah, I knew it would be hit or miss that she'd go along with the tutoring…but I figured there was a chance now considering the way their relationship has…shifted…since a couple of months ago…" Dr. Bliss looked meaningfully to Mr. Simmons. Ethically she was bound not to directly say 'since Helga confessed to Arnold' since Helga had told her that confidentially, but Mr. Simmons had pretty much guessed about the confession after Helga's first post-confession poem (on top of which, right around then had been the April Fools Day tango fiasco followed by Arnold and Helga not coming within ten feet of one another for several days). Mr. Simmons, though, of course, was personally ethically bound not to share about Helga's poetry or any changes in it with another person, even if it was Dr. Bliss…But overall the two professionals knew Helga very well…and saw each other a couple of days a week at school…and so eventually with little to no speaking at all they had come to be on the same page about the young blond girl whose welfare they both cared about so deeply, just like they were right now.

To Dr. Bliss's comment, Mr. Simmons nodded. "Yes, and I…think it might have been a shaky weekend for them at first with the 'tutoring'…and in school over the last month there have been some pretty obvious bumps now and again…but it just…feels like they've reached a new, special place together. I'm happy for them, and I think they're happy too." He smiled to Dr. Bliss as he gave her a small nod of thanks and headed out the door.

Dr. Bliss smiled back and nodded as well. "I agree, Mr. Simmons…and I'm happy that I'll get to work here now to see their relationship grow and develop over the next two years first hand." She stepped out along with him and shut the classroom door behind them.

"I'm happy for the chance for that too, Dr. Bliss," Mr. Simmons agreed.

Dr. Bliss smiled more and then added quickly. "Oh but please don't mention it to Helga if you see her—I want it to be a surprise." She winked.

Mr. Simmons chuckled and nodded back to her. "Of course, Dr. Bliss, not a word. After all, Helga already knows I'll probably be her teacher next year…I think she at least deserves the surprise of finding you as the guidance counselor."

Dr. Bliss nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Simmons."

Mr. Simmons smiled more. "You're welcome, Dr. Bliss…"

And with that the two new colleagues left the classroom with smiles to go to their staff meeting…

…While at Gerald Field the children were just about to commence their baseball game…

* * *

**A/N:**

Woo, another chapter down! How many more to go? Lol, I think I was doing it out in my head the other day and there should be like 9 more after this XD This story doesn't end, lol! Anyway, I'll try for the next one as soon as I can! Please R & R! And thank you guys so much for all of your support with this story! It keeps me going! Love you all!

Oh and Happy belated Halloween 8D I went as Sally from TNBC! Lol, speaking of which, if you like TNBC and you like either my writing or NintendoGal's writing or both, you should totally check out the TNBC writing we've been doing on her account lately, if you have time :) Lots of fluff, a little bit of steaminess, tons of cuteness! If you get the chance, I hope you enjoy it! ^w^

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	23. Endgame

**A/N:**

Hey, everyone! Okay, so, in general, I try to give you guys one update per month with this story, but since October got skipped and the last update got posted early this month, I'm doing a second one for this month :) I hope you guys enjoy it! This wraps things up pretty much with Helga and Arnold 'going public' and after this is three chapters of their one month anniversary ^w^ Anyway, please enjoy! And review if you get the chance! Thank you! :D

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 23:**

**Endgame**

* * *

"Alright, alright, fifth graders, move in and duck and cover—the Football Head is up to bat!"

Helga had made it to the big baseball game just on time after leaving the school, of course. And she had smiled upon seeing Arnold and he had smiled upon seeing her, and to heck with what anyone else thought of that. And then the game had commenced (with Wolfgang not just pitching like a man on fire but like a _scorned_ man on fire), and things had gone this way and that way…which had led to fourth graders having 11 and fifth graders having 12 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs at this moment in time and Eugene on base…and it had also to Helga's little cat call to her beloved just now as he was heading up to bat.

And Arnold, as he reached the plate and to take his stance, turned to Helga upon her completion of making this sarcastic yet playful announcement to the crowd with a little smile on her face and a little giggle underlying it. She was just walking past him behind the batter's box to head back over to the dugout with the rest of their classmates after having scored a run for the team courtesy of the run Eugene had just managed to bat in (the ball had hit is helmet, it ended up being technically fair, and then somehow after some scrambling Helga had ended up safely at home plate, to make a long story short).

Arnold couldn't help but give her a look and an amused yet inquisitive smile as she went by. "Helga…"

Helga's response was merely to shrug and lower her voice a little as she got up close behind him, smiling innocently. "What? I would have said 'Back up because the most wonderful, talented baseball player on the planet is up to bat and I'm sure he'll hit a home run though he also might take a piece of one of you with him but forgive him because he's my Arnold' but where's the fun in that, Football Head?" She winked at him. "And besides…" she added (and she spoke a little more loudly now so that anyone could hear if they felt like it—she really was getting a lot better about being observed talking with him affectionately), "…It's a baseball game—there's _supposed_ to be a little cat calling and jeering, Football Head!" She finished walking over to the dugout full of fellow fourth graders eagerly waiting for the outcome of the game (and as interested in Arnold and Helga as ever for their own varying reasons, of course) and took her seat, right between Phoebe and Lila.

Meanwhile, back at the plate, at Helga's last comment to him, Arnold dropped his stance for a second and called over to her playfully in correction, "Cat calling and jeering against the OTHER TEAM, Helga!"

He watched in amusement as she just shrugged again from where she was sitting, her smile continuing, and then called back to him, "Hey, if I don't publically point out your many flaws how the heck are you ever gonna get the motivation to fix them, Football Head? Not _everything_ can change, today after all!" She winked at him to top it off.

Arnold just laughed to himself and sighed and got back into batting position, winding up his bat a little. '_Yes__…__at __least __some __things __won__'__t __ever __change__…'_ he couldn't help thinking sentimentally. Suddenly noticing Wolfgang about to wind up for the pitch though, Arnold quickly turned his thoughts away from his girlfriend and back to the game at hand and did his best to focus on the ball about to be coming down the line.

"Okay, you little fourth grade loser, prepare for a _serious_ hardball…" Wolfgang scowled wickedly at Arnold…which he had been doing every chance he got during this game for certain reasons, even when Arnold wasn't at bat…And Arnold was very much aware.

And so was Helga…"Yeah, yeah, just throw the pitch, Wolfgang!" her voice suddenly called from the dugout in a mixture of impatience and sarcasm and distrust (she knew Wolfgang's temper and she really did not want him and her beloved to have to be in the same vacant lot for much longer together), "Some of us would like to end this thing before it turns into a _fifth_ graders versus _sixth_ graders game, if you know what I mean!" She rolled her eyes and smirked a little and was happy that some laughter couldn't help but come from her fellow fourth graders at her comment, regardless of their respective opinions about herself and Arnold, to back her up a little.

"Oh _whatever_!" shot back Wolfgang with a brief scowl in her direction (and a noticeable coloring of red coming to his features). He then focused back on glaring at Arnold and pulled the ball just a bit closer to his chest as he prepared to throw.

Suddenly there came the wind up and then pitch and…

"_Strike __one!_"

Arnold hadn't felt like the pitch was good enough to even attempt a swing at and yet the umpire called out the judgment of a strike just the same. It was the Jollie Ollie man, actually (he was the only adult both teams had agreed upon could be totally nonbiased as umpire—after all, as he had said when they had brought the proposition and their concerns about it up to him in the first place, "Sure I can be fair—I hate all of you kids _equally_! B-Besides…I guess I sort of still owe the football headed kid one anyway from that whole career day thing…But I have to be done by five to do my shift with the truck because I'm still on probation for selling you little ingrates half price ice cream last month and if I'm late I'll get fired! Oh and you all better keep that promise about all of you buying a Mr. Fudgie Bar a day from me for doing this!")

Meanwhile, at the Jollie Ollie man's call, the sounds of mixed cheers and boos could be heard around the field from the different dugouts.

And of course Helga's voice was heard above all as she scowled at the Jollie Ollie man and held out her arms in disbelief. "Aw, what, are you blind, Jollie Ollie Man? Sheesh, I haven't seen anything that 'outside' since last year's cheese festival in the vacant lot up the street!"

Once again, despite the whole 'Arnold/Helga' thing, what Helga had just said was kind of funny and so again she received the laughter of most of her fellow fourth graders to back her up, which helped Helga to smirk confidently at the Jollie Ollie man in a way that said he had better start making some better calls because not just her but most of the fourth graders were getting a little peeved.

Arnold, meanwhile, the determined look on his face firming up a bit, just did his best to ignore the sounds around him and to focus on the next pitch…though he took a bit of comfort in Helga's support of his decision not to swing at least.

Wolfgang's pleased smile only grew, meanwhile, at the call going in his favor. "Okay, let's get on with ending this…You're going down, short stuff…" He sneered and wound up and threw and…

"_BALL ONE!" _

Once again, mixed boos and cheers from the crowd around them…though their sources were reversed this time around.

"There we go! FINALLY, a decent call!" came Helga's sarcastic yet playful and supportive voice once more over the clamor of the crowd.

The Jollie Ollie Man stopped things for a moment and lifted his umpire's mask and glared in Helga's direction for a second. "Hey, don't think I won't boot you out of this game if you keep it up, kid!" he called over to her passionately. "I'll do it! Oh I'll do it!"

Helga just rolled her eyes and smirked at him a little, waving him off. "What, you're going to kick me out in the bottom of the ninth with two outs a man on third and a one-one count? Oh yeah, I'm _terrified_!" That comment not only got some more laughter from the other kids but even a few high fives from some of the guys to one another.

"Helga…" Now Arnold's voice came calmly, normally, kindly over the other sounds of the game, and indeed he had broken his stance again to look back at his girlfriend and address her with a grin, "…Not that I don't appreciate all the supportive comments and stuff but…I'm not done batting yet, you know…And I really think I need to focus so that we can win this…" He tried to give her a slightly serious look though it was obvious he was fighting back a big, amused smile.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes and smiled a little more at his sudden (and vey cute, in her opinion, reply to her). "Yeah, yeah…okay, get back to winning the game for us, Head Boy, and I'll try and sit tight." She scowled playfully and crossed her arms over her chest as she added, "But hurry up, would you? It's almost five and we're all starving for celebratory ice cream and your inevitable home run is holding us up!"

Arnold had to laugh quite a bit to himself again as he turned away from her once more and resumed his batting position. "I'll try and make it quick, Helga!" he called to her over his shoulder.

"No pressure, Arnold!" she called back in his direction, and he couldn't help but smile even more…and maybe even a little more goofily at their cute, public banter together like this.

"Hey, enough!" Wolfgang scowled again, glaring from Helga to Arnold. "There is no way a bunch of wimpy _still_-fourth-graders are going to beat a bunch awesome almost-six-graders! Now…" he looked to Arnold, "Prepare for another strike!"

Arnold narrowed his eyes a bit and tightened his grip on the bat, holding the ball in his sights. He didn't say anything back, he just centered himself and focused…

The Jollie Ollie man just growled and rolled his eyes at the scene and turned back to the task at hand of calling the remainder of the game.

Wolfgang wound up, and…

Arnold swung.

"_Strike TWO!_"

The crowd exploded. Arnold closed his eyes and took a deep breath before automatically tapping the plate with his bat and then resuming his batting stance, trying to ignore the sounds around him and the fact that he had just swung and missed, and instead doing his best to focus on the next pitch…and whatever it might bring. _'__Don__'__t __think __about __it__…__It__'__s __not __important__…__And __even __if __you __don__'__t __win, __well__…__it __was __a __close __game __and __either __way __you__…__you __have __summer __to __look __forward __to, __you __have __your __friends __to __look __forward __to, __you __have __ice __cream __at __Slausens __after __this __to __look __forward __to__…__and __you __have __the __most __perfect __girl __for __you __in __the __world __to __look __forward __to__…_' And suddenly the next pitch really didn't matter all that much…He would still try his best of course to hit it, but…there really were far more important things in life (though at the back of his mind, of course, Arnold couldn't deny that it would really be very cool to actually win this game on top of all those other cool things…)

"Come on, Football Head! I know you can do this—now clobber 'em!" Helga's voice (calling out supportively rather than sarcastically or playfully this time) to him from the dugout made Arnold blink and then look over at her with a little appreciative smile. She caught it, obviously, and smiled back, shouting, as she brushed her hair back behind her ear to get a clear and full view of him, "And, hey, don't worry about conking one of these losers in the head, Mr. Dangerous Lumber—we could all use a week with Wolfgang bedridden!" Laughter erupted once again this afternoon from the fourth grade dugout. Hey, regardless of the whole 'Helga/Arnold' thing, Helga was on fire right now and the other kids were eating it up! (And there were even some fifth graders laughing too, all of them silently aware of how… 'difficult' Wolfgang could be…pretty much all the time.)

"Oh yeah!" Wolfgang called over to the younger kids, scowling again, and glaring daggers right at Helga once he realized that it was _her_ of all people heckling him again. "W-Well…Well…we'll just see who's laughing when we finish beating you!" He turned his attention back to Arnold. "It'll be _us_!"

And then he threw…

"_BALL 2!"_

Arnold hadn't swung at this pitch at all, and in fact the ball had come quite close to his face.

Our football headed hero took a second to shake his head and recompose himself. Not that he hadn't almost been hit by a baseball before in his life but still it was always a slightly uncomfortable experience having a flying object nearly collide with your head.

"Hey, Wolfgang, COULD you have cut that one closer! Crimeny, this is BASEball not DODGEball! It's a simple difference, Wolfgang—most kids figure it out by the first grade when they start playing games like this!" Helga couldn't help but supply in defense of her boyfriend from the sidelines, actually standing up from the dugout bench, a scowl of anger on her face…mixed with a lot of worry that she was no longer afraid, consciously or unconsciously, to show in front of other people.

Though Arnold really just wanted to move past things and focus, now he couldn't help but feel a touch of sincere appreciation for Helga's care about him. _'__She__'__s __just __getting __used __to __being __very __public __about __her __feelings__…__And __besides__…__it__'__s__…__sort __of __nice __to __have __a __girl __root __for __you__…' _His smile went the tiniest bit goofy though he did his best to hide it and just really focus on his stance and Wolfgang, gripping up on the bat.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang was turning a little red in the face and obviously about to shoot something nasty and sarcastic back at Helga when—

"Okay, okay, enough 'witty banter' out of you kids!" the Jollie Ollie Man called out impatiently, interrupting things. He focused back on Arnold and Wolfgang. "This game is almost over and then I can finally get on with my life and my crummy job so let's just go already!"

With a growl of frustration at Helga's continued egging and the Jollie Ollie Man's bossiness, Wolfgang turned back to Arnold with a sneer and then suddenly threw a bit of a wild pitch to let off steam!

"_BALL 3!_"

Arnold had actually had to drop completely to the ground to duck this one. He took a few breaths from his place half on his back in the dirt until the call from the umpire finally sunk in, and then he was about to stand up when...

"HEY!" Suddenly both Arnold and Wolfgang had to turn their faces as Helga G. Pataki practically stormed out of the dugout and onto the field. "If you're trying to hospitalize someone then why don't you pick on someone your own size, you big jerk! I'd be happy to take you on and give you a personal introduction to old Betsey and the five avengers!" And then before Arnold knew it she was by his side, helping pick him up from the ground, and glaring at Wolfgang the whole time. Succeeding in getting him standing though she turned her attention now entirely on him, a look of concern in her eyes. "You okay, Arnold?"

Arnold certainly had not expected this somewhat extreme reaction from her…but then it occurred to him that if _she_ had been at bat and Wolfgang had nearly hit _her_ in the head with a baseball in frustration, he would have rushed out to her just as quickly and with just as much worry. And so, Arnold blinked a couple of times in surprise at her sudden arrival but then couldn't help smiling warmly as he replied sincerely and appreciatively, "Uh, yeah…don't worry about it, Helga. He didn't hit me. I'm okay, just a little dusty." He chuckled a little as he brushed some dust and dirt off of his shirttails.

An obvious look and smile of relief instantly melted away all of the worry and anger on Helga's face. "Oh…good." She swallowed and glanced away from him and backed up a step as she recalled the other people all around them, and realized how tender this moment might look to them (and Helga always needed time to deal with easing into sharing the 'more tender' moments in front of other people who came to find out about her and her beloved's affections for one another). "I-I mean…" a faint shadow of what was left of her defensiveness added, "I just wanted to make sure we weren't entitled to a free walk…" But then she swallowed and her heart added as she looked to his eyes, "And also, well…I'm glad you're okay."

Arnold's smile grew a bit and he was about to respond to her with something appreciative and sweet when suddenly the sound of Wolfgang laughing raucously from the pitcher's mound interrupted their little public exchange, and he was even pointing at them! "Ha, ha, ha—aw, does the wimpy fourth grader need his cranky little girlfriend to kiss his boo-boo and make it better?" He burst into laughter again and this time was joined by the other fifth graders as well as a decent amount of the fourth grade class (hey, the fourth grade might have had all day so far to get used to Helga and Arnold suddenly seeming on good terms with one another, and most of the fourth grade might have even been admiring Helga quite a bit this afternoon for her jeers against the other team, but still when you got right down to it the idea of Arnold and Helga like-liking (or pretending to like-like…or whatever the heck Rhonda was going with…whatever floated anyone's boats, really) each other still had the capacity to strike most of the ten-year-olds present as hilarious! And now the actual terms 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' had been thrown out there—oh it was like a humiliation buffet and who could resist just a little indulging!).

Helga instantly locked up and her face turned bright scarlet. Arnold couldn't help his eyes going wide and a touch of a blush coming to his own face as well. Yes they'd been teased a few times today but this was about as public as you could get…the center of a big multi-grade baseball game.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang was becoming aware that he had the audience's favor now and that he was seriously getting not only to _the __kid_ who could take away a fifth grade victory from him and who had also all but cowed him in front of half of his grade earlier, but likewise to _the __girl_ who had been taking cheap sarcastic shots at him intermittently throughout this game and who had basically romantically spurned him in front of half of his grade earlier. And so the fifth grade bully decided to push things a little bit more… He dropped his glove and ball to his side and glared with a smirk at Arnold and Helga as he announced for all to hear, "No seriously, I want to see you two give each other a little smooch—come on, if you're about to lose the game for all of your friends the least you could do is give them a little entertainment! Although, football head, how anyone could stand dating someone with a mouth like that on her is beyond me!"

At this new set of much more intense comments, not only were the fifth graders practically rolling around on the ground in their dugout, but the laughter from the fourth grade sidelines grew even more as well!

Suddenly Harold Berman's voice called out above the others in a sing-song voice (he…really had not forgotten about the whole altercation Helga had caused him to have with Curly at recess…and he really was still a little 'miffed' about the whole thing), "_Arnold __and __Helga_…" instantly other voices joined in at the familiar lines of, "_Sitting __in __a __tree, __K-I-S-S-I-N-G_…" Then they all just burst into some more laughter again. Arnold and Helga kissing…if there was ever a mental image that could make the group of ten-year-olds (the ones less inclined to be immediately understanding and supportive) smile it was that…And besides, if Arnold and Helga were going to _insist_ on pushing this whole 'we like-like each other, really!' thing then could certain other people really be blamed for not resisting the chance to have some fun with it while it lasted? These same 'certain people' didn't think so, and besides which, really…Arnold and Helga…KISSING? What a weird image…right? "_F-First __comes __love! __Then __comes __marriage__…"_ Arnold and Helga kissing…_Any_ boy and girl their age kissing…_Themselves_ kissing… It was a lot to think about…which was why the small group participating in this little sing-along in the fourth grade dugout continued to sing as a way to avoid these weighty thoughts. "_Then __comes __the __baby __in __the __baby __carriage!__" _Harold, Stinky and Sid all burst into laughter as their little verse concluded, holding their sides and trying not to die! Arnold and Helga…BABY! Oh that was a good one—it would have a football head and one eyebrow and it would pound you to a pulp as it told you the right thing to do! Literally, the three boys couldn't breathe anymore, their faces bright red with humor!

"Guys, shut up! You're acting like babies!" Nadine finally sighed and had to admonish them with a scowl, though they were all too distracted by their laughter to notice much.

Now, all of this was very humiliating for a certain football headed little boy and a certain pink-wearing little girl…And especially _that __song_…Let's all agree that that song is the bane of every child's existence until about, oh, age 13 when everyone finally has to accept the fact that people date each other and that girls aren't 'full of cooties' and boys aren't 'icky' and don't 'go to Jupiter to get more stupider'. But until then, yes, if the vernacular can be pardoned, that song sucks.

However, despite the deep humiliation of it all, Arnold had enough internal peace and enough of an ability to calm himself and enough of an awareness that it did not matter what others ever thought or said about you, so long as you did the right thing and were a decent person, that he managed to brush off the singing with a little shake of his head and to just focus on addressing Wolfgang about one 'quick thing' before returning to his batting stance. After all, Wolfgang HAD just taken a pretty rude shot at Helga…her having a 'big mouth' and being un-dateable… He looked to the fifth grade bully with calm…yet slightly narrowed…eyes… "Wolfgang, _don__'__t_ talk about Helga like that! She's just being a good friend and a good person, and besides you could really hurt someone pitching like that! It's no wonder she was worried about you almost hitting me…If she had been up at bat instead, I would have come out here to help her out and check up on her too!" Arnold finished firmly and very earnestly.

"Aw, what, is the football head going to stick up for his girlfriend?" Wolfgang shot back sarcastically and then broke into laughter again, on fire and not about to back down. "You're probably just stalling because you're one strike away from getting creamed, you little wussy fourth grader! Now, shrimpy, why don't you try to get back to batting and I _guess_ I'll try not to hit that face of yours even though it's a pretty wide target…" He looked smugly around him at the other fifth graders in the field and they all backed him up with some laughter.

Meanwhile, now Helga (who had been taking a moment to get her searing scarlet blushing under control after getting put through _the __song_, which had basically been a regular part of all of her 'my secret gets exposed!' nightmares ever since she could remember) scowled and turned to Wolfgang herself. Hey, she may have been upset but she had HAD it with Wolfgang and his stupid macho, male ego picking on her beloved in particular during this game! ( '_Besides, __it__'__s __MY __job __to __bust __Arnold__'__s __chops __at __public __events!_') "Hey, Wolfgang, you just keep in mind that if the football head can't play for some reason, _I__'__ll_ be the first one to fill in for him and if you think _he_ has it in him to randomly bean people, you haven't seen _me_ up at bat angry and with a score to settle with the pitcher!" She glared at him, her passions on fire in defense of her beloved.

Wolfgang couldn't help but blink a few times at the threat (Helga really was rather intimidating whenever she really wanted to be, even regardless of her shiny blond hair sweetly and softly framing her face at the moment), but then he cleared his throat and determined himself not to lose the crowd or to be put on the defensive, and so he just laughed again and waved Helga off as he quipped, "Ah, give your 'boyfriend' a hug and get back to the dugout, pinkie!"

More laughter came from both sides of the field. Really, this was better than a movie! Better than a soap opera! You couldn't BUY this kind of entertainment!

And then it didn't help that a few familiar fourth grade voices could slowly be heard one by one rising up above the din of chuckles… (if the three boys in question can be pardoned a little though…just a _little_…Harold still had his small grudge about the playground thing, Sid was still feeling a little 'funny' (and not in the best of ways) about nearly flirting with Helga this morning, and Stinky was such a sweetheart that he never had been good with going against too much peer pressure unless the situation was a really important one…and all three of them could be said to be falling victim to mob psychology. For a definition of that term, a dictionary or especially the Vile Village book in the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series by Lemony Snicket is highly recommended).

Anywho…

"Oh boy howdy yeah, let's see them hug!" announced Sid before suddenly bursting into uncontrollable laughter again!

"Yeah," chimed in Stinky's voice, "I reckon the hand holding and all those little lovey dovey things they keep makin' each other say to each other are dang near unbelievable but the two of them wrapped in each other's arms would be dang near _hysterical_!" And then he burst into laughter too. Oh if Arnold and Helga pushed their gag THAT far, it would be the craziest thing in neighborhood history (at least from a ten-year-old's perspective).

"Guys come on, cool it!" Gerald's annoyed voice suddenly chimed in. Lila might have been too polite to ever interrupt someone to make an announcement, Phoebe might have been a little too intimidated by all of the attention and jeers going back and forth stand up herself just yet, and Brainy might have been so anxious about this whole thing that he was wheezing up too much of a storm to get up and say something at the moment, but, darn it, Gerald was officially ticked off! "Can we all just get on with the baseball game already! _Please_! Thank you!" He rolled his eyes and sat back down with tired scowl, rubbing his temples with one of his hands. _'__I __knew __this __was __going __to __be __a __screwy __day__…__But, __really, __even __I __accepted __the __whole__ '__Arnold/Helga__' __thing __faster __than __this!__'_

"Aw, why? _You __and __Phoebe_ wanna hug in front of everyone first?" asked Harold suddenly before bursting back into laughter again, not really remembering at the moment the whole 'we all know Gerald and Phoebe are an item but we don't tease them because he's Arnold's friend and Gerald's the keeper of the tales and Phoebe's super nice' thing! And also, Gerald and Phoebe _had_ been so very obviously together today.

Helga and Arnold were a little too distracted with embarrassment right now to be paying much attention to anyone else's problems, but they figured Gerald (and Phoebe) must be sharing in quite a bit of blushing themselves as this comment from Harold seemed to silence any further attempts at defense from their friend.

Meanwhile, Wolfgang continued to enjoy his little public revenge on Arnold and Helga, laughing raucously as the scene progressed! "Oh man, this is hilarious—the fourth grade has a cutest couple and they're about to riot over them or something!" The fifth graders joined fully in his laughter and of course a fair handful of fourth graders couldn't help the continuation of some stifled and not-so-stifled chuckles to go along with it.

Arnold could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears. He wanted to defend himself and Helga…or for Helga to defend him again…or _something_! _Anything!_ But it was so much…They had never been the center of attention to the degree that they were right now and Arnold was starting to understand once more in his life why Helga had indeed kept her love for him a secret for all of those years…and especially since for all but the last half of a year she had had the DOUBLE fear to deal with of not only receiving public ridicule for her emotions but of himself not being there to support her…not loving her back…

Indeed, Arnold felt so flustered at the moment that he just couldn't move or think or even breathe, and he just wished he could have a five second break from it all or something to gather himself and calmly and reasonably find a way out of this.

However, instead our football headed her got…

"Come on, everyone!" Wolfgang suddenly announced to both sides of the field, just glorying in the attention he was getting for starting this and also a chance to postpone the possibly fifth grade loss considering Arnold's awesome batting average and a three-two count…and not to mention there was that glorious 'revenge' thing again. "And a one and a two and…" He led off a second round of _the __song_… "_Arnold __and __Helga __sitting __in __a __tree__…"_

"_K-I-S-S-I-N-G!__"_ everyone with nothing better to do and no better thoughts to have on the situation at the moment couldn't help but yell in unison upon which they all suddenly burst into little fits of laughter again!

"Ha, ha!" shouted Harold after the chorus was over. "Hey, maybe Awnold really does like Helga! Look at how much he's blushing around her now!" He winked to the other guys and then called over to Arnold. "Hey Arnold, don't worry, none of us have told Li—uh, 'you know who' about your plan to win her back! Keep it up—this is great!" He winked and then burst into laughter again.

"Harold, I'm ever so certain that perhaps it would be better to leave Arnold and Helga alone right now, and that goes for you two as well, Sid and Stinky," Lila suddenly managed to chime in with a touch of shyness yet also in a tone somewhat firm before she could lose her nerve.

Lila, of all people, speaking up about this situation made all three boys stop laughing for about one second, faces blank…and then they just burst into doubled laughter again!

Lila frowned at them but was at a loss for what else to say at the moment.

Meanwhile…

"Y-Yes, yes, it's a plan, a silly plan and a silly joke and…Oh…Ugh…" Rhonda. At the start of that statement her voice had been oddly high-pitched and chipper (complete with an extra creepy smile). At the end of that statement she had just sunk down in dramatic 'despair' with a hand to her temple and a small groan. "Oh just forget it…" she grumbled to herself, though a little audibly, whether she meant to or not, considering her tendencies toward the dramatic, "The second I get home I'm booking a two hour session with masseuse and asking Mummy for a trip to a Paris spa as my summer getaway…"

"Ooo can I be your special masseuse of love, my darling Rhon—"

"CURLY!" Rhonda snapped, her eyes instantly popping open, a scowl on her face and her hands clenched at her sides. The first thing she did was remove her shoulders from his hands (which had suddenly and creepily managed to get on them) very forcibly! She whipped around to face him and screamed on an impulse! "GO AWAY! I HATE YOU, DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I don't care how you tried to help me with my mother's stupid coat last month…" she hissed the last sentence harshly under her breath and then finished, loudly and with tears nearly in her angry eyes, "I HATE YOU!" And with that she stood up and stomped off, found a bit of space between Nadine and Lila on the bench (both girls had been watching this sudden exchange intently, while Gerald and Phoebe were busy blushing and still feeling a little embarrassed about having been called out on their feelings before, and most of the other kids were still into the Arnold and Helga thing), squished herself between them, and sat down with her arms crossed over her chest, and fire…and something else…in her dark eyes.

Nadine instantly focused a look of concern on her best friend, though Rhonda didn't seem inclined to respond much to it, seeming very upset.

Curly was upset too…and that's where Lila's look of concern went.

All he did (black eye from the fight with Harold, and all) was blush a little and clear his throat and nod once and cross his arms over his chest and then look toward the game like an average spectator.

But Lila knew that normalcy was not a good response for Curly to have to one of Rhonda's rejections…Maniacal laughter, yes, unflappable determination, yes, a crazed grin and spouting words of hope, yes, but not this…

Lila let out a small sigh with a little frown. '_I__'__m __ever __so __certain __that __Arnold __and __Helga __are __only __the __beginning __of __romantic __things __that __need __help __in __our __class__…__.__'_

Meanwhile, with three certain boys…

"I-I s-still can't believe she read that love poem for Brainy in class today…" Sid, holding his sides in mirth.

"I-I just can't believe that this last day of school as been so dang crazy!" Stinky, with a lot of grins and laughs as well.

"I just can't believe that Helga made herself look like a girl to go through with all of this!" Harold, recalling that whole thing where Helga had made herself over for one of Rhonda's girly sleepovers…and maybe feeling another touch of revenge for the incident that had occurred afterwards involving himself and rope and a chair and nail polish—an event he had made all of the other guys swear never to bring up ever again under penalty of pounding.

And then Wolfgang had one final thing to add before he got around to delivering his last pitch of the game and winning a victory for his friends (and thus erasing the little scene of humiliation he had had to endure today in the hall in front of most of them). "Oh please. You know, if the football head and the loud mouth want to be together then let's just all let them…it's not like the shrimpy one'll know what to do with a girl even if he's got one, and it's not like the loudmouth one could keep a guy for more than five seconds with that butch temper of hers. Arnold and Helga, what a joke." His eyes narrowed a little and his smirk grew. "Now, let's play bal—"

"THAT…_TEARS __IT!__"_

Helga had never spoken so forcefully in her entire life (even how she had spoken to the boys on the playground earlier that afternoon about teasing Brainy hadn't quite reached the level of utterly disgusted and ticked off that she was at right now.) And her cry made the whole entire field of kids blink and then look to her curiously…and with just a touch, intentional or not, of reverence…and a few actually gulped in a slight touch of fear…including Arnold even, on a sort of reflex built in by a good six years of threatened poundings.

However while everyone else was content to look at each other curiously or with worry or with shock…Arnold blinked and snapped out of it and came back to all of his senses including his true deep down belief that nothing mattered, no humiliation or social degradation, so long as he had his Helga…and his Helga had him…He looked at her with wide, concerned eyes. She was bright red with blushing and fury and who knew what else. Her scowl and eyes were dark with anger in a way he didn't like, and her breaths were shallow and staggered, and her whole frame seemed to tremble in little bits and from no good reason. He couldn't help but feel pained at how much she had suffered over these last few minutes…and what was worse he felt such guilt at having been so paralyzed and terrified and shocked during it all that he had barely been able to help her. But now he would do his best to make her better. He spoke softly and carefully to her... "Helga…?" He reached forward slowly to put a hand on her shoulder. "It…it's okay, don't worry about it. Let's just get back to the game. Who cares what they say or—" As his hand made contact with her shoulder though, he was cut off by the feeling of her body tensing up and then jerking away…just like she used to in the old days when he had still been trying to get her to talk about her confession and she had wanted no part of it…or even before she had confessed and he would hug her or something and she would always shove him away…and her reacting like that right here and now left Arnold even more concerned for her at this point, to say the least. His worry was indescribable.

"No…" Helga stated firmly under her breath. She whipped around to face him…something…indescribably not-to-be-messed-with present in her eyes… Her voice rumbled with dark emotion and something inside of her had very obviously just snapped. She went on… "All of this subtlety and the hints and me trying to keep my temper under control…all a mistake. All one _big_ mistake courtesy of stubborn, stupid, screw-up me who insists upon making a million mistakes about all of this before I do anything right about it. I went about this whole thing with us all wrong…" Suddenly she removed her hair ribbon and began to hastily put up her hair in its usual pigtails. "I tried it and half our friends are idiots and so it didn't work. So now we go back to doing things my way…the one of a kind Helga G. Pataki way…"

Arnold couldn't help the touch of sadness and very sincere and genuine worry and distress that came to his face, not because Helga seemed to be abandoning her plan to act like her true self, though, but because her attempts to do so today, part of the reason of which having been please him and as part of her one month anniversary present for him, seemed to have left her so unhappy now, even despite the attempts of their few close, supportive friends and especially Arnold himself to comfort her and help her and to make this transition today go alright. _'__It__…__It __was __all __too __soon __and __too __much__…__I __knew __it__…__I __should __have __tried __to __stop __her, __even __if __she __really __did __want __to __try __telling __everyone __about __us __today. __It__'__s __too __soon__… __But __I __just__…__I __just __love __when __she__'__s __open __and __smiling __and __warm __like __she __was __today__…__But __I __should __have __put __how __all __of __that __might __make __her __feel __first __instead __of __how __it __makes __me __feel__…'_

Arnold took a step toward her, all apology in his eyes. "Helga, I'm sorry, I—"

However, he was rather abruptly cut off from continuing with any further words of sorry and support by Helga suddenly sticking out a hand in front of his face in a silencing gesture. She spoke instead of him. "No…_I__'__m_ sorry, Arnold. But…" He saw a touch of the softness come back to her face once again before the scowl resumed, "I know it doesn't matter what they all think or what they all say, and I know we shouldn't have to tell them anything unless we feel like it, but for crying out loud I just can't ease my way into this anymore…not at this point…It's just not my style…and I _have_ to finish this." Her voice was pure determination. "So now I'm going to do it and even if it all blows up in my face for a while at least it'll be done, cut and dry, and then we can all get on with our lives…I should have learned that in the first place from telling _you_, Arnold…Sometimes you just have to…go out with a bang…"

Arnold's look of concern changed to one of confusion at these words and even a touch of fear (Helga's dramatics had never really gotten this cryptic and she really did sound like she was just about to burst from the stress and humiliation she was enduring, or something…) but he didn't have the chance to ask Helga what she was talking about because she suddenly stormed off in the direction of the fourth grade dugout, her pigtails in tact, her scowl set, and looking just as fierce as ever.

She stopped before them. Let out a deathly sigh through her nose. And…began…

"_Alright_…you've all finally picked up on the fact that sometimes I do nice things for the little Football Head over there along with all of the name calling and the mocking and the empty threats. Good job!" she added sarcastically with an eye roll, crossing her arms over her chest. "I only had to try my hardest for a full six hours straight to make it publically obvious before you chuckleheads caught on!" The full-on stern scowl returned. "Oh but it looks certain people still just CAN'T accept it! Well, to those people may I just say that you're in luck because if there's one thing I have experience with, it's how to confess to dense people so that they get it once and for all. And speaking of that, luckily for you all, I've got a confession all prepared…" Though the scowl remained she paused and took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second now…and then she opened them…clenched her fists to her sides…and then she said just what was on her mind and in her heart!

"So…So maybe I don't hate the football head as much as I thought, okay? Maybe I even kind of like him a little…or a lot…a whole lot…And maybe I have for a _while_! So? And so what if I walked with him to school today and held his hand and sat with him at lunch and was nice to him all day and then got ice cream with him and stood up for him just now—which he _needed_, by the way, because Wolfgang almost took his head off! So what? And if anyone DOES have anything to say about me and Arnold, just keep in mind that despite my hair or my poetry or my smiling, you'll be saying it to the person who is still sole owner and proprietor of Old Betsey and the Five Avengers!" She held up her fists and glanced from side to side at the shocked faces before her. "What, no one? Okay then…I'm gonna sum things up loud and clear—I lo-…like Arnold…I LIKE like Arnold…H-He's the b-boy of my d-dreams…" Yeah, that last part came out through gritted teeth because, well…_you_ try saying something like that publically to about a third of your elementary school. "Oh and for the record Arnold is JUST FRIENDS with Lila and Brainy is JUST FRIENDS with me! Accept it, deal with it, and move on!" And now having delivered the dénouement of her speech, she let out a deep, satisfied sigh, stomped into the dugout and resumed her former seated position between Phoebe and Lila. She remained scowling for a moment longer…and then a…a satisfied smile came to Helga G. Pataki's face and she finished, in a tone…not unhappy sounding, "So now that that's all out of the way finally let's just play BALL already, for crying out loud because I have a dinner to get to later and I am NOT going to be late, and _yes_," she whipped around again, scowling once more, and looking specifically in the direction of Rhonda and Harold, Sid and Stinky, "…it's a dinner with the Football Head for anyone who's interested! It's a DATE! And sue me! At least I CAN GET a date! Honestly, I am SURROUNDED!" She rolled her eyes, actually chuckled a little about how…ridiculous all of this was, if you thought about it…so utterly, utterly ridiculous…What in the world had she ever been so worried about? She felt…about as brilliant as she had felt after pouring her guts out to Arnold on the roof of FTi! Oh yes, she had done the right thing—she could feel it in her gut. And then finally, a fully satisfied Helga turned her attention back to her beloved, grinning with happiness as she added for his benefit in a sincere tone, "Anything you want to add, Arnold, or do you think that covered it?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Arnold…rather…surprised by…all of that, to be exact…literally every single word Helga had just said to everyone about everything…just blinked once at her address to him now…and then he couldn't help the half smile that came to his face, and then he added to everyone, doing his best not to chuckle, "Uh…I like Helga, too. LIKE her, like her too…"

That sweet little straightforward response made Helga smile. It was so like Arnold—sweet, simple, to the point, the honest truth. And it was extra sweet of him to take her cue and not throw out the big 'L' word…Not just yet in their lives in front of everyone, at least. They would know when the time was right to throw out that particular word. She just sighed and chuckled, looking at him with a grin. "Not the most poetic confession, Football Head, but I'll take it." She winked at him.

"Actually…" And then suddenly Arnold had stepped out of the batter's box for a moment and he was now walking over to the dugout. He stopped right in front of her…his eyes narrowed and a smile on his face… "I am completely gone about her…Helga…Helga G. Pataki…and she is some kind of woman to be gone about." Then he leaned right down into her wide-eyed face…and then he reached out and took her hand (and she was RATHER surprised at the moment to say the least). His grin picked up on one side and he gestured to the bat in his other hand with his head. "This one's going to be for you, Helga…" He winked right back at her and even chuckled a little.

Oh at all of this Helga barely knew what to do and she just blushed a lot and also smiled and…even gave a small giggle. A very tiny one, considering that she was sort of conditioned to only letting those slip out when she was alone with Arnold. And then she managed to say back to him with an eye roll and a touch of playfulness and sarcasm, "O-Okay, okay, rope it in, Casanova. And nice job one-upping my little confession just now. Now good luck and don't worry about this pitch—just…have fun with it…and if things get too 'tense', well, you can always 'relax' later!" She winked and Arnold had to seriously fight back a blush at the wording. "And remember," she added sweetly, "…win or lose at least we'll have a lovely dinner tonight to look forward to together at the boarding house, Arnold!"

Arnold had to smile as he released her hand and took his bat in both hands again. He nodded to her. "Yeah, at least we have tonight…a very… 'relaxing' night. Thank you for reminding me, Helga." He did his best not to blush too much again at the idea and just chuckled a little more to himself, feeling so much better about just everything, and then with that he turned and went back over to the batter's box to get this thing over with so that he really could get on to the lovely…and unforgettable…and tension-relieving…evening he had planned for his brave little love.

"H-Hey, just make sure that my one month anniversary present tonight is stellar, bucko! Nothing on the cheap!" Helga managed more shakily and almost giddily than at all sarcastically, and really for a moment after he left her after this little exchange, Helga was just so…overcome by his little show of public forcefulness, nay flirtation, that she could barely control her blushing or smiling or the desire to swoon. And it only added to the effect when her eyes, as she glanced to the side shyly, happened to fall on some of her fellow fourth graders sitting near her on the bench and she saw Nadine and Sheena and Lila all smiling at her.

Lila giggled and nearly swooned herself, clasping her hands over her heart. "Oh Helga…" she spoke quietly so that the boys on the other end of the bench wouldn't overhear too much (though of course they had caught sight of Arnold and Helga's random little romantic moment…), "It's just ever so romantic that Arnold's dedicating his last hit of the game to you."

Nadine nodded as she and Sheena giggled at Lila's phrasing of things. "Yeah, Helga…Wow. You're so lucky. I didn't think things like that happened until girls were in high school. And," she blinked, a new realization suddenly occurring to her, "It's your one month anniversary? Congratulations, Helga!"

Sheena nodded in agreement. "Yes, Helga, that's quite a milestone! And Arnold's so cute with you! You two seem just lovely together!"

Helga blinked a couple of times, for a moment barely able to take in all of this sudden public praise about herself and Arnold. But then she just smiled more and shrugged a little, something a touch humble actually coming to her features. "O-Oh…th-thanks, guys…Y-Yeah, one month, heh…A-And he always was a loopy one about baseball—dedicating a hit to me. Silly little knucklehead." She giggled a tiny bit again, unable to help herself and then glanced to her other side where Phoebe was sitting.

Of course she was met with her best friend smiling with warmth and support and happiness at her.

"Ph-Phoebe…" Helga started quietly, sweetly, even, her grin never faltering, "P-People are s-saying things to me about A-Arnold and me a-as a couple a-and I-I'm smiling and I feel happy…Wh-What the heck's wrong with me, Phoebe?" Helga chuckled a little more, unable to help it, as she looked to her best friend for an explanation about this strange, new phenomenon that had befallen her so suddenly.

Phoebe just shrugged and replied back, simply and kindly, "You've accepted the fact that people know, Helga…and that not all of them will persecute you for your feelings. You've conquered one of your greatest fears. Of course you're happy. And I'm very happy for you too, Helga, and very proud. I think you handled things just now with your public confession brilliantly."

A touch of pride came to Helga's grin, causing it to pick up on one side, and she looked to her best friend appreciatively. "Thanks, Pheebs…A-And, yeah, about that whole 'little explosion' of mine, I guess I just…well…not that easing them all into the whole 'me and Arnold' thing today wasn't probably a good way to go about 'going public' for starters, and like Arnold and I said to each other before we shouldn't have to 'scream everything' at them just because some of them can't accept what's right in front of their faces, but come on, Phoebe, you know me—when you get right down to it, it's just not my style to be so indirect…at least not permanently. And man, outside of the urge to just deck them all which is something I'm really trying not to do anymore, I have been dying to burst like that and get it all out in the open all day…heck all MONTH. Just like with Arnold—much better to lay the cards all out on the table and work through them one by one than to keep more secrets…" She crossed her arms over her chest and winked confidently at her best friend.

Phoebe chuckled and nodded. "Very wise, Helga. I'm very impressed…" Then Phoebe blushed a tiny bit and looked down with a smile and whispered quietly so that only her best friend would hear, "Now Gerald and I just have to find our own way of going about 'confessing'…"

Helga blinked and looked to Phoebe with a shrug, whispering quietly as well. "You could tell them all right now if you want to, Pheebs, as long as Gerald's cool with that too."

A small sigh escaped Phoebe and she shook her head and whispered back to Helga, "I'm afraid not, Helga. It's…complicated…and all a little unclear at the moment."

Helga looked at her curiously and even with a touch of concern and was about to ask her further about this when all of a sudden the attentions of both girls (as well as of most of the other fourth graders on the bench) were turned back to the baseball game once more as Wolfgang, having nothing better to do (and now that Arnold was back in the batter's box and ready to go), started to speak up again in an attempt to have a little fun at his batter's expense. "Aw, it's the itty bitty fourth grader's one month anniversary tomorrow!" He gave a raucous laugh.

A few chuckles and snickers were heard in response, though mostly from the fifth graders (as half the fourth graders thought Arnold and Helga having a one month anniversary was kind of sweet, and the other half were in…shock, to put it bluntly. Like serious 'possibly-in-need-of-medical-attention' shock at the very notion, regardless of whether they were fully buying the 'Arnold and Helga as a couple' thing yet.)

The chuckles and snickers stopped entirely though at Arnold's simple, perfect reply to Wolfgang's teasing.

"Wolfgang…" our football headed hero began calmly and with a proud, confident smile on his face, not breaking his stance and even winding up his bat at little, just because he felt like it, "Just…shut up…"

Wolfgang's eyes went wide.

They went even wider at the follow-up statement to this reply from Arnold, courtesy (naturally) of one Helga G. Pataki (who was feeling like a million bucks at the moment and ready to take on the world!)

"Yeah, Wolfgang, put a cork in it! And hey, at least the football head can GET a girlfriend!"

By now both fourth…and quite a few fifth…graders were snickering and chuckling with _Wolfgang_ suddenly as the target of their derision.

Wolfgang's surprised eyes now flew to Helga for a second at her sudden attack but then they instantly flew back to Arnold as he heard the football headed kid add, still with a smile on his face and still with his batting stance all ready to go, "You're not scared, are you, Wolfgang? Of me hitting the ball? Is that why you keep putting off pitching to me…?" It wasn't even said sarcastically—more like Arnold was just casually trying to diagnose a small problem he saw in Wolfgang.

And how legitimate the observation sounded coupled with Arnold's smile and just something in his stance couldn't help but make Wolfgang blink and elicit many much-more audible snickers and chuckles from both sidelines. And now the bully fifth grader knew that he had lost the crowd…and that the only way to gain ground again would be to strike out this 'shrimpy little fourth grader' and win the game for all of them. A familiar scowl and determined look returned to his face then and he got into pitching position. He spoke directly to Arnold, a lot of anger underlying his tone (as usual), "Okay, fine then…Enough jokes…Let's do this…"

Wolfgang wound up and there was heavy tension in the air…sweat on both batter and pitcher's brows…

Wolfgang threw…

And…

_CRACK!_

And Arnold was off like a shot around the bases and the entire fourth grade was standing up in their little dugout and cheering wildly!

"Come on you losers, someone catch that pop fly!" Wolfgang yelled from the pitcher's mound as he watched Arnold's ball soar upward. However, despite his advice, most of the fifth grade outfield was more than aware of Arnold's tendency for dangerous lumber problem and so they were all pretty much pulling a duck and cover drill right now. At the sight of them, Wolfgang growled and rolled his eyes. "Grr! I have to do EVERYTHING for you babies!" And then he went chasing after the ball.

"Yes! Go, Arnold, go!" Helga couldn't help yelling among the crowd's cheers with her eyes lit up in excitement. She even jumped a few times in anticipation and joy at her beloved's progress! And at the back of her mind all she could scream to herself in hope was, 'Please don't let Wolfgang catch that ball! Please don't let Wolfgang catch that ball!'

Eugene had already more than made it home (thus tying up the game) and Arnold was rounding second and now well on his way to third.

Helga, her anxiety about the success of this play getting the better of her, decided to turn her attentions back to antagonizing Wolfgang just for a second since he seemed to be the only one in the outfield more concerned with getting her beloved out than with avoiding a concussion. "Uh…hey, Wolfgang!" she quickly called over to him, summoning up all the sarcasm she had though her desperation couldn't help but peek through a little bit as well. "H-How does it feel to know that even if you win there's still a fourth grader out there who got a girlfriend long before you did! And, last I heard, at least sixty percent of people entering the sixth grade have already been kissed—how does it feel to be on the minority end of that one?"

That got quite a bit of laughter from both fourth and fifth graders… And Helga had absolutely picked the right nerve of Wolfgang's pride to strike. He blinked then scowled with fire at her! "Oh you just wait until this game is over, you little loud mouth!" He kept backing up and backing up as he had been doing before to line himself up under Arnold's ball to catch it, though his attention still remained focused on Helga rather than on looking up at a certain round projectile…that was descending… (and meanwhile Arnold was rounding third and making a mad dash for home…) "I'm gonna…"

The fifth grader was instantly and abruptly cut off by first slamming into the brick wall of the building forming one of the borders of Gerald Field (and toward which he had been backing up). As he slid down the wall in a daze, half mumbling something, the second thing to cut him off arrived in the form of the ball coming down and conking him right on the head… just as Arnold slid into home…

"SAFE!" yelled the Jolly Ollie man loudly and clearly. "Fourth graders win!"

Gerald Field was silent for exactly one second…

And then the entire fourth grade burst into cheers and suddenly stormed the field in an enthusiastic mob, all heading in Arnold's direction! The kids surrounded him, picking him up from the ground and happily shaking his hand and some even half trying to lift him up on their shoulders and just celebrating in a big group in general!

And in an instant, just as Arnold's acceptance of the fact that he had scored the homerun they had needed to win the game finally sunk in, leaving him with an ear to ear grin, Helga worked her way right to the center of the crowd where he was and got him all to herself.

"Football Head!" she suddenly called out with a big, proud, overjoyed smile on her face. "You did it!" And she then without any hesitation whatsoever, to heck with being in the middle of a mob of their peers, she launched forward and caught him in a vice grip hug that practically lifted him off the ground and she didn't stop!

Arnold's eyes went wide for a moment and he had to blink several times before he could really process what she was doing but then as he accepted it all and started to enjoy it he just had to smile and laugh. "Whoa, Helga—_now_ who's giving people Olga hugs!" He smirked at her just a tiny bit, another little playful chuckle then escaping him.

And interestingly enough, though people noticed this happening, obviously, no one went into shock about it. In fact they kept celebrating…

Meanwhile, Helga just pulled away from him slightly and laughed warmly at his little joke and he laughed warmly…and she didn't let him go…and then with a sudden small burst of passion he suddenly hugged her right back in his classic, adoring way, much to her surprise and delight.

The _mutual_ hugging _did_ manage to get people's attentions a little of course…After all, it was one thing to see a peer hug another peer in random happiness over something cool like winning baseball game…It was another…very new…sight to see a boy and a girl amongst them actually locked in a mutual and tender embrace. Very new indeed.

Of course, Helga and Arnold were oblivious to all of this and loved being that way. Who the heck cared? It was summer! They had just won a baseball game! They were in love! And anyone who had anything to say against that last thing could just stuff it!

Naturally though, despite Helga and Arnold's newfound comfort with being 'public', they weren't about to let this mutual hug turn into some epic thing of falling to the ground together and snuggling and kissing and never stopping. There was something to be said for decorum and privacy, after all. And so, after a few seconds, Helga managed to pull back and Arnold managed to pull back as well.

They both just stared at each other with smiles and rosy faces.

Helga chuckled, hands clasped shyly in front of herself. "Congratulations, paste for brains. I knew you could do it with a little encouragement…My hero." She winked at him, her grin increasing on one side and a playful little half of a giggle escaping her as she gave him a soft little punch in the shoulder.

A small goofy chuckle had to escape Arnold at that…and at the blush on her face…the little giggle…All she had done for them today…Just herself in general… even her little punch… "Thank you…" he mumbled out warmly in reply.

Helga just gazed at the enamored look on his face. She loved that look. It was a look she had longed to have directed at herself for six years straight…And now she finally really and truly had it…and in public as well as private…and it was so beautiful she could have just cried.

She let them remain just gazing at each other like this for a few more seconds…and then she summed up some courage deep inside of herself…and just to top off her public confession in the best way she could…in a way echoing how she had topped off her private confession to Arnold so many weeks ago…she took a small breath and then swiftly leaned in and place a little kiss upon his cheek, upon which she pulled back with a ton of coy blushing and smiling.

Arnold was frozen. His eye sockets wide, his heart pumping wildly, lips almost trembling a little, having never expected…And then he smiled…and something warm and playful came to his eyes…and then he reached out and took Helga's hand and lifted it up and gave it a gentle kiss in reciprocation before allowing it to return to her side.

Oh it was the most perfect response he could have given, in Helga's opinion, and she just about swooned on the spot and could have just…just…Her lips were trembling too, to say the least.

But then with a deep breath in and out, Helga recalled, of course, their location at the moment and not to mention how maybe some parts of their new universally known 'togetherness' were better off private just for intimacy's sake. Besides, they had just let each other's lips touch each other in public in a non 'we're just acting' setting—that was MAJOR progress in her book.

She glanced around quickly to see just how 'public' things had gotten and sure enough her eyes were met with some sympathetic but also some rather shocked faces of her classmates around her, who were still twenty percent celebrating though the fact that two people and specifically Arnold and Helga had been locked in each other's arms in front of them…and how now just started giving each other little congratulatory kisses…was dividing their attention considerably.

With a slight small chuckle to herself at the sight (and how silly it now seemed to her to have ever been worried about the possibility of it in the past), Helga looked at Arnold lovingly (as he looked at her) for a moment longer and then she took a breath and looked around at their half distracted classmates, crossed her arms over her chest, and made another announcement today, albeit in a much calmer and more confident tone than that in which she had made the last one. "Okay, okay, everyone, enough ogling all of this 'Arnold and Helga' stuff…So, to recap, the new reality of the situation is that Football Head and I are an item and, yeah, we just hugged each other and, yes, I might have…kissed part of him and he might have kissed part of me…" she went by that part a little quickly, unable to help herself, "…a-and yes, we have a date tonight and our one month anniversary is this weekend which shows just how observant you all are by the way." She had to roll her eyes at the notion but then just chuckled a little to herself and shook her head and went on, waving them off and uncrossing her arms. "Eh, but enough epic emotional breakthroughs…" And then suddenly she reached up and removed her ribbon and ran her fingers through her pigtails to put her hair back down again. Then she firmly secured the bow atop her head once more and with a satisfied smile (and a flip of her hair over her shoulder so that both of her bright, happy, sassy blue eyes could be seen), and now with her hands on her hips, announced, "Now come on, you geeks—we just won our last baseball game against the fifth graders, it's the first day of summer vacation, and ice cream awaits! I know you all still want to gawk at 'Arnold and Helga' but let's get going to Slausen's so that you can at least do it while I'm stuffing my face because I for one am starving!" And with that and a wink and a grin and a grab of Arnold's hand she began to triumphantly lead the way to their victory ice cream party!

The rest of the fourth grade just stood there for a few seconds, some dumbstruck, some awed, some very satisfied with the whole thing, all just absorbing the real reality of all of this new information and Helga's new attitude…until, that was, they saw Gerald and Brainy and Phoebe and Lila all look to each other and shrug and then start to follow after Arnold and Helga in the direction of Slausens…followed by Nadine and Sheena and Eugene…which caused the rest of the fourth graders to snap out of it and also to recall their rumbling stomachs and how Helga really had made a very good point about how if they were going to have anything to say about she and Arnold 'like-liking' each other, it might as well be done while stuffing their face full of sundaes and yummy toppings.

"Hey, wait for us!" Sid was the first one to call out upon which he ran after them, and it wasn't a second longer before all the other kids either shrugged or nodded or threw in a 'Yeah, wait up!' and then all raced to catch up with Arnold and Helga and the rest of their friends, slowly resuming their mutual celebrating and cheering along the way to the ice cream parlour…and perhaps the walk would give them some time to absorb and accept and work out some new things in their young, urban reality.

* * *

"Hey Arnold, great hit!"

"Yeah, boy howdy, you clobbered that ball! _And_ Wolfgang!"

Sitting in a booth in Slausens not too long after their triumphant victory, Arnold stopped drinking his milkshake (any flavor _but_ strawberry, of course) for a moment and turned to Sid and Stinky (who were looking at him with sheepish and somewhat apologetic smiles, and obviously intending this compliment to him as a start to an apology to himself and Helga for several things today) with an appreciative smile and nod. "Thanks, guys…I do feel a little bad that I hit him though but I figure it wasn't really because of my Dangerous Lumber so much as because he wasn't paying attention. But I am happy that we managed to win."

Sid and Stinky nodded—same old Arnold, worried about the welfare of even one of the biggest bullies on the planet…and then suddenly it struck both boys again that Helga's welfare was pretty high on Arnold's priority list too…and she was sort of a bully. It was kind of funny and also ironic…but they were starting to get used to it. After all, you must really care about someone when you're either the shyest guy on the planet or the toughest girl on the planet, and you go and take a public break from that to give the other person a little kiss.

Then Harold, who happened to be just behind the two boys, stepped forward now as well and nodded with a smile (though his was much more abashed looking and he rubbed the back of his neck humbly as he spoke). "Eh, I'm sure Wolfgang's fine, Arnold, and, yeah, like they said," he gestured with his head to Sid and Stinky, "…that home run was great!" he added as his own start to an apology (as he did his best to still manage to look Arnold and Helga in the eyes, his acceptance of everything going slowly though steadily as well).

"Yup," added in Sid with a nod. And then he turned to Helga (who happened to be sitting in the booth as well and right across from Arnold, just finishing up a banana split, as a matter of fact), "A-And, Helga, uh…you know, the way you insulted and then distracted Wolfgang—you were great o-out there… I don't think he's ever going to live that down!"

Sid laughed (genuinely as opposed to out of fear of getting pounded) and Stinky and Harold joined in with him, likewise from the same motivations of comedy.

At being addressed, Helga just shrugged and reclined back a little in the booth and glanced at the three boys with a small smile, pushing some hair back behind her ear. "Hey, just doing my part for the team. Besides, that big jerk had it coming, right, Football Head?" She turned to Arnold with a smile.

Arnold chuckled slightly to himself and smiled back at her. "Well, I don't if it was the most right thing to do teasing him like that…but after all the teasing he started up in the first place, I guess it was only fair…" He gave her a little nod of approval.

Helga's eyes lit up and her grin grew at his concordance with her. "There you go, Football Head." She dug him with her spook and took a satisfying bite of her nearly done banana split. "Sometimes you just have to play hardball with people!" She winked and he couldn't help but laugh a bit more.

"Uh…well…" Harold's voice interrupted their little exchange, causing Arnold and Helga to look over to him in a touch of surprise at his sheepish tone. Indeed, he was glancing down and kind of grinding one foot into the ground…and it seemed that maybe a full and official apology _wouldn__'__t_ have to wait until Arnold and Helga's wedding or something. "Yeah…speaking of teasing…a-about all of the teasing before, uh…sorry for going along with Wolfgang a little…a-and sorry for giving you guys a hard time on the playground today and not believing you…We were just surprised, you know? We really thought it was a joke. After all…Arnold and Helga?" He grinned a little but then cleared his throat and glanced down apologetically again. "Uh…sorry again…"

Sid then took on a sheepish look as well and cleared his throat, bringing his arms behind his back. "Yeah, we're sorry about any stuff earlier and at the game we didn't mean to take sides against you guys or anything and for the fifth graders…it's just…well, you know, you and Arnold suddenly being together like this and for real, and then the hair and the poems…it's just a little different," he couldn't help smirking slightly, "…and funny…" Helga glared at him just a little and the smirk instantly left his face and he held up his hands defensively, speaking very seriously and sincerely once again. "But we didn't mean anything by it! Promise! We were just getting used to things! O-Okay?" He blinked several times, looking from Helga to Arnold hesitantly.

"Yeah, what Sid said…" Stinky suddenly added as well, looking almost ashamed as he spoke to his two abused classmates. "I reckon we just needed some time to figure this whole thing between you to as real and as sweet more than funny…but I reckon we shouldn't have gone so far with everything and made you have to yell out the truth at Gerald Field like you did, Helga, and that we shouldn't have not believed the two of you when you told us you were together, because, Arnold, you've always been a plum good friend to us all, and, Helga, you've been right nice sometimes and especially when people really need it like last month with that poetry project so…we're sorry, right fellas?"

Sid and Harold cleared their throats and nodded along with Stinky in agreement.

"Yeah…" Sid swallowed once again, "A-After that speech Helga gave and the parts you added to it, Arnold…and the…hugging and…k-kissing junk…" he cleared his throat a little again, "…w-we…we get it…and, um, if you two are boyfriend and girlfriend now well that's cool…right guys?"

Harold and Stinky nodded and all three boys smiled at the two ten-year-old blonds, whose smiles had grown more and more as this little apology had been delivered.

Helga was the first one to open her mouth and reply to it, just looking at the three boys before her. She spoke calmly, understandingly, and diplomatically. "Hey, don't worry about it…I'm just happy my speech at the end there finally got it through your thick heads…a-along with the 'other stuff' at the end…" She chuckled a blushed a little and rolled her eyes and couldn't help but add with a little smirk in Arnold's direction, just doing her best to lighten the mood, "Don't feel bad—Arnoldo needed the same thing to get a clue…I'm just going to assume it's a guy thing." She laughed warmly to herself a little (and especially at the shy little smile and eye roll she got from Arnold in return), and then sighed and turned back to the three boys and waved them off casually, her tone sincere. "Why don't we just call what happened at school and the game payback for some of the stuff I've put all of you through over the years?" The three boys smiled at her appreciatively, though the smiles quickly fell for a moment and were replaced with blinks and gulps as the blond girl resumed her usual scowl for a moment and added… "The random teasing and songs and mocking better not happen anymore _at __all_ EVER of course, though, or I'll make sure you three are sucking mystery meat through a straw come September…" She punched a fist into her open palm causing all three boys to swallow hard at the sight (Harold swallowing hard and rolling his eyes to the side in frustration and mumbling under his breath something about 'Madame Fortress Mommy')…. Seeing the satisfying (and intended) effect she had on the three boys, Helga's smile resumed now as she went on with, "But for now why don't we just say we're all even and just enjoy the summer." She smiled more to herself and took another last bite of her sundae. "Besides I'm in too good of a mood to pound anyone…No more school, an epic baseball win, ice cream, some time with my favorite Football Head and no more secrets…Yup, a perfect day!" She closed her eyes and reclined back in her booth a little, seeming truly at peace.

Arnold, having watched his girlfriend deliver her acceptance of their friends' apology with pride and amusement, had to laugh a little at her playful finish to the whole thing, and then he turned to their friends, who were still just smiling down at them. "Thanks for understanding, guys…." Arnold added on his own behalf with a nod…and then he reached forward across the tabletop and took one of Helga's hands in his own (causing her to open her eyes in surprise for a second and then to settle into a content smile as she fought back another blush). "We really appreciate it." Arnold squeezed Helga's hand a little and looked sincerely up at his three friends.

Helga just sighed and smiled widely in Arnold's direction, adding with a little chuckle under her breath and a little squeeze of Arnold's hand from hers, "Oh yeah—BIG time!"

The three boys just first looked Arnold and Helga…smiling and touching…laughing…together, and did their bests to absorb it as a new normal part of their lives. The looks on their faces were a little funny, curious, almost threatening laughter and yet…leaning more toward being intrigued…

Then, of course, all three of them just let out sighs and shrugs and glanced at each other. It had to be accepted, one way or another, didn't it? Might as well get a head start on doing it now. "Well," Harold started, turning back to Arnold and Helga and giving them a small wave, "See you guys later, I guess."

"Uh, yeah," Sid added with a smile and a nod at the prompt he took from Harold's goodbye, "See you, and…have a good date together tonight. Arnold, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" He pointed at Arnold and gave him a wink, causing our football headed hero to blush a tiny bit and roll his eyes but still smile back at his friend nonetheless.

"Bye, Miss Helga!" added Stinky with a big, happy grin and wave. "Oh and by the way your hair really does look right pretty today!" he added with a polite nod to her.

Helga chuckled a little and rolled her eyes as her beloved had done. She grinned at Stinky. "Thanks, Stinkeroo!"

Stinky nodded with a smile growing. "You're welcome, Helga. Bye!" He gave her a final wave and so did Sid and Harold and with that the three boys were about to depart back to their booth, when…

Helga cleared her throat. "Oh and hey, fellas? Just to clarify one other quick point…"

The three boys paused and turned back to Helga with smiles and curious eyebrows raised.

Helga smiled a little more and sighed and rolled her eyes to the side. "Uh…all those 'love poems' by anonymous that get read in class…and by the way next year you won't have to worry about them because I'll be putting my actual name on them…anyway, they're all by me…and they're all about Arnold. NOT Brainy…Arnold…"

"And…uh…that poem last month…the one about Helga…Brainy didn't write it…He just said he did to help us out while we were still working some things out…I wrote it. For Helga, about Helga…because I…like her very much…" suddenly came Arnold's quiet, shy, humble voice in addition to Helga's and he squeezed her hand the entire time he was speaking.

Helga blinked at his little addition and glanced over at him with a proud smile. "Uh…" she went on to the three boys. "Y-Yeah, what Arnold said…" Another little giggle managed to escape her on this day and she turned back to the boys in question. "So, yeah, just wanted to clear that up. And please don't tease Brainy, guys. Seriously, he's been through enough trying to help Arnold and me, and Lila's been great about all of this too and…oh…" She looked at the boys, not even with threat or sarcasm in her eyes but with a sincere seriousness, "As a personal favor, leave Gerald and Phoebe alone. If you've got some teasing that you just _have_ to get out of your systems, fine, bring it to me and Arnold, we can take a lot. But…just leave Gerald and Phoebe alone as a personal favor to me…to pay me back for the poetry tutoring thing, alright?"

None of the three boys had ever heard Helga ask for something in a way like this. They all instantly nodded in agreement, not out of fear but out of having no innate desire to really truly ever hurt a friend.

"You got it, Helga," Sid replied. "We'll cool it with all of them, we promise."

"Yeah," added Harold with a nod, "We don't want to make anyone really upset anyway, we just like teasing and having some fun is all…But we won't if it means that much to you guys."

Stinky nodded as well. "Of course, Helga, Arnold…We won't say nothing more to them about it."

Helga smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, guys. Now, hey, come on, I bet your ice cream's starting to melt! So enough mushy talking, let's all get back to celebrating clobbering those lame fifth graders and knowing that we're going to be much more awesome fifth graders than they ever were." She winked at them and laughed.

Harold, Sid and Stinky laughed as well, nodding in agreement.

"Okay! See you, Helga and Arnold!"

"Yeah, see you guys!"

"Yup! I reckon I'm hungry for more ice cream anyway!"

And with that the three boys departed back to their own booth to finish pigging out on ice cream and talking over the many events of the day.

Their departure ended upon which Helga had to roll her eyes and chuckle a little more to herself. _'Eh, they're not so bad…Maybe we all really can be friends…'_

"Helga, that was really good of you…Making sure no one else would get teased and even offering to get teased yourself in their place."

Arnold's sweet and almost lovesick sounding words met Helga's ears and she blinked and turned to him. And indeed he was sitting there across from her still holding one of her hands in one of his and his other hand was propping up his wide head as he rested it there and gazed at her with a touch of boyish adoration.

She giggled a little, looking back at him with a dreamy smile of her own. "Uh, thanks, Mr. Goody Two Shoes but…what's up? You look particularly enamored of me right now, if I do say so myself."

Arnold just gave a goofy chuckle and shrugged. "I…I think…I think I'm attracted to…watching you do the right thing in front of other people. I…I-I mean, over the years I always really really liked whenever you did that but now it…you glow a little when you do it and…I like my 'good girl'…a lot…" He chuckled a little more.

Helga blushed fully and glanced down in utter coyness. "A-A-Arnold!" she squeaked out with giggles. "Y-You're too cute, my beloved…b-but please t-try to save it until tonight…wh-when I have you all alone…Please…" And then she reached out with her foot and half wrapped her leg around one of his under the table much as he had done to her at a certain dinner at her parent's house nearly four weeks ago.

Arnold really almost lost it at her doing that—he was between passing out or just pouncing on her from how good it felt to have that long, pretty leg so close to his own on top of everything else…But he just barely managed to notice something, or rather someone, or rather a few 'someones', approaching their table out of the corner of his eye and he managed to get himself under control and stable enough just before they arrived.

"Hey Helga…great job distracting Wolfgang today to get him back for trying to hurt Arnold!" said Sheena thankfully first.

"Yeah and that was a great hit, Arnold!" added Nadine with a smile. "You really conked him on the head with that one!" She chuckled a little.

"Yeah, gosh, you two really made a great team out there with helping us get that last run!" Eugene added enthusiastically, likewise with the two girls.

Helga (just barely having managed to take herself out of 'dazed and in love' flirting mode herself) blinked and smiled very happily her three peers…who had actually been very cool to her today despite the fact that over the years she could definitely recall a time or two…or a few…when she had maybe made their lives a little unnecessarily hard at times. "Oh, well…th-thanks, guys."

"Y-Yeah, thanks," added Arnold, smiling very happily as well, and still doing his best to keep himself firmly planted in reality, "And, um…" he gave Helga's hand another little squeeze across the table, "Thanks for believing about us like-liking each other even before Helga's 'confession'…It was really nice of you and we really appreciate it."

At his words Helga nodded very sincerely, looking to the three of them and softening her playfulness into mostly sincerity. "Yeah…You guys, that was very…_very_ cool of you. I-I mean, I never thought that _anyone_ would ever just…right away accept me and Arnold, and…it meant a lot to me and to us so…thanks for that." She gave them a very grateful nod as well.

The three of them just smiled down kindly at Helga. Nadine spoke for the group. "It's alright, Helga…and, well…I think that it's kind of hard to _not_ accept you and Arnold right away, to be honest. You two are…cute together…and sweet too. Actually it reminds me of that night you two were together at Chez Paris and you had me bring over my cockroach collection. Even afterwards when you two were fighting over going back and telling the restaurant the truth, you two still seemed very nice together." She chuckled a little at the memory.

Helga blinked at first, genuinely surprised at this observation from Nadine…and then her warm smile returned. "O-Oh…well, I…even back then you…uh…Nadine…I…thanks. Just…for all of that…and for not…I-I mean, that…Thank you. That's nice of you to say." She smiled up at her very gratefully. _'__She__…__back __then__…__and __she __could __have__…__b-but __she __didn__'__t__…'_ And suddenly Helga felt like she had just discovered another secret friend in her life on top of Brainy, and she really liked the feelings.

"You're welcome, Helga," Nadine replied back simply and kindly, understanding what Helga was saying and doing her best to let her know that they didn't have to go into details or anything if Helga didn't want to. Besides, Nadine would never have used her observation about Arnold and Helga from that night against Helga. Though Helga had always feared over the years that, save for Arnold, they didn't exist, Nadine really was a better person than that.

A still smiling Helga nodded…and then she considered for a moment…and then an idea popped into her head and she figured… '_Why __the __heck __not?__'_ "Oh and hey, uh…if you and Sheena are free, my big sister's back home for the summer and she's, uh, 'insisting' upon throwing some big girly slumber party for me and Phoebe and Lila…You two should stop by." Though she was trying to sound casual she couldn't help but look up at them both very hopefully…After all, she had never invited multiple people over for something like this, and with how infrequently she herself had been invited to things like this, she was worried that—

However, all of Helga's doubts were erased as Nadine and Sheena's eyes lit up at the friendly invitation—so very unlike Helga who over the years had barely ever had anyone over even for a birthday party! Both girls nodded eagerly. "Yeah, thanks, Helga! That sounds great!" Nadine replied.

"Yeah, that's really nice of you!" added Sheena. "We'll definitely come!"

A touch of pride came to Helga's smile. "Really? Uh…boss! Well, I'll…I'll let you know details later then…"

Both girls nodded.

"Sure, Helga."

"Yeah, sounds good."

"Yeah," Helga replied back with another nod, still disbelieving things a little, "O-Okay then."

"Alright then, well, we'll leave you and Arnold to your ice cream," Sheena offered politely, giggling a little at how sweet Arnold and Helga eating together and holding hands was. "Oh and congratulations on your one month anniversary!" she added in a chipper tone.

Eugene nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Gosh, that's a big milestone! I hope you two have fun on your date tonight. See you!" Eugene waved and so did Sheena and they both started to head back over to their booth.

Nadine waved after them with a smile. "I'll be right there, guys!" Then with a small sigh she turned back to Helga. Then, much to Helga (and Arnold's) surprise, she walked over to and leaned in toward Helga and started patiently whispering something in her ear. Helga let go of Arnold's hand and sat back a little in her side of the booth, listening intently.

Arnold observed the expressions on Helga's face change as Nadine told her whatever it was she felt the need to tell her. Helga appeared surprised at first in general at Nadine's sudden confidence, then she blinked a few times at what she was being told…then she got a very pensive look on her face…then as Nadine pulled away she turned to look at her with part of her brow raised in curiosity. "Nadine…" she started, just curiously, "…Are you sure you can't just tell me what her reason is? Do I really have to wait to hear it from her?"

Nadine nodded. "Sorry, Helga…I can only tell you that I think she has a reason…a really big and good one…for how she's been acting today…But she's my best friend and I can't get too specific without violating her trust. Plus I still don't know for sure if I have all the details worked out right. But I think at this point she _wants_ to tell you pretty badly so I'm sure she will. But until she does, please be a little forgiving with her, Helga. You know how she is…Just very stubborn sometimes and a little self-centered but she means well enough." Nadine looked to Helga with a hopeful smile.

Helga took in Nadine's words and nodded understandingly. "Alright…Patience, I promise. But I hope she tells me soon because now I _have_ to know." Helga half smiled, rolling her eyes a little about all this secrecy about why in the world exactly Rhonda had been acting like the biggest spazz of all about the whole 'Arnold and Helga' thing today.

Nadine nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Helga." Then she glanced at Arnold (who had one of those now somewhat rate puzzled/dense looks on his face). "And, uh, sorry, Arnold, about being a little secretive right now. I was just talking to Helga about something with Rhonda…Sort of a girl thing." She gave a little shrug and then gave a farewell wave to the couple. "Bye, guys. Have a good anniversary date! Helga, I'll bring by the cockroaches if you need them." She winked and chuckled and then left to go back over with Sheena and Eugene.

The first thing that happened was that Arnold looked to Helga…still looking so very dense.

Helga glanced back at him and shrugged. "What?"

Arnold blinked then raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Well…are you going to tell me anything about what she said about Rhonda?"

Helga blinked and then chuckled, grinning at him and speaking with a touch of sarcasm. "Football Head, I am 'shocked' at you. You know I can't do _that_—it would be betraying a confidence…no matter how adorably curious you look right now." She winked at him. "Besides she didn't tell me too much…though she did throw out a key word or two." Her tone went from playful to understanding. "Look, I promise I'll fill you in as soon as I have definite details…which, according to Nadine, should be soon since Rhonda's ready to burst or something…and then, as long as Rhonda says it's alright, and I'm sure she will because you're the most trustworthy person on the planet, I'll tell you the whole overly-complicated, and, if I know Rhonda, overly-dramatic explanation. Okay, darling?"

A still dense and looking Arnold observed her curiously for a moment longer as he took all of that it, but then he smiled too and nodded, taking a final sip of his shake and then putting it aside. "Okay, Helga. I trust you. And you're right—it's probably something sensitive and personal and no one should get to know about it without Rhonda's permission…" Arnold's grin couldn't help but pick up as he added playfully…something of that lovesickness and flirtiness from before coming to his countenance again… "You really _are_ just so very good at doing the right thing…_Helga __loves __being __like __Arnold_…" he couldn't help but tack on in the same little singsong voice he had used to her on the playground earlier that day.

Helga giggled at little at him and then rolled her eyes and waved him off, taking a final bite from and then pushing aside her now empty sundae dish as well. "Yeah, yeah, I have a moral compass and a conscience—just don't let it get around…Loose lips sink ships, you know…Luckily, though, of course, I know how to nip the 'loose lips' problem in the bud." She winked at him, giggling a little more…rubbing her leg a little against his under the table (she might have let go of his hand but she wouldn't give up that leg of his for anything).

Arnold chuckled warmly and goofily some more and was about to pursue this little light path of flirting that their conversation had suddenly taken…in the hopes that it could act as a lovely little precursor to their evening together…and she really had just never seemed cuter or more attractive to him than she was on this afternoon…

…when who should shuffle over to their table and interrupt things but Rhonda.

She was looking down…and something in her face was just…pitiable. "Um…hi, Helga…hi, Arnold…" she mumbled softly.

Arnold and Helga came out of their moment of affection and turned to her…and both had to look in sudden sadness on the sight of her. She seemed really really upset about something and no matter what she had put them through today she really was just such a pitiable sight at the moment. Helga even pretty much released her leg wrap around Arnold, her attention was so focused on the sad sight of their peer at the moment.

There was quiet for a moment. And then Helga let out a soft sigh and addressed her first. "Hi Rhonda…are you alright?" It really was a good thing that Nadine had talked to her, Helga realized, otherwise she would have been far more prone to sarcasm and anger at the moment and…Rhonda definitely looked like she couldn't take much of that right now.

Rhonda swallowed, still looking down, a rather abashed frown coming to her face. "I…No…I…I don't believe so." She cleared her throat and then managed to hesitantly turn her gaze upward to look at Arnold and Helga. She let out a sigh and spoke simply and sincerely. "I just wanted to apologize for not believing the two of you about your feelings for one another and for any trouble I might have caused you. I'm sorry. I barely know what got into me." She had her hands clasped in front of herself very contritely as she finished this apology. Then she looked hesitantly to Helga. "A-And…um…Helga? I…I know it's none of my business but I couldn't help but overhear you telling Sheena and Nadine something about a…sleepover soon? If…If you didn't invite me, of course I would understand…I don't really deserve it after today and it's…it's not like I've been very 'forthcoming' to you with invitations for my own slumber parties over the years. But if you did invite me, I would be very grateful for it. And I would be on my best behavior. I promise." She looked to Helga with total and complete sincerity in her eyes. "And also, for what it's worth…I think what you did back at Gerald Field…outright confessing like that…I think it was very brave."

Helga was finding this all very interesting…Intriguing…Touching, really. "I…uh…" She swallowed and cleared her throat and then assured Rhonda with a small, understanding smile, sensing that she really needed this, "It's okay, Rhonda. Of course you're invited. Anyone who wants to come is invited. Just, uh…m-make sure you bring a really fancy, extra chocolaty and gooey dessert, okay? Not all of us are made of money, princess, and it'd be nice to have something to snack on besides box brownies and Yahoo sodas and whatever froo-froo stuff Olga might whip up." She winked, doing her best to soften the moment with this little playful addition.

An undeniably sincere and grateful smile came to Rhonda's face. "Thanks, Helga. A-And sure, heh—I'll get cook to whip up something." She winked back at her, seeming twice as happy as she had been just seconds ago, and very very appreciative.

Arnold had just been watching this whole exchange with a smile bursting more and more with pride. Helga was being so nice, so caring, so helpful, and to someone who had been almost a ringleader in trying to make her worst fears come true today…He really was about as proud of her as he had ever been. Proud…and attracted. He almost had to chuckle to himself. '_I__'__m __really __going __to __have __to __get __used __to __dealing __with __being __attracted __to __her __in __public __a __lot __now, __aren__'__t __I? __Oh __well__…_' Honestly, of all the consequences of their 'going public', that one seemed to have by far the most perks. "I'm sure you two will have a really nice time at the sleepover," he observed kindly, and then he turned to Rhonda and added, "And thank you for the apology, Rhonda. We both really appreciate it. It was very nice of you."

Rhonda just nodded, crossing her arms in a touch of shyness and uncertainty over her chest. "Yes, well…it was the least I could do of course. Anyway…" she smiled to both of them again, "H-Have fun on your anniversary date tonight. You deserve it." She smiled at them more and seemed about to leave the table when…she paused for just one more moment. "Uh…guys?"

Arnold and Helga just raised eyebrows and looked at each other and then at her. "Yes, Rhonda?" Arnold prompted.

Rhonda cleared her throat and swallowed, her eyes falling away from them again. "Uh…has this…mutual thing between the two of you seriously been going on for a month?"

Arnold and Helga looked to each other with confusion on their faces. Helga then shrugged and then turned back to Rhonda. "Uh…yeah. Just like I said…One whole month of couplehood bliss." She smiled a little again.

Rhonda didn't quite seem satisfied yet though.

"And…if it's alright for me to ask, it just…randomly started one day?" she queried further hesitantly.

Helga couldn't help but give Rhonda a touch of a scrutinizing look, totally not seeing where she was going with this. "Well…why don't we say that I might have liked Arnold a little longer than that but he only admitted to liking me back a month ago."

Arnold nodded in agreement with this assessment.

Rhonda seemed to consider for a moment. Then she replied in a quiet tone betraying nothing of what the source of this sudden curiosity of hers might be, "I see…" And then she glanced specifically at Arnold once more this afternoon. "So then…Arnold, your feelings for Helga came randomly out of the blue four weeks ago?"

Arnold blinked at the question, considered a little himself, and then responded carefully but sincerely, "Why don't we say that I…probably liked Helga a little longer than that but just didn't realize it until a month ago…" He smiled at her again.

"Oh…Hmm…" Rhonda seemed to be genuinely considering some more.

Helga and Arnold just gave each other confused looks again. Helga turned to Rhonda once more, deciding to gently prompt her a little. "Uh…something you need help with, Princess?"

"Huh?" Rhonda blinked and looked up to both of them. "Oh, uh no…just…just surprised that my gossip radar didn't pick up on anything before you both went public on your own. Uh, see you guys later…" And with that quick 'explanation' she gave them a final smile and a nod and a small wave, then was off again back to her own lone booth in the ice cream parlour.

"Uh, see you Rhonda…" Arnold called out to her curiously as she left.

"Yeah…see you…" Helga called out, equally confused-sounding.

For a moment, Helga and Arnold just remained with perplexed looks on their faces. Then Helga turned back to Arnold, resting her head on one of her hands and pushing some hair behind her ear with the other one. "Football Head…our friends are really weird sometimes, aren't they?" she had to observe perplexedly.

Arnold had to smile and almost chuckle a little at the actually fairly accurate assessment of things she had just given. He sighed and had to nod. "Yeah…" His smile picked up a little. "But at least that makes it easier for _us_ to be a little 'weird' too, right, my true love that I found at only ten-years-old?" He winked at her.

Helga giggled at the cute little reply. "Good point, Arnold." Then she smiled and glanced briefly at all of the other occupants of the room, all laughing and eating together, and then back to her beloved, resting her head on one of her hands. "Well, all of that…the ice cream _and_ the apologies and the conversation…certainly hit the spot after a day like today, don't you think, my love?" She smiled more…just from the happiness of how truly okay everything had managed to work out.

Arnold sighed with satisfaction as well. He smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah…I think we both needed that—_all_ of it." He rested his head on one of his hands as well, likewise smiling and just looking at Helga as she looked at him.

"Hmm…" Helga smirked a tiny bit. "Yes, a new look for me, walking to school together, sitting next to each other, lunch together, my poetry reading, my confession about you, your confession about me, and a bunch of apologies from our friends…and then we'll finish it up with a wonderful anniversary weekend to start out our little summer of love." She giggled and blushed a tiny bit, putting a little flirting into her words to him now once more.

Arnold's smile picked up, and he just looked at her with a goofy grin and nodded his head, letting out a lovesick sigh. "Yeah, it's been a pretty full day so far, Helga. I almost can't think of anything else we could do before our date to make the day more memorable…"

Helga sighed again and shrugged like she was trying to think of something. Then she shrugged and suggested casually, the smirk never leaving her face, "Wanna dive onto the table together and make out?"

For just a second Arnold's eyes went wide like he was going to go into panic mode again today at the idea of him and Helga kissing like that in front of all the others…Oh sure he could handle the little peck on his cheek before but…his shyness was going to need some time until he could ever—

"Oh, relax, you worrisome little thing, I'm joking!"

This phrase accompanied by a giggle met Arnold's ears and made him blink and snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality. And then he realized, of course, that she had been joking. He let out a small, relieved sigh and smiled and just did his best to sound casual and not blush too much. "O-Oh, of course…I-I knew that, Helga. Nice one." He did his best not to laugh_.__ '__Besides, __l-lots __of __kissing __like __that __in __front __of __everyone__…__I __don__'__t __think __I __could __expect __her __to __do __that __for __a __while__…__I __don__'__t __even __think __I __expect __that __from __me __for __a __while!__'_

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes, still grinning. "Yeah, having one of our little make outs in public might take us both awhile…" He grin grew. "But in the meantime I guess we can just sneak little lip locks when no one's looking." She winked and then suddenly stood up in her side of the booth and called out to everyone (though her eyes never left her beloved), "Hey everyone look over there!" She pointed to the windows on the opposite side of the ice cream parlour. "The Jollie Ollie Man's getting pulled over by his boss again! Just like last month for that whole 'half price ice cream' thing! Probably in trouble for being late after umpiring our game—oh man, it looks like he's really gonna get it this time!" Her words instantly caught everyone's attentions and in barely a second the entire opposite end of Slausens had kids crowding around the windowing and searching eagerly for the sight of everyone's favorite 'love to hate him' irate ice cream truck driver in a shouting match with his boss again.

Arnold took a second to process this strange sudden announcement from her and then raised his eyebrow and was about to question her about it when she suddenly leaned across the table, grabbed his collar with one of her hands, and pulled him in for a quick and deep kiss on the lips during which she let out a very satisfied moan and sigh. "_Mmm_…."

"_Mm_…mmm…" Arnold moaned softly back in utter surprise, his breaths through his nose shallow and his eyes wide as could be in surprise!

Not more than a second or two later she let him go with a smack of her lips and satisfied smile on her face, and sat back down in her own side of the booth, breathing a little heavily and a touch flushed but otherwise just doing her best not to look as casual as could be (hey, that Jollie Ollie excuse wasn't going to keep the other kids from looking over here _forever_). "There we go! Now THAT _definitely_ made the day just a little more perfect. I told you earlier, Football Head, no spontaneous making out in school but slipping you a quick one in Slausens when no one's looking seems fair enough to me now that everyone knows about us and they're even being cool about it all…and, well, I've gotta say it feels pretty good to just pull you aside and plant one on you instead of wrangling some physical contact with you by dumping whatever's at the bottom of you milk shake cup on your head shoving you to the floor and calling you a geek!" She finished with a giggle and a wink.

At all of that and her wonderful kiss, Arnold couldn't help the rosy blush or the dreamy smile that came to his face. He chuckled and just looked at her with all of the love and attraction in the world. "I…think I can live with that…" He couldn't help laughing to himself and then adding with a goofy looking smirk as he just kept gazing at her. "Helga…did anyone ever tell you you're a great kisser?"

She had to laugh and roll her eyes, giving him and all of his loopy, flirty cuteness a nod. "Yeah, I think _someone_ brought that up to me once…Now, let's see, which of my many admirers was it? Hmm…" She put a hand to her chin and faked like she was genuinely trying to think of the name.

"Hey the Jollie Man isn't out there, Helga!" Harold's voice suddenly called out from across the ice cream parlour with a touch of annoyance.

"Yeah, Helga—I don't reckon anyone's out there! Are you trickin' us?" Stinky asked suspiciously.

A few murmurs of agreement sounded from the other kids.

Arnold didn't take his eyes off of Helga's…and he cleared his throat and called out to the others. "Oh, uh, I _think_ she meant he was fighting with his boss by the windows in the back over there, guys!" He pointed behind him at some windows…and added, barely managing to keep a straight face, "I'm Arnold—would I lie to you?"

Instantly, the entire student body, at the obvious answer to this question (and Arnold wasn't 'technically' lying right now—he _had_ started with 'I think', after all), shifted over to the windows in that direction, eagerly searching the sidewalk and street beyond them again. And Arnold didn't waste a second before suddenly chuckling and then standing and leaning over the table just as Helga had done the moment before, only to grab her head, burying his fingers in her soft, loose hair, and pull himself in for a deep, tender kiss upon her pretty pink lips. He let himself go for a few seconds, smiling the entire time he kissed her…and then gently he pulled his lips away from hers, savored the feeling of his hands in her warm hair for a moment, and then let her go and sat back down in his side of the booth. He took a few heavy breaths and then looked to her and replied to her little sarcastic questioning about her 'many admirers', "I…think it was the same admirer who you said wasn't such a lousy kisser himself." He crossed his arms over his chest and just did his best not to let his blush consume his face entirely as he smirked at her a little.

The comment coupled with his bold little action just now made Helga blush considerably, her eyes wide with fluster…until she let out a small swoon and giggled playfully at him. "Oh…just cool it, you big, romantic jerk." And then she was leaning in close to him and there was something passionate and inviting in her tone…and really the risk of doing this under everyone's noses was so very…thrilling! "Or I might have to grab you and pull you under this table and just—"

"Hey, the Jollie Ollie Man's not fighting with his boss over here either!" Sid's voice suddenly called out from he other end of the ice cream parlour, and it was accompanied by several words of equal agreement and disappointment from other members of their class.

Helga just sighed and shook her head. Yeah, it was annoying getting interrupted right now but it was probably safer overall and also it really was just a little amusing. By Arnold's own sigh and the smile on his face, she figured he felt the same. The two grinned at each other for a moment and then called back to their friends at the same time, "Sorry! Guess we were wrong." They chuckled warmly to each other. Then they both let out sighs and decided to be content with just being near each other and happy for now.

"Hey guys! Great hit, Arnold!" Gerald announced, suddenly coming over with Phoebe, Lila and Brainy in tow, big smiles on all of their faces at having been very happy to have seen so many of their classmates just now coming over and apologizing to and making things up with Arnold and Helga.

"Yes, and very clever retorts to Wolfgang's taunts Helga!" added Phoebe with a smile, holding Gerald's hand.

"Oh yes, I'm ever so glad you two are being so open about your relationship now. It's just ever so nice to see you so both ever so happy!" Lila beamed with joy.

"Uh…" Brainy was going to try for something short and sweet but then just rolled his eyes and took out the inhaler, took two puffs, put it back into his pocket, cleared his throat and looked to Arnold and Helga with a smile. "That entire situation was handled absolutely brilliantly. I have never been more proud of either of you. And, er…a few people even apologized to me and said hi too, so…thank you both. And have a lovely anniversary." He looked at them with all of the sincerity and happiness in the world.

Helga smiled gratefully and with a light blush. "Thanks, Brainy. That's sweet of you…but I owe a lot of having the courage to do it to you though, of course, and I'm just happy that everyone realizing the truth about Arnold and I means that they won't tease you about you and me anymore."

Brainy smiled with a touch of humbleness and blushed lightly as well. "Thank you, Helga. That's very kind of you to say…"

Helga just smiled at him. "No problem, Brain boy." She winked at him and then she let out a sigh and surveyed the group. "So, I take it none of you fell for the 'Jollie Ollie Man going a few rounds with his boss again' bit, huh?" She rolled her eyes to the side.

Gerald chuckled and rolled his eyes too, shaking his head a bit. "Yeah, no, we all looked right at you the second you all said to look away—we know you both too well by this point." He smirked at them a little and Arnold and Helga couldn't help smiling and blushing a bit. Gerald just sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Luckily for you two though, to distract everyone from questioning that whole suspicious stunt of yours too much, Phoebe suggested to everyone that they all head over to the counter and pitch in and order one of those Titanic Sundaes that feeds a dozen people. Are you two in…or can you really not keep your hands off each other for just a few more hours?" He smirked a little more.

Arnold and Helga blushed a little more and then shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, alright…We'll be there in a sec, Geraldo…" Helga answered for both of them, glancing at her beloved with a little smile and then back to their friends.

Gerald, Phoebe, Lila and Brainy all nodded. "Alright then—I'm ever so certain we'll save you some scoops!" Lila added cheerily. All of them smiled and nodded, and then the group departed from their friends.

As they left, Helga just sighed in a small touch of disappointment and then turned back to her beloved with a smile. Then she stood up in her side of the booth. "Well, looks like 'private flirting making out time' is over for now…Guess we'll just have to wait for our dates this weekend."

Arnold let out a sigh and nodded and stood up as well, smiling back at her. "Yeah…no more kissing until tonight…" He laughed to himself and added with a private little smile of love, "I _guess_ I'll survive…"

Helga giggled and blushed a little extra, turning her head to the side and letting some of her hair fall over part of her face coyly. "Oh, quit being such a baby and let's just go pig out more, Football Head." She grabbed his hand and walked out of the booth and pulled him along with her in the direction of the other kids.

Arnold followed her, laughing warmly and looking to her with love. "Whatever…floats your boat, Helga." He blushed a little more.

Helga giggled more, her own blush going a tiny bit darker at his cute little reply. She glanced at him over her shoulder before they reached the other kids. "Ooo, good one, Football Head… And hey, keep up that attitude tonight about pleasing me and I think you'll end up very pleased yourself, my Arnold…"

She winked and then had to laugh as that statement brought a brief look of confusion to Arnold's face followed quickly by that blushing and embarrassed…and eager… look of his that she loved so much. "O-Oh…wh-whatever you say, Helga..." came Arnold's standard little default reply.

"I can't wait, Arnold…" she whispered to him quickly and sweetly. "It'll be a weekend we'll never forget."

Arnold didn't need Helga to tell him that last thing though—for some time now he had already had a small plan to make that statement absolutely true.

* * *

In the middle of everyone eating and sharing the Titanic Sundae, Helga was just looking around, smiling and enjoying herself (and trying not to giggle too much about how Arnold had adorably made very sure to ask the guy behind the counter to put any strawberry ice cream specifically on one side of the sundae because his girlfriend had allergies). Anyway, it was while she was here, eating and things were winding down that she saw a sight she couldn't recall ever seeing before.

There were other kids and people in this ice cream parlour of course besides the fourth graders…and a new, younger looking girl had just walked in…and walked over to Brainy.

And she and Brainy were talking together. And she seemed smiling and shy and he seemed content and kind.

The girl had dark, chestnut-red hair and little freckles and thick glasses and she was dressed in green. She had some books in her hand and…once she even said something that made Brainy laugh a little and she seemed to just light up at doing that.

And Helga knew that 'lighting up'. It was the same way she had always 'lit up' over the years whenever she had managed to do something to make Arnold genuinely happy, upon which he had usually hugged her and sent her into bliss for three to five seconds that felt like an eternity of happiness.

Helga smiled. "Interesting…" she mumbled quietly to herself under her breath.

She continued to watch the little exchange and then eventually the little girl gave Brainy a small bow goodbye (pushing up her glasses back onto her nose after doing so, which made Brainy chuckle a little again and made her glow a tiny bit once more), and then the little girl departed with her books, leaving Brainy to go back to eating a little scoop of vanilla from the big sundae dish.

Helga didn't waste any time and walked right over to him. She got up behind him actually, smirking the entire time, and took a few light breaths right by his ear. "Uh…hi!"

She did her best not to burst into total chuckles, especially as Brainy actually jumped and turned around half in fright and then turned to her and blinked a few times…and then smiled and chuckled a lot himself. "Helga!" He took a moment to catch his breath, pulling out his inhaler and taking a puff and then putting it away again. "That wasn't funny…" He smirked at her a little.

Helga just smirked right back at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Spoiled sport. Actually though I probably should have thought that through more—what if you'd backhanded me, huh?" She chuckled a tiny bit at the idea.

Brainy just sighed and smiled and shook his head. "Don't be ridiculous—you know I could never harm a lady, even on reflex."

Helga sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know, Mr. Gentleman…And…speaking of 'the ladies'…" Brainy was leaning back against the edge of the counter and Helga chose to join him, leaning back right next to him. "Who was that girl you were just talking to?"

Brainy blinked, looking at her curiously for a moment. "Girl?...Oh!" He looked back toward the door that she had left by and then looked to Helga again with a smile. "That's Siobhan. She's…well, she got moved to the sixth grade for part of the year but then she decided to go back to the third grade. She likes it better there. We've been going to the same doctor for our sinuses ever since we were little and…we've just known each other ever since then. We talk sometimes too on the computer or on the phone about things. We actually have a lot in common. She's a very nice kid. Actually, because I went to the baseball game today, I missed the usual appointment we both have at the same time at our sinus doctor's office and I guess when she saw me in here with everyone she just wanted to make sure everything was alright. She knows I don't like big crowds..." Brainy chuckled a little...but then he stopped and blinked. "What?"

Brainy's question was due to the look on Helga's face. She was just eyeing him and smiling and smiling more and more until her grin was ear to ear and couldn't go unnoticed anymore. "So…all these years…you've been 'cheating' on me with Siobhan, huh?" She couldn't resist.

Brainy's eyes went utterly wide and he nearly stumbled back against one of the stools at the counter. "Wh…I…Helga! Helga, don't be ridiculous!" He straightened himself up and cleared his throat, glancing to the side with a light blush of fluster. "How could you even…Sh-She's a child, Helga!" He gulped and crossed his arms over his chest, still not able to look at her.

Helga scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, first of all 'Methuselah', she's not an infant and you're not some college boy—she's nine and you're ten. Sheesh…And second of all…Brainy…come on…you're the most observant person on the planet…do you really need me to point out to you that she…_you __know_…about you…" Helga looked at him very meaningfully.

Brainy blinked a few times, glancing up at her hesitantly. "I-I really don't know what you're talking a-about…I…"

Helga gave him a look. "Brainy…" she merely said, very flatly.

"This is absurd, Helga," he replied back, equally flatly…though there was something unsure in his tone.

Helga shook her head, her smile returning a little, as she replied back quite simply, "No, it's only absurd if you don't realize how much you feel the same way."

Brainy started to scowl just a tiny bit. "Helga...you're bugging me...Please drop it..."

Helga had to let out a stifled chuckle. "You sound _just_ like Arnold right now...Come on...at least admit she's cute?" She looked at him pleadingly.

Brainy sighed, putting hand to one of his temples and closing his eyes. "W-Well, yes, of course she's c-cute...b-but that's not the point! I cannot..._pursue_ her, Helga…" He seemed like he might have gone over this with himself before.

Helga didn't let up though. "And why not?" she asked point blank.

And before Brainy could realize the flaw in his logic, he had replied like he always had replied to himself about this matter, "Because I am a gentleman and a gentleman is monogamous in my opinion, and I'm already pursuing _yo__—_…" He stopped completely, breathing, speaking…His eyes went wide…then blinked a few times. And then he seemed utterly stumped with himself.

Helga blinked as well…and then replied quietly… "So then…you…_have_…thought about…her…like that...before…"

Brainy blinked several more times at the observation/question and then instantly he was backing up, tugging at his collar. "I…W-Well, alright, I'll…admit, the question _has_…and she _is_ a girl and...a-and, of course, I'm not pursuing _you_ anymore, so…B-But still I…A-And what would she even say? She probably thinks of me as a big brother or something! N-Not that I care but…H-Helga, come on, this is silly, I…I would rather not talk about this right now, I…I told you before I don't want anybody new y-yet. I-I should go home and…and think…a-and rest. And..." a deep sigh, "Helga, isn't _Arnold_ the one you're supposed to mercilessly bother in particularly?" He managed a small chuckle. "A-Anyway, speaking of the 'big crowds' thing, this place _is_ starting to get rather full. A-And as I said I should probably be returning home anyway. Erm…goodbye!" And with that and a smile and blushing he quickly dashed away.

Helga just watched him go curiously…and then smiled softly to herself. She sighed. '_Let me finish up this anniversary stuff with Arnold…and then I'll see what I can do about this…Oh and it's so cute…'_ She giggled a little to herself and then went off to go find her beloved so that they could walk home together so that he could get ready for their first anniversary date tonight…and so could she.

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright, that's all for now :D Oh and extra super **special ****thanks ****to ****KASUKapl** for reminding me about Siobahn. Anyone who's read the Hey Arnold! book called "Arnold's E-Files" will know who she is (and she actually does get paired with Brainy a bit in that book : 3 ), but for anyone who hasn't read it, she's the little girl at the end of the ep "Phoebe Skips" who gets promoted from the third grade to the sixth grade :) Her name is pronounced 'Sha-von.' Anyway, I hope you all liked this and please review! I'll try and get you guys a December update, of course, but then after that things are going to get tricky. I'm starting grad school in January and I'll be working so things are going to be very busy but I'll try and keep up with stuff as best I can ;) Thank you guys for your patience! And Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone in the States!

Happy Reading!

AXH FOREVER!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	24. Arnold's Anniversary Date for Helga

**A/N:**

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! I know I said I'd try to get this up before December was over but some stuff came up and also this is a very long chapter (close to 50,000 words XD) so sorry about the delay of a day and I hope you enjoy :) Please review! Thank you! Also, I've got some stuff to say about when the next update might be that I'll put in the closing A/N so please read that if you're curious about when the next chapter will be posted. Thank you!

Also, there are a few things in this chapter that are based upon ideas I got from other sources XD I'll mention them more specifically in the closing A/N because if I describe to you the stuff I wrote that was inspired by other things/people then it'll give away stuff of course ;)

Alright, here we go!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 24:**

**Arnold's Anniversary Date for Helga**

* * *

_Dear Helga:_

_Please go over to the side of the boarding house and use the fire escape to climb to my roof. You'll see why once you get up there. I'll be looking forward to seeing you soon!  
_

_Love…and hugs…and kisses…lots of kisses…Did I mention love?_

_Arnold_

Upon exiting Olga's car, walking over to the boarding house stoop, and now reading this note that had been left for her taped to the front door, Helga G. Pataki had to just smile and roll her eyes. "He is SO ridiculous!" She sighed to herself and shrugged… "But_ so_ cute!" she had to add to herself with a little giggle. "Eh, whatever…" She folded up the little note and put it into her small white purse (Olga's idea) and indeed started to walk over to the fire escape as per Arnold's instructions. She paused before starting her ascent though and glanced up at the somewhat long climb to the roof and then down at her red, strappy shoes (the ones from her Cecile costume that she knew Arnold especially liked and that she had been wanting to wear for a special occasion like this one). She frowned slightly. "I just hope I don't trip with these stupid things in the dark…" On an average afternoon she actually probably could have whisked her way up this ladder in shoes like these, no problem, but night had already more than fallen now and the streetlight out in front of Arnold's wasn't exactly a spotlight right on the segments of the thin, slightly rickety ladder that she would have to ascend. Still though, having to take her time climbing up the side of a building was not about to keep Helga G. Pataki from the first night of her one month anniversary date with Arnold. And so she quickly straightened her skirt, brush a few strands of hair behind one of her ears, put a determined smile on her face and then gripped the sides of the ladder and started to carefully head upward.

Making it to the first and then second landing of her beloved's fire escape, Helga couldn't help but smile and mumble to herself a little. "Why do I have the feeling that random shenanigans and spontaneous make out sessions are mere seconds away from ensuing?" She laughed warmly to herself at the idea as she got her hands on the roof ledge and pushed herself over. "Oh well, at least I know it'll never be a dull evening with good old Football He—" She stopped speaking as she stood up and dusted herself off and saw the full roof now…and her jaw dropped.

The entire place was lit up with candles glowing softly under the stars, in the middle of the roof was a small table set up with two chairs and a candle in the center along with a vase with a single rose in it, and two place settings…and to the side of it all was a grand piano, all polished and aglow…with her beloved sitting at the bench, tinkering a little at the keys with some light, soft melody.

"Oh…my…" softly escaped Helga's agape mouth and she blinked a few times as she finished taking in all there was around her.

Though soft, her small exclamation was enough to catch Arnold's ear and right away his fingers stopped playing with the keys and he turned around on the bench and stood up, his face aglow with a smile. Helga took a moment to take in how dapper he looked in his black dress pants and white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows (his black jacket was understandably laid out on the end of the piano bench considering the slight warmth of the summer night), and black tie fastened on his neck, and hair slightly combed back (the little blue cap still in place though, tilted slightly to the side naturally).

She came out of her thoughts on his appearance as her beloved greeted her with a smile. "Hi Helga…do you like it? I…"

And then Arnold was the one to stop talking now…and he gulped…and blushed…and all at the mere sight of the girl who had just entered his world for the evening…

Her soft blond hair was pulled back in a loose yet stylish bun with two little golden ringlets framing her face, her pink bow was fastened atop her head (as per usual) but she also had a couple of fake little white daisies stuck here and there for an added effect that was positively lovely…

And that was just her head…which would have normally made Arnold a little goofy, yes, but…the total silence and all the blushing was specifically in regards to what was below her head. She was wearing heeled shoes and doing so always angled her stance in a very noticeable and leg-lengthening way… Up a bit higher she had on a pink skirt that fell a little above her knees and fanned out in a lovely way from her waist. And then above that was the really 'fun' part for our football headed hero: she was wearing a red, soft looking top that clung very nicely to her, as did most things, but the collar…it wasn't so much 'low cut' as just…it was wide and very open and made the tops of her short, slightly ruffled sleeves cling to the bottoms of her shoulders, leaving all of her neck, all of her collar and most of the tops of her shoulders exposed…and Arnold had never seen that much of her or any girl for that matter. '_Wow_…' flashed through his mind with a blink.

Meanwhile, across the roof Helga was starting to take a few, slow steps forward, and she continued to gaze with an awed smile all around at the lovely atmosphere her sweet prince had spent his afternoon setting up all for them. "Oh Arnold, I…it…It's wonderful!" She positively beamed and then looked over to him from her place mid-roof now, and crossed her arms over her chest, grinning at him. "You are getting seriously good at this boyfriend thing, Football Head. Candle light? Dinner under the stars? And a piano too? So very charming…" She giggled a little and winked at him playfully.

Arnold, however, was still just watching her with a deep little blush, though he did at least manage to blink a few times and swallow at being addressed by her.

Helga smiled more (with a touch of curiosity now) and took a few more steps toward him and the piano coyly. "Uh, Arnold? You who? You okay? Earth to Football Head, come in, Football Head. It's date night."

At a direct approach toward him now being added to her speaking to him, Arnold cleared his throat and gave one final blink and finally seemed to come out of something. He let out a breath and leaned back a little against the edge of the piano to steady himself. He did his best to speak calmly and casually to her but…the several cracks his voice couldn't help but make as he went along gave away his fluster entirely. "O-Oh, um…Yeah, I'm okay…I just, um…that's a…pretty…outfit…and shirt…I-I can…um…I-It's very… 'g-grown up', Helga…Heh…" He smiled a little sheepishly…and then he sighed a little and added, knowing he had failed horribly at not seeming rather overwhelmed at her beauty, "A-And, um, of course I'm sure we'd all 'enjoy' any teasing you might like to give me about finding you so pretty at the moment but, if it could be kept to a minimum so that we have enough time to fit in everything tonight, I would appreciate it." He looked to her with a sincere little smile and then went forward from the piano, took one of her hands, picked it up, and gave it a gentle kiss.

Helga, however, had had ZERO plans to torture him about being attracted to her right now, and especially considering the reasons for his spaziness that he had just communicated to her. To be honest, at the back of her mind she had been hoping that Arnold _wouldn't_ make a big deal about the 'grown up-ness' of this particular new outfit but especially of the top of it once he saw it. Not that the top wasn't pretty, to be sure, but Helga couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit uncomfortable and self-conscious wearing it…However, when she had tried it on at the mall a few days ago during their shopping spree together, Olga had insisted that it looked 'just adorable' on her and that in addition her 'baby sister' _was_ getting a lot older and more grown-up, what with having a boyfriend now and also being almost done with elementary school after all, so something showing off her natural prettiness a little extra was more than appropriate.

And so, in a nut shell, Helga had decided to give wearing it a shot…though she really was still on the fence about it. In response to Arnold, she shrugged her shoulders (causing the top of the sleeves to come up over them a little more) and crossed her arms more tightly over her chest. "O-Oh…Uh…thanks, A-Arnold. Sh-Shopping trip with Olga, heh…A-And, uh, you got it, n-no teasing, I-I'm starving anyway!" She smiled at her last observation to lighten the mood and then quickly cleared her throat and decided to do her best to move things along to another topic (and person) before she got too self-conscious. "Oh and, um, speaking of nice outfits, I'm happy you took my tip about the suit and the tie for tonight…very sharp, Football Head!" She winked at him. Then her eyes stuck on something for a moment…before lighting up and looking back into his green ones and even uncrossing her arms to put her hands on her hips (her own nervousness forgotten for a moment.) "Arnold, that's not…the tie you wore on FTi, is it?" She had to smirk, the idea of that was too cute!

Arnold (who had noted Helga's nervousness about his comment on the maturity level of her outfit, and who had already decided to try and not bring it up again for the rest of the night for the sake of her comfort since she had the right to a little modesty as well in certain situations) had to blush slightly and adjust his tie at her correct and keen observation. "Oh, uh…yeah." He smiled more. "I just…thought it'd be nice considering the occasion…Maybe bring me some good luck." He blushed and smiled at her and glanced down…and then his smile grew as something caught his eyes. "Helga, are…are those the…" he had been so distracted with her hair and skirt and top that he hadn't even truly noticed her feet… "…are those our Chez Paris shoes? Your shoe and the one you gave me that I gave you back?" He felt his heart flutter at the whole romantic concept as he looked to her hopefully.

Helga had to blink and then instantly giggle at the question and the adorably excited tone in which it was asked. She nodded to him and shrugged a little. "Yup. You know me, Arnold—I love irony. Plus, hey, they were the only ones that went with the rest of the outfit. " She smiled hopefully to him now and added softly and with just a touch of shyness that she couldn't help, "Do…you really like it all though, Arnold?"

Arnold just smiled at her with his familiar half lidded gaze and nodded, looking into her lovely blue eyes. "Of course, Helga…I really do." He continued to gaze sweetly at her for another moment but then blinked as he finally noticed one other thing she seemed to have with her tonight. "A…purse?" He had to raise an eyebrow as he looked from it back to her.

Helga blinked at the observation and then couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes and chuckle a little. "Olga wouldn't let me out of the house without it," she explained. "Seriously, she treats accessorizing like it's an art form." Helga sighed and shrugged, sitting down on an end of the piano bench and looking up to her beloved. "But I mean, really, what am I going to use it for? The only make-up I've got is what Olga managed to throw on me when I was in the middle of getting ready—"

"Well, now that you bring it up and now that you're close enough for me to really notice…" Arnold began, sitting down beside her on the piano bench, "…I WAS going to point out that little bit of a sparkle on your eyelashes…the pretty touch of powder pink on your cheeks…and as usual our old friend, that lip gloss…" His smile picked up on one side and he couldn't help but chuckle a tiny bit, a little blush coming to his features again. Yes, at first tonight the sight of Helga had been a lot for him, just as loving her had been a lot for him at the start of their relationship, but now, both at this point in the start of their date and at this point in their relationship, he just felt more calm and happy to be around her than anything else.

Helga felt herself blush more and she glanced away with a touch of a coy smile. "Oh, uh, yeah…heh, heh, my crazy sister and her nutty ideas about my appearance…Once I let her start she never wants to stop…"

Arnold smiled a little more at her…and for a moment he thought there was something else a little different about her appearance tonight too though it was hard to place…though perhaps that had something to do with the fact that the lighting near the piano was minimal and shadowy at best. Oh well, they would go over to the table shortly as soon as dinner was ready to be served and then maybe he could put his finger on what it was, he decided to himself.

"So…planning to serenade me or something, Casanova?"

Arnold blinked at the unexpected question, coming out of his thoughts about her to look to Helga (who was smirking at him a tiny bit at the moment). "Huh?" he merely said back in confusion.

Helga chuckled a little and turned around on the bench to face the large instrument behind them. "The piano, paste for brains. What's up with that? I thought Gerald was the one geeky enough to play the piano, not you," she couldn't help but add playfully with an extra little laugh and smirk.

Arnold blinked again and then smiled, understanding now. "Oh, the piano…" He shrugged and turned around on the bench as well now, "No, I…hadn't thought about a serenade actually…I just thought it'd be a nice addition to everything. I guess it might have been a little silly though to get it cleaned up and take the tarp off of it and everything now that I really think about it…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You're right; Gerald's the one who can play piano. I know a couple of things that my Grandma's taught me and that Gerald's taught me and even that Dino Spumoni's taught me but I can't really do more than play around on it…" Smiling, Arnold reached out his hands to a couple of sets of keys and began to gently move here and there along the scales. It wasn't a song or anything but it did sound nice, airy, freeing…

Helga had been smiling at him for most of his explanation. However, the mention of Dino Spumoni…or any Spumoni for that matter…from him her eyes had gone wide and she had inaudibly gasped. For a few seconds she just sat watching Arnold's innocently smiling face as he played, looking for any sign that he had mentioned the Spumoni family for a certain reason…perhaps involving a certain pair of snow boots from last Christmas that he had been getting awfully close to getting to the truth about on the playground earlier today.

However, the seconds passed and Helga couldn't pick up a single trace of a lie or anything suspicious in Arnold's face. She let out a small sigh of relief and looked to the piano herself, reaching out a hand and playing lightly upon a set of keys at her own end.

Arnold caught her little sigh and glanced to her. "Something on your mind, Helga?"

Helga looked to him with a smile, seeming very at peace at the moment. She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Arnold. It's nothing…Oh and the piano really was a nice detail, Football Head, whether you can play it or not. Though I think you seem to at least know the basics from the way you're touching the keys…" She looked closely at his hands and then at the rest of him. "Your posture's good too…I bet if you took some time and really wanted to, you could learn how to play pretty quickly, Arnold. Heck, it only took Olga one summer when I was little to teach _me_ how to play and _I'm_ the most stubborn child on the planet—at least you'd be a _willing_ participant for whoever taught you." Helga chuckled at the idea, reaching out her other hand now to join her first one in playing with the piano keys a little.

"Really? You can play, Helga?" Arnold looked to her with a pleasantly interested smile. Something he hadn't known about her…yet he felt like he must know everything about her. It was strange yet charming.

Helga smiled a little more and looked to him again. "_Technically,_ yes. I'm no concert pianist like Olga, of course, but I can get by, fake my way through some things. I usually don't bother though, just on principle. She taught me when I was six and I REALLY did not want to learn." Helga couldn't help but laugh to herself a little at the memory. "Oh brother, I threw such a tantrum every single time she dragged me to that stupid piano. I guess she just really wanted to spend time with me and share a part of her life or something but mostly I just wanted her to leave me the heck alone so I could practice my penmanship for writing love poems about a certain someone…" She leaned across the bench and gave Arnold a playful little nudge. Then she chuckled more and sat back up straight and shrugged. "Eh, but, yeah, she taught me…and I give her credit for managing it." She let out a sigh and shook her head to herself, messing around (a tiny bit more intricately now) on the keys.

A wide smile soon followed on Arnold's face and he just had to ask… "Oh…well…in that case, I…don't suppose you'd let me hear you play…just as a one-time exception to your principle…just for me?"

Helga smiled more to herself, having anticipated that request a mile away. She glanced at him. "Right now? Absolutely not. I don't practice, Arnold, and I don't have any sheet music and I can only remember a few measures here or there off the top of my head of any pieces…" Then she shrugged and added, "But, uh…over the summer sometime possibly? And if we were alone and if you promised not to expect it from me much in our lives or to tell Geraldo or Olga about it? Yeah, sure, why the heck not." She winked at him.

Arnold's smile beamed a little bit and he chuckled. "Thanks, Helga."

She smiled, and chuckled right back. "Don't mention it, Football Head."

For a moment there was quiet, save for the tinkling of piano keys…and Arnold was not looking away from Helga or breaking his wide smile.

Helga couldn't help but notice and then smile a little more at him and look to him curiously. "Arnoldo? What's up?"

He sighed, still smiling. "Sorry, Helga…just…doing some thinking myself. It's not important for right now though, I promise." He winked at her, unable to help himself.

Helga found his reply cute and still smiled at him, though she really was very very curious. But still maybe he was just flirting or being sweet…She decided to just roll her eyes at him, write it off as his loopyness, and to go back to enjoying their piano time.

"Knock, knock! Are my two favorite cowpokes ready and rarin' to go for some fresh grub?" the warm and familiar voice of an old woman suddenly asked following the sound of a pane in Arnold's skylight ceiling opening up.

Arnold and Helga smiled and turned to see Gertie climbing out onto the roof with a couple of covered silver platters in her hands. Instantly both kids were up from their bench and walking over to help her, each taking a tray in their hands and giving Gertie the chance to get a better grip upon the covered pitcher she also had with her and to climb out completely onto the roof to join them.

"Hi Gertie! How's it going?" Helga asked brightly. Then she caught a bit of a scent from the covered tray in her hands and inhaled deeply, her smile growing. "Oh _wow_, that smells good…"

Gertie smiled and headed over to their table to put down the pitcher (she had a cowboy hat on her head this evening, Helga noticed with a little extra smile). "Well, I reckon I'm fine, Eleanor. And I'm glad you like the smell…" having set up the pitcher she turned back to the young blond girl and smiled, gesturing with a jerk of her thumb to Arnold, "Tex has been helping me make it all day. I offered to do the whole thing for him while he was busy setting up stuff up here but he's stubborn as a mule sometimes—insisted that if he was old enough to have a girlfriend he was sure as shootin' old enough to cook for her."

Helga beamed a little and glanced at Arnold with an appreciative smirk. She put on the tiniest bit of a southern accent and couldn't help but reply, looking at her beloved the whole time, "Well, golly, that sure was sweet of my favorite little ranch hand."

She giggled a little and winked at Arnold who just rolled his eyes and blushed a little and shook his head. "Yes, well, anything for the local farmer's daughter who keeps mercilessly flirting with me," he managed to reply just barely without bursting into laughter before walking over to their table and setting down his own tray and then turning back to her with a grin.

Helga giggled a lot, unable to help it, and then just shook her head and walked over to the table to put down her own tray as well. "Cute, 'Tex', very cute…"

Gertie chuckled at the two children. "Well, aren't you both just sweeter than two cubes in a sugar bowl! Have fun on your date, you two!" She started to walk away from the table, giving them a little wave. She paused though before turning back to the skylight and looked to her grandson with a little smirk. "Oh and, Tex?"

Arnold smiled back at her and nodded. "Yes, Grandma?"

Gertie gestured to the skylight with her thumb. "The head hombre and I have another little bet going about what time you two'll be done tonight…you remember, just like with your one week anniversary date?" She chuckled a little to herself. "I bet that since this little dinner of yours up here is starting at 7, it'll probably be done by 9 and then you two cowpokes will head downstairs to finish celebratin' in Tex's room or wherever you can find some privacy in the house, but your Grandpa's swearin' that no matter what time your dinner starts you two'll get so lost in each other that you'll stay up here until Eleanor's sister pulls up to the curb at 10! And of course his ego's still a little bruised from losing the one week anniversary bet about when you two would be done with things, so, Tex, if you could try and find 'something' to do with Helga up here for the next three hours straight so that old Popsicle Chin he feels a little better about himself and wins this, it would sure be nice and I reckon I'd plumb appreciate it! The one of us who gets closest to the time without going over is the winner!" And with that and a wink and without waiting for a reply from the now rather flustered kids, Gertie turned and headed the rest of the way back to the open skylight pane. "Enjoy your dinner, Tex and Eleanor! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" she announced giddily before slipping back inside, laughing maniacally.

A blushing Arnold and Helga were left in silence for a moment.

And then of course Helga turned back to Arnold with a playful smirk.

And of course Arnold just sighed and bashfully smiled and gave her a little shrug. "Heh…my grandparents. Always teasing…"

Helga just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Football Head—you know as well as I do that it'll take everything we've got to keep everything we could do together UNDER three hours." She winked at him playfully.

Arnold just sighed and blushed a little more, looking at her with a touch of shyness and modesty. "Yeah, I know…But I'm Arnold, Helga, I don't like to presume things…"

Helga just laughed more and waved him off, putting her hands on her hips. "Yeah, well, I'm Helga and I like to just tell it like it is." She sighed then, rolling her eyes to the side dramatically. "But anyway, enough of your modesty that I'm sure I'll manage to break down before we get two bites into this dinner. Let's get to the grub!" And with that she pulled the cover off of her own tray, revealing a couple of buttermilk biscuits, some mashed potatoes and peas and corn with butter, and several pieces freshly fried chicken. Helga blinked and then grinned widely and rubbed her hands together. "Boss! Football Head, you seriously helped cook this? It looks great!" She put a hand on the arm of her chair to begin pulling it out so that she could sit down…

She was cut off in the action though by Arnold instantly dashing around to her side of the table and pulling out her chair for her with a charming smile. He nodded to her, his wide head leaning over her shoulder, the familiar charming smile upon his face. "Thank you, Helga. I…I decided to make fried chicken for you because it was the first meal you ever ate here with me…You remember, back during the poetry tutoring? On the first day we had lunch with the boarders and it was this. So I'm happy you like it. Oh and also, allow me…" He bowed a little and gestured for her to sit in the chair, which he would then push in for her.

At his cute little explanation and gesture Helga just about melted, blushing gently in her cheeks and sitting down. She felt her chair get pushed in and couldn't help letting out a tiny giggle at having that done for her. Normally if he tried something like that she would tease him about being overly chivalrous and just grab the chair herself and yank it in but…just this once…with herself in a skirt and blouse and he in a suit and tie, with a candlelight dinner before them…a one month anniversary being celebrated… '_Eh, why not make an exception?'_ She giggled to herself a little more as she settled into her chair, and then looked to her beloved with an appreciative smile and a romantic gaze. "Thank you, darling…for the food and the chair. It's all very sweet of you, my sentimental little Football Head."

A slightly blushing Arnold gave her a nod. "You're welcome, Helga." Then he leaned over and gave her a little kiss on the cheek before slipping back around to his side of the table and taking his own seat, removing the cover from his tray as well. "Oh and to drink we have lemonade just like at our first lunch here together." He picked up the pitcher and leaned across the table a little towards her to pour her some. "Would you like some, Helga?" He smiled at her.

Helga nodded, leaning on a table a little towards him. "Sure, Football Head. I could go for a glass."

Arnold smiled more and poured the lemonade, his eyes not leaving her as he did so…though as the glass filled the look on his face started to shift a little. He finished up pouring and put down the pitcher for a moment back at the center of the table…but still his eyes didn't leave her.

Of course, by now, Helga had started to notice him looking at her face like she had a third eye growing out of her forehead or something. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, Football Head, I'll bite—what random thing about me has fascinated you _this_ time?" She grinned a little.

Arnold sat back a little in his seat, picking up the pitcher again and pouring himself a glass as well, though once again he really didn't take his eyes off of her and he had his head tilted a little to the side now in scrutiny. It was just…he could see her face a lot more clearly in the candlelight on the table now…"Helga…did…did Olga do something else to your face…besides the makeup?"

Instantly at that question and with how closely he was looking at her, a dark blush couldn't help but come to Helga's features (not as dark as the one that had come when Arnold had gotten majorly distracted by the sight of her bare shoulders and collar but still…it dark just the same)… On instinct, she sat back a little in her seat, getting out of the candlelight as much as possible. "I…uh…I don't know…heh…" She shrugged a little.

Arnold half smiled, giving her a look. "Helga…just tell me…I'm going to be sitting right across from you for this whole meal…I'll figure it out eventually. If you tell me now at least it'll save me an hour or so of staring at you just to figure it out instead of getting to stare at you just to take in all of your beauty, like I should be." He smiled a little more at her, very proud of his very good (and very charming) point.

Helga blushed a tiny bit more but started to smile a little now again, unable to help it. She let out a sigh and finally came forward and back into the candlelight. "Oh…Oh alright, you big lug…" She put an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "Olga, um…sort of convinced me…a-and by 'convinced' I mean 'wouldn't shut up until I at least agreed to try it once since apparently she had the same situation as I do when she was younger and she tried it and really liked it'…but, anyway, she 'convinced' me to…to try and, uh… 'tone down the eyebrow a bit'…thin it out, you know?" She let out a nervous laugh. "Pretty dumb, huh? Yes sir, Olga and her pain in the butt epic quest to prove that I'm some kind of girly girl deep down. When will she ever learn?" Helga sat up more and crossed her arms over her chest, just doing her best not to seem too nervous about how he might react to her having done something like that. Actually, it wasn't a 'huge' change that she had made to the eyebrow or anything—it really was just thinned a little…But still it was sort of a…very 'arguably unfeminine' part of herself that she and Arnold just never seemed to bring up…And she had to wonder if he would like her better like this and, by extension, if he maybe really didn't like the old eyebrow but had felt too awkward too say anything, or….

Across the table, as her words finished sinking in, Arnold blinked a few times in a bit of surprise at first, but then an intrigued half smile came to his face and his eyes lit up a little. "_That's_ what it is!" He almost chuckled, happy he had finally gotten it figured out, and leaned back in his seat a little. "Wow, you really did let her make you over, didn't you, Helga?" he couldn't help but ask in a touch of amusement, just meaning it as a little joke.

However, Helga was a little overly sensitive at the moment, and at his somewhat facetious sounding rhetorical question a slightly frustrated look came to her face and she scowled at him…though it wasn't as effective as usual, all things considered. "Yeah, I did—you got a problem with that?"

Arnold blinked at first, not having heard that frustrated, almost whiny tone of voice from her in quite a while. But then he just did his best not to roll his eyes at the defensive reply, and he reached across the table and took one of her hands in his own. He spoke to her simply and sincerely. "No, Helga, I don't. As long as it's what you want, as long as it's what makes you happy, well, then…I'm happy. Okay?"

He watched with a half lidded gaze and warm smile as she just blinked a few times, losing that glare, and then finally looked to him with a small grateful, sheepish smile. "Oh…um…thanks…Arnold. And, um…sorry I snapped at you. I'm just…I mean I've always been a little self-conscious about how I look and then especially about trying anything new and about being a girl, and I…" She let out a sigh, and smiled at him in a much more relaxed way. "To be honest, I kind of prefer the way I looked before…I mean, I guess technically I look a bit more…I don't know, 'stereotypically feminine' right now, but…I just don't quite feel like…well, like myself I guess…" She finished with a shrug.

Arnold continued to gaze at her lovingly as he held her hand and replied to her. "Okay, Helga…I think I understand. And I think it's good that you've thought about how you really feel about a change like that for yourself. And, well, if you really want my opinion on the whole thing, even though your opinion on it is the most important one…to be honest, I'm not really sure what I'd do if I had to go a day without one of those scowls of yours…You'd be surprised how something like that can grow on you after seven straight years. And ever since that confession of yours they've just been seeming cuter and cuter to me whenever you do them. Like in school…looking so angry at me when deep down you _love_ me…" He caressed the back of her hand just a little with his thumb as he spoke, using a tiny bit of a playful teasing tone on the penultimate word he had just spoken.

Helga's smile was bordering on completely lovesick at this point, but she managed to keep herself in check enough to roll her eyes and playfully reply, "Crimeny, you're one smitten little Football Head, aren't you? Even in love with my _scowls_ at this point?" She smirked just a tiny bit at him and giggled as well, unable to help it.

Arnold chuckled again, blushed, and shyly released her hand to fold his shyly on the table and reply, "After everything that's happened over the last four weeks…do you even have to ask?" He looked at her with a tiny bit of a lovesick smirk of his own.

Helga processed the cute response, then giggled more and leaned closer to him over the table. "Aww, aren't you sweet…Oh, and, uh…" she blushed a tiny bit and glanced down with a little smile, half-consciously shifting her shoulders to make the wide collar of her blouse go a little higher up them, "…Thanks for what you said before about liking my outfit…e-even though it's a little more 'grown up' than usual…Um…in case it isn't painfully obvious already, I…I-I'm a little jumpy from half the things I decided to give a shot for tonight courtesy of my sister's advice and my own curiosity…but, um…I feel a lot more comfortable now so…" And then she smiled a little more, got out of her seat a bit and she quickly leaned across the table and gave a soft, sweet little peck to Arnold's lips, after which she sat back down and smiled happily over to him, all of her blushing gone now, "So thanks, Football Head. You always did know how to treat a lady, even if none of them ever really appreciated it until I came along." She chuckled and held up her lemonade glass. "Cheers, Football Head?"

A little surprised from her kiss, Arnold was just sitting there blinking with a little blush on his cheeks for a moment. But then at her sweet gesture he smiled and nodded and picked up his own glass. "You're…You're welcome, Helga…and thanks and…cheers!"

The two of them clinked glasses and then took their inaugural sips of their lemonade to begin their lovely anniversary dinner together.

* * *

Some time had passed, the kids had drank a little lemonade and eaten their biscuits with butter, and made pleasant chit chat about their harrowing yet thrilling last day of school complete with how much fun it had been to really clobber Wolfgang at baseball that afternoon, and plans for the summer ahead as soon as this weekend was over and their anniversary had been thoroughly celebrated. And it was just…such a splendid start to the evening and so nice to be able to sit and talk up here knowing that they were finally free to pursue their romance both in public and private and also that their love had stood the test of a full month and had only grown stronger and better and more complete from the time together.

The biscuits all eaten, the kids moved to their utensils so that they could start in on their vegetables and later the chicken.

About now, Helga was chuckling and talking now again about how ridiculous…and yet surprisingly tolerable…Olga was being lately.

"Oh and then, okay, so she gets me for the make-up, she gets me for the eyebrow, she gets me for the outfit…and then of course to top it all off this purse gets shoved into my hands right after I get out of her car in front of your house and she just smiles and waves to me and says 'toodles' and burns rubber to get out of here. Actually, it was pretty cagey of her." Helga chuckled a little to herself. "She knew she'd never get me to keep it unless she ditched me with it. I'm just surprised she also didn't toss a parasol and a copy of Teen Queen Magazine and training bra at me or something before she peeled out of here." Helga laughed a little more to herself and dug into a spoonful of mashed potatoes and a big bite of chicken. "Mmm…aww, seriously, Football Head, this is delicious! Okay, you definitely need to cook once we hit our one _year_ anniversary too." She winked at him.

Arnold just let out a little sigh, a little deep blush on his features at the moment (guess which of Helga's comments just now had brought that on), and picked up his fork to go for a bite of green beans. "Th-Thank you, Helga. I'll cook for you any time you'd like. And also I'm happy you're getting along so much better with Olga. You two seem like you're bonding a lot more and…you always did look extra pretty whenever you're happy." He chuckled a little.

Helga smiled more. "Aww, well, thanks, you great big charmer." She giggled and then added with a touch more softness and a nod, "And yeah, we…it's funny but it used to be that our relationship worked much better when we were apart…but now I actually miss her a lot when she's gone and things actually work better between us now when we're _together_. And I give you most of the credit for that, you know." She looked at him appreciatively. "You calm me down and put me in touch with my loving, warm, gooey side and between that and getting to experience how cool she was in the end last month about helping me confront you and helping us get together, I…I'm happier being sisters with her, Arnold. Thank you." She put her palm to her lips and then blew him a little grateful kiss across the table.

Arnold had just been watching her and smiling warmly the entire time she had been speaking and in response to her gesture he blew her a little kiss in return but then of course added humbly, "Thanks but…you don't have to thank me for that, Helga…You fixed things with Olga all on your own…I was just…sort of a medium for it, I guess." He chuckled little at the idea, dabbing his napkin at the corners of his mouth. "And now everything's better and we all have better relationships…No going back." His eyes half lidded, he reached up his glass for a little toast with her again.

A lightly blushing and positively enamored looking Helga crossed her legs under the table and lifted up her own glass again tonight as well. "Yes…no going back, my darling."

They clinked glasses once more and took a drink of lemonade each.

Then Helga put down her glass…and couldn't help a little nostalgic sigh that escaped her as she picked up her fork and played with her food a little, the smile on her face still there but only beaming a little less…

Arnold put down his own glass and went back to his food as well, but her sigh caught his years and the look on her face made him curious as well. "Helga," he asked sweetly, "…something's on your mind…" It wasn't really said as a question so much as an observation. He knew her too well.

Helga smiled a little more at his words and looked to him with a little shrug, pushing a curl of hair behind one of her ears. "Huh? Oh…nothing, just….remembering our 'pre' courtship a little. You know—'I hate you, you stupid Football Head! But oh dear somehow I've dropped a very big clue to my true feelings right into your lap and now I have to spend three days committing a few minor technical felonies to get it back' ?" She chuckled to herself. "You know, if there's one thing I'm going to miss about our old life it's that: getting so many chances to practice my stealth and to have an outlet for my natural sneakiness, and especially now since we're not a secret from the world anymore. I'm going to start getting out of practice..." She almost laughed again and added with a little smirk, "Hey, maybe I could keep myself sharp by putting my energies into sneaking you into my room even more frequently from now on, Mr. Library…" She winked at him playfully and went on with, "Or I could do a little more matchmaking to go along with that whole Gerald/Phoebe success of mine…or just sneakily find ways to shove Gerald and Phoebe together in romantic and awkward positions so that those two will finally admit their undying love for one another." She rolled her eyes with a grin at the stubbornness of their best friends and then looked back to Arnold with a bright eyed shrug. "What do you think, Arnold?"

Arnold considered her interesting words for another moment and then smiled at her in return with a nod. "Anything you say, Helga… I think it might be nice for you to try helping our classmates a little…as long as you don't go overboard, of course. Like with Gerald and Phoebe—you know that _we _can take a lot of romantic tension and awkwardness, after all, but _those two_…" he smiled more to himself and shook his head, finishing another bite of potatoes, "…Gerald would have passed out half way through the FTi confession, guaranteed."

"Please, like Phoebe would have confessed like I did in the first place—if he had caught her on that roof she would have turned the stilts and trench coat into a makeshift hang glider and bailed on the spot," Helga couldn't help but add.

The two blondes looked at each other and then just shared a warm laugh.

They proceeded to turn back to their meal…but now Arnold was thinking a little about some things…and a moment later it was _his _turn for a little nostalgic sigh as he looked back to his food and started innocently enough, really not meaning anything much by it… "Still though, now that you mention it…I guess I _am_ going to kind of miss you being able to do that to me…"

Helga raised part of her slightly thinned brow, lowering her fork to pick up her napkin. "Miss me being able to do _what_ to you, Football Head?" she asked, genuinely unsure of what he was referring to.

Arnold rested his head on one of his hands and shrugged. "Well, you know…you can still be sneaky now of course but I guess I'll miss you being able to actually pull off a crazy stunt or something completely under my nose." This simple explanation finished, he then turned his attention to taking another sip of his lemonade.

Helga, however, was just a little less satisfied with his explanation than he was. She dropped her fork to her plate and just blinked at him, her eyes wide. "Excuse me?" There wasn't sarcasm in the reply—it had more of the tone of a genuine desire to hear him repeat himself.

Arnold swallowed a bite of food and then lowered his own fork and gave her a bit of a curious look, not really understanding why she might not be getting what he was saying. He shrugged, once again speaking in a tone free of any smugness and full of genuine innocence. "I'll…miss you being able to pull off crazy schemes about me. I mean, now I know that you like me and also I know you so well at this point that it's not like the old days when you could just…I don't know, hide in my closet whispering to yourself while you secretly plotted some grand scheme against me and I'd just chalk it up to the wind or coyotes… I'm just saying that I'll miss that part of how things were before with us…but if you do plan any other stunts to do to anyone else then count me in if you need me, Helga." He smiled supportively at her.

However, Arnold was not met with a smile in return. In fact, Helga just continued to stare blankly at him for a moment more…and then she crossed her arms over her chest and did something between a smirk and a scoff. "You…You think I can't pull one over on you anymore, don't you, Football Head…? Like that I genuinely and sincerely can't do anything you wouldn't be able to figure out right away ever again?"

"I…" Arnold blinked and considered, not really understanding how she was reacting to his simple comment, "I guess so…" he finally settled on. "I mean, considering how close we are and our relationship, I just think it wouldn't be very likely that you could trick me like you used to is what I'm trying to say," he finished with a shrug.

Helga gave him a curious look for a moment herself…and then she half smiled at him, a certain gleam in her eye. "And there we go…that's my official new summer project, Football Head, or at least the inaugural part of it!" She then suddenly placed her palms upon the table and lunged forward just a bit, looking right into his slightly startled eyed. "I am going to pull something on you, Arnold…something stealthy…yet subtle...and clever…and very fun…for me, at least. Because you should always know, Football Head, that no matter how well you think you know me, Helga G. Pataki will always be able to surprise you." She winked at him, pointing right into his face, and then with a proud grin sat back down in her seat and chuckled to herself at the familiar slightly clueless look currently on her beloved's countenance as he sat across from her…

…Until, suddenly, randomly enough…it was replaced by him smiling in a kind of mischievous way right back at her…and then he announced playfully, "Hmm…well then…I guess I'll just have to be on the lookout… And I guess, if you really do manage to trick me in some 'stealthy yet subtle' way like you're promising…" That spark that Helga knew all too well was buried down inside of him came into his eyes now and it made her heart race a little, though she did her best to stay calm, cool and confident looking as he went on, "…Well, then, I'll just have to pull a scheme of my own on you maybe…. I think a month of spending time with the master of them has been more than enough time for me to give it a shot on my own, as long as we're playing a game or something." He winked at her and leaned across the table now a little himself, head resting on one of his hands. "Don't you think, Geraldine?" He raised his eye brows at her, sensing that 'spark' of his quite a bit himself now. He just…liked playing with her. He liked to see the fire in her eyes and best of all he liked meeting that fire with fire and watching her melt and then feeling himself melt too.

Across from him, Helga's face had turned pink with fluster and a touch of feigned indignation, her eyes going wide. "Okay two things…" she managed to start, at first in a sort of a pouty voice, "…First of all, let's at least compromise and call me _Helga Geraldine _whenever the 'mood' or that middle name of mind happens to strike you. And second o all…" she paused…and suddenly she had narrowed her eyes and was smiling mischievously, leaning across the table again getting into his face as well so that now they were all but nose to nose, "Bring it on, Football Head! Let the games begin for the summer." And then she sat back in her chair and held out a hand across the table for him to shake.

Arnold's grin picked up on one side at the official challenge coupled with this sealing gesture, and now he sat back in his own seat as well and reached out, taking her hand and giving it a firm shake. "Whatever you say, Helga…" He smiled at her innocently though inside he was just doing his best not to chuckle a lot, and he could tell from the look on her face that she was resisting doing the same.

"Hmm…." Helga's voice began as she finished giving her beloved a firm shake in return and then separated her hand from him to return to eating her meal, "I do love a man who takes orders." She chuckled a little, smiling more normally now, and then let out a sigh and took a nice, hearty bite of fried chicken, chewing and swallowing and always taking away a certain sense of satisfaction from any moment like this with Arnold where they would let their high passions meet and somehow end up settling on a new challenge to attempt in their relationship.

For a moment the two kids just sat in content silence, finishing more of the rest of their main courses and smiling to themselves and at each other and trying not to laugh and just…being Arnold and Helga in love together and happy.

But then Arnold was reminded of something and blinked and instantly looked over at Helga with an eager smile, pouring himself some more lemonade (and being kind enough to top off her glass as well). "Hey, Helga…speaking of random adventures from before the confession...as long as we have some time now, would you be willing to explain to me the details about that one time when you tried to stop loving me? You remember, like you told me about on the playground earlier?" He looked at her with an interested smile on his face.

From across the table, Helga blinked at the new request and then couldn't help but half smile and glance away. She waved him off playfully, picking up her napkin and dabbing it at the corner of her mouth. "Aw, you don't really want to hear that story, Football Head…" She rolled her eyes to the side, hoping that he really wouldn't make her go detail by detail through that little misadventure.

"Oh come on, Helga," he merely replied back to her though in amusement, "I've found out everything about you from the time your closet shrine was made of my used gum to the time you broke my kitchen ceiling trying to sneak out of here to go get that parrot that kept reciting your love poem for me. How bad could this be?" He smiled at her a little more.

Helga sighed, still half smiling back at him. "It's not that it was 'bad', it was just…" she almost had to laugh to herself at the memory…It really was very funny in some parts if a person thought about it, even though at the time the whole thing had just been one great big fiasco… "It just seems kind of silly looking back on it…" She looked up at him. "In my defense, though, I was desperate. Loving someone who doesn't love you back isn't as easy as I made it look, Football Head." She shrugged at him with a touch of sheepishness.

Though Arnold would never really push her to talk about something she genuinely didn't want to talk about, he couldn't help but at least look at her with a touch of desire and curiosity and smiling wonder in his countenance at this point…Deep down inside he really did want to know the story.

And Helga knew this look from him wasn't really an assault on her defenses so much as just him expressing his inner interest in his features…If anything though that fact made her feel her resolve melt a tiny bit more. And then she figured, 'Aww, what the heck...' She sighed, smirking at him a little and shaking her head back and forth. "But then again how could I say no to a face like yours, my sweet prince, hmm?" She chuckled warmly.

Arnold's face filled with excitement and anticipation, and he was so happy that he went to grab half a biscuit that was left on his plate and accidentally dropped it to the roof. He blinked a few times in embarrassment at his little slip and went to pick it up.

Meanwhile, Helga just giggled a little at his cute eagerness and cleared her throat and was about to begin…

…When suddenly…

_Oink! Oink!_

The sound of the familiar squealing of a certain little (heretofore whereabouts unmentioned in this story) pig interrupted her and made her freeze and blink.

Abner instantly came running out from a corner of the roof and circled the table twice happily before scooping up and eating the half a biscuit before Arnold could even get his hands on it.

Arnold had to laugh at the sudden little surprise visitor to his date with Helga. "Abner!" He reached down and petted the cute little pink pig between the ears. "No wonder I couldn't find you downstairs before to give you dinner. Were you taking a nap up here?"

Abner just squealed a few times happily at Arnold, nuzzling his hand with his snout.

Arnold chuckled a little more and then turned to Helga, another new thought suddenly occurring to him (and one that had been at the back of his mind for some time, so it could definitely take precedence over hearing the details of her wacky 'falling out of love with you' scheme for just a moment). "Helga, I'm sorry, I don't think I've even gotten a chance to properly introduce you to Abner. It always seems like he's hiding somewhere whenever you come over…" Before Helga could respond (and she was about to at least try to, however nervous it made her to reveal the truth about why Abner might not be too fond of her), Arnold then got out of his seat and knelt down and shifted the pig so that he was finally facing Helga. "Abner, this is Helga…"

The introduction had to stop there though as the pig took one look in Helga's direction (she smiled sheepishly at him and waved) and then instantly he let out a loud squeal, ran in a couple of frantic circles and then hid half under the table, practically trembling in fright!

Needless to say, Arnold had not expected that reaction at all from his beloved pet and companion, and he blinked and then looked at Helga a little apologetically, standing up again. "I'm sorry, Helga…I don't know what's gotten into him. He usually loves meeting new people…" Arnold scratched his head a little, sitting back down in his seat. Abner had all of his shots, including distemper, he was normally sweet and loving with anyone from close family to complete strangers as long as they were a decent sort of person…So why act terrified of Helga?

Helga, meanwhile, from her 'hot seat' across the table, just laughed nervously and tugged at her wide collar a little, "Oh uh…r-really? W-Well, must be a fluke then or something, F-Football Head, heh…" _'Oh brother I knew I'd have to deal with this sooner or later…and it's on the night of our one month anniversary. Fantastic.'_

Meanwhile, Arnold noticed her suspicious reaction in an instant, of course, and raised an eyebrow at her in a great deal of curiosity in interest. "Helga…is there something you want to tell me?"

"Uh…" Helga swallowed, looking for a way past this, "H-Hey now, wait a minute, I th-th-thought you wanted to hear the story about me trying to fall out of love with you, not ask me questions about your pig. Heh, heh…" She tried to put a touch of defensiveness into her words though mostly they came out as nervous and sheepish, and she more than knew it. '_Oh brother, what the heck—might as well sort this out here and now as long as the situation's presented itself…'_ she finally began to concede to herself, knowing her beloved would never let her off the hook considering how obviously nervous she was acting right now.

And it was a good thing she was becoming more flexible about this too because now Arnold simply _had _to know whatever was up at this point, his interest was so peaked! He smiled more at her and shook his head at her question. "No, I…I think that story can wait a few minutes. Did something happen with you and Abner, Helga?" He tried his best not to chuckle, knowing full well that Helga probably thought whatever it was to be some 'huge, nearly irreparable' conflict while in reality it was probably the simplest and most understandable thing in the world.

Arnold watched as Helga's eyes darted back and forth as she seemed to consider about answering for a moment longer, and then finally she sighed and flopped her head back onto her hand resting upon her elbow on the table. "Oh, okay, you nosy little thing—you remember the whole 'losing the locket in the boarding house' story I filled you in on a while back, right, Football Head?"

Arnold nodded.

"Well…I…might not have filled you in on the _whole_ thing…" Helga rolled her eyes to the side.

Arnold just raised an eyebrow and smiled more. "Okay, Helga…Well, I'm listening…What else about it do you need to tell me?" He looked to her with patience and understanding.

Being met with such a considerate looking countenance did indeed help soften Helga's worries and alleviate her nervousness. "Oh, well…just…" She finally sighed and just said it, unable to help cringing a tiny bit as she did so. "Look, that time, how I lost the locket in the boarding house _in the first place_ was that I was, uh…maybe kind of sort of 'observing' you from the fire escape and having a little chat with my locket about you and then I slipped and dropped it into the alley and of course it was just my luck that your pig happened to there and he snatched it and brought it inside…after I kind of chased him and screamed at him a little, that was, heh... I-In my defense, though, it was a pretty desperate situation for me…" She cleared her throat, looking down in a touch of embarrassment as she played with the remains of food on her plate. "A-Anyway…when the whole adventure was finally done and I had the locket back…wouldn't you know it, I was talking to the thing again as I left the house and then suddenly out of the blue he snatched it out of my hands and I had to chase him all over the neighborhood yelling at him to finally get it back…" She shifted in her chair and put her hands in her lap, still looking nervous. "So that's why he probably hates me, Football Head, and why he hasn't exactly been 'eagerly popping up around me' to make friends…he remember me yelling at him and hunting him down…" She brought her eyes up to look to her beloved's as she finished sincerely, "I really am sorry though, Arnold. I didn't mean to upset the little guy that time. I was just scared."

Helga was expecting Arnold to be at least a little annoyed with her. She knew that next to Gerald, Abner was his best friend! Not to mention Helga now knew (thanks to Arnold reading her his father's journal) that Abner was a wedding present of his parents and a big living connection to them…which made the little pig pretty much the worst thing for her to offend in any way.

Yet, to her surprise and wonder, her beloved responded by standing up from his seat with a smile. He then glanced down at the table and then picked up another small piece of leftover biscuit still on his plate, upon which he walked around the table with it…and took Helga's hand and placed it in her palm. He then held her hand gently and gazed down at her warmly (and the whole time Helga was just looking at him with surprise and curiosity). "Come on now," Arnold started sweetly, his gaze sweet and half lidded as he looked down at her, "…I'm not going to have my Abner hate my Helga, okay?" And then to Helga's further surprise he grabbed her free hand and stood her up and then lifted up the table cloth and knelt down to the ground, taking her with him. "Abner?" he called out gently. The pig suddenly turned around under the table and smiled at Arnold, but then squealed a few times with wide eyes at the sight of Helga.

Helga sighed in a touch of distress. "See Football Head, he hates me. I don't want to torture the little guy. Why don't we just—"

Arnold just sighed and nudged the elbow of her arm with the hand holding the bread. "Put your hand out. Trust me…"

Helga looked at him for a second but then swallowed and slowly extended her arm, almost cringing as she awaited the sound and sight of the pig squealing frantically and running off in fear again.

Instead, though…Helga opened her eyes and blinked as she heard Abner only lightly snorting a few times…and then she saw him cautiously approaching her hand and sniffing the piece of biscuit she had…

Helga remained totally frozen, afraid of any slight movement messing anything up here.

Very close to her now, Abner stopped sniffing and looked up at Helga for a second. She did her best to smile down at him and not to show her nervousness… "H-Hi, Abner…I…I'm sorry. Do you want some bread?"

The little pig tilted his head to the side and then extended it forward and then gently took the bread from her and ate it.

All of a sudden, he gave a happy squeal, ran in a cute little circle and quickly jumped right into Helga's arms!

"Whoa!" Helga exclaimed at the sudden weight in her grasp but then couldn't help laughing as the pig sniffed all around her face making cute little oinking sounds. "Hey, that tickles!" She laughed and giggled, sitting back on the roof with the pig still in her grasp. Abner eventually calmed down a little and then just snuggled into Helga's arms with a happy snort, resting peacefully against her with a little smile. At the sight of him like this, Helga couldn't help but smile down at him and then turn to Arnold, beaming and with her eyes lit up. "Arnold, he…he likes me!" she announced like it was the most fascinating thing in the world! And in truth she was so happy about this! Abner had been a slight worry to her as her relationship with Arnold had gotten stronger and stronger and she really had hoped that she and her beloved's trusty companion could be friends or at least not enemies, and now it looked like they really could be!

Arnold just chuckled happily, smiling warmly at his girlfriend and his best little animal friend. "See, I knew he would, Helga. You just got off to a bad start…" something playful came into his eyes, "…kind of like—"

Helga cut him off, rolling her eyes and smirking a little. "If you say 'kind of like you and me' I swear I am calling the irony police and having you arrested for abuse of the concept, Football Head." She gave him a little nudge in the arm with her elbow, though she still held Abner snugly in her arms.

Arnold laughed a little more and now stood up from the roof, then offered Helga a hand up which she managed to take, though she still gently cradled the little pig. Both standing now, the two then resumed their seats at the dinner table.

"You can put Abner on the ground again if you want, Helga," Arnold offered with a smile, reaching over the table to begin to gather some things on the table together to get things cleaned up for dessert soon. "He'll just find a cozy corner and go to sleep probably. It's past is bed time anyway."

"A-Actually…" Helga felt the pig sigh in her arms and she smiled more down at him, "Could I hold onto him for a little while longer Arnold? He's…He's kind of sweet…" She scratched behind one of his ears. "Hmm…haven't had a pet since that stupid lizard…" She chuckled to herself at the memory.

Arnold meanwhile, just blinked at her unexpected request…and then smiled more. "Uh, sure!" Needless to say, Arnold had encountered few of his female friends willing to get that close to his pet pig—especially when they were all dressed up. But being willing to hold onto him…And yet…somehow that was so like Helga, now that he thought about it. "Are you sure though, Helga?" he couldn't help but offer at least once more though, though he was fairly certain he knew her reply wouldn't change.

And indeed, Helga just smiled over at him and nodded. "Don't worry about it, Football Head. He's nice. And warm." She rocked him a little and then gave Arnold a little smirk. "_Kind of like you_." She winked and laughed and so did Arnold. "So…anyway…" she went on, the little pig seeming content now and feeling very relaxed herself, "Now that we've reconciled me and your best friend on four legs…you _positive_ I've gotta tell you this story…about trying not to love you…?" She rolled her eyes to the side, smiling more.

Arnold chuckled and nodded. "Please, Helga…I've been thinking all day about hearing all the details about the time you tried to stop loving me…"

"Actually, I think the wording I used at the time was trying to fall out of love with you but yeah, you get the gist." She smiled and shrugged, glancing down at the pig and giving him another gentle little rock.

"Okay." Arnold nodded, pouring the last of the lemonade into each of their glasses and then sitting back with an engaged look upon his face. "Well, go on—it sounds like this could be an interesting story."

Helga sighed and reached out for her glass to take a sip, being careful not to disturb Abner too much as she did so. "Well, as I told you once before, there was a time when I tried to make myself fall out of love with you because, well…unrequited love can get a little annoying…and lonely…" She shrugged, doing her best to hide the touch of a frown that came to her face at the memory.

Arnold noticed it though of course, and understood. He nodded and prompted very softly, "I understand, Helga…If…If _you_ left _me_ for six years or something…I might even think about trying the same thing..." He looked to her tenderly.

Helga swallowed and nodded back, some of her smile. "Uh, th-thanks, I-I mean…" she cleared her throat, brushing some mistiness from the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. "Y-Yeah, well…anyway, um…" she spoke much more normally now and the sweet smile had returned to her face, "So…like I said on the playground today it wasn't just for a few hours or something, it was an entire day of feeling…not really like I hated you or anything but just feeling 'out of love' with you…sort of numb…I couldn't feel much of anything actually…I didn't like it very much." She let out a small sigh and shrugged, then went on. "Anyway, though, the reason I felt like that was…" her smiled picked up a little on one side and she looked to Arnold, "…First, promise me you won't tell Gerald about this, okay?"

Arnold's smile picked up on one side as well and he nodded. "Cross my heart, Helga…"

Helga chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay…The reason I felt like that was that I thought I was, uh…under a spell that made it so I couldn't love you anymore…And yeah, before you say it, I know, that's crazy." She rolled her eyes at herself, rocking Abner a little bit more.

Arnold's smile just went ear to ear and he raised an eyebrow at her, doing his best to keep back any laughter for the moment... "A spell? And…where did that come from, exactly?" He finally chuckled and then couldn't help but add (and completely innocently of course because for some reason Arnold is the only guy on the planet who wouldn't go and look up the word right after that day in Helga's shrine when it had gotten brought up and she had blushed bright red and gotten extra flustered about it), "Is this like one of those tantric spells you do in your shrine?"

Helga blushed absolutely furiously! "NO!" Her yell actually made Abner jump a little but she quickly started to rock and pet him again to calm him down, which was helpful because she needed a moment to calm down as well herself. She could tell from the average, innocent look in her beloved's eyes that he still didn't quite get the whole 'tantric spells' thing but still it couldn't help but make her practically jump out of her skin hearing him use that word. And it also didn't help that she was still feeling a little exposed in this blouse. She shrugged her shoulders a little to push up the edges of the sleeves/collar a little more. Then she just let out a deep sigh, hoping Arnold would be more interested in her continuing the story than her reaction to call her upon it, and speedily went on, "A-Anyway…What I mean by 'spell' is like a bona fide, brew in a bottle, 'you-drink-it-and-it-makes-you-not-in-love' potion. See I was passing by this shop called "Madame Blanche's" and it said she sold love potions so I popped inside and asked her if she sold 'out of love' potions and then one thing led to another and pretty soon I was ten bucks lighter and I had a little heart shaped bottle that I was supposed to drink before bed to make all my cares and worries about you disappear forever or something." She blushed a little bit at how ridiculous that theory really did sound when a person thought about it. She sighed, doing her best to plow on to wrap up her story. "Alright so then I got home, got ready for bed, said a bunch of dramatic things to myself, tossed my shrine and poetry books into my wastepaper basket…I'm pretty sure then a few more dramatic things were said to myself…" She rolled her eyes and blushed a tiny bit in embarrassment, "And then I finally chugged the bottle, fell into bed and had the _strangest_ dream. Honestly, Football Head, I really am a couple of mango slices short of a fruitcake sometimes…"

That last comment couldn't help but get a small, polite laugh out of Arnold, and, hearing it, Helga couldn't help but smile and laugh a tiny bit herself. It really was sort of funny, the whole ridiculous thing. She decided since she was feeling more and more relaxed as she talked that she would toss in some bits of the dream too. "Oh, seriously, there were hearts and swirls of color…I'm pretty sure at one point I landed on a giant banana split in the shape of your head… Ugh, then I woke up and felt like I'd been hit by a truck. But I guess I should have learned from the pork rinds, NO consuming strange substances that I don't know the ingredients to before bedtime for me." She laughed some more and so did Arnold, and even Abner gave a little happy snort.

Arnold smiled to himself and shook his head. "Helga…you know, I…I know it might have been a little 'too soon' for us back then but I do wish you had just come to me…I could have saved you ten dollars and a bad night's sleep and a whole day of moping around. Even if I hadn't felt like I loved you back at first…I still would have done my best to be supportive and to make you feel better…just like I tried to do after your actual confession when we finally started talking about things a little bit, even if things were a little shaky at first and I made a few mistakes." She shrugged with a touch of humble apology. "I'm just happy things turned out alright in the end with this 'out of love' potion thing. I…I would have really missed you if they hadn't…" he blushed a tiny bit and admitted sheepishly, "After all, I…I could barely stand you not picking on me for that _one day_ you thought you were 'out of love'…A lifetime of that would have been just miserable." He looked at her with a blushing little smile.

Helga looked back at him with so much sympathy and sweetness. Then she giggled a little and added, "Well, if it's any consolation, Football Head, a life without torturing you with love would have been sort of a bummer to me too. I'm just glad that I couldn't take it anymore after a day and went back to that Madame Blanche person and found out from here that her 'potion' was just grape juice, chamomile and a little ginseng apparently." She laughed more and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I paid ten bucks for half a cup of fruit punch. Oh how young I was at nine."

They both shared a warm laugh.

"Oh and then I was so happy when I figured out I could love you again that I just about danced through the streets, I crashed into you and spat out an insult to you and it was wonderful, I even-…even…Oh. Wow. I had…forgotten that I'd done that…" A deep sigh escaped Helga and she shook her head and mumbled to herself a little with her eyes closed. "I'm going to have to give him an apology or that one…"

"Helga?"

The sound of Arnold curiously saying her name made Helga blink a few times a look to him. '_Oh. Right. He's still sitting right in front of me while I'm talking to myself right now, isn't he?'_ She blushed a little glancing down. "Yes, Arnold?" she asked with a little sigh, though she more than knew what he was going to ask._ 'Give who an apology? What are you talking about?'_

"Give who an apology? What are you talking about?"

Helga nodded, unable to help smiling to herself a little. '_Yup, there we go._' "Arnold…" She sighed again and just looked at him with a humble smile. "Uh…don't know how you're going to feel about this one and I swear I didn't even remember it until just now but, uh…so, yeah, I was really extra happy the second I got out of that Madame Blanche lady's shop and…I think subconsciously along with being happy that I got to love you again I was also happy to have a certain little companion back in my life so, uh…Brainy was the first person I ran into and I sort of grabbed him and planted a kiss right on his forehead. And I really think that I should mention that to him the next time I see him and apologize because, or Pete's sake, if you had ever randomly grabbed me out of the blue and kissed any part of me for any reason I would have been utterly delirious for days and I hate to think I put the little guy through anything or gave him false hope, you know?" She shrugged, looking to her beloved and hoping that he really wouldn't get into some pouty or jealous mood over this.

"I knew it…You really are secretly in love with Brainy and I'm just your 'love toy' to practice kissing with to prepare yourself for him, like you joked with me one time." A dramatic (and very playful) sigh. "Well, I suppose I'll have to be a sport about this…Come on, let's call him up and get him over here and I'll hand you off to him officially."

This statement was followed by Arnold managing to maintain looking at Helga with a very amused smile…before he instantly burst into warm chuckles that he couldn't deny or help.

"Oh brother…" Helga rolled her eyes, smiling and laughing a little herself. "You know, you could have just said you were 'okay' with me giving his forehead a spontaneous peck."

Arnold waved her off, just barely managing to get his laughter under control enough to reply, "Nah, that wouldn't be nearly as fun. He chuckled a little more then let out a breath and just looked to her with a smile. "Helga, really…however much I'm sure you love to watch me be jealous over you, it's okay that you kissed Brainy's forehead, I promise." He winked at her and then added with a little blush… "Actually, the only thing I feel any jealousy about is that…_I_ wasn't the first one you ran into. Then maybe _I _would have gotten the kiss from you on the forehead…and who knows what that would have shocked me into a few months in advance." He winked at her and chuckled.

Helga blushed a tiny bit then smiled shyly and giggled. "Ah, very good point, Football Head. Eh but then again who are we to complain when fate tossed a secluded rooftop, five minutes to ourselves, and a romantic, stormy morning into our laps?" She smiled dreamily at him and then chuckled more and added. "Don't worry, though, I'll be sure to give you as many kisses on your forehead…or anywhere else you'd like…for the rest of forever if you want them." She winked back at him.

Arnold, looking to her in amusement and love, chuckled and smiled more. "Okay, Helga. That all sounds fair enough. _Very _fair. Thank you. A-And, um…th-the same goes for me about you…" he managed to add quickly and casually before blushing a little and glancing down to his plate in shyness.

Helga just smiled at him a little more in return and nodded. "Oh you're _very_ welcome…and thank you too, my bashful yet bold little beloved."

She blushed glanced down to her plate as well (and also at Abner a little), and the two of them shared a moment of just sitting across from each other and looking all coy and sweet like this.

In a little while the moment went along its way and then out of the corner of his eye Arnold saw Helga finish the last gulp of her lemonade and it made him reach out and finish the last gulp of his too. Then he stood up and began to clear away the dinner dishes. It would soon be time for dessert, after all.

Noticing what he was doing, Helga instantly started to stand up and help, sort of regretting that she would have to put down the little pig in her arms to do so though (he was really getting cozy with her and she was sort of getting fond of him and he had just yawned and seemed ready to take a little nap against her).

Instantly though she was stopped by Arnold coming close to her and leaning his face with its warm, half lidded gaze and cute, charming smile right down into her own. He shook his head. "No, no, this is my night of our anniversary and you're my guest so I'll take care of all the dishes…and setting things up for dessert." He winked at her. "You just stay here and let me do all the work…I'll clear the table and I'll even take Abner down to his basket—he's very sleepy now anyway. Oh, and, um…if you could close your eyes, Helga, while I'm preparing for things, that would be great. I want dessert to be a surprise." He smiled a little more and winked at her.

Just having his gorgeous football head suddenly so close to her face had been more than enough to make Helga blush and cause her to hesitate in getting up…his little mention of and then request about 'dessert' though made her blush go just a bit rosier and a little giggle escape her. "O-Oh…Oh, alright…Just this once I'll sit back and let you chivalrously take care of everything, you little love god, you…And I'll even close my eyes too." She gently shut her eye lids, smiling away giving Abner a little farewell hug before he would be taken away from her. "You wouldn't wanna give me a hint though about what 'dessert' might be, would you?" she asked playfully with a little chuckle.

Her eyes still closed up tight, Helga heard Arnold sigh and then sounds of dishes being removed and stacked. He sounded like he was doing his best to maintain his composure about something…and like he was smiling…a lot... "A-Actually…yes, Helga. I have something really special planned for dessert… Something with plenty of 'sugar…' "

Helga's smile brightened. "Really?" she asked eagerly, recalling not only the one time during dinner at her house when she had tossed that same little line out to get to him, but also the last time they had played the 'just close your eyes for me for a second game.' '_Hmm…I tested lip gloss on him last time…maybe he's going to test cologne on me or something._' "Hey, whatever floats your boat, Football Head!" she agreed brightly. Then, smirking to herself a tiny bit in glee, Helga managed to reach out to her purse on the table, snag the tube of lip gloss from it, and apply a fresh coat to her mouth. She then put the tube back and sat there with a smile on her face, and her lips obviously a little puckered (much to Arnold's amusement.)

It sounded to Helga like a little chuckle escaped at the back of Arnold's throat as he went over to her and she felt him gently take the pig from her in one of his arms. "Yup," he replied. "Just let me bring these dishes downstairs and then I'll be right back for our romantic, candlelit dessert together…my little love goddess." He finished in a whisper and then swiftly left the table area, trying not to chuckle to himself as he did so (though it was particularly hard when, just before he started to climb down through the skylight into his room, he heard Helga give a big, audible, dreamy swoon)…

Meanwhile, back at the table, Helga's heart was fluttering away and she just felt so light, so airy, so happy, and she kept her position of having her lips slightly puckered. Who knew? He might sneak back up here and try to catch her off guard with the kisses he surely must have planned for their dessert! And if that happened to be the case, she was going to be more than prepared for him! Helga giggled to herself at the idea. '_Yes sir…Just a few minutes while he tosses the dishes in the sink and then climbs back up here…and then it's make out time!'_

She was very thrilled about the idea to say the least…and it would be happening in only a few short moments of time….

* * *

_Close to twenty minutes later…_

Helga was getting impatient now, to say the least. And though she still remained sitting in her chair and with her eyes closed and with her lips puckered, she was slouching now and scowling a tiny bit and had her arms crossed over her chest. Arnold had been gone downstairs for ten minutes at least, and now he had been up here for another ten minutes, moving things around or whatever he was doing, and not once coming near her or her lips! '_Ugh, I hate hard to get…when __I'm__ not the one playing hard to get…'_ she thought to herself with a little frustrated grumble. Finally she let out a sigh, her patience unable to bear the waiting anymore. "Hey, Arnold, did you fall off the roof or something? Crimeny, there's suspense and then there's just plain—"

She instantly stopped as she felt the spark of familiar lips quickly pecking her own. It sent a blush to her features and made her heart flutter madly, it was so unexpected.

Then… "Okay Helga," she heard Arnold say happily right near her one of her ears. "It's all set up. Open your eyes, please…and Happy Anniversary…and also, Happy… 'one-other-thing-I-missed' …Oh and I'm sorry to make you wait a little longer for anniversary kisses…" He chuckled a tiny bit.

Quite confused at the moment, to say the least, Helga slowly opened her eyes…Her confused gaze turned up to meet Arnold's loving one for a moment until Arnold gestured with his eyes down in front of her toward the table, and Helga's eyes followed…and then went absolutely wide.

Right before her upon the table (along with fresh plates and silverware and a glass of chocolate milk for each of them, hers with a bendy stray) there was a small pink and blue frosted cake…with the words 'Happy Birthday Helga' written across it in yellow.

Her jaw fell just a little. "Arnold…what…"

Arnold took a step back and looked away shyly, explaining himself. "Well, I still feel kind of bad sometimes for not getting anything for you for your last birthday…and especially for tricking you into thinking I'd gotten you something… and I know you said once when I brought it up that you didn't want a present or anything for it and that I should just 'get you next time around', but still…I figured a cake was the least I could do." He looked to her happily, hopefully. "Do you like it, Helga?"

Helga was silent for a second more…

…And then she all but fell out of her seat leaning over to wrap her arms tightly around her beloved in a big hug! "It's…oh it's just as perfect as _you _are, Arnold…just as sweet and wonderful and perfect as you…Thank you!" She shut her eyes and just beamed as she held onto him!

Arnold beamed as well at her enthusiasm, enjoying her being that close and so very happy that she had liked the dessert he had chosen for them! "You're welcome, Helga. And besides, I…like we talked about on the playground today we're going to start openly giving each other presents for things like holidays and birthdays along with our anniversaries so I just wanted to start the tradition as soon as possible. I'm happy you like it, Helga. Really…" And then he let out a happy sigh and hugged her right back.

For a few moments the children just enjoyed their happy, warm embrace. Then with a small sigh Arnold pulled back a tiny bit to look into her eyes, still smiling…Helga's eyes fluttered open and she smiled back to him as well.

For a moment they were caught in a sweet little quiet moment…in the candlelight…under the stars…all dressed up…blushing…

The two slowly came together in a soft kiss…that got deeper…then deeper…their breathings becoming shallower through their noses…And Helga was all ready to just jump up and into his arms and to never let him go…when Arnold gently pulled back from her, taking a moment to catch his breath.

His eyes fluttered open and then so did Helga's. He explained to her. "S-Sorry…I…I want to, um…_you know_. I-I just…um…I-I have a certain p-plan for tonight a-and we're only about h-halfway through and…and it's really important to me…th-that we get it all in before you have to go home for your curfew…alright?" He looked to her hopefully.

Though Helga never did like getting ripped away from Arnold's lips, the sweet look in his eyes and kind way in which he had asked her made her melt into acquiescence. She nodded to him. "O-Okay, A-Arnold…I…I trust you. S-So let's, um…let's get to the next p-part of your plan for the night and then, um…we can get back to 'you know'." She giggled a little and winked at him and managed to unwrap her arms from around his body, taking in and releasing a deep breath as she did her best to calm herself down.

"Th-Thanks…" Arnold nodded and straightened up and straightened his tie a little. For a moment, his eyes caught the sight of her sitting there, face half flushed, lovely soft neck and collar clearly visible, smiling and doing her best to calm her beating heart from the intensity of their kiss and…it was very distracting for a moment, though he quickly did his best to look away and clear his throat and focus more on going back to his own side of the table and preparing to cut the cake. He cut a slice for each of them but then blinked, suddenly realizing something. "Oh, I forgot the candles…Um…Oh!" He took one of the two candles on the table and pushed it in front of her. "You can blow out that one…Happy Belated Birthday, Helga. Make a wish." He smiled at her.

Helga giggled and nodded. "Alright, alright, you big goof. Hmm…" she thought about it, then grinned a little more widely and nodded. "Okay, that'll work!" She leaned over and blew out the candle.

"What did you wish for, Helga?" Arnold asked politely…he was pretty sure of what her answer would be though.

And sure enough he was right. Helga shook her head with a grin. "Nope, not telling you or it won't come true. I'll make you a deal though—if and when it ever does come true, you'll be the first to know." She winked at him.

Arnold just sighed and nodded. "Fair enough, Helga…But I'm going to hold you to that." His grin picked up a little on one side.

"Works for me," she replied playfully. "Now let's dig in!" And with that she picked up her fork and so did Arnold, and she began to eat and so did he.

"_Mmm_….Arnold…" Helga couldn't help but moan, swallowing her third forkful of cake already and almost having the whole slice done. "This is delicious…I'm not even trying to butter you up for more kisses soon—it's great! Heh, you could give Olga a run for her money. The cake's got a hint of lemon and the icing's so sweet and creamy…" She chuckled a little to herself. "Ooo I just realized what the best part is though—it's good just like eating Olga's food but I don't have to act like it annoys me to eat it the entire time just for the fun of it. Okay, now you have officially found me the perfect birthday present, Arnold. I'll be expecting one of these bad boys from my little 'bad boy' every year from now on." Finished with her first slice, she reached across the table and went to cut herself a second one.

Arnold blushed but smiled gratefully as he ate a little more of the cake himself. "O-Oh, um…sure thing, Helga, if you'd like. But, of course, next year and all the years after that—"

"Ooo, planning to be with me 'all the years after that' too, huh?" Helga couldn't help but interject with a smirk and a playful batting of her eyelashes.

Arnold sighed and rolled his eyes and replied back equally playfully, "Well, as I can't seem to live without you picking on and scowling at me for even just a day…yeah, so far I'm planning being with you for a few years…or so…" He blushed a little extra, a special little smile coming to his face. And then he just chuckled a little bit and sighed and went on as she giggled to herself a little more. "Anyway, next year and the years after that, along with the cake you'll also get actual presents from me on your birthdays too. I'm not sure _what_ I'll get you yet of course for next year but I hope it'll make you feel happy and smile and blush a million times more than just the cake did…"

Helga knew he probably wasn't considering certain implications of his words but still she couldn't help herself. She leaned her elbow on the table, rested her head in her hand and smirked at him just a little. "Hmm…gonna make me feel happy and smile and blush THAT much, huh? Well, well ,well…what did you and those soft lips and strong hands and firm chest of yours have in mind, my dark little love…?"

Arnold remained looking dazed and sweet for a moment longer but then instantly his eyes opened up wide and snapped to hers, a small rosiness popping up in his face, the implied meaning of his last words finally sinking in. "Oh! I…sorry, Helga, I didn't mean it like that…really. Just a…residual effect of that kiss before…" He smiled a little more to himself. "I just meant…you know, you always blush a little and smile whenever I do something that makes you happy like giving you something nice." He blushed a little bit more, glancing away 'innocently'… "Of course, if you wanted to make use of my soft lips and strong hands and firm chest AFTER I gave you the present…well…that would be up to you, of course, Helga…" he added humbly yet playfully.

Helga just giggled at his joking (she was really happy too that lately he had gotten so much more relaxed about awkward things and about really admitting just how romantically he liked her). "Well, I'd have to check my busy schedule but I guess I could work you in…" She sighed to herself and ate some more cake…and then sort of a nostalgic look came to her face yet again tonight.

And Arnold picked up on his change in expression once again tonight and instantly raised an eyebrow. "Something on you mind again, Helga?" he asked with interest.

"Hmm?" Helga blinked and looked confused for a second, but then just smiled more. "Oh, I was just…" She sighed and shook her head, going back to her cake, "It's stupid, Arnold, really…"

Arnold just let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "Helga—in love…probably 'destined to be together'…lips fit perfectly…all the awkward stuff—you can tell me anything…Besides, I like talking to you…and especially about things that make you blush." He chuckled.

A small laugh escaped Helga as well. Who could argue with that logic? "Oh fine, you win, paste for brains. I was just…" she got that reminiscing look again, "…just thinking about my _actual_ last birthday…and the present you gave me…"

Arnold blinked, very confused. "You mean the box that blinded y—"

Helga instantly shook her head and waved him off. "No! Doi! Like I said that first time we had dinner with my parents…I _mean_ that tango you gave me…The one that almost gave me a heart attack long before you surprise-dropped me into the pool." She let out a girlish sigh, smiling more and more at the romantic, passionate memory. "I don't know, I guess just you talking about blushing and my birthday reminded me of it…You know, Arnold…like how before you were going on about missing me being able to pull crazy schemes on you (which I still can, like I said)? Well, there is one thing I miss about you from how it was before…After all, now romance from you is so expected and accepted and it happens so frequently that…it's hard for anything to happen that will compare to the feeling that went through me when you took me in your arms under the pretense of a friend and just dipped me and spun me and held me and pulled me close…" She smiled a little more to herself, feeling the memory of shivers running up and down her spine and hot twists going through her whole stomach...Such a lovely, wonderful memory seeing Arnold's bold, romantic side for the first time. "No offense, Arnold…" she assured him sweetly, "I mean, you still do some awesome stuff but it was just the newness and mystery of it all back then, I guess…And even though I love how you make me blush now….part of me still wishes you could make me blush like back then, I guess…" Blushing just a little (but in the new way of course, not the old way) at how silly that all might have sounded she looked to her beloved. "That make any sense or is it just more evidence that I'm crazy as a loon?" she asked sheepishly.

Actually, to Arnold…it made perfect sense. And it was a little frustrating…but also a little interesting. And also kind of like a challenge…The idea that he couldn't make her heart pound, make the blood rush to her face, make her lock up entirely like in that old way. And in truth he was aware of the shift in her reactions, especially since she had just brought it up in this way. His own reactions had been shifting of course but she actually still did have the power to make him blush in the old way, considering his modesty. Especially when she brought up things from the past…things like—His mind instantly locked up. Because the first thing that had come to it…in regards to her making him blush in the old way now…was…well…the memory of her mentioning a very specific incident from the old days once a few weeks ago…One that had made him blush so thoroughly that he simply hadn't been able to discuss it at all at the time.

'_Yeah, but…bringing that up would just make ME blush like crazy, not her…It's not like SHE'S the one who had someone watch her undre—'_

He felt heat flood his face at the very idea.

But then the concept sunk in a little more.

And he had an interesting idea.

And so to her question about seeming like a total loon Arnold just smiled and sighed and shrugged and shook his head. "No, that…that makes sense, Helga…And I understand what you mean. Of course, when it comes to me, it's different. _You_ still make _me_ blush sometimes in the old way…I guess it's because, well, like you always say, I'm so modest." And then he added a small frown as he finished, "I just wish I could still make it happen for _you_."

Helga blinked a few times and looked at him a little curiously at agreeing with her so easily and without even a little assertion that he was certain he could make her blush in that old way…but then she just smiled and waved him off. '_Eh_…' He always had been a non-confrontational and easy going little guy. "Ah, don't worry about it, Arnoldo. Besides, what 'what you do to me' lacks in intensity you make up for in volume." She winked, finishing scarfing down her second slice of cake.

Arnold just chuckled a little…and prepared to go in for the kill. "Well, thank you, Helga…I guess that's true." And then he let himself look off like HE was reminiscing this time…and finally went on with a sigh. "Hmm…" he chuckled again, mentally thanking himself that so much of Helga had rubbed off on him, and letting the bait dangle…

And of course she took it.

"What's so funny, love?" the girl before him asked with a smile.

'_Got her._' Arnold let out a breath and sighed, leaning back a little in his seat…just smiling with his eyes slightly narrowed. "Oh I was just…thinking of one of the last times you really, really made me blush in the old way…When you told me about that whole 'watching me get undressed thing' actually…" Yes, he knew it was a big thing to bring up...but he…was ready. He…He could do this…And she _had_ just said that she wanted to blush in the old way, and earlier she had said that she was feeling a lot more comfortable tonight with their date and her outfit…so why not have some good-natured fun?

And indeed the faintest tinge of a blush (and he KNEW it was the old blush) came to Helga's features now. She seemed to need a moment to process this route of conversation that he had suddenly steered them into but then took a long sip of her chocolate milk and managed to nod and clear her throat. "Oh! Uh…y-yeah, I…guess…Heh, heh…" She gulped and glanced away, using her fork to play with the cake crumbs on her plate.

Arnold felt himself blush quite a little as well but did his best to plow on, slowly eating his slice of cake as something to distract himself so that he wouldn't falter in nervousness. "Yeah…But, you know…I mean, I guess it's not something you would have brought up on our first date or anything of course, but I don't understand why you didn't tell me sooner…about that…I mean, you had to know I was still going to love you when you told me…"

Helga, a rather uncomfortable look on her face, just shifted in her seat and nodded, still playing away with those cake crumbs. "Um…yeah, I…I knew you wouldn't stop 'loving me'. I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable…make ME uncomfortable…" she'd added the last three words under her breath but Arnold heard them just the same.

He nodded, taking a sip of his own chocolate milk…trying to resist the smug smirk wanting to come to his face though it was so very hard. "Mmm hmm…but really you were _cringing and gulping and everything_ when you told me…" He looked at her a bit curiously… "Outside of not loving you anymore, what did you think I was going to do exactly when you told me about that? …Get angry with you…tell you that you really are crazy…never be able to look at you the same way again…" he allowed himself a slight pause of hesitation but then, as planned, added in the same casual tone, "…Tell you that it was okay and that anyone would have done the same thing in that situation…even _me_ maybe?"

Helga looked kind of frustrated at this point in the conversation. It was just that it was their anniversary night and she wanted to enjoy herself and relax and she didn't want to spend her last hour or so with Arnold working out some big awkward thing that could wait until any of their other dates. "Well…I don't know, Arnold. I guess I just wasn't sure what would happen so I—" And then she froze. She absolutely stopped all movement. Nothing. Not a blink or a twitch…even the strands of her hair seemed perfectly still. And then she turned as red as a rose all over! '_What. Did. He. Just. Say…'_

'_It was completely worth getting myself to actually say that just for the look on her face and that blush of hers right now…'_

Arnold just cleared his throat, still not quite done with his joke, and continued on like it was the most casual thing in the world. "Oh, I'm kidding, Helga…just k-kidding…about that last part…Y-You know me, I'd be too modest and nervous to ever actually do something like that…" He did his best not to smirk too much as he added an innocent shrug. He watched Helga and her blush just deepened, if that was possible, and she still didn't move. He chuckled to himself as an interesting thought occurred to him now as he observed her (and a perfect way to continue with his plan), "Wow, I…didn't realize saying that would make you blush this badly, Helga…You're red EVERYWHERE… Your cheeks and your neck and your shoulders…the top of your chest…Hmm, I wonder if you always blush in all of those places whenever you blush…If you do, it's nice to finally see it all for myself." He ended with a casual little chuckle, taking another small bite of his slice of cake.

"Uh…I…Uh…let's, uh…yeah…" Helga's cracking, high-pitched voice came out and she instantly crossed her arms over the front of herself (much as she had done at the start of this meal in nervousness), still absolutely (and obviously) burning with heat all over…and all of it really the old kind of heat, the old kind of blush, and Arnold could tell.

He just chuckled a little more…It almost felt like he could feel the heat coming off of her. He did his best to maintain as he played with her just a little bit more before he inevitably told her he was just kidding with her a bit with all of this and apologized. He really wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable or anything right now, he just considered this more of their flirting, more of their teasing, more of their closeness. "You're really cute when you're blushing like this, Helga…Even if it IS new blushing since, like you said, I ' of course' can't make the old heart stopping kind of blushing happen anymore…Really cute. And then that plus the hair and the clothes and the make up tonight…" He sighed, quite dreamily, still looking right at her. "Can I mention again how much I like that red blouse of yours again, Helga? Cut off the shoulder like that… Olga was right, it really is grown up looking and…you really can pull it off. Actually, it…it almost…almost reminds me of how…" '_Arnold, you can do this—just keep going…_' he willed himself right towards the edge of the joke… "It almost reminds me of how often I end up making the straps of your dress slide off your shoulders whenever we kiss…" He glanced down modestly, though he still smiled, now just playing with crumbs on his empty cake plate. "Sorry, Helga, for that, by the way…" he replied with a congenial little smile, "I don't mean to get that…'rough' with you about things…I just…There's just something about your shoulders I guess…grasping them with my hands…holding onto you so tightly…getting closer to the warm skin underneath…It's nice that that blouse makes it like you're wearing nothing up there at all…"

"ARNOLD!" Helga instantly squeaked loudly, causing him to blink and look up at her again. Her eyes were filled with shock and her jaw was dropped and now, on top of her arms being still crossed over her chest, her hands were over her shoulders, cupping them, and she was even slouching a little in her chair like she was trying to hide from him or something. He almost had to smirk! He'd never seen her squirm like that. IT was…kind of fun...and of course just adorable.

Should he push it the last step further…?

'_Seven years of torture, Arnold…Seven years…'_

Yeah, he definitely should…just to try. They were so close after all, it would have to be all right…right?

"S-Speaking of 'not wearing things', Helga…" And actually, well…this thought HAD popped into his mind once or twice over the weeks…a-and maybe they really were close enough that he could bring it up playfully, and especially since he had just brought up the 'undressing incident' part of the parrot misadventure… "When I was getting cleaned up for tonight I was thinking…that time you sleepwalked over here and woke up in my…you know, shower…Remember, you told me that story?" He smiled just a little bit more to himself, gazing at her with his eyes slightly half lidded…but also slightly narrowed. He saw that she was frozen again, listening… "Well…I was just curious…when you woke up…were you in your pajamas…_or_…" He let the 'or' hang VERY deliberately…and just raised a very interested eyebrow at her, trying his best not to lose it.

That did it.

Helga G. Pataki suddenly ducked under the table as much as possible! All Arnold could see anymore was a crown of blonde hair peeking over the tabletop.

He had been feeling little twinges of doubt and guilt during this entire little 'game' of course…but suddenly they overwhelmed him and snapped him out of the fun he had thought he had been having! He instantly sympathized with her completely, recalling all of those times ever since her confession _she_ had ever made _him_ feel embarrassed beyond anything about all of this love stuff. And besides, perhaps he _had_ pushed things too far with this last particular topic…He knew it was certainly nothing a true gentleman would have done, now that he thought about it…And…And…oh, look at her! Oh what had he done! What had he been thinking? What had just come over him?

Arnold instantly got up and walked around to the other side of the table. He knelt down and spoke very sincerely in Helga's direction though he left the table cloth down to obscure her, figuring she might not want him to approach her or that she might not want to see him just yet. "…Helga?" he started hesitantly…and then let out a breath, looking absolutely guilty, about to reach out towards her but stopping himself, almost feeling like he didn't deserve to. "Helga, I'm sorry…I was just…just trying to prove a point to you about blushing and still being able to make you do it in the old way…And…I was also trying to get back at you a little I guess from spying on me in the first place, now that I think about it…" He was so sad looking and so desperate. He never wanted to cause her pain and make her sad. And for all he knew she was under the table in tears or something because he had let himself get carried away, let himself indulge too much in that bolder side of him that she liked, let himself take for granted the openness and freedoms between them and abuse them a little…. "Please, Helga, I thought you'd think it was funny…And also, well…I really do think you look pretty in that blouse…" he admitted shyly, and then added with a clearing of his throat, "But…But in a strictly 'gentlemanly' way ,of course…I mean…you've never worn something that, um…mature looking before and…it's, um…nice to see your shoulders and your neck and…a little bit lower. You're a…" he recalled one of her tactics for trying to comfort him after she had admitted spying on him while trying to get back that parrot…and, well, also, what he was about to say WAS true, so… "You're a pretty girl, Helga…" He smiled a bit more at the idea. And then added, trying to bring a touch of humor back to things…and maybe to bring some of the humiliation back onto himself, "A-And remember, all I really did was talk about seeing you… 'you know'…a-and only part of you, really…" he found his heart racing but tried to ignore it, "B-But you're the one who actually, you know…saw a lot of me…for real." He swallowed, wanting to wrap things up. "P-Please come out, Helga…No more jokes about anything like this ever again, at all. I promise." He so wanted to hold her hand or something to comfort her…but he knew he had to let her come back out to him on her own.

He waited.

Then he heard Helga mumble something under the table.

He blinked, and strained his ears…but no he just couldn't make out what she said.

"Helga…" Okay, now Arnold was getting VERY concerned! Very, very, very concerned… "Please come out!" he tried again, feeling almost heartbroken that she still felt the need to hide from him…and all because he had been…well he had basically been a jerk to her when you got right down to it! The guilt of his conscience overwhelmed him again. "I really am sorry!" he repeated again, "I shouldn't have…I mean, I wouldn't have even thought about going through with a joke like that except for the fact that we've gotten so close and you've made me feel so comfortable talking to you and being myself around you…A-And…A-And…" he felt fire prick at his face but he hoped once again that bringing some of the embarrassment over to himself through honesty would help this situation, "And, um…maybe part of…going so far with the whole thing was because of…a little bit of curiosity, sometimes, on my part." He felt his heart race a little again but continued on earnestly. "I-I mean…I've never, um, had a girl do anything close to what you've done with me…what we've done with each other…" He swallowed and rubbed one arm with the other, feeling his breathing wanting to pick up a little…and was it getting hotter up here? "Um…" he tugged at his collar, "And I mean before you came along I'd never even THOUGHT about…" he let out a sigh… '_Tell the truth, Arnold, tell the truth…_', "Well, okay, maybe I HAD thought about some of those things a little…but…um…l-like I said, you're you and you're a girl and I just get a little…you know, curious sometimes…just like when you were curious about me that one time behind my couch, and…and I know it's not a nice thing to be or an innocent thing to be or a gentlemanly thing to be but I can't help it!" He had to admit in his own frustration. "I really am very attracted to you!" He shifted a bit closer in total desperation. "But really I meant this whole thing as a joke, just to get back at you a little and I'm sorry! Please, Helga! Please say you forgive me."

Arnold waited with bated breath.

It then sounded like Helga, still tucked away under the table, let out a breath and then she just mumbled a little again.

Arnold moved a little closer, still unable to hear her but wishing he could, though he assumed that whatever it was she was trying to say it probably wasn't very good. "Helga…" his voice was quiet, sincere, caring… "I'm sorry. With all my heart. And I'll do anything to make it up to you. Please…my beloved." He rarely called her that unless it was one of their more intimate moments…Something about the term of affection just felt to him like it belonged more to her to say, like it was more her style…but it had felt right for him to say it back to her now. His beloved…he loved her so much. And he wanted her to come out…wanted to hear that he was still her beloved too.

There was only some more silence from his female companion at first though…

And then a breath was taken in under the table…and then Arnold (gratefully) watched as the crown of blond hair that had been peeking out over the tabletop this whole time rose to its full height to rest against the back of the chair once more. "I said…" began its owner, glancing down a lot, still mostly the color of a freshly plucked flower of love, though it was waning at least a tiny bit by now, "…When I woke up…in your shower…that one time…I…wasn't wearing anything. And I stole a robe and put it on and ran out of that bathroom and out of your house and back to my house as fast as I could…Bumped into you on the stairs, actually. And I still don't know what happened to my pajamas." Helga cleared her throat and then just looked over at Arnold with a slight scowl and a frown…and just barely managed to move her arms away from her chest and collar and to the arms of her chair, trying to seem calm and in control again. "There—tell your curiosity to chew on THAT and the fact that this blouse leaves a little less to that wide imagination of yours than usual….Hmph!" She then closed her eyes and turned away from him defiantly.

Arnold, the surprise of her return and of her words processing and passing, was the one frozen now for a couple of seconds…a blush beginning to flower practically throughout his entire face, and a deep, dark one it was. '_She…on the…only wearing a…She…_' He didn't understand why he was having so much trouble processing this simple, slightly sarcastic statement she had just made. It was a pretty straightforward part of the story after all, and a perfectly acceptable and logical reply to his playful inquiry about it before. She had been wet and…she had had no clothes…so naturally she had just wrapped a robe around herself…and she had pushed against him as she had run out of the bathroom and down the stairs…That was a simple story, right? And yet…his head was really stuck on it. And it made him feel…funny…in a way that he felt 'funny' every once in a while these days around her but…a little more intensely and suddenly than usual.

Arnold quickly shook his head and put it all aside for now though. Here in the middle of an anniversary dinner with Helga (and possibly in the middle of a fight) was probably not the best place for him to start trying to analyze this whole 'funny feeling' thing he had been actually avoiding analyzing in the first place lately. And so he just let out a breath and straightened his tie and stoop up from the roof floor, and did his best to respond in a casual voice, "Oh, um…o-okay, Helga…thank you." He sat back down in his chair. "S-Sorry again…" It was the only thing he could think to say, glancing down, hands in his lap.

_Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap…_

Suddenly Arnold blinked and looked up at hearing the sound of rhythmic tapping and realized it was her fingertips drumming against the table…firmly. "Arnold. Phillip. Shortman."

Our football headed hero felt a serious shudder of fear go through him. Worse than any of the times pre confession when he had been convinced that she was going to 'kill him' for something. She had never used his full name before. At least…not in that tone. He swallowed very hard and glanced up her humbly. "Uh…yes, m-my lovely and…forgiving angel? Heh, heh…" He looked at her innocently, trying to lighten things a little again. "And, um…did I mention yet that I'm in love with you…After nearly seven years of unrequited love we're celebrating our one month anniversary. Remember…heh, heh?" _'Oh boy…I'm going to die. She's this angry and we're on a roof…_' He gulped. _'Yup, I'm going to die_…'

The fingertip drumming happened once more and then ceased.

Arnold looked across the table. Helga let out a breath. And then she spoke to him very levelly, looking at him with something between a scowl and blank gaze. "Arnold Phillip Shortman. That…was…That…was the most rude, most unfair, most…inappropriate thing I have EVER had someone do to me throughout my entire life. I think I'd have every right to just….just slap you across the face, toss the rest of my chocolate milk at you and leave and not speak to you for a very long time. I really just plain expected better from you, and..." (Arnold had just been cringing more and more and more as she had spoken, feeling worse and worse, and just the most guilty he had even felt about anything in his entire life). He waited for the final blow now. Probably something about how any lady would break up with him in an instant, and how the only thing that would probably save him from her doing that right now would be the fact that she irrevocably loved him…though she would at least definitely require several days away from him followed by just dozens of apologies before things could even begin going back to normal.

"AND…" she repeated once more, and he swallowed and waited some more….

"And…" her voice softened a bit with this one, and it made Arnold un-cringe just a bit and glance to her. Was there hope? "And…I am very impressed, Arnold. VERY impressed. I have taught you well, my beloved."

Arnold's jaw practically fell to the table with a thud. '_Wh-What…?_' "I…" '_Impressed?'_ "I…I'm sorry, Helga, I—did you just say that you're…impressed with me?" Yes, Helga had thrown him for a loop with her reactions to some things over the course of their time together, but…really, what?

From her place across the table Helga just giggled and rolled her eyes at the precious look on his face now and at the somewhat nostalgic (whether he realized it or not) question that had just escaped him, and couldn't help herself. " 'What are you—deaf?'" She burst into a little laughter at the reference to her confession that he had set up so well for her.

And yet, rather than joining in her laughter at all, her Arnold just sat there still, still looking so very confused and dense.

Helga just rolled her eyes, fully smiling by now. '_Needs his hand held through everything sometimes, I swear…._' She let out a sigh and decided to finally explain herself to him. "Yes, Arnold, I'm impressed. That was possibly the single greatest prank you've ever played on me in your entire life. You not only made me blush in the old way…you also then made me blush in an entirely new way that I never even knew existed! Beautiful Arnold, just beautiful. So well executed, so unexpected, so well placed…Brilliant, Football Head." She scowled just a little again for a second. "Of course, as a girl…and I guess, as a 'lady', my little 'gentleman'… I'm a little…resentful, I suppose, of you putting me through all of that and with no warning…But…" The smile returned to her face and all of the pride that went with it, "I'm far more impressed than anything else…And also…just a little fascinated by a few of the things you just said…" She chuckled to herself a little, a smirk coming to her lips. "I would have come out from under the table sooner but it was fun hearing you go on and on about some things…And who knew you were 'curious'…about little old me?" A certain gleam came to her eyes.

Arnold had been slowly processing her explanation of being 'impressed'…but now her comment about his curiosity processed…as did that smirk of hers…and that gleam in her eyes…and his heart just dropped into his stomach. '_Oh no, PLEASE don't let her milk that…PLEASE…' _To be perfectly honest he hadn't intended on ever admitting that particular feeling of his to her until they had a few wedding anniversaries behind them…not just a one month courtship anniversary! He gulped…and could have just smacked himself.

The girl in front of him, still grinning happily away, just leaned a little forward on the table and spoke very smoothly to him. "_Curious_, huh?" she said like the word was so very interesting to her. "Hmm…" she giggled, "Well, off the record, I didn't expect something like that to happen from you until we were practically married considering your modesty, Football Head…Earliest I guess might have been when we finally hit 'teenage Arnold'—I mean, there was always the chance that the fact that you're a boy and I'm a girl would overwhelm you on schedule like with most people no matter what… But…if curious Arnold is already here…I'm sure I can adjust things a little to deal with him…"

And then suddenly she was standing up, and walking…well, sauntering slowly really…around to the other side of the table …and Arnold was VERY much blushing in the old way, the new way…just about every way that it was possible to blush. How she was smiling, what she had just said…the way she was moved as she approached him…the way that blouse really did just barely cling to the very bottoms of her shoulders…And now she was standing before him…and her pretty legs straight together…so long and cute and smooth and pale…angled so nicely by the heels of her little red shoes.

And then she just smiled a little more in the glow of the candlelight as she looked down at him. "You always end up pulling at my dress straps because you secretly want to hold my actual shoulders huh? Well…you like my shoulders so much…" Arnold was just….dying! He couldn't describe the feeling that was…It was that funny feeling from before with the whole bathrobe thing but so very much more active. He was sure if she touched him she would feel him actually shaking. And then he watched helplessly as she turned herself…and sat in his lap…(Arnold almost couldn't bear it), legs dangling off to the side…and then (after nestling herself in) she reached forward with both of her hands, gently took both of his hands, and raised them up, "Well, then…" she whispered, her face so close to his, "why don't you 'hold on to' them for a little while now…" And then suddenly she placed his hands upon those soft, perfect, still even blushing a little shoulders of hers, all but fully exposed.

Arnold was surprised that steam didn't rise up from their contact! It was blinding and blazing and brilliant and there was a girl in his lap and he loved her and his hands were on her bare shoulders! And he knew he had a schedule for tonight and that 'intimacy' wasn't supposed to happen for a little while yet but what was suddenly going on right here and right now completely overrode anything the reasonable and logical side of his mind had planned out. "Mmm…!" His eyes wide, he couldn't help but let a small little squeak come out of him at the back of his throat. He had not expected this at ALL. And she was looking at him like…like…

She must have heard the squeak because then she lightly giggled and picked up one of her now free hands and gently placed a single finger over his lips. "Shh…" she whispered, "Don't talk…just…feel."

His heart trembled as she gently wrapped her arms around his back and moved forward and gave him a kiss.

* * *

A very long kiss since it was still going on many seconds later, though Arnold had more than lost track of time. Her delicate, soft, (slightly lemony and raspberry) lips pressing against and into his own…her soft arms and hands holding him around his back…fingers gently moving up and down his spine every now and again like a whisper of wind… '_Almost like she wants to touch…touch MY skin…_' The thought barely registered as the word 'skin' made his palms burn again with the feeling of her shoulders underneath his hands. He squeezed them, held them, savored them…so soft and firm and smooth…It was almost too much to understand why this perfect girl…this perfect woman…was letting him touch her so closely… He tried to ease his grip, afraid he would hurt them or something but still it was hard. His fingers practically felt like they were melting into her flesh…

And then he felt…he felt her…she…

He almost wanted to smile at the irony and at the memory but he knew it would mess up what she was doing if he did that.

She had shifted her kiss to his lower lip, gently focusing on it above anything else. And he understood now what doing that to her in that library had made her go limp with love. He released a very deep sigh, nearly a moan, through his nose at the feeling of her savoring that small piece of him like that…

'_Oh….WOW…_' was all Helga could think, meanwhile, as she kissed him like this, his strong, warm hands on her cool shoulders, her arms clutching around his back…as she regretted the thin layer of cotton dress shirt separating her from getting to touch his skin too. _'I would have lowered the jumper straps myself if I'd known this is what he was after whenever we kissed…Oh…I …OH…_' His hands on her shoulders almost made her want to melt and swoon and pass out right in his arms and lap.

Helga finished gently caressing Arnold's lower lip with her own lips and then brought her mouth up just a bit, letting her own lower lip rest between both of Arnold's lips for just a moment now…just for the sake of the memory…before she lightly allowed their mouths to separate…

For a moment both children just sat there, Helga with her arms still pressing into the shirt against Arnold's back, and Arnold still feeling his hands sear as they grasped her shoulders…Helga still in Arnold's lap as she sat wrapped around him and Arnold still with her light weight upon him…the two of them just breathing, and flushed and looking at each other with half lidded gazes.

"W-Well…" Helga finally managed to get out with a smile, panting a little, lips rosy, "We'll…h-have to try touching while kissing a bit more o-often, then, I guess…"

Arnold blinked in disbelief and looked at her with a curious smile, panting a little himself. "We…We get to do that…_again_…if we want?" He chuckled little, unable to help himself.

Helga just smiled even more at his silly question and nodded. "Yes, of course, my Arnold…every day forever…if you'd like. You can touch me and my shoulders over and over and over again…If you can handle it…" She winked at him and chuckled a little herself.

Arnold, his smile just as goofy as could be, just gave a small nod. "I'll…I'll try and k-keep my heart from exploding, my Helga…." He closed his eyes and savored the feeling of her shoulders once more, just loving them and her.

Helga just gave a light giggle. "Hey, I told you once before—a little cardio never hurt anyone, so suck it up, Arnoldo!" And with that she went forward and surprised him by giving his lips another quick kiss, before she then finally unwound her arms from his torso and pulled back from him a little.

Arnold just remained dazed and tingling all over as she now stood, removing herself delicately from his lap. "Now come on, my curious little Arnold…let's just get back to finishing our drinks and dessert and I'll try not to blush _too_ much about any of this…" As she was speaking she was walking back over to the other side of the table, "…Even though I know you love getting to see so much more of what on me blushes whenever you make me blush…" She giggled purposefully and sat back down in her chair and glanced away shyly with a smile on her face and a small bit of flushed pinkness still present in her cheeks…and a bud of the rosiness she had had before during Arnold's little 'joke' could be detected there too. She couldn't help a small compulsion to casually cross her arms over her chest, though not as highly as before. She sighed to herself. _'Honestly, though, he's such a silly little thing…Who cares about seeing my neck and my shoulders and everything? Really, it all can't look that different from how he looks or how any of the other guys look…And curious? That's sweet of him and I'm sure he's curious about girls in general but curious specifically about me? I-I don't know about that… Like he said, he was kidding about the whole thing before and even if he wasn't…Come on with some of those older girls he's liked…I wouldn't stand a chance. I mean…his curiosity is just…part of being naturally curious and part of the outfits and the hair and stuff that I keep doing and the fact that he thinks I'm pretty. He wouldn't….I couldn't even imagine how embarrassed I'd be if he actually…_' The thought almost made her cringe…him spying on her like that, even for just a moment. But her embarrassment would be only half from getting caught like that…The other half would be from, well…Yeah, sure, Arnold found her pretty, even attractive but…she didn't have a body like so many of those bodies he had practically worshipped so much over the years. It would be mortifying to think about instantly getting compared with all those other girls in his mind—Ruth and Summer and even that sixth grader Maria—and coming up so very short. And not to mention on top of all of that, for her seeing him had been…well, let's just say that she had been pleasantly surprised to find out that her little love god not only had the heart and soul and face of a heavenly being…he had, in her humble opinion, the physique of one too…what she had been able to see of it anyway between the crack in the wall above his couch being so thin and also the fact that she had passed out in euphoria pretty quickly. But still, the whole memory, however brief, made her feel all squirmy and twisty inside in a way nothing else did. She sighed again to herself though. '_Eh, but…whatever. Point is, for as long as I can hold off on it Arnold is never seeing more than my shoulders and my legs below my knees. Ever!'_ And on a side note, the one thing she had definitely not been looking forward to in regards to this summer free to spend time publically and privately with her love was the fact that at some point he would probably expect to see her in a bathing suit if they went swimming or something…and with their new relationship there would be so much more pressure and self-consciousness and... She pushed the thought aside for now, not wanting to deal with it (never wanting to deal with it, really).

"Uh…y-yeah, I thought bringing that up that was a nice touch on my part for making you blush, heh, heh…"

The sound of Arnold's nervous voice in response to whatever she had said last about his joke snapped Helga out of her thoughts and brought her eyes to his. He was just sitting there across from her with a sheepish smile, and she had to wrack her brain for a second but then she realized he must have been talking about the whole 'him liking getting to see just how much of her exactly blushed whenever he made her blush' thing. She blinked a few times, dismissing her insecurities for the moment, and then finally remembered that she been meaning to push his buttons a little as a small revenge for what he had put her through mere minutes ago with all of his teasing. And so she cleared her throat and put her doubts and thoughts and confusions aside for now…and smiled at Arnold just a little bit more as she spoke again. "Mmm hmm…VERY nice touch, actually…And so was that question about me being in your shower…" She threw in a little chuckle and added almost nostalgically, reaching across the table and going for another little sliver of cake, "Boy, I'll tell you, when I woke up in there that morning and looked down and saw that I was—well, that my pajamas were gone, I almost had one of those heart attacks you keep talking about, Football Head." She shrugged her shoulders as she got the cake to her plate and picked up her fork, making sure to let the fabric of her blouse fall just a little more off of her shoulders, and then looked him right in the eye. "Don't know how I would've gotten out of there without that robe…Guess you would've caught me and I would've had to confess right then and there…"

She watched Arnold just swallow hard and adjust his tie, taking another sip of his chocolate milk and going for another sliver of cake himself. "Uh…well…y-yeah, I guess I would have been pretty curious if you'd poked your head out of the door into the hallway and a-asked for a towel and some c-clothes…" he managed without turning _entirely_ the color of a tomato.

'_Yes, that's right, Arnold…just keep blushing…And now to go in for the kill.'_

Helga nodded with a smile and then added with another small chuckle. "Hmm…it really does remind me of how sometimes when we kiss it really practically like you try and undress me or something just like you said…"

In the middle of putting down the cake server, Arnold spazzed and it dropped to the cake plate with a clatter! "Helga!" his voice cracked out, then cleared his throat and tried to look at her firmly, getting very distracted by straightening his tie again. "U-Um…Helga…" his voice was a bit more normal now that he had had a chance to take a breath to take the edge off of his nervousness, "I…I know what you're doing and t-trying to embarrass me back isn't working…j-just so you know…I don't, um…and th-that's crazy anyway." He closed his eyes and shook his head, almost like he was trying to rid it of the very idea. "I just…like I said, your shoulders are nice and I hold onto them to balance and the thing with the straps just happens…heh, heh…" He opened his eyes, his hands clasped together on the table now, and shrugged glancing away. "B-Besides," his eyes turned to hers just a little defiantly, trying to get himself a bit on the offensive now, obviously, "…You…you're the one who keeps taking my sweater off half the time or telling me to take it off when we kiss!" Yeah, it embarrassed him a little to bring it up…but it was the only trump logic he had.

Too bad he didn't see the obvious flaw in using this as his counterpoint…and even more unfortunate for him that Helga DID.

"Yes, but… there's a difference between _me_ trying to get a sweater off of _you…_and _you_ trying to get something like that off of _me_ Arnold…a BIG difference…if you think about it a little…"

Arnold's fork (he had been trying to be comfortable enough to eat some cake again) clattered down to his plate and he looked at her with shock in his eyes for a moment and only just barely managed to keep from ducking down under the table in humiliation HIMSELF now! "Helga! I…know…that…!" was all he could think to reply (in total fluster, obviously) to an observation like that. "A-And I told you, I'm not trying to take anything _off_ of you, exactly, I just…" A very frustrated look came to his face…and it made Helga pause curiously, watching him think. "Helga," he started again, obviously considering his words very carefully, and obviously very embarrassed at the moment, "…When we kiss for a while, I stop thinking and just start…like you said before to me before we kissed, I don't think, I just…feel! I don't know what I'm doing—I'm operating on instinct because I trust you so much that I'm not afraid to do that. I'm not afraid to maybe let certain things inside of me…things that I might not even know are there…out. C-Curiosity and all… I love you, Helga…I'd trust you with anything." He looked at her with wide, sincere eyes. "Alright…Helga?" he finished quietly and earnestly.

'_Oh.._.' Helga was just…she was touched. She had never heard him sound so sincere about anything…and he had never told her that before about him. Yes, certainly she had come to know and learn over the last month that Arnold really was different around her and really did share secrets with her and really did have a side he only showed around her…but…she hadn't realized just how deep his trust had already gotten…and he had never outright admitted it to her like this before…that he didn't just trust her with the deepest parts of himself that he knew…he also trusted her with the deepest parts of himself that he didn't understand or maybe didn't even realize were there in the first place. But here it was…that was why he had been getting more and more carried away with things, more and more intimate with her, more and more comfortable even with joking about it all…It was because he trusted her absolutely. And completely. In every way a person could…

And now she was here giving him a hard time about learning to be himself around her. AGAIN. And even though it had been in playful 'revenge', still that didn't change the fact that she had obviously just touched upon something very serious and private for him. She sighed mentally. _'I hate guilt…'_

Helga swallowed and glanced down, pushing away her empty cake plate. "Arnold…" she began softly, smiling comfortingly, looking to him demurely, "Listen…I didn't mean to bug you _too_ much or accuse you of anything or say anything about you just now. I was just trying to get back at you a little for sending me under the table before…but I didn't mean to suggest anything about you. I promise. I know you're my little gentleman, Arnold, and…I love that about you…" her eyes went warm and half lidded… "…just like I love being your 'lady'…And, um…I…well…" she blushed a little again, swallowing and glancing down shyly once more, "…Thank you…for trusting me, like that… Completely. I…I've never felt so loved by anyone before… And I trust you like that too, Arnold…with parts of me that I never thought I could trust anyone with and that I never even knew I had. No matter how scared I am…" she smiled more, her eyes finding his again, "…Because I love you too, Arnold, and I don't believe you'll ever hurt me for my whole entire life."

She watched Arnold's eyes meet hers…and they smiled…and then _he_ smiled. "Don't be sorry, Helga," he replied back in that lovely, forgiving, eternally understanding tone of his, "…It was just another joke between us…and a good one." He winked and even chuckled a little. "And also…you're welcome…It's just how I feel and I'm happy you feel the same way too. And…" he looked at her very deeply and sincerely, "I'll never hurt you, Helga. I…can't think of a sadder thing than the idea of you being hurt." A frown came to his face. "That's why I was so worried about you when you went under the table before. I thought I'd really hurt you." He smiled again. "But I'm happy you were okay with everything…that _we're_ okay."

Helga smiled back, feeling him making her eyes get misty. "We'll always be okay, Arnold. I promise."

"And…you really don't mind that I'm THAT honest with you, Helga? That we're THAT honest with _each other?_" Arnold added shyly with a little blush.

Helga blushed as well and nodded. "I wouldn't have it any other way…"

For a little while, the two just sat in content silence, smiling and gazing at one another in the candlelight and moonlight…needing no words anymore for now, their love saying it all…

* * *

"Well, Arnold, looks like our first date this weekend is over." Helga sighed and smiled at Arnold. It was a little while later after their brief moment of just enjoying each other's presences, and now both children had gotten up and started clearing the dinner table together, which they had just finished doing (Helga had insisted on helping Arnold this time, to which Arnold had finally agreed but only on the condition that she would just get the dishes and glasses and silverware together along with him and leave them all up here for him to come and get and clean in the morning, a request with which in the end she had finally complied). Helga went on talking to him as she started to walk over to his fire escape. "Not bad, by the way—I'd say your night of our anniversary was definitely a success, Football Head." She winked at him over her shoulder with a grin.

Arnold put the folded up tablecloth off to the side with the plates and approached her, smiling as well. "Thank you, Helga. I'm glad you liked it…though it's not over quite yet. I still have to give you your presents after all." He winked at her…and he was _really_ looking forward to this part of the date.

Helga paused near the fire escape and turned back to Arnold with an intrigued smile. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot—anniversary presents…Now just so I'm clear on everything are these actual store-bought gifts or 'presents from the heart'…and by 'heart' I mean 'lips'." She giggled, taking a few coy steps back toward him.

Arnold's smile picked up a little on one side and he blushed but chuckled, taking a few steps toward her as well. "Oh, no, they're definitely…well, not 'store bought', but they _are_ actual physical gifts…though, um…I did set aside time in the night for a goodnight kiss…or a few…b-but, um…technically they're supposed to happen after the presents…" He shrugged a little.

Helga giggled some more. They had both stopped walking and were standing right in front of each other now. "Aww, but…couldn't my 'bad boy' bend the rules a little…just for such a special occasion as our one month anniversary at least? After all, you already bent them twice tonight with kisses…what's once more?" She batted her eyelashes at him a little, smirking a tiny bit. "And besides, I…I like kissing you on rooftops…It brings back so many good memories…You all frightened with love and me finally getting to do everything I'd always wanted to do to those lips of yours…Come on, Arnold…just _one_ before presents…for _me_?" She faked a little pout…knowing that even if she had thought he might refuse her, he could certainly never say no to the pout or to her requesting something extra nicely like this…

"O-Oh…well…wh-when you put it like that, how could I deny my true love…?" he asked simply with a little smile, eyes hazed in all that love he felt for her…And then he raised his hands and cupped her face, burying his fingers into her soft hair on either side of her head, and came forward to give her lips a soft, tender, lingering, deep, melting kiss of romance…

"Mmm…" Helga softly sighed and gave a small moan, melting under his touch as she wrapped her arms around him, breaths coming shallowly through her nose as were his. And it felt so beautiful to her, to them both, to share this moment here in memory of their first kiss on a rooftop that had started so much…

After several moments, both children let out deep sighs through their noses and pulled apart, just smiling at each other.

Helga gazed down into her beloved's eyes, still hugging him close. "Not bad, Football Head… Like I've been saying all along, you are definitely getting more skilled at all of this kissing stuff…and especially in comparison with the last time we were on a rooftop and you were in a suit…and that tie…" She winked, memories of FTi now flashing through both of their minds.

Arnold blushed a little extra and replied with a little spark of boldness in his eyes as he still gently held her face in his hands. "And I have you to thank, Helga…"

Helga giggled…Arnold smile more…

And then Arnold's eyes went wide as the next words out of Helga's mouth as she suddenly leaned in close to him with a spark of her own in her eyes and a familiar challenging smirk on her face. "Now it's _my_ turn to prove how much _I've_ improved since FTi…"

_Maybe twenty minutes later…though, really, who would bother keeping much track at a time like this. The point was that it wasn't 10 o'clock yet so Olga wouldn't be here to pick up Helga yet so Arnold and Helga were still free to do as they pleased for the rest of their first one month anniversary date together…_

Arnold had to take several heavy breaths as he finally separated his lips once again from those of the eager girl before him. "Okay, Helga…" he said, smiling despite his flushed exhaustion. "N-Now that's enough goodnight kisses…w-we're so behind schedule a-and it's almost ten and even if my grandparents don't care when we're done tonight I know your parents do." He managed to push a little against Helga's shoulders (which he had started holding onto again somewhere in their kissing…and he was now on his …third or fourth, at this point, goodnight kiss from her on his rooftop…and, though the number might seem small, with how intense Helga's kisses could get that meant they'd been at it for quite a while now), and to just barely separate her from himself sufficiently enough so that they could both just look at each other and talk for a moment. "Besides, Gerald's coming over in a little while for a sleepover so that we can talk about planning _his_ one month anniversary, so…"

Helga just smiled dreamily at her beloved Arnold though and protested (and she was totally gone at the moment and loving every minute of it), "Aw, come on, Arnold. What happened to trying to keep things up here for as long as we could so Phil would win that bet with Gertie, like she said? It's not ten o'clock yet, after all. And either way, I can't help myself…" She giggled and suddenly draped her arms around his shoulders, causing him to blink in surprise at the feeling of her suddenly pressed fully against him like that. "I think 'Sweet Helga' like-likes you…" And then she suddenly moved them both forward, causing Arnold to be pressed against one of the roof ledges, and then before more cute, modest, righteous protestations could leave his mouth she immediately engaged it by bringing her own to it for yet another passionate kiss between them as she just enjoyed the warm summer air and the warmth of his form against hers.

Though he had just stated very clearly why they should probably stop kissing now, Helga didn't fail to notice that Arnold's hands soon shifted smoothly over her shoulders and then into the long tresses her hair, (which he had managed to get completely out of its bun and down around her shoulders over the last twenty minutes, once again despite how much he was trying to resist COMPLETELY letting his darker side go with her right now…Besides, he liked her hair. Sue him!) And, once again, despite his protests, Arnold was more than kissing her back right now too…and after a month of practice with these passionate kisses he had definitely graduated, in her opinion, from terrific to fantastic to making her basically say 'Where the heck am I again?' when they were done.

After what felt like quite a while of shallow breaths through their noses and hands touching so much of each other and lips that went numb with passion and love and happiness, both Arnold and Helga finally broke apart once more, just smiling and looking into each other's eyes, breathing heavily again. This was so nice…but still Arnold…Arnold had a very particular reason for wanting very much to have as much time as possible to give Helga her presents and he knew the night was waning… "Helga, really…this is…wonderful. B-But Gerald's really going to be here in a little while and I know Olga's going to come soon too, and if we run late I don't want you to get grounded from our date tomor—" He was cut off by the feeling of one of her fingers pressing gently against his lips.

"Shh…" Helga said in a quiet voice, still smiling, still obviously just intoxicated with him, "I'll just give Olga a call and ask her to tell my parents that I'm staying over at Phoebe's for the night or something…and then I can stick around here as long as I want." She removed her finger. "Okay, my perfectly romantic Arnold…my angelic prince…my dashing do-gooder…my…_sultry preteen_?" She looked into his eyes with longing. "After all it's the least you could do for making me so very 'enslaved by your spell'…" She put a single fingertip underneath his chin, lifting it up, and winked at him. Oh she loved tempting him so!

Though Arnold really did want to be responsible, he could definitely feel his resolve weakening…a lot. However, he clung to any flaw in her logic that would get her off of that roof so that she indeed wouldn't get in trouble and so that he indeed would have time for her presents…and something else. "But…" he started in a dazed voice, doing his best to focus, "B-But then you'd have to wake up Phoebe later and get over there later and…" She pressed up against him again and kissed him, cutting him off and making him completely lose the thread of logic he'd had.

She separated from him and then leaned in and whispered in his ear with a giggle, "_Or_ we could just finish this little makeout session until we're too tired to stand and then I could crash in your room and we could finish in the morning…" She pulled back and giggled once more and looked into Arnold's eyes pleadingly, pouting her adorable lips all for him. "What do you say, Arnold?...Willing to put some extra time into making my…girlhood tremble…?"

Arnold just felt his heart pounding in his chest. Sultry…enslaved…trembling…girlhood. Suddenly he couldn't control himself and he pushed forward away from the roof ledge, latching his mouth against Helga's much to her surprise and delight. His fingers pulled down through her soft hair and found their way to her shoulders again…He squeezed against them and suddenly got an arm around her waist, firmed up his grip around her and dipped her right back until she was completely horizontal.

It made Helga squeak in surprise at first, her eyes popping open wide for a moment, heart trembling in wonder. It was so much like that night after their one week anniversary, outside of her house when he had tossed her back…called her his 'talented blue eyed love'…And there was daring, so much daring in his eyes, just like that night…and Helga felt herself just gazing up towards him in awe…until she melted more and her eyes slowly closed again. "Mmm…" _'Wow, what a guy…_' She swooned a little inside.

After several, several seconds of practically massaging her mouth with his own, Arnold managed to pull away again for just a second to catch his breath.

Helga was just…in a trance. _'So…forceful…so masterful…such a hunk! Oh Arnold…'_ "A-Arnold…" She blushed and smiled and just savored how lovely it was to look up at him with the stars and moon and night sky framing his perfect face.

His green eyes burned and danced…and he really was in just about one of the boldest states he had ever been in. And he smiled a little more as he recalled her cute little offer from before…about their plans for the rest of this evening… "Well, Helga…if you're really interested…I guess you could take my bed for the night and I could take the couch…And you could stay…" came his response in a warm, passionate whisper.

Helga was just…out of commission at first. All limp in his arms, flushed throughout her face and collar, eyes still dewy with love, tousled hair hanging softly down from her head. Eventually she managed to blink a few times and find her voice…It came out light as air and the whole time she spoke she was trembling and shaking and smiling…because as long as she had him like this…she might as well see if he would also be willing not to just give her her fantasy but to upgrade it a little as well… "A-Aw, Arnold…can't we just both cuddle on the couch together until we fall asleep in each other's arms, Football Head?" She gave a dreamy, goofy, lovesick giggle, thoroughly enjoying being held in his arms like this and the effect she was having on him and of course the effect he was having on her. She batted her eyelashes at him a little just to add to the temptation of it all.

"_Well_…" he leaned her back just a little extra, that bold, daring, 'Arnold, you're being kind of rough' look still in his eyes…And now his mind raced with thoughts of the two of them locked away in his attic room, himself snuggling up against her, arms around each other as they quietly listened to jazz music, him stroking her hair and shoulders and hearing little giggles pour out of her as he placed gentle kisses up and down her arms like she liked…maybe even moving his kisses across her collar from shoulder to shoulder…her legs pulled in coyly as she sat there…maybe him being a little bold and lightly moving a finger up and down them from the ends of her ankles to the tops of her knees, just touching against the hem of her skirt…and her shyly coming forward when all was said and done to thank him for that 'girlhood trembling' thing by placing little kisses all over him too…her hands shifting all over the thin cotton of his shirt…the delicate curve of her body pressed so warmly against him just like they both liked… So many ideas, and they all made him shake…"Maybe…" he began with a shallow breath, the daydreams still dancing before his eyes, "Maybe I could put Gerald off until tomorrow night and we could cuddle on there just for a little while, my lovely, sweet, beautiful, warm, heavenly…" He let out almost a swoon, obviously lost in everything, still just cradling her in his arms…His Helga…his future wife (if he had anything to say about it)…their one month anniversary… "…_Oh Helga_…did anyone ever tell you that your eyes are like blue diamonds and your hair is a waterfall of golden fire and you skin is soft and smooth and delicate as a peach and your lips are like a perfect red rose just waiting to be plucked by mine, and you…you—" It took him a couple of seconds but then he suddenly realized what he was saying and how far he was letting himself go, not just with monologuing to her at this point but with obviously encouraging her trying to sleep over at his house under these circumstances! Our football headed hero instantly blinked and cleared his throat and tried to backpedal a little. "I mean…" he closed his eyes, trying to focus, "I…I mean…" He was obviously really struggling with himself. "I-I…" It was hard to make the images of what they could do together in his room for the rest of the night go away…and he didn't even want to make them go away…but he really wanted to do the right thing here. _'Gentleman…Gentleman…Gentleman…A gentleman does NOT do something like what she wants to do…even if he wants to do it to…And a gentleman definitely does not ruin the most important part of a night like this just for extra kisses'_ "Whoa…" he barely breathed out, really needing a second before he could continue talking to her, he decided. He gently raised her up and loosed his grip on her a little.

A low, shy, slightly smug giggle escaped Helga then, bringing him out of his thoughts further. "No, no, that's quite alright—continue with your monologue, my Arnold. Please…you doing it might even send me off into one…Arnold…your arms cradling me so gently and tenderly…and yet feeling so obviously full of masculine strength and passion …your hands pulling through my hair and resting on my shoulders so lovingly and yet…so ravenously…always seeming to want more and more of me… A head so oddly shaped and yet…so so so very attractive in its delicate design…" She lowered her voice to a whisper, "…Lips that speak words of innocence and yet secretly beg for actions of guilty pleasure and—"

"HELGA!" Arnold cut her off, knowing that if she went on any longer he would certainly break again. Innocence and guilty pleasure…He didn't want to think about it and yet he couldn't deny its truth…saying that they should do the right thing and yet wanting to… wanting to…."I…I mean, H-Helga…" He closed his eyes. Her lips really were like a lovely flower all for him, and he couldn't bear to look on them any longer…at least not without losing the thread of his reason that had luckily recovered again now. "I…I don't want anyone worrying about you and I think we've had more than enough fun for today…and also it'll be a lot more fun to be together tomorrow if we've been apart for a little while…and also like I said there are still your presents to give you. So I think we should go inside now and that you should go home with Olga when she comes to pick you up and then I'll see you tomorrow night, okay?" He let out a deep breath, finally feeling really calm and in control again.

Helga still had her arms around his neck but seeing that he was determined not to lose control again right now (and knowing at the back of her mind that, darn him, he was right and their time was limited) she just sighed and loosened her grip on him a little as he had loosened his on her. "Oh fine, Arnold, I'll be a good girl… But I expect you to be willing to be a bit of a 'bad boy' again tomorrow night if you know what I mean." She winked and giggled at him and it took everything Arnold had not to grab her cute little self and give her one more little lingering peck for the road.

Meanwhile, Helga unwrapped herself from him, straightened his tie a little, and then walked back over to first the table and then the piano where she casually picked up her purse and then his suit jacket respectively, and then walked back over to Arnold and the skylight. She tossed him his jacket. "There you go, lover boy…"

Catching it, Arnold smiled and put it back on, having almost forgotten about it, the summer air up here had been so warm all evening. "Thanks, Helga…"

"You're welcome, Football Head."

He saw her in the process of opening the skylight pane and quickly stepped over to assist her. "Allow me…" he offered with one of his little chivalrous smiles and then undid the latch and opened the pane wide for her leading down to the wall ladder at the foot of his bed. "Ladies first…" he of course offered with a gesture forward and a sincere smile.

Helga just sighed with a smile and walked forward to head down the ladder. "Yeah, yeah, you're such a gentleman, Mr. 'Well, maybe I can put Gerald off for a night and we can cuddle on my couch for just a little while.' " She had to laugh to herself at the blush that returned to his face and at how he was suddenly avoiding eye contact with her. She began to descend into his room. "Meanwhile, at least it's good to know that it's starting to take less and less effort to wear down your modesty." She smiled to herself again as she landed on his bed and then stood up on his floor, straightening her skirt. He began to follow in after her. "Who knows, maybe someday soon you'll end up like me at that baseball game today, just shouting from the rooftops that underneath the blustery exterior beats the heart of the biggest romantic in the tri-city area. Expect in your case of course…" She reached her hand forward and grabbed his as he landed on his bed, pulling him up and close to her, "…You'd be letting them know that underneath all of that morality and the goody two shoes act beats the heart of a seriously bold flirt. Same principle though reall—"

She was stopped from going on with her teasing as with a sigh he put a finger to her lips. "Very funny, Helga. Now come on, Olga's going to be here any minute and before that happens I really do have some special things to give you…" He took her hand and led her to the middle of the room, specifically positioning her there. "Alright, now, just stand here and I'll give you them one by one…and I hope you like them, Helga."

"Arnold…they're one month anniversary presents from you…" she could only reply with a little smirk and giggle. "You could have gotten me rocks from the street and I would still treasure them forever simply because, once again…_they are one month anniversary presents from you!_" She giggled a little more but then clasped her hands in front of herself patiently, eagerly awaiting whatever lovely little trinkets he might have in store for her.

Her beloved took a step back from her and smiled. He reached into his pocket. "Alright, well…for the first part of your present, Helga…" His smile picked up on one side and he made a gesture of smallness by lifting up and hand and almost squeezing his thumb and index finger together horizontally, "I need you to do one little thing."

"Ooo and what's that, my sweet prince?" she asked with playful curiosity.

Arnold just shrugged. "Ask me what time it is," he replied simply enough.

Helga looked at him with part of her brow raised and a little smirk on her lips but then just sighed and shrugged. "Oh why not…" She cleared her throat and then asked, her hands on her hips, "What time is it, Arnold?"

Arnold sighed and shrugged and reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket watch, opening it up. "It's…" he looked to Helga with a sheepish little grin, "Now do you promise me you won't tell anyone else about this present…that it can just be between you and me?"

Helga giggled and rolled her eyes and nodded. "Cross my heart, Football Head." She winked at him.

Arnold smiled more and nodded. "Alright…It's 9:30, Helga…See?" And then he turned around the open pocket watch and held it out to her.

At first Helga's smiling eyes just fell upon the clock face and she was still wondering what the big deal was about it…But then Helga paused…her eyes going wide…They had looked to the inside of the open cover of the pocket watch…and in there was something special…something from that day that she had invited Arnold over to her house to take her new locket picture of him…

It was the picture he had taken of her, sitting on the edge of her bed, he face flushed from tickles, arms crossed over her chest, the soft, happy smile upon her face, eyes cast downward shyly. She always felt a little awkward-looking in photos but even she had had to admit to herself when she had gotten the pictures from that day developed that she actually looked sort of nice and pretty in that one…And this copy of it that she had given to Arnold had had the edges cut to make it into a perfect circle that fit snugly into the inside cover of the pocket watch.

Helga blushed, her bottom lip falling in a touch of surprise and fluster. She had never expected Arnold to carry a picture of her around in any way similar to how she carried his around in her locket. Heck she hadn't even expected him to ever do anything like a shrine to her and had been totally and pleasantly surprised when she had discovered his little version of one in his locker at school…But a locket? Yeah, she knew her Arnold was more sweet and sensitive and mushy than most boys could be but she knew even his more flexible brand of masculinity had to draw the line somewhere, and wearing a big heart shaped locket around his neck was probably the limit.

But…her picture in a pocket watch…Oh what a wonderful thing for him to do!

She blinked and stepped back shyly. "Oh…Oh Arnold…you…you didn't have to…m-my picture and everything…I…" She felt little tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and quickly dabbed them away with the back of her hand and smiled to her beloved Arnold. "Oh thank you, Arnold…It's even better than the locket shrine."

Arnold was just beaming with happiness. He closed the little pocket watch and put it back in his pants pocket. "No, thank you, Helga…for the picture…A-And of course, I…I've been wanting a little picture of you too…And now I don't have to worry about anyone catching me with it since everyone knows about us so it seemed like the perfect time to debut it. Happy Anniversary, Helga." He winked at her and chuckled playfully.

She giggled back at him, looking down coyly. "Thank you, Arnold…Happy Anniversary to you too."

"Are you ready for your next present, Helga?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded. "Bring it on, Romeo."

Arnold nodded back. "Of course, Juliet." And then he popped over to his bed and got on his knees and started moving his fingers through the titles of his record collection in search of something.

"Ooo, hide something among the jazz records?" Helga asked playfully.

"Yup," Arnold replied with a proud little grin, pulling out one of the volumes, "A record." He looked to Helga and winked at her and then hopped down from the bed and presented her with the record album in his hands. "It's…It's a copy of the Dino Spumoni/Nancy Spumoni album…you remember…the one we listened to together that weekend you tutored me…when we had that brief lull of calmness and truce in the middle of all of the chaos?" He chuckled a little. "I thought you might like it because it was one of the first things we really liked in common, and also I know you like Nancy Spumoni…so, um…I talked to Dino and…he got her to sign it for you. Um…Happy Anniversary again, Helga!" Arnold looked at her with love and sincerity, still holding out the record for her to take. "Oh and I know you don't have a record player but don't worry, we've got a few old ones in the basement and my grandpa said you could take one to keep at your house for as long as you like," he added eagerly.

Despite how sweet and thoughtful and caring and perfect it was though…Helga didn't accept this part of her anniversary present quite as quickly and eagerly as she had the first part.

She was observing Arnold at the moment…similarly to how she had done at the start of this evening at the piano when a certain name rhyming with 'Fancy Baloney' had come up…She was looking to see if he meant anything by it, if he was trying to hint at something, if he knew and was telling her without actually telling her…

But again all she saw was sincerity and optimism and love in his eyes…though now there was a touch of doubt there too as he asked shyly, "Are you okay, Helga? Do…Do you not like the gift?"

Helga's eyes went wide for a moment and then she instantly went forward and took the record and looked into his eyes. "Oh Arnold, no, of course not. I adore it!" she assured him with total truth and love. "I'm sorry, I just…um…th-this whole night is a little overwhelming to me, I guess, and your first present was so lovely and I just can't believe you gave me another one that's so perfect and sweet. Thank you, darling." She wrapped her arms around him tightly and kissed his cheek and then pulled back with a smile. "I love it."

All of the hope and happiness and joy was instantly back in Arnold's eyes. "Oh…okay. You're welcome, Helga! I'm so happy…"

Helga smiled more at him. "I'm so happy too, Arnold…So very happy…" Then she let out a sigh and gestured with her head toward the door behind her. "So, now that the presents are done, wanna head downstairs?"

Arnold blinked in surprise at her for a moment and then smiled and shook his head. "Helga…the presents aren't done yet…I have one more to give you…a-and then there's one more thing before you go…" He cleared his throat, glancing down shyly.

Helga blinked, blushing a tiny bit. "Arnold…seriously, not that I don't appreciate all of that but I hope these last two things you're talking about are small—I know you're into this anniversary thing but I don't need to be showered with gifts or anything like that. Heck, I'd have just been happy with the fried chicken and the birthday cake back on the roof." She laughed, but was still looking at him with a touch of seriousness, wanting him to know she really meant it about the presents.

Arnold understood her concerns and looked to her with assurance. "I know, Helga…but really those first two presents were sort of little…and I promise the third one is small too…and as for the last thing, I…I'd like to think of it as something separate all on its own from the anniversary stuff. But I promise, it's all just tiny things but things I think you deserve and that I hope you'll like, okay?"

Between the cute smile on his face and his cute words of assurance, all of Helga's worries and qualms couldn't help but melt away. She smiled at him and nodded. "Okay, Arnold…fire away with my third wonderful present…and whatever other thing is that you want to do for me."

Arnold smiled back at Helga and nodded. And then he walked over to his bed again though this time he stood up on it, reaching to a high wall shelf. There was a long, thin black cardboard box up there marked 'secret stuff'. He popped the lid and reached his hand inside, rummaging around a tiny bit before he pulled out a small little package. It was wrapped in red paper and sealed at the bottom with a little heart sticker over the fold. He popped the top back onto the box and hopped back off of his bed and looked to Helga.

She was just smiling at him and trying not to chuckle. "Ooo you went into the 'secret stuff' box…I'm honored. That little gift must be pretty important to make it into there…" She glanced up towards the box, pressing herself on her tiptoes a little. "By the way, what else is in that 'secret stuff' box anyway? Is it a bunch of cute cliché boy stuff? Like a buffalo head nickel and a couple of Indian arrow heads you found digging around on Hawk Mountain and a four leaf clover and tons of silly string and fireworks and a pine cone shaped like Elvis or something?"

Arnold just sighed and smiled a ton, handing her the red package. "Yeah, pretty much…plus a few backup copies of It Girl magazines…By the way, if you were still doing that, that outfit of yours tonight would be perfect for one of the spreadsheets." He winked at her and chuckled warmly as he left the package in her hands crossed his arms over his chest.

Helga just blushed furiously and rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh ha ha, very funn—"

"Oh, no, no…please wait to open that until you get home, Helga." Her hands had been in the middle of starting to undo the paper around whatever small, rectangular object was in here and Arnold had reached out to stop her, his hands now around hers on the package and a distinct little blush and look of shyness on his features.

Helga blinked but then grinned a little at the blush on his features and just sighed and nodded. "Okay, okay, I'll save it for later... I can't wait to get home to open it though; this must be a good one, my shy little love." She giggled at him, unable to help it.

Arnold just shrugged humbly. "I hope so…and thanks, Helga…for waiting to open it."

She just chuckled and waved him off. "No problem, paste for brains. Alright, now let's get on to whatever thing you wanted to give m—"

"Shortman!" Suddenly though Helga was cut off by the sound of Phil calling up to her beloved's room from the hallway. "I see you've got the little 'Do Not Disturb, Please' sign on your door and I'm sorry to interrupt you but if you and Helga are down from the roof yet and whenever you two get the chance you're wanted downstairs!"

Arnold blinked. 'Wanted downstairs?' What did that mean? Could Olga be here yet? Arnold stepped toward the door and called out, "Uh…y-yeah, we just got down from the roof. Thanks, Grandpa! We'll be there soon!"

"Gotchya, Shortman!" Phil called out brightly. And then he was heard to mumble to himself with a wily chuckle as he departed down the hall, "Heh, heh, lasted on the roof until 9:30. I guessed closest with 10 o'clock. Looks like Gertie owes me a dollar…"

Alone with Helga again, Arnold sighed and a little frown came to his features for a moment. 'I knew I let dinner run on too long…And now Olga's probably here so she can definitely get Helga home by ten.' It was such a shame, really had wanted to do it up here, what he had been planning…But then again…maybe downstairs…out on his stoop or something in the moonlight…that might actually be really nice…Why not? He nodded to himself then turned back to Helga with a smile and another nod. "Alright, um…I guess we should go downstairs and see what's going on but it's okay, Helga…I can give you the last thing just as easily down there as I can up here." He smiled brightly to her and then cleared his throat and then quickly dashed over to his bed and grabbed her record and her purse…and quickly snagged something from under his pillow inconspicuously, and then turned and walked over to her, "Don't forget your Nancy Spumoni record or your purse." He handed them to her.

"Thanks, Football Head." Helga smiled and took the purse and put the little red wrapped package inside and put the record under her arm (Arnold's little thing from under his pillow had been placed in his pocket along with his pocket watch back when he had been at his bed, not giving her the chance to notice it). "Alright, then, Football Head." She nodded and then she reached for the bedroom doorknob and opened the door wide and looked to Arnold, cutting him off before he could even start with her, "You go first, Mr. Chivalry—I absolutely insist." She crossed her arms over her chest with a defiant little smirk upon her features.

At her tone and that smile Arnold just smiled more and sighed, knowing it was better not to argue with her. "Whatever you say, Helga…" He went forward and began climbing down his steps to the second floor landing below…trying not to feel too nervous about what was coming up…

Chuckling at his cute little default reply to her, Helga began to head down the stairs after him, closing the bedroom door behind her. "As usual, you are correct, Arnold—whatever I—_whoa_!" Needless to say, Helga wasn't used to doing stairs in this high-heeled red shoes and she had already used up most of her luck with them probably by getting up the fire escape without dying, and so she was suddenly cut off as the soul of one of her sling-backs slipped and she felt herself start to fall down the last few steps of the little collapsible staircase (and she was unable to cling to anything for balance as she had her hands full with her purse and record). "Oh!" she cringed, waiting for the crash…

However, rather than hitting the floor, as anticipated, she suddenly felt herself stopped in midair by something warm. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times and had to smile as she realized she was being cradled in Arnold's arms. She laughed, catching her breath, barely able to believe her good fortune as she clung with her arms around his neck with her purse still in one hand and her record still in the other. "Wow, uh…nice catch, Football Head," she couldn't help but remark with an impressed grin.

Arnold, blinking and catching his own breath and seeming rather surprised himself, just smiled humbly and shrugged, firming up his grip on her a little to make sure he wouldn't drop her. "Oh, um…thanks, Helga…Just…instinct, I guess…" He blushed a little, gazing down into her eyes as he turned away from the stairs, still holding her so gently.

Helga giggled and then reached up and began to twirl a piece of his hair around one of her fingers playfully. "Well, then thank you, Arnold's instincts…That could have been very potentially embarrassing for me but instead it turned into one of my favorite romantic moments to have with my favorite Football Head…You don't hold me enough, Arnold." She giggled, snuggling her head against his chest with a big grin. "And I love whenever you do…" She really could have just fallen asleep in his arms like this… "You know, I think the last time I got you to do this of your own free will was that Monday before school after our one week anniversary." She laughed more. "I still don't know how that idea popped into that wide and wonderful head of yours or where you thought you were taking me but boy did I wish Gerald and Phoebe hadn't shown up so that I could have found out…" She grinned up at him romantically.

"Helga…" A now blushing Arnold just rolled his eyes, his smile growing and growing.

She shrugged and giggled. "Just saying, Arnold…It was extra cute."

Arnold, however, just shook his head slightly, "No, Helga, I mean…"

"Arnold, what are you—" came Helga's suddenly shocked sounding voice, her eyes popping open wide!

Arnold cut her off, laughing to himself more at her surprise. "I was taking you to Paris, I think, like we'd talked about. Remember? Right now though I think downstairs is all we have time for..."

Helga's surprise right now was due to the fact that Arnold, rather than putting her down like was expecting him (unfortunately) to do after another one of their little flirtatious exchanges, had instead suddenly started walking down the hall, still holding her with her legs draped over one of his arms and his other arm around her back and waist

"A-Arnold, I mean it…" she started as they got closer to the stairs, trying to sound serious though her voice couldn't help coming out with a laugh underneath it, "You're going to get us both killed! And what happened to asking my permission next time you did this, anyway?" She continued eyeing the steps with fearful excitement as she smirked to herself, remembering his little promise to her about that in a little note to her in class that Monday morning after their one week anniversary.

Arnold just chuckled and shrugged. "Well, you ending up like this with me was an accident this time. And you didn't exactly ask to be put down…" He paused right at the top of the landing and smiled at her. "_Do_ you want to be put down?" he asked playfully.

Helga blinked at the question, and then looked away with a blush and a smile on her face. "Oh fine. You win. Carry on with wherever you're bringing me, Arnold's dark and bold and daring side...It's always a pip and what the heck, it's our anniversary again after all, might as well take some chances."

Arnold had to laugh and he began to descend the stairs with her still in his grasp. "Helga, I'm not THAT gone yet…" He rolled his eyes to the side with a little smirk. "I mean, I was _close_ on the roof before when you asked to spend the night lying in each other's arms on my couch and I started to say yes….but I'm close to back to normal now." He gave her a wink.

Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes as they completed the first section of stairs and entered the little landing leading to the second one. "Oh yeah right, like your usual modest self could ever do something like this with me without at least a teeny bit of help from that romantic 'bad boy' streak of yours." She chuckled. "Face it, you might _think_ you're in control right now but all of your passion is just bubbling under the surface and waiting to erupt!" She smirked at him as they started down the second section of stairs. "I'm watching you, Football Head…I know you and I know this night isn't over by a longshot…not with that way you're smiling at me right now…or the way you kissed me out on the roof…" She smiled up at him coyly, her eyes half lidded.

Arnold, trying very hard not to laugh at her cute teasing, just grinned and sighed down at her, acting as casual as could be. "I don't know what you're talking about, Helga. I don't have you in my arms right now because I'm getting ready to 'try' anything. I'm just mild-mannered Arnold helping you downstairs right now so that you don't trip again like you tripped when you were coming down from my room..." He laughed a little and shrugged as another thought occurred to him as well. "And anyway, you know, when you get too stubborn about something I'm starting to think this might be a good way to deal with it. You want to do the fun thing and spend the night here cuddling and kissing, I want to do the right thing and make sure I fit in everything that I wanted to for my night of our anniversary weekend and also to make sure that you get home on time so that I don't have to wait until our _two_ month anniversary to see you again if you get grounded…So now instead of letting you bring me over to the fun side by kissing me more, I'm bringing you over to the right side by literally carrying you there. Besides," he added with an extra little grin as they moved off the last step and onto the floor of the first story of the house, looking into her amused eyes, "You're really warm, did you know that? It's actually really fun holding onto you. It feels nice…but strictly in a modest, 'do the right thing' kind of way of course." He smirked at her a tiny bit, pausing here in their walk.

Helga just smirked right back and then reached up and tugged at his tie, pulling them nose to nose. "Yeah, well, we'll see who's the _real_ master of messing up whose plans. This date isn't technically over yet, after all… Speaking of which," and now she let his tie go and looked up at him innocently with a little pout, "You wouldn't begrudge me a drink of water or another Yahoo soda before I left for the night, would you, my dearest Arnold?"

Of course Arnold had to blush a tiny bit at that sweet look and tone of hers but he knew what he was doing and he just sighed and smiled and shook his head at her. "Anything to stick around for a few more minutes to see if I'll break, right, Helga?"

She glanced to the side in feigned 'shock'. "Oh, Arnold, for someone who's supposed to be so very trusting of everyone, you sure are reading a lot into something as simple as your date asking for another drink…" She couldn't help but end with a half-smile and a wink at him.

Arnold just sighed once more and rolled his eyes. "Of course, Helga, how silly of me, where are my manners? Come on, let's go to the kitchen where you'll 'conveniently' have to take awhile to pick and drink your drink, and then you can 'conveniently' ask to use the bathroom to fix your hair for a little bit, oh and then you can 'conveniently' want a walking tour of the house just for fun and then 'conveniently' pull out a movie from that purse of yours that we can watch…" He started walked forward down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Arnold!" Helga couldn't help but exclaim with a laugh, both at his cute little jokes and at that the fact that she genuinely hadn't expected the good fortune of being cradled by him to keep up! "Are you just never going to put me down or something? I mean, those wimpy Football Head arms of yours have got to be getting tired," she added, chuckling all the more and clinging to him.

"Well, Helga," Arnold started with a shrug and a sigh, "…it just seems to me that if you're going to keep playing hardball about all of this, I should do the same…you know, to prove to you that I can keep in control no matter what at this point. And continuing to hold you is about all that I've got to work with." They reached the end of the hall and Arnold turned a bit and did his best to nudge open the kitchen door with his hip. He took his first step inside and looked at her lovingly. "And as for me 'getting tired', you don't seem to have too many worries or complaints about my 'wimpy football head arms' when I hold you and dip you back and touch your hair and your face and even your shoulders like on the roof before…" he added with a touch of something sultry in his tone.

Helga giggled as they officially entered the kitchen and the door lightly closed behind them. She was lost in Arnold's eyes just as much as he was lost in hers…and they had both been managing to get their faces closer and closer to each other as they flirted, their eventual intention to kiss once more obvious to both of them… "Well, that's just because I forget to say anything during times like that since I'm so distracted by those wonderfully soft and sweet lips of yours and all of that attraction and charm that you drip with and that look you get in your eyes right as your about to take me in those 'wimpy arms' and pull me close and—"

They were mere inches from a kiss….

"Uh…guys?"

…When the sound of Gerald's voice (trying very, very, very, very, VERY hard not to laugh) caused them to freeze…and their eyes and jaws to open wide.

"Oh. My. Gosh…"

Sid.

Okay, neither Arnold nor Helga knew what was going on nor did either have the courage to break from looking into each other's eyes in panic and confusion to fully observe whatever they had just walked in on in the kitchen.

The sound of a few more voices filled them in a bit though on their current public situation…

"Arnold…Helga?" Harold Berman, sounding totally at a loss for words.

"Oh man…I think this might actually be so uncool for them that it swung over into cool and then swung out of it back into uncool…and then maybe slightly into cool…_maybe._" Iggy, slightly awkwardly yet with just a touch of something impressed in his tone.

"Oh, gosh, were we interrupting something you guys? Sorry…" Eugene, totally sincerely.

"Wow, Miss Helga, you clean up real good. You too, Arnold." Stinky, sounding quite pleasantly surprised by the whole thing.

"_Alright, Arnold_! Woot, woot, woot!" Curly as he started swinging one of his fists in the air, an impressed grin wide on his face (and his black eye luckily starting to clear up a bit…and also some of his melancholy from the afternoon luckily seeming to have dissipated as well). "Can you teach me how to get Rhonda to go from hating me to acting like that?"

Arnold and Helga just continued to have their gazes fused together…Luckily at least they had now both started breathing a little again (albeit shallowly), but only because now they couldn't deny anymore their realization of the situation of…apparently having just walked in on half of their classmates bright eyed and bushy tailed in Arnold's kitchen…while Arnold was still romantically cradling Helga…and while he and she had been discussing the finer aspects of some of the most enjoyable physical parts of their relationship and had been about to make out besides!

Helga ended up being the one to blink and snap out of it enough to have a reaction first…Just a skill from all those years of preparation from pulling off and trying to pull off crazy schemes. _'Ugh they're seeing me…the hair, the outfit, in his arms, cooing sweet things to him, ready to pounce on those lips of his and not stop…Oh for crying out loud this date tonight was supposed to be the relaxing reward at the end of a VERY ridiculously hard day, not 'part two' of the capstone awkward experience of my life!' _She blinked only once and then slowly turned head in the direction of the interior of the kitchen. Part of her had been hoping that things wouldn't look as bad as they were sounding…of course, though, they looked just as bad as they were sounding…even a little worse now that she could really see the looks on everyone's faces. Cringing a tiny bit and clinging a little more to Arnold for support, Helga cleared her throat slightly and just…went with the first (and it was a rather pathetic one but under the circumstances it was all she had) plan that came to mind. "Uh…so…this is a dream." She began to try and make her voice sound wonky as she spoke. "Yes…this is a _dreeeeaaam_ that you're all having and…er…a-and…"

Alright, in the interest of stopping this very pitiable attempt at an explanation before it went from sort of confusing to funny to just plain mortifying, Gerald sighed and came forward and put a hand on Helga's shoulder. He closed his eyes and shook his head at her... "Helga…"

Helga clung a tiny bit closer to Arnold in nervousness and blushed noticeably. "Uh…th-this is an illusion b-brought on by too much ice cream?" she tried. '_Yeah, Helga, phrase it like a question—that always breeds so much confidence in people.'_

Gerald just smiled a little and removed his hand from her, crossing his arms over his chest. He had to shake his head at her again. "Sorry, Helga…probably not gonna work."

She glanced down and cleared her throat, abandoning the dream plan and the illusion plan, knowing it they were kind of stupid anyway to begin with. "Okay, then, uh…" '_What the heck, might as well go for one more and hit the trifecta_…' "April…Fools…? But, you know, six weeks late? Heh, heh…" She looked to the crowd again with a sheepish little smile and then glanced up to her beloved for reassurance.

Meanwhile, Arnold just had to blink and look down at her with an eyebrow raised and a small smile trying not to form at his lips though it was really hard. "Wow, you really are out of practice with schemes and inventing excuses, aren't you, Helga?" He couldn't help himself and besides…there was no getting out of this situation…might as well just do their best to lighten it and get through it.

He was met with a brief scowl from Helga followed by a small punch in the shoulder that caused him to wince. "Ow!"

Helga just rolled her eyes at him. "Very cute, paste for brains." She sighed with a little scowl and pout, removing her arms from around his neck and placing her purse and record into her lap and crossing her arms over her chest. She then recalled that now was not the time to focus on getting ticked off at Arnold and on bugging him back, and so she let out a sigh and her face became pensive for a moment. "Alright…" She cleared her throat and did her best to look out at the half dozen or so faces just watching her with calmness and composure as she spoke. "Well, you all got me—this has been an official test of the 'Arnold and Helga are indeed dating, accept it and don't say a word or make any stupid jokes or lame secret gestures behind our backs about it or else' emergency broadcast system…" She scowled and removed herself from Arnold's arms, standing up and shoving her purse and record under one of her arms, putting the hand of her other arm on her hip. "Crimeny, you all are just lucky that I'm in a good mood or Old Betsey and the Five Avengers might have to be informed of the random interruption of you all being here!" Helga glared at them all, breathing a little heavily, expecting to be cowered and apologized to…

However, for the moment (save Gerald of course) she found herself just being stared at by all the guys…eyes sort of wide, light blushes on their faces…It confused her and that infuriated Helga even more! "Oh what, do I have a second head growing off of me or someth—" Not really thinking about it, Helga had glanced down at herself for a moment as she had been speaking…and now she wasn't speaking anymore because, well, it was kind of obvious what they were staring it…After all, she was wearing red, stylish shoes with heels, a little pink skirt that actually went just a smidge above her knees…also the wide collar of her blouse was now fully down and clinging to only the bottoms of her shoulders…and she was certain that her hair, down, slightly ravished, pink bow tied loosely at its top with a few fake daisy pins still here and there, and all of that coupled with the little touch of makeup and how flushed her lips must be at the moment wasn't helping anything probably.

For a moment Helga gulped and her scowl wavered. She didn't like this. First, she didn't like being seen looking like this by a lot of people and especially after such a private evening with her beloved. And second of all she didn't like that she felt rather paralyzed at the moment by having them see her so very much as a girl for the first time. And now she was starting to kind of regain her ability to talk and glare and yell at them but it was definitely taking her a moment, and she still felt a ton of awkwardness besides.

Meanwhile…Arnold was confused…for a moment. He had found it strange that the guys were looking at Helga in such a funny way…and had found it even stranger when she had stopped yelling and now didn't start up again.

For a moment he just looked at Helga…then looked to the guys…then looked at Helga…then looked to the guys…then looked at Helga…then…then…and then it finally started to click in.

Arnold was quite a bit unhappy too now to say the least.

Helga blinked and was snapped back to reality, meanwhile, by the sight of Arnold beside her now scowling a little and stepping forward and opening his mouth like he was about to say something.

She stopped him before he could though by grabbing his hand with a blush and quickly turning them around and pushing open the kitchen door, marching out with him in tow. "Oh Football Head, just calm down for a second, I know, I know…" she mumbled as they adjourned to the hall for a moment.

They were gone for about five seconds and then came back in. Now Arnold was just in his dress shirt and tie and pants, and Helga had her record and purse shoved under one arms and Arnold's dress jacket over her shoulders. Arnold was scowling and blushing a little bit in frustration and Helga looked the same. She cleared her throat and managed to address the crowd firmly again. "Alright…now that the 'show' is over you can all put your eyes back into your heads and I can get down to business…" She glared darkly at all the boys who instantly blushed and cleared their throats and shuffled their feet and glanced away awkwardly.

Helga took that as her queue to begin the 'inquisition'…and did so.

Suddenly she whipped around to Arnold (who had only just started getting over his touch of anger and jealousy at the idea of every guy in their grade suddenly ogling Helga like that and making her feel so awkward right under his nose). "Arnold, what the heck are they doing here?" The question was the result of Helga suddenly getting a very strong sense of déjà vous from randomly being interrupted in a potentially intimate moment with Arnold by Gerald and several of their classmates appearing in the boarding house out of nowhere…such as during a poetry tutoring weekend over a month ago…

Arnold blinked at the unexpected question, forgetting his frustration entirely and looking to Helga. "I don't know, Helga, I…" he started entirely truthfully…but then déjà vous hit him as well about the same incident when, thanks to a certain best friend of his, practically all of their classmates had showed up at the boarding house when he had just been trying to have some alone time with Helga. Arnold scowled slightly in his best friend's direction, directing the question to him now. "Gerald…?" he said in an obviously suspicious tone, crossing his arms over his chest.

Gerald blinked in confusion at the address and then swallowed in fear as Helga suddenly whipped around to face him now as well, and with a deathly glare in her eyes. He took a few steps back and put his hands up defensively….and then got his own sense of déjà vous and suddenly being surrounded by a bunch of their classmates with a very annoyed looking Arnold and a very, VERY angry looking Helga staring him down. "Hey, hey, I've got nothing to do with it this time! I swear!" He gestured to the guys behind him. "Half of them were here when Phil let me in a couple minutes ago and the other half showed up since then. Seriously—not my plan, you guys! I've learned my lesson."

"Oh yeah, then what the heck are they doing here practically giving me a Football Head a heart attack when we're just trying to…t-to…" Helga swallowed and instantly recalled once again the intimate position she and her beloved had been caught in. Several snickers coming from some of the guys at her hesitation didn't help make the situation feel any less awkward either. "Hey!" she glared at them all once more, "…You quit focusing on whatever you just saw happening two minutes ago a-and anything else, and just focus on the fact that I'm angry and want to know what the heck you all are doing here right now!" she demanded firmly.

At the request though, she had to blink as she suddenly noticed several of the guys, instead of teasing her further or maybe just giving her the answer she wanted, swallowing nervously and glancing down sheepishly. Helga blinked a few times. '_Oh brother, what is it now…?'_ she couldn't help but wonder to herself, raising part of her brow in confusion.

Gerald cleared his throat and stepped forward again, a slightly amused smile on his face and figuring that if anyone should be the spokesman for this latest turn of events in their young lives, it might as well be him. "Actually, Helga, Arnold…I was talking to them about just that before you guys, uh, made that little entrance…" he did his best not to laugh, especially at his best friend's continued blush and Helga's continued blush and scowl, and continued, "…And, well…they all actually just wanted to talk to Arnold for a little while." He shrugged, figuring that was the fairest way he could put it to tell Helga the truth without making any of the guys feel too awkward.

"Uh…all of them, at once? _Now_? When they were more than aware after this afternoon that Arnold and I had a date together tonight?" Helga shot back in a 'not exactly buying it' tone. She scowled again at the boys and then turned her suspicious glare to Gerald again. "Why?" she demanded simply.

Gerald just sighed at all the anger and blusteriness and rolled his eyes, used to being patient with Helga's defensiveness at this point. "I…think they'd prefer I didn't mention 'why' while you're still here, Helga. No offense but it's kind of a…" he smiled more and glanced back at the boys behind him, "…kind of a 'fella thing'…Would that be a good way to put it, guys?"

The boys behind him all managed a quick nod or 'Mmm hmm' to show agreement with Gerald, just trying to play it cool though it was obvious they were all a bit nervous right now.

Helga just looked at the crowd of them with a blank look for several seconds, blinking a few times in further confusion. Finally she closed her eyes, let out a small, frustrated sigh, and brought her hand to her forehead to rub her temples. "I am SURROUNDED…" she couldn't help but mumble audibly to herself under her breath. Finally she opened her eyes, scowling again. "So what you're saying is, I need to cut off my evening…the first evening of my ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY…a few minutes early just so you dolts can have a group, guys only, mystery existential crisis and get advice or something from the Football Head about it? Am I in the ballpark?" She looked at all of them sternly.

At this suggestion from her, a still smiling Gerald just shrugged. "Eh, sort of…And I know, I know, you are not happy that I'm not giving you details and believe me, I wish I could share but I have been sworn to secrecy." He glanced back at the boys behind him for a second and then turned back to Helga. "Uh, but…we know now that your date's still going on so we could all just maybe go in the den for a little while if you and Arnold need to, uh, finish anything up?" He turned back to Helga and it was obvious he was trying not to laugh…and the same now went for the boys behind him who had gone from awkward looks and coughs to now smirking a little and letting out stifled chuckles in Arnold and Helga's direction.

Helga blinked for a second at all of this but then rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest, addressing Gerald first. "Oh fine, Mr. Keeper of the Tales, don't tell me their stupid reason. I could honestly care less anyway…" Then she looked to the other boys with a scowl. "Hmph! And, what's with all the snickering? You chuckleheads think I'm so scared to have you find out whatever Football Head and I do in our private time that I have to run off into another room of the house with him in fright?" A smug half smile came to her face. "Oh no, not after today and not anymore ever again, I've decided! Helga G. Pataki is completely fearless! And besides I know I'd just get it twice as bad from any of you who might have the guts to say anything to me about this if I actually made you losers leave the room." Then with a proud look she turned on her heel to face her beloved Arnold again, let out a deep breath…and then suddenly resumed the same warm, tender, loving smile that had been on her face before they had entered this kitchen…when it had just been she in his arms and he holding her and all the time in the world... "Goodnight, Arnold…" she said softly and sweetly to him, much to his surprise… She hadn't used that sweet tone of voice of hers around anybody else but him so far…And then Arnold was further pleasantly surprised as she brought her hand up to his chin and cupped it gently, raising his gaze up to meet hers as her eyes went half lidded, "I wish we had more time but it must already be ten by now or at least really close…But that whole dinner on the roof was really sweet of you…and so were the anniversary presents…And don't worry about whatever else you might have wanted to work in for tonight. We can just take care of it tomorrow when I come over again...my, um…um…Arnold." She looked down shyly…still not able to quite muster a pet name for him in front of their friends, but at least she had tried just the same.

It took Arnold a second to take in all of her sudden openness and sweetness and lovingness… but then he just smiled up at her and sighed and his own eyes went half lidded. He reached out with both of his hands to take her hand cupping his chin and gently hold it up. "You're welcome, Helga. I'm glad you liked tonight so much. And…And, yeah, I guess you're right. We'll have tomorrow night to do things too. Um…do you want me to walk you to the door?" he asked politely.

Helga giggled at the kind offer but shook her head. "No, that's okay, Football Head. I can manage, I promise." She rolled her eyes in the direction of the other boys, still smiling warmly. "You just stay here and do one of the things you do best and take care of the 'great male advice crisis' apparently going on and I'll just wait out on the stoop for Olga to pick me up. And you'll be all ready for me to get here at seven for the second date of our anniversary tomorrow night, right? And you'll be in a nice suit and tie for me again too?" She giggled a tiny bit more, reaching up and adjusting his tie a little.

A blushing Arnold just smiled extra and nodded, letting her fix him up as much as she wanted. "Whatever you say, Helga…I can't wait."

Helga smiled more and sighed and nodded. "Me neither, Football Head, me neither." She finished up with him, crossing her arms over her chest under his jacket again. Then she hesitated for just a second, and then she repeated once more… "Well…goodnight." But this time she summed up her courage and quickly leaned in and gave her beloved a small, finishing kiss on the corner of his mouth that made his eyes light up for a second and then a goofy smile consume his face.

A moment later when Helga pulled back and opened her eyes and saw him like that she couldn't help letting out one more giggle at the sight of him. And then, taking advantage of his little moment of lovesick dazedness, she took a moment to clear her throat and turn back to the crowd of boys, looking at them firmly yet with a touch of a smile, a hand on one of her hips again. "There, show's over, you bunch of great big babies. And I'm not going to hear a word about this come baseball practice on Monday, am I?" She gave them a look that said an answer was expected…though for a moment at least all the guys were sort of continuing to be pretty much frozen in shock from having seen Helga just act so…so nice! Not just a little nice…_a lot_ nice! And so much 'like a girl' as they might put it.

Helga, growing amused yet also impatient, rolled her eyes now and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hello? I'm waiting for a response, you dolts! Seriously, you're all lucky I'm not making you take a blood oath about this! Now, I know you're all going to be good, mature ten-year-old boys and NOT say or publically start up anything that would put me in the position of kill—…" '_Nonviolence…You're nonviolent…'_ "…o-of m-making me get very angry at you… We went over this at Slausens today and now I want to know you all are going to be mature and put it into practice: no more teasing…right?"

The guys started to wake up a bit at this stern address from her and they were all instantly nodding in assent at varying speeds.

"…_And_…when I leave no one's going to give Football Head a hard time behind my back, are they? Because believe me if you do I will find out and yell at you twice as hard as I would for anything you could do to me." She tapped her foot impatiently.

The boys all shook their heads quickly.

Helga's stern look and air remained for just a second longer…but then it was all replaced by a satisfied smile coming to her lips, and as she spoke now her voice lost its edge and became something in between her angry yells they had all come to know so well over the years and the buttery coos she had used with Arnold. "Good. Thank you," she replied with a slight nod of her head. She then let out a happy sigh and looked back to Arnold. "Well, even if I'm a little rusty at schemes, if there's _one_ thing I'm not out of practice at, it's whipping them into shape." She laughed and Arnold smiled and couldn't help joining her with a chuckle or two. "Well, see you in the funny papers, Football Head, Geraldo…and every other guy in our class," she finished with an eye roll and a nod in the direction of the boys and then as opened the kitchen door, took off Arnold's jacket and tossed it onto his shoulder, (made sure the tops of her sleeves were as high as they could be) and then with a little wave to him stepped out into the hall, letting the door close behind her.

Arnold knew she had told him it was fine for him to just stay in here but he couldn't help himself. "Uh, guys, sorry, I'll be right back…" He held up a hand to them all and then slipped his jacket on and dashed out of the kitchen and, "Oh!" He stopped short, directly in front of Helga who was just facing him right outside of the doorway and smirking a little.

She giggled at him, putting a hand to her mouth. "Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you…But I had a feeling you'd come after me to 'escort me to the door' even though I told you I'd be alright." She wrapped her free arm around him, giving him a nice little hug, and then took his hand in hers. "Shall we then, my handsome little escort?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him a little, just for the fun of it.

Arnold blinked a few times, still a touch surprised, but then smiled widely and squeezed her hand. "Oh, um…of course, my lady…" He chuckled and so did she and then the two of them started on their little walk down the hall together.

"Helga…I know it was only by a few minutes but still I really am sorry things had to get cut short like this tonight." He couldn't help but frown just a little. "Don't worry, I'll tell them all that tomorrow night the minute it hits seven this place is off limits. I promise." He looked at her sincerely.

Helga just smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Arnold. I promise. Besides, they didn't mean anything by it…they just need you for something. And please don't yell at them too much or anything about it—I think they're all freaked out enough by how much I yelled at them and then that glare you gave them when they were all staring at me, Mr. Jealous…" She smirked a little and gave him a slight elbow nudge and chuckled, and especially as he blushed a little. "And anyway, think about it this way—I get to have you pretty much all the time so I guess I can't begrudge them making fifteen minutes of my time with you theirs." She shrugged. "On top of which…" they had just reached the front door and they both paused now, facing each other, still holding hands. "…Arnold…" Helga looked into his eyes with so much love and appreciation, "Tonight…even cut fifteen minutes short…was…it was very…v-very…um…"

Arnold watched her. There were tears starting to prick at her eyes, her smile was trembling, the centers of her cheeks were blushing like roses again…

"…Th-The dinner and the c-cake and…the record…your pocket watch…It…um…"

She had to pause at Arnold reaching a hand up to gently cup the side of her face. "You're welcome, Helga. I'm just happy that you're happy…I love you…" he said softly to her.

Helga's smile strengthened and she wiped a tear or two from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. "Oh I love you too, Arnold! Now come here, you big lug!" And then she fully wrapped her one free arm around him and half wrapped her arm with her purse and record in it around him! She snuggled into him, planted a big kiss on his forehead, and then pulled back beaming! "W-Well then, b-before I get all mushy I guess I'd better get going. S-See ya in the funny papers, Football Head!" She winked at him and opened the front door.

A blushing, beaming, grinning Arnold just chuckled and gave her a little wave. "Y-Yeah, see you, Helga. And I love you too. A-And thanks for the kiss on the forehead…And…" He kissed the palm of his hand and blew it to her, and watched as she caught it and giggled and blew him one back, then stepped outside, gently closing the front door behind her.

For a few moments, Arnold just continued to stare dreamily off in the direction she had gone, clutching at his shirt over his heart. He touched the place on his forehead she had kissed and smiled more to himself. _'Oh…If only there could have been enough time for me to—'_

"Uh, Arnold? You who, Arnold? Hey, Arnold!"

"Huh? What?" Arnold blinked several times and suddenly realized that Gerald had obviously left the kitchen to come get him and had been snapping his fingers in front of his face and waving his hands in front of Arnold's eyes for a few seconds.

Seeing Arnold finally coming out of it, Gerald just stood before his best friend with his arms crossed over his chest, grinning and trying not to laugh. "Man, I know you're in 'happy Helga town' right now but you and I need to talk a little bit in private before you plunge into the hilarious mess that's waiting for you in there." He pointed in the direction of the kitchen.

Arnold put a hand to his temple, giving his head another moment to clear and then he nodded to Gerald. "Oh, um…right. Sure…So…what's going on?" Arnold looked to his best friend with genuine curiosity.

Gerald just grinned a little more and couldn't help himself. "You mean _besides_ you walking into a room filled with every guy in our class with Helga Pataki in your arms talking all about how you hold her and touch her and dip her back…or was that all really 'just a dreeeeaaam'? Woo!" He imitated Helga's wonky voice and couldn't help bursting into laughter about it. "M-Man, I almost died when she did that!" He held his sides, doubled over in chuckles.

Arnold just sighed and blushed a lot and tried to sound serious though he couldn't help a little smile coming to his face. "Gerald...can, um…" he was really having to try hard not to laugh himself—even though he had been the one it had happened to it still struck him as hilarious, "…C-Can we maybe talk about that later and focus right now on what every guy we know is doing in my kitchen at ten on a Friday night and during the end of my anniversary date on top of everything else?" He crossed his arms over his chest with a patient yet amused little grin, waiting for an answer. And in point of fact Arnold was genuinely stumped—people usually came to him for advice individually, or maybe if a fight or something had happened in groups of two or three…but all of the guys at once? This was weird…

Gerald managed to take some deep breaths to get himself under control again after a few seconds. "O-Okay, okay…sorry. Really, I-I'm good now…" He straightened up and cleared his throat a little, though he was still smiling. Then he took in a deep breath and put a hand on his best friend's shoulder supportively. "Okay, man you are NOT going to believe this one… But after today with all of that stuff with you and Helga and then her mentioning your date and anniversary tonight, well…Arnold, the nearest I can figure is that all the guys, well…they all want dating advice. From you." Gerald grinned brightly at his best friend and shrugged.

There was a single moment of silence.

Then Arnold's eyes went rather wide and he shouted (rather audibly) in a shocked voice before he could think to stop himself, "I'm sorry. I'm confused. They all want…_what_?"

Gerald, obviously trying to hold back another laugh and really trying to be good and supportive about this, just sighed and took Arnold's arm, leading him up the hall. He pushed open the kitchen door and both boys stepped inside. And both could tell right away that apparently Arnold's voice had carried quite well from the hallway as they were met with the crowd of guys suddenly looking to them both with slightly embarrassed…and also slightly eager and even slightly desperate…looks…though they tried to play it kind of cool and casual at first.

"Oh, uh…hey, again, Arnold…" Sid walked forward, grinning nervously, his hands behind his back. And Arnold couldn't help but notice the other guys suddenly closing in on him a bit as well right on Sid's heels.

Arnold swallowed nervously and took a few hesitant steps forward back into the kitchen along with Gerald. "Uh…hi, Sid…g-guys…" He gave a little, hesitant wave.

"So, uh…" Stinky stepped forward now, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing down. "I reckon your date with Miss Helga's all done now…right, Arnold? Sorry about interrupting it again, by the way." He looked to Arnold with a repentant frown.

The other guys frowned and nodded apologetically to him as well.

"Yeah," Harold came forward as well, looking down just as awkwardly as all the others, "But, uh, the…the part we didn't mess up…well…how did it go?"

This question made all of the guys focus in even more eagerly around Arnold and nod with rapt interest.

Arnold's progress forward into the room instantly ceased and now he couldn't help but back up several steps until he hit against the edge of the kitchen counter, feeling very, very, very uneasy about being put on the spot here and especially about this particular brand of subject matter. Finally, though, he took a deep breath and crossed his arms over his chest and looked at each of the guys, speaking firmly and simply. "O-Okay, l-look…you guys? Gerald, um…talked to me just now and I-I know where this is going…a-and what you want… Now, listen," he did his best to sound patient and diplomatic and sympathetic, all things he really was in regards to this 'advice dilemma' of theirs…but…but it was just… "…o-over the years I've given you advice about fighting with each other, about dealing with bullies, about baseball, about homework and about doing the right thing in general but I-I think I might have to draw the line at advice about how to get a girl." Arnold could feel a blush rising in his cheeks though he tried to keep his face firm as he spoke.

A look of disappointment swept the room.

"Aw, come on, Arnold!" Iggy pleaded, stepping forward now as well. "Seriously, don't be uncool like that—we're not asking for a play-by-play of your relationship with Helga, we just want some tips on, you know, how to get a girl to like us back too…"

The other guys eagerly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, Arnold!" Curly raced up to him desperately. "And I want to know how to get my Rhonda to be all mine forever! She…She says she hates me but I know she can't, I just know it! Deep down…she must at least have it in her heart to give me a chance! Come on, please!" He got down on his knees and held his hands together up to Arnold in a pleading position.

At all of these entreaties, Arnold sighed, feeling his good nature trying to take over and change his final word on the matter despite his embarrassment…and all of the potential further embarrassment he could incur from a conversation like the one they were suggesting…. Still, he tried to hold his ground…tried to find some way to present this as a bad idea that they couldn't possibly actually want him to go through with once they thought about it a little… "Guys…" he looked at them with quite a bit of desperation himself, "…L-Listen, I'm probably not even the best person for you to be going to about something like this…Uh…wh-what about some of your older brothers and sisters or cousins o-or your parents? Heh…" He did his best to smile at them confidently about this course of action, though the last thing he was coming off as right now was 'confident'.

And any fleeting feelings of confidence instantly abandoned Arnold at the look every guy before him gave him right now. "Okay, Arnold, seriously," Iggy began, "…_our parents? _You want us to talk to our parents…about women? Not cool."

Everyone readily nodded their heads in firm agreement.

Arnold sighed deeply, trying to find another perfectly plausible reason why he couldn't suddenly become the love guru of PS 118. "Okay, okay…maybe talking to a grown-up about this would be a little embarrassing but…but, um…I-I don't think I could help you guys even if I wanted to, a-at least not right now. I mean, I-I've only had a girlfriend for a month!" He did his best to smile again, though he knew it was nervously like before. "I-I barely know what I'm doing, so I really don't think I have enough experience yet to—"

"Arnold…" Gerald suddenly stepped back toward Arnold again and put a hand on his shoulder. Arnold stopped talking and blinked and looked at Gerald (he was smirking a bit) and then, with a touch of confusion, Arnold glanced around and noticed that the other guys were smirking a little as well. Gerald cleared his throat and went on, explaining…. "I'm…I'm going to have to stop you right there, buddy. Just so there's no more embarrassment than there needs to be tonight. Don't get me wrong, nice try at an excuse but…okay, really, man, you just walked in here before with a giggling girl in your arms and about to kiss her. Not to mention there was obviously something going on between you two _before that_ considering your tie was half way to the side before Helga fixed it before she left, and your hair's messed up a bit and your shirt's half untucked and that there's random marks of lip gloss on your mouth. I'm just letting you know from one friend to another, you're saying you have no experience and no one is taking you seriously right now." Gerald removed his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his buddy with a sympathetic smile and shrug.

As Gerald's words all sunk in Arnold blinked and blushed furiously and instantly started to do his best (mostly in vain) to fix himself up. The other guys, meanwhile, began snickering and letting out stifled chuckles quite a bit, to which Arnold cleared his throat and laughed nervously. "Heh, heh…how, uh, how did all of th-that happen…?" he asked as innocently as possible, trying to wipe whatever had been on Helga's lips from his mouth as best he could now.

A laugh or two escaped Gerald and he couldn't help mumbling, "I don't know…a mid-meal make out session with Helga Pataki, perhaps?"

"Gerald!" Arnold looked at him with wide eyes and a bright blush (as more chuckles and snickers entered his ears from the crowd).

Gerald just rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, man, quit being so overdramatic. Everyone knows about you two now and besides which it's pretty obvious, right fellas?" He glanced to the other guys who all nodded with grins though they were really trying their bests to keep their laughter under control now and to show a bit more decorum about things.

Arnold just sighed…_deeply…_and closed his eyes, putting his head in his hands… '_Oh for crying out loud…_' "I can't believe this is happening to me…" he mumbled to himself in a flat voice.

Gerald stepped a little closer to his best friend, doing his best to be as supportive as possible to help him ease into all of this. "Look, Arnold, I know today's been a little much and that you could probably use a good nap instead of all of this but they all just seriously want a little help just about how to not be a total spazz around a girl…and you _have_ been getting a lot better about that around Helga now that some time's passed." He grinned a little and chuckled, just trying to get his friend to buck up.

Arnold still spoke in that flat tone though he did crack a smile as he removed his head from his hand and glanced to his best friend. "Very funny…"

Gerald smiled a little more and went on, seeing he was starting to go for it. "Anyway, they all knew about your date from this afternoon, like I said, and then I ran into Sid and Stinky and they were wondering if I thought you'd mind if they stopped over later to talk to you a bit and I finally got out of them that it was about this whole 'dating' thing and I mentioned that I was coming over for a sleepover to get some ideas after your date about what to do with Phoebe for our, um…one month anniversary next weekend…" he mumbled through that last part, clearing his throat before going on, "…a-and I said that if they wanted to stop by too that would probably be cool and then…I guess it kind of snowballed into all of this…" He gestured sheepishly with his hand to the crowd of soon to be fifth grade guys behind him. "Sorry…" he added sincerely. "But they all really want your advice, Arnold, no teasing, no mocking, I mean it. So…maybe you could just help them out with something basic, at least just for now? You know…like you helped me out when I had that first date with Phoebe last month?" Gerald had sort of quietly mumbled through the last part again, but now that he was done laying everyone's cards on the table he smiled hopefully at his best friend (recalling privately how much he really had appreciated even that simple phone call with Arnold that morning after he and Phoebe had gotten together to just talk and try and start figuring things out.) "What do you say, Arnold?"

Arnold just continued looking at his friend with disbelief written on his face for another second or two…and then he glanced back at the guys with the same look...then back to Gerald…and then he put his head in his hand again and finished by letting out the deepest sigh he had in him.

The rest of the boys still waited for his final answer…

…Which came as Arnold now picked up his head, crossed his arms over his chest once more, looked to the crowd of boys around him…and spoke. "Okay…_if_ I…agree to do this tonight…a-and it can only be for a little while because I really have to take care of some things before bed and I'm already pretty tired…but if I agree to do this right now there are three rules. One: If anything I say or suggest backfires because it turns out it was just something that worked for Helga and I under our own circumstances, I don't want any complaints or any more mocking to start up about it. Two: I am not going into detail about the kissing. Absolutely not. No way. _Never._ That's private. Helga was already nervous enough about admitting everything today but I don't think she'd come to school ever again if I started talking about _that_. A-And going along with that…" Arnold cleared his throat and a tiny bit of a frustrated look came to his face, "…I-I'd appreciate it, if Helga happens to be in something very, um…p-pretty again anytime soon…if you guys could try and not s-stare at her like you were doing before…okay?" He looked to them and the guys all blushed and then swallowed and looked down sheepishly and gave shrugs and nods. Arnold let out a breath, feeling a little better now. "A-Alright then…a-and, um…number three f-for the conditions…" he let out a breath and now couldn't help but smile at the guys around him, just a little, "…Please no one ever bring up to Helga that I actually agreed to this. She likes me…that doesn't mean she wouldn't kill me if she ever had to deal with the embarrassment about talking to you about talking to me about all of this…okay?"

The other guys of course instantly all smiled widely and nodded eagerly!

"Really, aw thanks, Arnold!" Harold said with a smile.

"Yeah, that's dang decent of you!" added Stinky.

"Very cool!" Iggy supplied.

"Yes! FINALLY I will have my Rhonda!" Curly (who else?).

"Alright, ladies, look out for Sid!" Sid said smoothly, though it couldn't help but be seen as comical as he suddenly tripped over his own feet while trying to slide suavely forward on the linoleum floor.

"Yes, gosh Arnold, it's very nice of you!" added Eugene brightly as usual.

Arnold just let out a sigh, smiling more, unable to help it. "Okay, okay…you guys just grab some cookies from the cupboard and head into the den and set up a movie or something. Gerald, will you start popping some popcorn—you know where it is." Arnold started to head out of the kitchen in the direction of the stairs.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "Sure man, but where are you going?"

Arnold turned around, still smiling, and shrugged. "Well," he glanced at his best friend and then at their other friends, "I thought I'd get myself cleaned up a little and change. I'd like to get out of this suit and tie and…" his grin picked up a little on one side and he just couldn't help himself, "Not to break rule number two about no talking about the kissing but…I've found lately that it takes a little soap and water to really get lip gloss off of yourself…" He chuckled a little and then just shrugged in response to the sea of dropped jaws with which he was instantly met. "See you in a few minutes, guys!"

And with that and a quick wave he dashed off upstairs, just chuckling to himself and shaking his head. He sighed as he made it to the second story landing, still smiling to himself all the way… '_Helga's right (as usual). Wonders never cease…'_

* * *

_Meanwhile…five minutes ago as Helga had exited the boarding house…_

Now outside in the warm summer air, Helga G. Pataki let out a satisfied sigh and made her way to the bottom of the stoop. She glanced at the empty street before her, decided she had a few minutes until Olga came, and then quickly removed her locket from her purse and gazed at it lovingly. "Oh Arnold, yet another wonderful evening together! Oh, I'm so happy every day that we're together but today has been the best one by far! I was honest and open with all of our friends for the first time and in the end they actually managed to kind of accept us and then you gave us such a lovely first night of our anniversary weekend, and we still have tomorrow night to look forward to, and you're happy and I'm happy and your kissing has gotten freaking fantastic!" She was beginning to get carried away, and suddenly spun around in delight on the sidewalk. "Oh Arnold, _my lo_—"

"Helga?"

"OOF!" Helga, mid-spin, suddenly tripped over her own feet (and her high, red sling-backs) and fell to the ground, her eyes going wide at the sound of _that_ voice.

She looked up and blinked several times until her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and the streetlights well enough to see standing before her plain as day…. "RHONDA!" Helga blushed furiously and instantly scrambled to her feet, personal effects still in hand. She breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down but not having a very easy time of it…

And it didn't help that soon enough Helga's peripheral vision started to notice that along with the self-elected princess of the fourth (or rather, fifth) grade there were also several other familiar female faces suddenly approaching her now and coming into the light of the streetlight. Helga swallowed, looking around in a touch of confusion and nervousness. "Uh…Nadine, Sheena, Phoebe, Lila…Rhonda—what are you all doing here?" _'Crimeny, what the heck, is there some kind of preteen convention here tonight?' _

The girls looked to each other for a moment (except Phoebe who was leaning against the stoop rail now and just smiling sweetly and knowingly)…Rhonda swallowed and stepped forward and decided to be the one to speak…She was their 'princess', after all… "Oh, uh…well…h-hi, Helga." She gave a little wave, grinning sheepishly and with a small blush. "W-We were just…passing by…and we remembered that your date with Arnold tonight would probably be finishing right about now so we just, uh, heh, heh…thought we'd see how things went?" She shrugged, putting her arms behind her back with a touch of shyness.

Helga just continued staring at Rhonda and all the rest of them for several seconds more, looking utterly perplexed. "Huh?" was all she finally came up with, scowling a tiny bit in frustration.

Rhonda cleared her throat and was about to fake her way through an excuse again when Phoebe suddenly stepped forward, letting out a patient sigh and looking to her best friend, deciding it might be easier if she took the reins for everyone with Helga instead. "Sorry, Helga…we didn't mean to surprise you. And I believe what Rhonda is trying to say is that…" Phoebe had to sigh again and proceeded to take off and clean her glasses with the hem of her sweater, "…Well…that it seems that everyone today was quite impressed with your admission of your feelings for Arnold…and a bit intrigued by them…so they all started talking a little and they were wondering…" Phoebe paused and then finally stated with little smile and shrug, putting her glasses back on, "I believe they wanted to seek your advice on matters of romance, Helga?" She tried not to chuckle but it was hard…the idea of her best friend finally getting to not only be truthful about her romantic side but getting to fully explore and express it to everyone? It was really very sweet when one thought about it.

However, Helga just continued standing there with a mixture of confusion and frustration still on her face and her jaw still dropped. "Huh?" was all that came out again. She looked to her best friend. "Phoebe, I've had a long day, can you just tell me straight up what it is I'm dealing wi—"

Rhonda sighed and rolled her eyes, coming forward with a scowl and her arms crossed over her chest and interrupting Helga with exactly the kind of blunt explanation she seemed to be looking for. "We want dating advice, Helga, alright? Come on, you're the only one of us who's ever had a real long term boyfriend and even though I'm supposed to be the queen of social matters even I haven't been able to get a decent guy to commit to a relationship, and especially not for a whole month! So spill! What's your secret?"

The other girls (Phoebe, excepted) nodded and quietly voiced their assents accompanied by little hopeful smiles.

Helga…just… continued looking at them…The expression on her face had changed to pensive though now as she did her best to wrap her head around this one. "You…all…Okay, now, give me a second to try and…you want advice on getting a guy from ME! ALL of you?" She pointed to them all.

The girls shrugged and began to nod.

Nadine stepped forward with a smile. "Well, Helga, like Rhonda said you're the only one who's ever had a real serious boyfriend so it seems like you'd be the best one to go to…"

"Uh huh," Sheena nodded in agreement, "And we _are_going to be in fifth grade in a few months. And like you said at the game today most kids going into sixth grade have already at least been kissed so…next year would probably be the year to try and start dating a little…"

Helga, though she was slowly starting to absorb the reality of this situation, couldn't help her right eye twitching slightly. She crossed her arms over her chest and put a hand to her temple, speaking in a sort of a moan… "Uh…listen, guys, not that I wouldn't like to help you 'nab some dates' but, uh…you know me—I'm terrible at giving advice. And especially about this—believe me, th-things aren't as clear cut as they seem with the Football Head and I. There's a lot of history here that you're not aware of! I-I didn't just wake up one morning and decide 'Oh, hey, I'm going to be in love with Arnold. Let me put bagging him on my 'to do' list'!" Helga had gestured in the air with her hand not holding her purse and record as she had said these last words…and now suddenly realized that this 'free hand' she was holding up still held her Arnold locket…it's face now glinting in the glow of the streetlight for all to see!

Helga instantly blinked and then glanced around nervously and cleared her throat sheepishly and quickly brought down her locket and shoved it tightly into her purse, though it was obvious that all of the girls had seen it as they were blushing and giggling and looking at Helga like she was the sweetest person in the world. "Mmm…" Helga moaned to herself a little, smacking her forehead with an open palm. '_Crimeny, does EVERYONE in my life have to see the Arnold locket at some point or something?_' She sighed and looked to the girls again, putting her hands on her hips. "Okay, first of all, none of you saw that…and since you didn't see it none of you will EVER tell any of the boys about it!" Her tone said this statement wasn't up for debate. Not waiting for a response in that case, Helga cleared her throat and did her best to move on from the subject. "A-Anyway, a-about this d-dating and 'guy' stuff…u-um, wh-why don't you guys set up an appointment to talk to Arnold or something? He's been in this as long and practically as deep as I have, only he actually knows how to advise people without turning their lives into chaos. I'm sure he could at least give you _something_." She shrugged, glancing down and digging the toe of one of her shoes into the ground.

"Well, Helga…" Lila came forward now, clearing her throat, "Arnold's very good at giving advice but you must admit he's a boy and this is sort of a girl situation." She smiled brightly. "And I'm ever so certain you'd be perfect for the job!"

Helga almost wanted to glare at Lila…yet at the same time she couldn't help a touch of a smile at the vote of confidence. "I-I…well…" Helga glanced again at the hopeful faces around her. "Uh, that's…I-I mean, thanks, but…you guys…really, come on—me giving dating advice? I can't…I mean…" She glanced down nervously, unsure of what to say anymore and feeling torn between awkwardness and…a touch of pride that the girls would all look up to her like this…and maybe even a touch of an actual _desire_ to participate in this thing they were requesting of her…

"Helga…" Helga was taken out of her thoughts by Phoebe putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder and addressing her with a supportive smile, "I tried to talk them out of this since I thought it might make you uncomfortable but they seem determined and to be honest I believe you're the most well suited to this task myself. You helped me quite a bit with Gerald and since you've suddenly started being open with everyone about your feelings for Arnold…" Phoebe added that last statement with a touch of shyness, and then cleared her throat and added more normally, "A-And, well, I think you could help our female classmates considerably."

Helga had to smile at Phoebe's encouragement…though she still hesitated…but her hesitation was waning… "Well, I…" She looked to the girls once more and was met with many eager and smiling faces. "I…" she really wanted to give an excuse, yet at the same time…well, Helga knew she had been a good choice as a poetry tutor but if there was one other thing she knew a ton about it was indeed how to like a guy and apparently how to get him to like you back…how to build a good, honest, trusting, loving relationship with another human being… "I…" Finally she sighed…and nodded. "I can't believe I am doing this…" she mumbled to herself with a shake of her head and a slight grin before clearing her throat and looking to the other girls. "Okay, okay…hypothetically, if I were to agree to this…there would be a couple of ground rules. _Nonnegotiable _ground rules. First of all…" she scowled at them, but only a tiny bit, more for effect than anything else, "I do not want to hear any excess giggling or whispering or little mushy comments about anything I might say or talk about. Two: me doing this does not in any way mean that I am some kind of girly girl and not just as tough as I always was. Three: No one bring this up to Football Head—he's shy enough as it is but hearing about something like this happening from anyone else, especially a girl, would probably make the little drama king crawl under a rock and die…" She almost laughed to himself at the image of his shyness. "And four…" she sighed, rubbing her temples with her free hand, "When we do this…which will be at the sleepover I mentioned I might be having in the next week or two since I am WAY too tired to even begin attempting it right now and since my entire day tomorrow is booked with date planning…just try and keep any kissing questions to a minimum around my parents and my sister. Please. I might be agreeing to a certain degree of humiliation here but there's a difference between that and total mortification, alright?" She looked to the girls firmly, awaiting their responses.

All of them instantly smiled gratefully at her!

"Thanks, Helga!" Nadine replied sweetly!

"Yeah, thanks!" Sheena added happily.

"Oh, this is going to be the best sleepover we've ever had, Helga! I'm ever so certain you have to let me be the one to tell Olga that it's definitely on!" Lila practically clung to one of Helga's arms as she made this perky request!

"Thank you, Helga…" Phoebe made a little bow with her head to her best friend, and then stepped forward, lowering her voice slightly as she added, "And I really am sorry to have let them put you on the spot like this but when I tried to convince them not to bother you they…th-they were starting to think of asking _me_ for dating advice a-and…" Phoebe blushed considerably and gulped, looking down, lowering her voice to all but a whisper, "I…I-I still haven't even had enough courage yet to ask Gerald to come up to my room, s-so I don't think I could even begin to—"

Helga, understanding completely, just put a hand on her best friend's shoulder and smiled at her sympathetically. "Easy, Pheebs, I got it covered. And honestly I probably should have been expecting some form of chaos like this from everything I did today…Besides I'm…in a really good mood right now anyway, so why not?" She chuckled a little and then looked at the other girls with a scowl but still also with a smile. "Alright, ladies, next Friday night at nineteen hundred hours sharp, at my house! There will be snacks, there will be movies, there will be me blathering on and on about romance and still working on trying to just learn to love being open with everyone! Should be a blast!" '_Oh…might as well just have fun with it as long as I'm actually gonna do it!'_ She winked at them all, laughing a little more. "Until then though my sister's picking me up in a few minutes and to be honest after a day like this one…a-and a night like this one…" she smiled coyly and blushed a tiny bit, unable to help herself… "I'm beat…and_ especially_ after a night like this one…" She giggled to herself. "Arnold is…extra good at showing a girl a good time."

The other girls blinked and some of their jaws dropped with smiles at what Helga had just hinted at, though Helga, with a small smug smile, just walked past them and toward the corner streetlight to wait for her sister whom she was expecting any moment. "Bye, you guys…Have a good night! See you next weekend!" Helga looked at them all over her shoulder and gave a little wave.

The other girls looked back at her with smiles, giggling a little now and waving back.

"Bye, Helga!"

"Yes, bye, Helga! See you at your slumber party!"

"I'll call you in the morning Helga about next Saturday for, um…Gerald and I!"

"I'm ever so certain I hope the rest of your anniversary weekend with Arnold is wonderful, Helga! Bye!"

Helga heard all of the girls starting to disperse and go their separate ways home behind her. She just smiled to herself, resting against the streetlight, breathing in the warm summer night air and just feeling very happy with the events of her life today, all things considered (though she did wish she could have had at least a little more making out time with Arnold before things had had to end…but there was always tomorrow, of course, as they had both agreed).

"…Hey…Helga? U-Um…got another second?...P-Please…"

Helga suddenly felt a hand upon her shoulder…and of course she knew that voice…and she wondered if now she might be able to get to the bottom of certain things today with a certain person. Helga let out a breath and turned around with a small smile. "Hi Rhonda…Sure. What's up?" she asked as kindly and patiently as possible…She was recalling Nadine's words to her in Slausens this morning about Rhonda's 'condition' on top of which Rhonda looked nervous, scared, shy, a touch embarrassed…and Helga could empathize a lot.

Rhonda pulled her hand away and cleared her throat, glancing down humbly. "Um…I…well…would it be okay if I asked you about something…a-about romance… _now_…while you have a couple of minutes and we're alone?" She looked to Helga hesitantly.

Helga smiled more and nodded. "Sure…what's on your mind?"

Rhonda swallowed…seemed to consider her words…and then cleared her throat and began. "Well…O-Okay, I know this is going to sound stupid but…A-Alright, um…you and Arnold, let's say—n-no one would have ever thought that in a million years, right?"

Helga couldn't help but scowl slightly, though her calm demeanor and patience were maintained over all. "No, no one but me and maybe Phoebe probably…but I understand what you're saying…Continue."

Rhonda let out a breath, shrugging and looking to Helga. "Well, it's just that…Okay, so, you liked Arnold and then he realized that even though you two seemed so different he likes you and now you're happy together…correct?"

"Mmm, hmm..." Helga nodded, still being patient, still waiting.

"Well…W-Well…W-W-Well, I…." And then finally Rhonda broke down, pacing in a frenzy and just letting it all spill out! "Oh, look, Curly's been practically in love with me for months and I have been _trying_ to get him to stop but what if you and Arnold working out means that I'm randomly going to fall in love with him too! Or worse that I'd be happy if I did? And now ever since the thought occurred to me I've been freaking out and thinking about it nonstop and–" She grabbed the collar of Helga's shirt. "Helga, I'm sorry I've been angry with you all day but seeing you and Arnold together has just been throwing all of this in my face constantly! Not to mention Curly's been telling me for weeks that you two must be together! But I CAN'T be meant to be with Curly! I _can't_…I…But…But now I…I can't help but wonder…and I can't help but almost want to give him a chance because what if it turns out I CAN be meant to be with Curly and that it would make me really happy just like you and Arnold are happy? What if I'm destined to be Mrs. Rhonda Welling Lloyd Gamelthorppe!" She was breathing heavily and grabbing Helga by the shoulders and looking her right in the face. "Please, Helga, help me! What should I do?" The desperation in her face and voice was obvious!

Helga's. Jaw. Dropped.

Silence…

And then laughter consumed our blond heroine.

* * *

_About five minutes later…_

A scowling Rhonda finally let Helga go, looking away from her with a frown and her arms crossed over her chest proudly. "It's _not_ funny, Helga!" she announced haughtily and with frustration.

Helga just kept on laughing though…Though, really, she wasn't trying to be mean or insensitive or anything…It was just, well... "Oh yes it is, princess! But not because your feelings are funny! C-Come on, how much of a hypocrite would I be if I laughed just because you might be into a guy? No, no, it's hilarious because of the fact that you've been giving me such a hard time this whole freaking day and even last month with that whole poem fiasco in school, and then it turns out that it's all because you're a bigger basketcase than me!" Helga held her sides, warm chuckles still escaping her. She really was doing her best to get herself under control a bit now though and to wipe the tears of mirth away from her eyes, though it definitely wasn't an easy task.

Rhonda just growled and rolled her eyes. "Oh I knew it would be stupid to tell you. Oh just forget it Helga!" Hands clenched into fists at her sides, she was about to storm away when she felt Helga suddenly grabbed one of her arms. Rhonda turned back to her, still looking rather peeved and hurt.

Helga was doing a lot better now and really had regained almost all of her composure. She smiled sincerely at Rhonda. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, alright? It's been a long day and I just had to get that out of my system. If, um…If you're really interested though I'll tell you what I think you should do about this whole Curly thing…if you'd like to hear it…okay?" She looked at her with earnestness in her eyes and voice.

Rhonda blinked at the friendly offer and took a step back towards Helga now. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure." Helga smiled and shrugged, letting her go now that it seemed like she would definitely stick around for a bit longer. "Just give me a second to think this one through a bit…" Helga crossed her arms over her chest, a pensive look came to her features, and she began to pace a tiny bit.

Rhonda watched her with interest…It was like Helga genuinely and sincerely cared about helping it…and she felt…touched…like she was with a kindred spirit almost…

"Okay so, Curly's definitely in love with you, right?"

This question from Helga, coupled with the cessation of her pacing, snapped Rhonda out of her thoughts and she instantly nodded. "Oh, um…yeah…He lets me know every second of every minute of every hour of every day!" She rolled her eyes at how obnoxious it could all be sometimes…though she couldn't fight back a tiny smile pulling at the corners of her mouth in regards to it just the same. After all, some of the things he could do when it came to her _were_ kind of funny…and some of them not even in the _geekiest_ of ways…

Helga noticed a lot about Rhonda's facial expressions at the moment and she smiled a little to herself. "Hmm…okay…And how do you feel about him, Rhonda?" she asked simply as could be.

Instantly at that inquiry Rhonda's eyes narrowed slightly and she seemed practically offended and about to dramatically protest his grossness when Helga instantly cut her off. "Up bup bup, now take a second and really think about it, Rhonda. In fact, let's do this in pieces. How do you feel about the fact that he loves you?" Helga smiled at her.

Rhonda blinked at this new question. "Oh. Well, I…" She considered carefully as Helga had suggested. "A little creeped out, I guess. And it can get kind of annoying too…but also I…I suppose it's kind of nice to have the attention…sometimes…" She cleared her throat and glanced away…though that little tug of a smile was present at the corners of her mouth again…

Helga had to smile a bit more at this well thought out and much more introspective response from the girl before her. "Alright, then…next question. If Curly stopped loving you…how do you think you would feel?"

Rhonda carefully considered this question too…and while she was doing so the little smile trying to come to her lips was soon replaced by a little frown. "I…lonely…" The way Rhonda looked when that word popped out of her mouth…It was like she hadn't even realized it had been inside of her in regards to all of this. She blinked and instantly blushed a little and glanced away. "I-I mean, i-it would just be a lot to go from having all of his attention to having none of it," she did her best to explain away calmly with a little clearing of her throat.

Helga did her best not to chuckle and just went on with a nod and a smile. "Mmm hmm…Alright, then, one more question…Would you like to _try _loving him back…just to see what it would be like?"

Rhonda blinked and took a second to absorb the question. Then she looked up at Helga almost with a touch of shock. "U-Uh…w-well, Helga, that's, uh…"

Helga sighed and smiled at her. "Come on, Rhonda…just between us girls? And besides, think about it—no matter what you say it'd be pretty hard to embarrass yourself when you just caught me coming out of Arnold's house after a date with my lip gloss more than smudged and twirling around with his picture in a heart shaped locket in my hand…" She chuckled a little, doing her best to lighten the mood. "So come on, princess, just tell me the truth…I guarantee it'll help you feel better." Helga winked at her.

Though Rhonda was still looking rather nervous and even blushing a little by now, Helga's words did at least manage to get her to crack a smile…and to answer the question. "Well, that's…that's kind of why I came to you, I guess, because I'd…I'd almost like to see if maybe, I don't know…it could work…with me and Curly. But…" she blushed and looked to Helga with discomfort, "…E-Even if I did try what if it didn't work out? He'd never let me live it down—no one ever would! And he'd always hold a torch for me then and be convinced that I secretly loved him and that somehow he could 'win me back', and, and…" Rhonda seemed to be spiraling, her breathing picking up to the point of near hyperventilation!

Observing her friend's distress, Helga instantly put a comforting hand on Rhonda's shoulder. "Hey, hey, Rhonda, take it easy, okay?" She smiled at her. "Listen, I-I know it's scary and embarrassing and awkward and a nightmare sometimes thinking about things like this, but…you've gotta remember that if you don't _try _then nothing will ever happen and then you'll never know!" She shrugged. "Now, look—yeah, things worked out for me and Football Head. Great. If they hadn't though, after he found out how I felt and he finally decided to give me a shot, then at the very least I would have known one way or the other. Always hoping and never going for it is no way to live." She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "Actually I have to give Curly credit for that—at least he goes all out with his feelings." She scoffed. "I was keeping mine secret for years! Seriously, it was only by random chance that Arnoldo found out…random chance and me going on two days of no sleep and a seriously huge adrenaline rush!" Helga couldn't help but roll her eyes and chuckle to herself at the crazy memory of FTi…

Rhonda, coming out of her crisis a little, looked to Helga with interest and further curiosity, and opened her mouth as though she was about to say something further to continue their conversation…

_BEEP! BEEP!_

…When suddenly the sound of a car horn interrupted the girls and brought both of their attentions to the sight of a familiar perky colored convertible pulling up at the street corner.

"Helga, baby sister! Come on, I pretended to not be able to find my car keys so that as an excuse to Daddy to give you and Arnold a few extra minutes for your date tonight, but it's already 10:15 and we've really got to get you home! You don't want to be grounded from you anniversary date with Arnold tomorrow night!" Olga's bright and cheery voice instantly announced all of this to her to her 'baby sister' as she sat there with the car idling and waiting for Helga to jump in. Olga blinked and then added though, obviously noticing Helga's companion now. "Ooo, baby sister, that's one of your little friends from your class, isn't it? Hi there, um…Rhonda, right? It's Olga Pataki! How are you?"

Rhonda blinked a few times and then smiled and gave Olga a little wave. "Oh, um…I'm perfectly fine, Olga. Good to see you!"

"Oh wonderful to see you too, Rhonda! It's always nice to see one of my baby sister's friends!" She giggled and then looked to Helga again. "Helga, we've really got to get going before Daddy and Mummy start worrying too much. Oh but would your friend like a ride too?"

With a smile, Rhonda was about to politely refuse and then thank Helga for her help with trying to figure out the Curly thing, and then perhaps she would go home and have a nice, relaxing decaf mocha latte and think more about the questions Helga had asked her…and her responses to them…Though it would have been nice to have had just a few more minutes to talk with Helga first in private…

But then… "Alright, Olga, I'm coming! And just a sec!" Helga called out to her big sister. And then she turned to Rhonda with a smile. "Rhonda…you wouldn't mind talking about this a little more, would you? And _not_ at a sleepover in front of a bunch of people. Am I right?"

Rhonda blinked and then nodded in response to the question, surprised at Helga realizing that about how she felt.

Helga smiled more to herself. _'Oh Arnold, this whole giving people a second chance thing and having a conscience is really starting to rub off on me…and now I'm actually sort of starting to like it…_' She nodded to Rhonda. "Alright, then, how about you come home with me for a bit…We can sit and chat, have a little girl time, give you a chance to think, and if it gets too late you can even stay over if you feel like it…only if you want to, of course."

Rhonda…smiled. "Really, Helga? W-Well, um…yes, alright." She nodded appreciatively. "That would be lovely."

"You got it!" Helga winked at her and then turned back to Olga, approaching the car and grabbing Rhonda's hand and pulling her along toward it. "Hey, Olga, you think I could have a friend come over for a little while? Maybe stay the night?"

Olga smiled at the two girls as they entered the back seat of her car. "Why of course, Helga!" she replied brightly. "I'm sure Mummy and Daddy wouldn't mind especially with there being no school tomorrow!"

"Great! Thanks, Olga!" Helga announced as she shut the car door and buckled up.

"No problem, baby sister." Olga giggled and turned around and put the car in drive, pulling out into the street.

They drove up the block and made a turn…then Rhonda, done with putting on her own seatbelt, looked to Helga, speaking in a low voice so that only they could hear. "Um…Helga?"

Helga smiled at her and shrugged, yawning a little. "Yup?"

Rhonda looked down humbly. "Thanks…for…h-helping me with this delicate situation. I appreciate it. And I really am sorry for today and for letting my, um…my own issues make me so…unpleasant and unsympathetic to your own situation."

"Aw, hey, you're welcome, princess, and seriously, don't worry about it!" Helga waved her off with a smile. "Water under the bridge. I'm just happy that things are getting kind of okay between us now. Call me crazy but I think we should get on better terms… We're not so different when you get down to it." She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at Rhonda. "Leaders of our grade, powerful women, stubborn as heck…." She chuckled

Rhonda laughed, relaxing a bit more, and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay then, Helga…we'll try." Rhonda held out a hand to her.

Helga blinked at it but then smiled more and nodded, holding out a hand as well. "Works for me."

The two shook on it.

Then Helga smirked at Rhonda tiny and added with a light blush and a little shrug, "But, uh, Rhonda? Just do me one favor…to, uh, 'kick off' our newfound peaceful little friendship…okay?"

"Sure…what?" Rhonda asked with an interested smile.

Helga sighed, smiling to herself. "Well, I know you, Rhonda, and if anything's going on in school or in this neighborhood you'll be the first to find out and spread it around. So…if you catch me and Arnold anytime this summer or next year, oh, I don't know…having a little 'private fun' together in a janitor's closet or in an empty classroom or behind a dumpster or in a park…just keep it under your hat, okay?" She looked at her with a firm but friendly smile.

Rhonda blinked at the request and blushed a tiny bit herself but then cleared her throat and smiled. "Oh, um…sure, Helga. I understand."

Helga laughed. "Good. You know, Arnold's right—getting people to do you favors because they're your friends is much less stressful than getting them to do you favors because they're afraid you're going to pound them."

"Y-Yeah, and…now that I think about it, it's also a little nicer getting people to do you favors because they're your friends instead of because you're 'commanding them to' or because you're blackmailing them with gossip," Rhonda couldn't help but observe with a little smirk to herself.

The two girls looked to each other…and then Helga G. Pataki and Rhonda Wellington Lloyd shared a warm, ironic laugh together as they headed to the Pataki household to, among other things, start in on becoming better friends…

Helga actually ended up getting so caught up with Rhonda that she forgot to check on her third anniversary present that Arnold had given her, wrapped in the red paper, tucked away in her purse.

* * *

"Knock, knock! You asleep yet, Shortman?" Phil asked as he gave a couple light raps at his grandson's bedroom door and then peeked in his head in with a smile.

Sure enough (Phil had seen through the crack at the bottom of the door that the light was still on), Arnold was awake, sitting up in his bed now wearing his pajamas. He had been playing with something small in his hands though he quickly pushed it underneath his pillows before looking to his grandpa with a smile. "No, not yet, Grandpa. I'll turn the light out soon…I was just thinking a little."

"Ooo well, I don't blame you, Shortman—you've got plenty to think about," Phil replied with an extra grin as he stepped into the room. "After all, you had a big day at school going public with Helga, and then a big date tonight with her and then you spent close to half an hour after that talking with all of your friends…" Phil sat on the edge of Arnold's bed.

Arnold nodded to his recap of his day. "I know…and then all the guys are coming by for a little while before Helga comes over for our second date this weekend since I didn't have too much time to talk with them tonight…" Arnold sighed, and gave a small yawn.

"Hmm, well, you certainly are growing up Short Man. Now you've got a great big busy social life: pretty soon your Grandma and I'll be waking up to all night blowout parties on the roof and you 'gunning up your hog' to whisk Helga away on weekend trips!" The old man chuckled to himself.

"Grandpa!" Arnold blushed a little, rolling his eyes. "I'm just having a few friends over after dinner…and what does 'gunning up your hog' mean anyway?" He raised a curious eyebrow at him.

Phil just laughed, holding his sides. He sighed and waved Arnold off. "It means turning on the motorcycle I'm sure a 'wild man' like you will want the second you can have a license to drive one and can convince Helga to climb onto the back seat with you…provided she doesn't take the wheel from you when you're not looking." He winked then rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Arnold, you really do need to get with the times, heh, heh." He gave one of his familiar chuckles.

Arnold just smiled more and blushed a little. "Whatever you say, Grandpa…But I think I'd like to try just through our one month anniversary first…b-before I make any major life decisions or changes…" He glanced down shyly for a moment.

Phil noticed the change in expression and looked to Arnold curiously and knowingly. "Oh, hmm…I see…Well, then, I guess I'll leave you to your musings about all of that. Have a good night, Shortman." Phil reached over and mussed Arnold's hair playfully a little before standing up, cracking his back a bit. "Oh boy…I've gotta start practicing my backhand springs, heh, heh." He smiled down at his grandson. "Oh and thanks for lingering up on the roof with the date, Shortman—I won a whole dollar from your Grandma!" Phil grinned proudly, holding his suspenders straps.

Arnold chuckled, straightening his cap on his head. "You're welcome, Grandpa. Goodnight." Arnold snuggled in under his covers, yawning a little.

"Heh, heh, goodnight, Shortman. Pleasant dreams…and as many about Helga as you can muster, heh, heh!" Phil replied with a little wave and a wink, and then he walked across the room and left his grandson, shutting the door behind him.

Left alone now, Arnold reached over to turn out his light and then lay back down in his bed.

For tonight he left Helga's pink books in their usual little spot right by his bedside and didn't pull one under the covers to sleep with…He had something else precious to him that reminded him of her to sleep with in his grasp…

Arnold reached under his pillow in the darkness, under the light of the moon and stars overhead, and pulled out a small little object he had had for a couple of weeks now…at first as sort of a lark…and then as something awkward…and then as something potentially serious…and then as something he had been planning absolutely to make use of this weekend and hopefully this night though unfortunately the interruption of his friends and how little time they had ended up with at the end of their date had removed that possibility...for this evening, at least.

It was a little dark velvet box.

And it had something wonderful inside.

Those few weeks ago, Arnold had gone to that jeweler Helga had gone to for getting her locket engraved…The first thing he had done was bring up Helga and apologize for her leaving without paying for her engraving a few months ago, and then he had paid for the engraving himself: in exchange for seven years of her wearing that locket as part of her unrequited love for him, he had figured it was the least he could do…

Then he had asked the jeweler about…rings.

Not real actual engagement and wedding rings of course! Arnold didn't exactly have a few thousand dollars just lying around anywhere or anything, and honestly something like that would be too much anyway…

But a little pink rhinestone or cubic zirconia…on a little silver plated band…and for not more than three weeks allowance? Yes, Arnold could pull that off…and he had.

Inside the little velvet box was that little pink ring.

And in case it wasn't painfully obvious Arnold was planning to actually propose to Helga. Well, pre-propose…_maybe_ propose…give her a 'promise ring'… He honestly wasn't sure exactly but he figured he would know how to put it when the words came out of his mouth. He was ready. He wanted to have them promised to one another like that. He wasn't ready for the actual marriage yet of course…he was only a ten-year-old boy, after all, and he knew that was way too much responsibility for him…But he did want to wake up each morning and fall asleep each night _knowing_ that he and Helga would have that marriage one day… He wanted to propose to a girl.

Arnold sighed to himself in his bed, holding the little box close. '_This is possibly so stupid…B-But at least I know her and I know that e-even if it is stupid…she won't treat me like it is…so at least there's that…'_

Arnold knew he could have spent a few minutes in the darkness going over in his mind again all the reasons this felt right to him and all the reasons he wanted to propose to Helga but to be honest he was very tired. On top of which he was also trying to avoid thinking about what Helga might think when she got to opening that little red package he had given her as her final anniversary present…It was that pink book she had been writing in during their one week anniversary…the one that she had put that little acronym poem of his name in all about what it was that she realistically loved about him…the one that had had a few blank pages left at the end in it…and it was a pink book of hers that he had kept here from the start, regardless of how many he gave back to her to get now ones or old ones he liked to read. And inside of this special little pink book our football headed hero had written Helga a little note to go along with it explaining things and what he had done…How he had written a poem about every idealistic thing he could come up with about her…about all of her womanliness and wonderfulness…just like he had promised her to do one day during their one week anniversary…and how he had copied it into the back of that pink book, into those last few blank pages. He had thought for a little while about maybe reciting it to her on this night but…the idea had ended up terrifying him so much that he had gone with this plan instead…And now he had to wonder how she would react to his poem, how she would like it…

Arnold let out a sigh, doing his best to clear his mind. '_Just sleep, Arnold…Don't think about it…Just sleep…Worry about it in the morning…Just…be happy._' It was hard though for a moment…When he had given her that Dino and Nancy Spumoni record, something about the look on her face…She had seemed overjoyed at it afterwards but still, before that…what a strange look…And come to think of it hadn't she also had that look for a moment during their dinner? No, no…it had been at the piano…Strange…But perhaps it was nothing…just her being lost in some thoughts… Yes, nothing.

'_Yes, nothing_…' Arnold added to himself with a yawn. '_Sleep, Arnold…Rest…You're supposed to be proposing to a girl tomorrow after all…_' He chuckled a little to himself. _'Just be happy.._' he assured himself once more.

And so with this solid advice to himself Arnold yawned and just let his mind wander and drift off. He would go over everything again tomorrow in his head before his second attempt at it. And until then…he just wanted to sleep and dream and smile.

He really was very happy after all that had happened this day. And he knew Helga was very happy too.

And for now his ten-year-old mind just wanted to bask in all of that and in the happiness of life in general…his own, hers…theirs…everyone's.

One anniversary date down, one to go…

* * *

**A/N:**

Alright, and so Arnold's night of their anniversary is complete! I hope you all enjoyed it ^w^ Please review! Thank you!

As for things that were inspired from other sources…

Just in general that entire part of Arnold and Helga's dinner conversation when they go into the parrot incident and Arnold pushes Helga's buttons a little came from me thinking about some email chats I've had about incident with a reviewer who would like to just be mentioned as a 'collaborator' for now :) Thank you! You know who you are!

Also, the entire thing about the guys ending up wanting dating advice from Arnold and the girls ending up wanting dating advice from Helga is from the Nick series "Doug" and specifically from the episode "Doug and Patti Sittin' In a Tree" which is really a wonderful one :) I always feel like it pretty much nailed what a first date when you're not even a teenager yet is usually like and also the ending was just perfect where all the guys are like "We want to get girls too! OwO That's why we were teasing you!" XD Youtube it sometime if you get the chance ;)

Alright, now for something about when the next update will be… Now, let me start by saying that I will never under any circumstances ever abandon a story. Period. It's just a policy of mine. That being said though, it is now January which means I will be starting a new job and I will be starting graduate school and I will also be working a few new projects in my personal life so honestly I'm not sure how frequently anything of mine is going to be updated. On top of which, it's been five years since I started TA and I'm very very very tired XD Writing this story and these very long chapters take a LOT out of me and I just don't have a huge surplus of the stuff it takes out of me to give right now. On top of which, as of this chapter being concluded I no longer have full basic working drafts for the remainder of this fic—I have notes, a few scenes written out, some plans, but otherwise I have to do it all from scratch and that takes a lot. So in a nutshell, I'm not sure what's going to be updated or when but nothing will be abandoned and I'm not going to randomly disappear now for a bunch of years or something XD I just need a little time to myself while I'm trying to transition into a new period of my life :) In the meantime though I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and everything else I've written so far. I appreciate all of your readership and your reviews so very much and whenever I hear that I've made one of you happy or feel an emotional connection to something or just that I've made you think about a character or a concept in a new way it's one of the happiest feelings in the world for me :) I'll give you all more when I can!

There is a very slight chance I might get the next chapter featuring Helga's night of their date up this month but I can't make any promises. Time and inspiration permitting though, I will try, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter if I can manage to post it. *Hugs!*

Happy Reading!

And Happy New Year!

~Azure129 aka Jenna

AXH FOREVER!


	25. Helga's Anniversary Date for Arnold

**A/N:**

YAY, UPDATE TIME! 8D Thank you all so much for your patience! My life's been crazy between work and going for my Master's degree now and just epic drama sometimes XDXDXD I've barely had time for anything, let alone writing unfortunately w But I've finally managed to finish this chapter and I really hope you guys all like it :) Please read and review and thank you so much for all of your support!

Also, just a couple quick notes.

I'm on fictionpress now under the same penname (Azure129). I'll be submitting some original stuff soon hopefully that I hope you'll all check out if you get the chance : 3 Thanks!

You guys know that when I credit someone for an idea they've given me I don't like to go into specifics of what exactly that idea was until the closing A/N just so I don't give anything away XD So let me just say now that someone who's helped give me an idea once before and who asked to be credited only as 'a collaborator' kept bringing the concept of a 'reciprocation' of a certain HA! event up to me which eventually lead me to include a certain part that occurs in this chapter maybe a third of the way through. I'll be more specific at the end about what I mean, but thank you, 'collaborator'! ^w^

Also, sometime in the first half of this, Helga thinks to herself 'Do I dare, do I dare' which is a small reference of mine to my favorite poem ever. Bonus points to anyone who knows what it is! :D

And just one more thing…I don't like to give anything away, as you all know but…if, hypothetically, a certain something of a 'proposal' nature was going to occur in this fic…it would not be in this chapter. I just don't want to get anyone's hopes up or anything. But trust me…there's a reason for the 'delay.' ;)

Okay, anyway, without further ado, enjoy! Thank you!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 25:**

**Helga's Anniversary Date for Arnold**

* * *

"So, even if most girls don't like Sidney the frog…as long he's my best friend, I should stick by him and soon enough we'll find a girl who can accept us both?"

"Right, Sid."

"And also you're sayin' that even though I love lemon puddin' and want a girl who'll make me lots of lemon puddin', I should be nice enough to make her the kind of puddin' she likes too sometimes because even though makin' puddin' seems a little girly, it's more important that I show her that she deserves puddin' too?"

"Yes, Stinky, that's exactly it."

"A-And wait, so…girls…who know of my coolness…regardless of it…might not have the hots for me?"

"Yes, Iggy…They might think you're cool but…you just might not be the one for them. It's nothing you can help. It's just a matter of, um…chemistry, I guess."

"Okay but wait so I don't understand that other thing you said before…um…So sometimes…if a girl says she doesn't like you…it can really mean she does like you…but sometimes it could also mean that she really doesn't like you?"

A very confused Harold Berman posed this question to Arnold Shortman, looking to him from his place among all the other fourth grade boys who were currently sitting on our football headed hero's den carpet, munching on snacks and looking to the blond ten-year-old in question very intently on this Saturday evening (a little bit before seven). Arnold had promised them all last night an advice session on love before his date this evening…and he was currently in the process of delivering on that promise.

At Harold's question Arnold (sitting on the couch before them all in sort of a guru position and looking down at them) just sighed and smiled and nodded to him. He had already managed to 'explain' to his confused and eager friends (to the best of his young ability) what it was that made girls want to dress up, why it was important to be very nice and official and sincere about asking a girl out on a date, how it was important to be yourself and yet at the same time to be on your best behavior when you were with a girl romantically, and he had also managed to clear up any remains of that whole 'cootie' rumor that might still be around from their earlier elementary school days. And now, along with helping to clear up a few more minor, personal queries, he was trying to tackle the problem of…well, of sort of explaining the difference between 'hate' and 'love-hate' in terms of a romantic relationship.

Arnold adjusted his tie a little (the guys were going to stick around until seven when his and Helga's second anniversary date of the weekend would be starting with her arrival, and so, to save some time, Arnold had already gotten himself dressed up in his black pants, a white dress shirt, and a tie again—this one being the one he had worn on his and Helga's first unofficial date to Chez Paris during the pen pal fiasco). He considered for a moment and then replied to Harold carefully and a little unsurely, "Well…yes. Sometimes if a girl says she doesn't like you it can really mean that she does like you or it could also mean that she really doesn't like you, like she said in the first place. I-I know it doesn't make a lot of sense when you say it out loud but…it's something that makes more sense 'in feeling', I guess…" He thought a little more, green eyes full of memory and experience for a moment, but then finally, really still being just a ten-year-old boy, Arnold just had to sigh and finish with a shrug, "Girls are just….a little more complicated than us, I think…at least for right now." It really was the best he could come up with at the moment. There really didn't seem to be a 'short and sweet' answer to this observation…it felt more like something that had to be explained slowly and thoroughly and maybe even allegorically…

"Aw, come on, man, you can do better than 'just cuz' as a response to that question! You're DATING Helga G. Pataki—if you can't explain how 'I hate you, you stupid Football Head' somehow translates into 'ask me out, I'm nuts about you' then no one can!"

A bunch of chuckles went up at this humorous statement of Gerald Johannsen's as he smiled up at his best friend from his place on the floor and took a swig of a Yahoo soda.

Arnold chuckled a little as well and smiled more, shaking his head at his friend's remark. "Oh no, it can be explained…but I think it's going to take a while and a few more years of growing up for me to explain it in a way that's not very, very confusing for everyone, including me. I…I guess the only 'short' answer to it I could give is that, um…women have a different way of doing things." He shrugged with a touch of sheepishness.

"They're crazy, in other words…" Curly suddenly couldn't help but paraphrase with a little grin (his black eye was clearing up quite well by now and almost all of his usual good humor had returned). He and all the other guys chuckled a little again

Arnold blinked, his smile remaining though…and he paused as he very carefully considered his next words… "Um…well…"

The progression of Arnold's words stopped though. He noticed something. The faces of the boys around him looked suddenly sort of 'appalled' for a moment…and he had to wonder why…

But then now suddenly they were smiling (sort of strangely) and stifling some laughter.

Arnold, looking at them extra curiously at this point, hesitated for a second longer, but then just cleared his throat and tried to go on with what he had been saying . (He unfortunately did not notice Gerald trying to gesture behind our football headed hero's head with his eyes). "Well… 'crazy' is a little strong…" he started, and then he couldn't help smirking just a tiny bit and adding, "…but…you could call it crazy…" He looked out to the other guys again and now their jaws had actually fallen and they were staring at him with an undue amount of interest. Gerald seemed about to stand up and say something but something made him blink and silenced him and he just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Though, um…" Arnold blinked, looking so very confused again. Okay, something was up and he had to know what it was, even at the sake of interrupting his thought. "Guys…what is it?"

"Arnold…Arnold…Arnold…Ah, so, 'women are crazy'—oh yes, Football Head, you're just the foremost young expert on females in the tri-city area, aren't you? Seriously, that's your explanation…? After a month of dating, that's the best you can come up with…We're crazy? Why not just blame it on those cooties you were helping disprove twenty minutes ago, Romeo? Sheesh!"

Surprisingly enough, Arnold was only thrown off for a moment by the sudden and utterly unexpected sound of a certain someone speaking directly behind him…There was only an instant of wide eyed, paling, panic…and then there was a smile…and calmness…and even a certain smoothness in his demeanor and tone. Arnold stood up from the couch. He adjusted his tie. Then he let out a sigh, not even turning around. His words flowed evenly and suavely. "You didn't let me finish my sentence, Helga G. Pataki. Not that I was getting much of a chance to even if you hadn't spoken up yet…After all, it was a little distracting watching the effect you were having on everyone and not understanding what was going on…" Arnold turned around now… and he had to pause and blink, his calm faltering, his jaw falling a little.

He almost didn't know why he had even bothered to expect Helga to be standing there behind him normally, possibly let in by his grandparents through the front or back door at some point earlier so that she could hide behind some furniture in here and spy on him or something…

No, of course not… At the moment Helga G. Pataki, dressed in her usual pink jumper and sporting her usual pigtails (though also with a shopping bag with her and a small, covered wicker basket) was hanging onto a rope tied to her waist that was hoisted over a rafter in his ceiling. There was a smudge or two of dust on her face but otherwise she seemed pretty together and quite pleased with herself. She was looking at him with a little smug grin and she shrugged at the surprised look on his features. "What? You couldn't really think I'd know about you 'explaining women' to all the other guys in our class tonight and NOT want to be a fly on the wall…or in the ceiling…for that little pep talk. Besides, I told you I could still pull crazy schemes on you, Football Head." She winked at him and chuckled a little, lowering herself to the floor and then gathering up the rope in her hands and preparing to untie it from her waist. "Honestly though, I have to admit, you were doing a sort of okay job until this last thing…" She shook her head, grinning away. " 'Women are crazy'…You know, I have half a mind to—"

"If you would let me finish, darling…" Arnold chuckled a little, his shock ebbing, replaced by a great degree of intrigue, as he took the now loose rope from her and placed it on top of the piano beside the couch. "I was going to say that…yes, maybe women are crazy…but…once you get used to it you realize that maybe you're a little crazy too…and that being crazy's not so bad." He moved a little closer to her, smiling more.

Meanwhile, the room full of boys had been watching this scene with immense interest and entertainment. They were really starting to get used to not just the idea but the sight of Arnold and Helga together and…not fighting…and actually flirting…It was kind of…awesome, a little. They were hilarious with each other, first of all, and second it was just…they just exuded something fun and nice and happy. They all liked it.

"Smooth save, paste for brains…"

"Smooth landing, Helga…The air vents? What, you couldn't tunnel in here for a change of pace?"

Obviously no one (save Gerald) was getting the references here but Arnold and Helga were smiling and exchanging playful barbs and there were snacks…why not enjoy it?

Helga shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest (though a tinge of a blush came to her features now) and replied with a growing grin, "Hey, I thought about sneaking in through the basement like your Grandma used to but it's dark right now—I'd have killed myself trying to get up those cellar steps. Not to mention, from the ceiling I could easily listen to your whole little 'guy's night' much more comfortably than I could have using the furnace pipe. Plus, I had to drag this along and it was much easier to do that with it tied to a rope than trying to lug it through a basement…" Helga held up the little shopping bag and the wicker basket.

"Hmm, yeah, I was going to ask about that, actually?" Arnold's own grin picked up just a little on one side. He did his best to keep his compulsion for flirtation down though (the last time she had brought over a shopping bag, after all, had ended in an afternoon of the two of them playing 'kitten and tiger' courtesy of his own suggestion) as he recalled their current audience. Instead, he merely smiled a little more and asked with interest, "Another new outfit, Helga? And…something else?" He faked trying to peek at the contents of the bag and basket.

Helga just rolled her eyes and put her arms behind her back, effectively concealing the two items. "Hey, I didn't get any hints about date activities from you in advance, so you can just wait til we get upstairs for any details about anything special I brought, Football Head." She tucked the basket behind her as much as possible. "And as for 'another new outfit'," she raised the shopping bag just a little forward before tucking it behind herself again, "…hey, I had to bring along SOMETHING nice for our next anniversary date tonight, but I wasn't going to get it all dusty and torn by wearing it in an air vent or walking through an old basement. Doi!" She winked at him.

The guys on the floor, despite their new respect for Arnold and Helga, couldn't help but chuckle and smirk a little at that reply from. Helga…in 'something nice'…all for Arnold. So much to tease about came to mind…

"Oh brother…" All of their potential thoughts on the matter were interrupted though as Helga G. Pataki, hearing this bit of laughter from the crowd before her, just sighed, let the bag drop to the floor behind her, and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to the boys with a half grin and a scowl more amused than dark. "What is now, you big goons?" she asked almost playfully. "Is it the ceiling thing, the smiling thing or the dressing up thing?"

"Uh, if I may speak for everyone who might be too terrified to…just in case you really would still pound them…" Gerald supplied, raising a finger with a grin. "I'm going to go with the idea of you dressing up for anything. Heck, that one still gets even me every single time, Pataki. I think it's something residual from when you gave yourself that makeover for Rhonda's slumber party that one time." He smirked at her quite a bit, though his tone and look showed that this was all in good fun, for him as well as for everyone else.

The truth was told…and Helga actually laughed, much to everyone else's surprise, rolling her eyes…She didn't cackle, she laughed warmly and fully to herself. She wasn't mad at all, even despite the reminder of the slumber party/makeover incident. "Oh…I see." She let out a deep sigh and rubbed one of her temples, shaking her head in amusement. "Yeah, yeah, okay, I take a fair amount of the blame for your laughter then, you bunch of chuckleheads…" Yet she then gave them all a bit of a look, though of course it was softened, just like everything else about her since…since she and Arnold had confessed to them all, actually, "Though you have to admit… you all drove me to that makeover with all of your whining and your teasing and your 'Helga's not a girl' stuff…" Something in her gaze became a little more chastising. Part of her couldn't help but be hoping for maybe a quick sheepish apology from the guys for that time of hurting her feelings…which she would indeed get right now, actually…though not before Arnold suddenly added a little something on her behalf.

"Yeah…" Our football headed hero stepped forward, looking at the guys with a smile though with something a little chastising in his gaze as well. His arms were also crossed over his chest. "You know, that wasn't very nice, guys…telling my girlfriend that she's not a girl. I told you guys back then that Helga was a girl…and speaking from my experiences now, she's…really a girl…" He blushed a tiny bit and smiled more and had to glance away, but managed to go on nonetheless... "And also, just for the record, whenever she dresses up…Helga looks really, really pretty."

"Arnold!" At this point Helga, blushing rather brightly, had to move forward as well and slap a hand over his mouth. "Sh-Sheesh, enough with the romance bit—rope it in, Romeo! Leave me with at least some degree of reputation!" She looked away nervously. She was fine with everyone knowing they were together, at this point…but handling Arnold 'singing her praises' would absolutely need more than forty-eight hours to transition into.

Despite the awkward moment though, the guys just laughed good naturedly a little, Arnold unable to help joining in quietly, and Helga's response could only be to just sigh and roll her eyes, remove her hand from her beloved's lips, and look back to the guys. She cleared her throat, prepared to try to add something to lighten the mood and to distract from Arnold's little digression…however sweet it had been.

However, she was interrupted from this strategy by none other than those aforementioned forthcoming apologies from the guys in question.

"Uh…Helga? Really though, about all of that stuff…the 'you're not a girl' stuff...I mean, you're a girl so, uh…sorry." Harold Berman was the first to speak up, sheepishly and stumblingly but sincerely nonetheless.

Helga blinked and looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth small. "Huh?" was all she could squeak in a touch of surprise. Sure, something inside of her wouldn't have minded an actual apology here and now for that whole slumber party thing, but…to actually get it, even from one of them, was sincerely unexpected.

And then, of course, to her further surprise, all of the boys, (even Gerald with a sheepish nod and a shrug) were nodding in agreement with Harold.

"Yeah, I reckon it wasn't very nice to start chanting that…." Stinky added with a sincere and humble look.

"Uh huh…" Sid seconded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, it…it wasn't nice, I guess…"

"Yeah…Not cool…" Iggy chimed in, likewise looking a little abashed (though trying to seem 'coolish' still). "And besides," he added further, obviously taking this 'coolness' thing rather seriously as always, "…we shouldn't have been complaining—after all, the things we were teasing you about as being 'not cool' for a girl are actually the things that make you sort of a cool girl in the first place, if you think about it." He smiled a little.

Harold nodded in agreement, starting to smile again now too. "Yeah, I mean, you like wrestling and playing in the mud and baseball and junk…That's cooler than most girls!"

"Yeah, and, you obviously don't mind going a little 'extreme' to get the things you want—no waiting around or stubborn playing hard to get…" For most of this addition Curly had been smiling…but it ended with a little falter in his smile, though something of it and its hopefulness managed to shine through in the end.

(Helga noticed the details of this response of his, naturally, and she couldn't help a soft smile of her own going his way even though he seemed too distracted to notice. She made a mental note—she would have to talk to him sometime soon about some things...)

"Yeah, and along with all of that stuff that helps you relate to us so much, you write really pretty poetry and can be soft and sweet too, Helga…" Eugene suddenly added, causing Helga to snap out of her thoughts and her focus to come to him now. He was smiling away hopefully and optimistically as usual. "So it's kind of like you're the best of both worlds! No wonder Arnold likes you so much."

Okay, Helga had to blink and blush and look down now completely now. Not that something cheery and nice like that from Eugene wasn't expected but it was a little much for her to suddenly take in in such a public setting, especially when combined with all of the other sudden apologies and kind of nice junk everyone was saying about her. She cleared her throat and spoke up. "O-Okay, um…th-thank you, everyone, th-that's enough. You're sorry for the 'not a girl' stuff and I'm sorry for treating you all like loser geekbaits since preschool. E-Everyone's happy. Y-You can all quit sucking up now, heh…" She did her best to laugh it off a tiny bit, though she knew she sounded and looked just about as nervous and flustered as anyone had ever seen her be.

Meanwhile, Arnold was just smiling more and more, arms still crossed over her chest, leaning back against the arm of the couch a little, and observing her awkward yet sweet little moment. It was nice, watching her learn to be okay letting others be close to her, accepting compliments and realizing that they were sincere…and well merited…

And then his happy moment of reflection was interrupted by his own awkward moment.

"Yeah, and plus you being kind of a boyish girl kind of balances with Arnold since he can be a little girly sometimes," Harold suddenly couldn't help but add with a smile (though it was really more of a 'see, I'm helping compliment Arnold and Helga to make up for teasing them' smile than a 'now let's ream Arnold' smile).

Arnold blinked and the amused smile on his face dropped away into wide eyed embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Sid chuckled a tiny bit and nodded to Harold. "Yeah, Arnold's always telling us to 'be in touch with our feelings'…" He rolled his eyes, smirking a little.

Stinky laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and what about how he's always dressin' and talkin' so neat and proper-like!"

"Oh and how about how he was having all that fun hanging out with Gerald's little sister the other month! Very risky coolness behavior for a guy…" Iggy couldn't help but add with a little half grin.

"Oh and then there's the kilt he always wears!" Eugene chimed in brightly (like he was 'helping' somehow or something). "Not that plaid doesn't look lovely on you," Eugene added nicely to Arnold.

Helga was in the process right now of trying not to go into a full blown giggle fit.

"Hey man, you know, come to think of it…" Gerald couldn't help but smirk just a tiny bit playfully, looking to his best friend, "You WERE awfully extra onboard with that campfire lass thing we did…"

Okay, and that one snapped Arnold out of it. "Gerald!" He blushed strongly and then cleared his throat and looked to the other guys, finally having regained the power of speech. "O-Okay, okay, that's enough, very funny, everyone…" He adjusted his tie awkwardly…though it was more like he was mercilessly wringing the heck out of it, just sort of wanting to be away from everyone now and alone with Helga on their date. It had to be seven by now, right?

"Aww, Football Head…" Helga gave him a little nudge, causing Arnold to come out of his nervous thoughts and to blink and then look at her. Though she was smirking a little, there was something good-natured about it nonetheless. She wouldn't tease him about this…just like he hadn't teased her. "Come on, they're just messing around…" she started softly to him. Then she glanced back at the other guys and shrugged casually and added more audibly, "Although I really don't think you guys are giving Arnold's 'boyish charms' enough credit." She had started walking away from Arnold and her shopping bag and basket and out into the crowd now. "Hey, one of you toss me a spare pillow to sit on and one of you toss me an ice cold Yahoo! I wanna take a load off, here!" After seven years, the guys, of course, were too well trained not to follow Helga's commands (even if they were delivered in a manner much less harsh than usual) and so as she turned to sit down she had both items at her disposal, upon which she plopped down onto a big throw pillow, and popped the top off the soda bottle and a took a swig…knowing she would have to do some talking now and needing something small to brace her for it. But her beloved deserved it and she was more than ready to stand up for him as a boy.

"What do you mean, Helga?" Sid was the first to ask in genuine curiosity about her comment about Arnold's boyishness, leaning a bit closer to her.

All the other guys joined him in looking to her in interest.

Helga swallowed her mouthful of soda and smiled more, doing her best not to blush. She just smiled. "Oh, well, I just mean the many, many ways in which he's…a good catch, from a female perspective, shall we say?" She shrugged and did her best to seem casual as she ate a handful of popcorn from a nearby bowl…though inside she was telling herself to just take even breaths and not freak out despite that she was the center of attention in regards to the topic of proving Arnold's 'manliness.'

Meanwhile, a couple of the more naturally sensitive of the guys sort of seemed to understand what she was saying though all of them couldn't help but look at her with further curiosity and intrigue.

Helga could feel their eyes on her…and she sighed…and smiled more to herself. _'Do I dare…Do I dare…_' entered her head in a singsong way… Her grin picked up a little on one side. _'Oh why the heck not! Just go all the way with it, Helga old girl—you seem to be batting a thousand with that strategy lately_.' She actually chuckled a little to herself and then just turned to all the guys, looking them in the eyes, and said like it was the simplest thing in the world, "What I mean, you bunch of geeks, is that Arnold is more than enough of a boy to attract any girl, i-including me." An instinctual, compulsive little giggle nearly left her. Saying she was attracted to Arnold…She could say she was attracted to Arnold in public, in front of other people, in front of everyone, and it was okay. It was going to take her a while to get over both the new opportunity…and her newfound courage to take it.

"Helga…"

Her thoughts left this amazement at her freedom at these words…These words she had known would be coming soon: Arnold softly yet sincerely letting her know by simply saying her name that perhaps now was enough.

It only made her smile more and she looked to him now, taking another swig of soda and shrugging and speaking calmly and soothingly. "Now, now, no need to 'Helga' me, Arnold. I'm not going to embarrass you or anything. There's probably been enough of that over the last seven years or so…Aw, but come on, just let me prove them wrong about the whole 'girly' thing a little, please?" She gave him a 'very sweet' smile and softened her voice to its lightest tones and even fluttered her eyelashes a tiny bit.

Okay, if the guys' attention had been glued to Helga before…it was permanently transfixed to her now. Where the HECK had that voice been hiding all of these years? Not to mention eyelashes that could flutter…?

And then their interest turned to Arnold. After all, he was the lucky recipient of such heretofore undiscovered feminine attentions from none other than Helga G. Pataki…

He was blushing…Not 'unbearably' or anything but yes, he was blushing…and he was smiling…and he sort of had that look on his face that they boys remembered him always getting around Lila only much less dazed and oblivious, and more…tender and just…happy. He smiled a little more and then gave Helga a small nod. "Whatever you'd like to do, Helga…" left him sincerely and calmly. "Just, um…" he cleared his throat a little bit and glanced down and to the side, "Nothing…private," he finished simply, adjusting his tie a little but otherwise just going back to sitting upon the couch. Inside, he was torn a bit between really sort of liking whenever Helga went on and on about him…and yet of course being thoroughly shy and nervous about the idea of her doing it in front of so many and especially so many new people.

The eyes of the boys turned back to Helga. Her grin distinctly picked up on one side and, looking down, she gave him a little nod in return. "Nothing private…I promise…" left her very sincerely and kindly in reply.

The boys continued to watch her. She looked lost in pleasant thought for a moment and then finally she sighed and shook her head to clear it a little and looked around at all of them with a much more normal and 'Helga G. Pataki' –esque smile and tone of voice. She gave a stretch up and took a final swig of her soda and put the empty bottle down on the floor. "Hey, tall hair boy!" she called across the room playfully to Gerald. "Since you'll already be familiar with most of this, unglue your surprised and amused eyes from me and toss me another soda!"

"Helga, you know…" despite his words, Gerald was smiling and also in the process of grabbing that fresh soda for her, "…just because you're not ordering around Arnold anymore doesn't mean you get to order the rest of us around extra now, and especially me, alright?" The soda was thrown to her and she caught it with ease as he added, his grin growing, "If anything I should be getting a free pass from any bossing around for how well I think I've been handling everything with you two over the last month." He chuckled a little and smirked at her.

Helga had to laugh a little as well as she popped off the bottle top, taking a sip, and then rolled her eyes and smirked as well, looking at the other guys as she spoke. "He fainted, you know. Out cold. Right in my kitchen, the moment he found out. It was hilarious." She looked at Gerald playfully.

Gerald just rolled his eyes (the guys were all loving this, meanwhile), and retorted, "No, no, 'hilarious' was the time Phoebe and I caught you and Arnold in the alley behind the school and he was saying something about carrying you off to—"

"Alright, Alright, rope it in, Geraldo!" Helga cut him off playfully but with a blush nonetheless, the soda bottle shaking in her hand a little (she hoped not too obviously though). "We get it—the whole thing's been hilarious all around. But enough teasing each other…time for me to do what I do best and tease Arnold a little…" She knew it was coming, of course, and so before he could say anything she glanced to her beloved and added with smile in reassurance, "Nothing private though of course, like I said, Arnold. Now then…" she turned back to the boys and a pensive look came to her face as she took another sip of soda and considered. "Where were we…? Ah, yes…the many ways in which Arnold is such a dreamboat." She was half messing around using that last word, half being serious and blushing a little more because of it. She just smiled more and moved on, the other guys still all looking to her with smiles as they continued to eat and drink. Helga gestured to Arnold and began, doing her best to be fun yet casual and just trying to enjoy herself and to hopefully make this moment enjoyable for him as well. "Okay, well, first off…" _'S-Say, it…Y-You can s-say it…_'… "…n-not to be superficial, but just going with the obvious right now…well…look at him! He's…he's pretty freaking adorable! The unruly tufts of hair, the perfect green eyes, that wonderfully weird football shaped head." Her voice sort of squeaked, a touch of something high-pitched came to it, but all in all Helga G. Pataki managed to admit that she thought Arnold looked pretty cute to every guy in her class without her head exploding.

There was a moment of silence for everyone else except for Helga since a slight ringing in her ears wouldn't seem to go away any time soon.

"Th-Thank you, Helga…" made it past the ringing though and she glanced over to see Arnold swinging his legs calmly off of the couch, a small, humble yet proud smile on his face. He didn't look to her eyes just yet. He just smiled. Adjusted his tie. All of it suggested though that he was obviously both thanking her and indirectly asking her to move along please.

Helga swallowed and smiled again and even managed to roll her eyes. She did indeed go on to the next thing on her list about what made Arnold undeniably a boy. And it gave her some confidence that no one had teased her much about the potentially unbearably awkward first thing aka his physical appearance. "A-Anyway, um…s-second for why Arnold's a great guy…H-He's just about the nicest guy on the planet." Helga, feeling a touch of pride in her beloved's genuine and sincere niceness, managed to look out at all the boys again (they still just had that look of rapt yet amused interest upon their faces). Feeling even more confident and like her usual self, she chuckled a little and added, "Ugh, I actually had to get him to tone down the gentleman thing! That's how intense it was. You remember, Arnold…? Like during our one week anniversary when you snuck into my—"She couldn't help herself, though of course she had been waiting for her beloved to cut her off and had no intention of actually sharing any of that special evening between them.

"Y-Yes, I'm sure everyone gets it! Thank you again, Helga…" left Arnold quickly and firmly, though he still managed to retain his sense of humor and smile, and even to make eye contact with her now. And all the while he had to start to admit to himself that, all modesty aside…it was really, really nice to get compliments from your girlfriend in public. And he was so happy that he had given her some public boyfriend comments to start things off.

Helga just half giggled and half chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest but nodded to her beloved. "Okay, alright, you got me, my mistake—I was almost moving into the realm of the 'private'. I won't tell them though, I promise…Besides, gotta save something for any 'bragging to the boys' you might do about your exploits in regards to me." She looked to the side and did her best to control any new blushing that might be caused by the racing of her heart, putting the Yahoo soda bottle to her lips to take another swig as a distraction.

Arnold had a little more trouble controlling his own heart though, and the blood racing to his cheeks which it brought. _'B-Bragging…a-about…_' Bragging to anybody about…Well, maybe he did do that already with Gerald a little but with everyone else? No, no, that…that was not his style, he decided then and there. He absolutely did not want everyone becoming aware of that side of himself that only Helga could bring out…the edgy side, the dark side, the passionate side… Still though now that a few moments had passed he realized that she was probably just joking…and that the best way to handle it (and to keep the guys from actually expecting him to brag from now one) would be to just sigh and roll his eyes to the side and tell a joke too. "The…" it took him a moment to compose his voice but, "The only thing I 'brag' about is the fact that I've managed to keep up with all of this romance between us with under half a dozen nervous breakdowns. I'd say that's pretty good for me, under the circumstances."

Arnold looked at Helga, Helga looked at Arnold…and then they looked at the guys…and they were all actually smiling and nodding in quite a bit of agreement at this observation of Arnold's.

Arnold and Helga slowly looked back to each other…and then both just burst into warm laughter, and the guys readily started to laugh along with them.

"O-Oh he's exaggerating…" Helga soon announced playfully after managing to get some of her laughter under control. She sat up and smirked at her beloved sweetly, "Seriously…he's only had…two nervous breakdowns at most." She chuckled to herself a little more and the guys and even Arnold couldn't help but join in once again.

The communal humor and happiness made a lovely moment in the room.

And then soon the laughter died down again, just leaving mutual joy and companionship in its wake. And it also gave Helga the chance and enough confidence to move on with the rest of her explanation of what made Arnold such a good (and undeniable) guy. "Okay, okay…" she held up her hands in a silencing gesture, still smiling quite a bit though, "That was all hilarious…but seriously though, to wrap things up…Arnold's attractive, he's very nice and considerate…and on top of that he's funny and caring and he listens and he's…he's very accepting and supportive…"

For a moment, something more serious than humorous was in Helga's voice and look. She looked down, hands in her lap and speaking to the other boys as though thinking about something specific and now trying to form a lesson or piece of advice from it. "Guys…I, um…I-I know you're starting to be very cool with Arnold and me and the whole 'dating' thing but…you have to admit, tall hair boy excluded, it took you all a while to get there…and a lot of teasing." A touch of something stern came over her but she managed to be considerate and calm nonetheless as she went on. She even managed to look to the other boys directly again. "If a girl ever comes to you and says she likes you…it's very important that none of you treats her how you treated me…I mean it. If you don't feel the same way about her, fine, just tell her that gently and say you're sorry if she's hurt and then leave it at that and most importantly don't spread it around or anything that she feels that way. It's not nice. And I know none of you would want a girl treating you like that if you told her that you liked her. Okay?" The okay obviously demanded (though softly) some sort of reply.

The guys were all looking at her very intently at this point. They had listened to every word. And now, wide eyed and several with a touch of shame on their faces that they couldn't help, they all nodded to her.

Helga took that in and then finally smiled again and nodded back at them. "Okay…" She took another sip of soda and let out a sigh. She finished in a voice light yet firm—a blend of the strong and the sweet. "Alright then…so to conclude, Arnold is…one of the best people in the world. And that is what makes him such a great guy who any girl would want to be with…and who I'm very lucky to be with." And with those words, Helga G. Pataki smiled sincerely over at her beloved.

And Arnold Shortman blinked and blushed, and then smiled back sincerely at her.

And then Helga smiled more and added, to get past the mushy moment, "Although I have to say, I don't know if I'd call him an 'expert in women' just yet." She winked at him. Arnold only chuckled a little in reply though and Helga laughed too and then sighed and looked back to the other boys with a shrug and a grin. "Don't get me wrong, most of what he told you, at least since I secretly arrived about a half an hour ago, was very good and accurate but to be honest if you want to know more about girls besides just what it's like to date one of them, then I'd come to…well, me…" She played with the lip of her soda bottle a little, looking down and speaking casually once more tonight (as casually as possible, at least, considering how hard she felt doing so suddenly getting now). "I-I mean, sheesh, I'm dating one of you—doesn't mean we all can't still be buddies right?" She grinned a little and shrugged and did her best to look at them all, though inside she really was quite nervous. To be honest, it wasn't that she specifically WANTED them all to start nagging her about romance and women but…one of Helga's fears about her secret being blown, besides of course general mockery and ridicule for herself and Arnold, had always been that…well…Despite how much she always mocked and teased them, Helga really did enjoy hanging out with the guys quite a bit…and she had always worried that once they knew she was in love, the would go from barely recognizing her as a girl to never being able to stop seeing her as a girl and thus excluding her even more often than they had already been starting to try to do lately…And Helga did not want that. Yes, she liked the girls too and spending time with them every now and again but she didn't want things to change with the boys. And she hoped they wouldn't want to change things either.

"You'd…really let us ask you about girls, Helga?"

Helga blinked at the question, freezing for a moment, and then looked over to Sid and just…nodded. "Uh…yeah…o-of course." She blinked a few more times and did her best to lose some of the shock in her tone. "Wh-Why not, heh?" Something a touch sheepish came to her smile.

* * *

Arnold meanwhile was watching this scene with great interest. He had considered interfering but…then he decided not to. Helga had to work this out on her own. It would be good for her. And he knew the guys wouldn't hurt her or upset her, not at this point. And so he sat back and watched with a smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, at this (rather interesting) question/retort from Helga, all the boys shrugged and looked at each other with hesitation and then looked to Helga.

Harold spoke up now again as well. "Well…I-I don't know, Helga. We just all figured that…you wouldn't wanna hang out with us much anymore…"

"E-Except for with Arnold, of course…" Stinky chimed in, smiling a little.

Harold nodded, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Yeah, except for with him. And maybe with Gerald too because of the thing with Phoebe. And then you invited all the girls to that sleepover before at Slausens…"

Most of the guys nodded in agreement (save Curly though, who had always known better about such things).

Helga just blinked at this revelation from the boys, her eyes going a little wide. Then she shrugged and looked down, trying to be causal once again though her swallow and tone suggested nervousness and uncertainty. She wrung her hands in her lap. "O-Oh…well…y-yeah, I mean, I've just been…trying to open up to people a little more and not be as defensive, and I feel like I-I've been, um… 'distant' mostly with the girls so I'm…sort of trying to repair that bridge a little…s-starting with the slumber party…" She cleared her throat. "B-But, um…th-that doesn't mean I don't still want to be friends with you guys…B-Better friends, e-even…" She tried to smile a little and look them all in the eyes more. Then she just sighed and did her best to level with them a little as she stated bluntly yet honestly, "I don't want things to change with us, guys, unless that means they're changing for the better. I know you're not going to tease me anymore about the dating stuff but I also don't want to be treated like I'm suddenly from another planet just because I lo—c-care for A-Arnold…I just want us all to be okay. And if you ever do have any questions about dating or women now that we're growing up, I wouldn't mind helping you. Really." She smiled sincerely out at all of them.

All of the guys blinked…then smiled in return.

Then Curly stood up and walked across the room, planted himself in front of Helga and held out his hand for her to shake. "Well, Helga, call me coocoo but I for one think that sounds dandy! And I think I speak for all the guys when I say you're just as much one of us as ever. Put her there buddy!" He grinned widely.

Helga blinked in surprise at first, her jaw dropping a little…but then she just smiled widely as ever and even laughed. "Aw, come here, ya loon!" And then she was standing up and she grabbed his hand and shook it heartily and even gave him a quick one-armed hug with a pat on the back.

It was the perfect way to break the final small tension of the room.

"Yeah, sure, Helga! We're all still friends!"

"Yup, I reckon you can't get rid of us that easy!"

"Yeah, it's still cool that we all hang."

"Oh gosh, guys, I'm so happy things turned out so well!"

"Hey, Helga, do you want another soda? Or some of the cookies Arnold's grandma made?"

"Yeah, stay more. It's fun when Arnold tells us advice but it's sort of even more fun when both of you try and tell stuff together!"

A smiling Helga had let Curly go and was enjoying all of the kind words multiplying around her, but at the offer for some more food and soda and to please stick around for a while, though she at first started to reach for a cookie from the tray Sid was gesturing towards and was about to smile and nod at Harold's desire to hear more advice from her and her beloved together, she paused and then waved her hand in a declining gesture to both boys. "Uh…thanks but no thanks, guys. Actually I…well, i-it really is getting close to seven, and that's…that's sort of when Arnold and I had planned for our…you know, date to start…" She shrugged, a little sheepish smile picking up at the corner of her mouth. "So I should go get all ready for that. But you guys have fun down here finishing things up. And I'll see you all at the first baseball practice of the summer on Monday. Oh and no slacking! I don't care if we did win that game against Wolfgang on Friday—we've gotta stay on our game for our first fifth graders versus sixth graders in September." She winked at them all and gave a little wave. Then she trotted over to where Arnold was still sitting with an amused and intrigued smile on his face. She delicately snatched up her bag and her basket and smiled down at him with a touch of sweetness. "You take your time finishing up with everyone, I'll head upstairs and change and get ready to give you your presents." A very small giggle escaped her and then she sighed and glanced down, and then reached out toward his tie with her free hand. "Sheesh, Football Head, you got so nervous since I showed up that you've practically wrung this Windsor knot of yours into a knotted mess. Here we go…" She adjusted and straightened his tie a little. "There, all better. And I hope you like what I decided to wear tonight, by the way. See you in a few, dreamboat." She gave his cheek a light kiss…then whispered by his ear, "The basket's got dinner in it…I made us a picnic. And that's the only hint that you get about what I've got in store for tonight." She giggled a tiny bit once more, and then gave him a wave. "Bye, Football Head." She glanced out at the other guys and gave them all a quick salute. "Bye, you bunch of chuckleheads." She laughed and then trotted up the stairs with her shopping bag and basket in tow.

"Bye Helga…Thank you for helping with my tie!" Arnold called to her with a shy, happy chuckle.

As finished ascending though, Arnold couldn't help but suddenly yawn. It wasn't that he was sleepy right now, it was just that somehow or other seven o'clock really had already come along and it had already been such a long day and weekend and month…and there was still a bit yet left to go…It was enough to pull a small moment of tiredness out of anyone. And so he decided, in an effort to still manage to be as fresh and ready as possible for his beloved, and also as part of keeping his promise to her about their time alone really starting at seven, it was high time he bid the boys a fond farewell. He stretched a little and stood up from the couch, glancing to the stairs which Helga had descended. "Hey, guys? If it's alright, could we actually wrap things up now? I know there's still a few minutes before seven but it's been a long…um…month, actually." He laughed a little to himself. "…And so I'd like to get to finishing up my anniversary weekend with Helga..." He looked out at his friends with a smile…but then Arnold blinked. Everyone was looking at him kind of funny (save Gerald and Curly), all with wide eyes and slightly slack jaws. "Uh…guys? What?" He blinked in genuine confusion. For a moment he had to glance over his shoulder but of course Helga wasn't there again popping out of the ceiling so he looked back to the boys (who were still struck silent) and repeated once more, still so very confused again, "What?"

Some of the guys just blinked at first…and then there were smiles…and then a few stifled chuckles and even a couple of blushes and whispers among them

Arnold raised an eyebrow, now crossing his arms over his chest. "Guys….what is it?" he asked with a touch more insistence.

"Boy howdy, she's like your wife or something, Arnold!"

Arnold went absolutely scarlet and wide eyed.

There were a lot more chuckles now! Then Harold chimed in with a nod, "Yeah! She fixes your tie for you and calls you cutesy names and even kisses you on the cheek and everything, just like my mom does for my dad every morning!" He laughed raucously.

"Yeah, and then Arnold's got her changing in his room all for their date night. Very cool…" Iggy threw in with a shrewd grin and a wink and a couple of clicks of his tongue.

A couple of good natured though juvenile 'woo's ' and other such noises accompanied by elbow nudges went through the crowd.

"Yeah, Arnold, we want to know how to get that to happen with a girl next!" Sid called out good-humoredly.

"Mmm hmm!" Arnold cleared his throat now to silence the crowd. He was heading (more like stumbling) over to the staircase and blushing like mad. "Um…e-everyone? V-Very funny…M-Maybe we'll wait until fifth grade actually starts before covering girls and…changing…and wives…" He sighed, smiling and shaking his head a little as he ascended the first step. "M-Meanwhile…I really do have a date to get to soon, and a little bit of my own fixing up to take care of before it happens so I'll see you guys later. Have a good night…and please no showing up here around ten to interrupt the end of things again." He looked at them sheepishly yet sincerely…and managed to end, finally learning to be much more confident much more quickly about all of this romantic stuff , "A-After all, if…if things keep getting interrupted…h-how am I going to get a good night kiss?" Arnold shrugged and smiled with a touch of pride, then gave the guys his own little salute. "Bye for now!" And then he was on his way upstairs, leaving the rest of the room with its chuckles and laughs and good humored 'Bye's' and 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do's' behind him, and laughing right along with them to himself.

* * *

Arnold's first stop had naturally been the upstairs bathroom for a few minutes to straighten his hair and adjust his tie and to maybe spritz a tiny bit of cologne onto himself.

And now he was walking along the upstairs hallway of the boarding house. He was smiling, a soft and very content look in his eyes. He thought some things to himself and smiled more._ 'Only Helga would crash my guys night in to embarrass me…and through the ceiling…Only Helga…' _He chuckled to himself as he made his began to ascend the steps to his room, "Well…" he sighed to himself, "…even if it some of that was a little embarrassing, at least…at least she's starting to get a lot more comfortable around the other guy… and now she even knows that they all still want to be friends with her too. And it was sweet that she even kissed me on the cheek in front of them again…" He blushed, and a touch of pride welled inside of him as he paused, his hand on his door handle. _'They think she's like my wife_…' He recalled her little touches to his tie, her bag full of pretty clothes and loving anniversary presents, her last little 'dream boat' and blushed more to himself_. 'My wife…Hmm…Well…maybe after tonight they…they'll be close to the truth with saying that…'_

His free hand reached into his pocket and played with a small little 'velvet box-like' something in the pocket of his dress pants.

His other hand began to turn the door handle.

His mind was still rather full of the deep sense of peace that now came over him whenever he thought about himself and Helga and their wonderful, public, officially long term (by elementary school standards) relationship…

Okay, now the situation here was this: all of these thoughts and gooey, warm, in-love feelings along with all of that fluttery anticipation of another late night giving little kisses to Helga G. Pataki plus his own touch of pride in Helga as the perfect girlfriend and… 'wife' for himself were kind of diminishing Arnold's capacity for common sense at the moment.

That all being said…

Without thinking (or knocking), Arnold opened his bedroom door wide to greet his girlfriend.

These were the sounds of the next five seconds.

A slight creak of the door as it casually opened.

"Hi Helg—"

"ARNOLD!"

"H-HELGA!"

"GET OUT!"

The slam of a high-heeled shoe hitting against the wall near the door.

The slam of the bedroom door shutting.

Arnold's back slamming up against the now shut door…and the sound of him panting shallowly, which until that moment in his life he'd never thought it possible to do.

And then the sound of him collapsing sitting upon the top step of his stairs, a hand on his head, blushing so bad…oh, oh so bad…blushing, barely breathing…

* * *

About ten seconds later Arnold's thoughts started to at least manage to squeak out of his head…Oh but boy he wished they wouldn't! He didn't want to think about what he'd just…This horrible, awful, nightmarish… (well, maybe not 'nightmarish'…after all, Helga was a pretty girl and he'd…). He shook his football head violently_. 'NO! No STOP that! This is BAD! This is a very, VERY bad thing! I just walked in on her getting…getting d-dressed! There is nothing good, or fortunate, or lucky, or…exciting or…NO! THIS IS VERY BAD, ARNOLD! VERY VERY BAD AND THAT IS ALL!_' Yet he couldn't deny a familiar hot, pleasant squirm traveling through him right now despite all of his guilt and shock and humiliation…just like whenever he got too close to her while kissing…and just like last night…with her shoulders…and almost letting her spend the night here in—

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"AHHH!" Arnold Shortman had never been more terrified of a sound in his life! He practically jumped up and fell down the stairs at the sound of that light knock from the other side of his door.

"Arnold…" came a level sounding, almost casual voice to his ears… "Come back in here, please…"

Arnold stood up and swallowed hard and shook his head firmly, eyes wide. "Uh uh…" _'Oh no_…' No way he was going into that room, no how. Helga could have it and he would just camp out in the hallway for the next eighty years or so until they both died. It wasn't much of a life plan, but it was one that involved him NOT having to face Helga G. Pataki ever about this, and there it had some merit.

"Arnold…" her voice broke into his thoughts and fears, and it was sounding a little firmer this time, "Come on—you can't just sit out there forever. Besides we do have a date to get to!"

"Mmm…" this small sound of distress escaped Arnold… _'O-Okay, fine, I know I can't live out here f-forever_…' He gulped…He lifted his hand. Then he hesitantly reached forward and placed his hand upon the doorknob once more tonight…and then gave the door a very light push open (it was now barely ajar) and then of course he stood back from it like it was a snake ready to bite him.

"Arnold!" Now the girl calling to him sounded downright impatient.

Our football headed gulped but stepped forward and…gave the door a light push the rest of the way open…

…Though when Helga's eyes finally fell upon him he had a hand over his eyes.

"Oh for crying out loud I'm wearing a shirt now, Football Head! Now get in here!" And suddenly a 'sightless' Arnold was grabbed by his arm, yanked fully into the room, the door was slammed behind him and his hand was pulled from his eyes.

He now just stood there wide eyed, looking at Helga with her hair down and in a white skirt and pink three quarter sleeve shirt, and just about blushing all over. She had her arms crossed over her chest and some of that rose color from last night (when he'd been talking about her shoulders and wearing nothing at all…oh boy) tinged her cheeks and she was tapping a foot impatiently

Arnold's voice cracked and was as high pitched as could be as he instantly started, putting his hands up in both defense and innocence. "I'M SORRY, I'M SO SORRY! SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY HELGA! AND I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING! I SWEAR! Well, okay, maybe I saw something or the side of something or…B-But I really didn't see ANYTHING IMPORTANT AT ALL! OH I…I mean not that there's nothing important to SEE…I-I mean I'm SURE there's not nothing important to see since I really wouldn't KNOW for SURE since I shut the door and you didn't turn all the way around right away and put your arms up anyway when you did and did I mention that I'm SO SORRY!" And now he just stood there, breathing heavily, all flushed, looking at her desperately.

Helga had remained pretty much unphased throughout this little rant of apologies….except for that little touch of rose red blossoming just a little more in her cheeks. He seemed done now though so she let out a breath and put her hands on her hips. "Are you done. Arnold? And keep in mind that if you go on any longer you'll probably just end up hurting yourself or something…"

Arnold gulped and nodded quickly. "Yes…Unless there's anything I can do to make up for it! Anything! I'm sorry Helga I was just distracted thinking about our date and the stuff downstairs and it just…just didn't process with me that I should knock first. I mean, when it's your room I knock all the time—it's just instinct. I wouldn't feel right not doing it but it just…didn't get through to me here, and before I knew it the door was upon and you were standing there with your b-back to me in the middle of the room, half turned around, the skirt on and about to slip the shirt over your head, and I just couldn't believe that I'd…Oh Helga I'm so sorry!" And suddenly he'd come forward and he was hugging her like crazy. But then his eyes flew open as he realized his arms were currently around the delicately curved waist and back that he'd just…seen…as one of the parts of this little…'experience'…and he instantly flew away, blushing all the more! "SORRY!" He looked at her with so much worry. "I'll do anything to make it up to you, Helga!"

Helga was just silent for one second. And then she sighed deeply. "Anything…really?" she asked levelly.

Arnold gulped but instantly nodded emphatically. Yeah, he knew full well that giving Helga the power of 'anything' over him after she had been offended in any way had a lot of potential to end very uncomfortably for him…but he also knew that he had just violated her privacy in one of the worst ways possible. And even though Arnold couldn't help recalling right now that Helga had violated his own privacy like that once before and ON PURPOSE…this right here still felt different to him. He knew it didn't make sense, and honestly he had no desire to try and explain it to Helga because he knew he would never be able to put it in a way that didn't ring of a double standard, but to him…such a situation was just different because she was a girl. Something was a little more…sacred…about…her…for him. It felt like her body had mysteries and like he…he really oughtn't to explore or point out or even probably think much about and certainly never see those mysteries until they could both handle that better, until they were a little older maybe or something and life wasn't so very mysterious. He didn't want to know the mysteries just yet anyway. It was already overwhelming enough for him as it was just experiencing the kissing and the holding and the shoulders…He couldn't bear much more just yet.

Especially on top of another thing he had planned for this night.

Anyway, the point was that Arnold felt very bad and sad and upset with himself for the mistake he had just made…and for the little piece of himself that had liked that mistake for a fleeting moment. It confused him, puzzled him. And he couldn't figure it out right now so at the very least he wanted to try and make her happy again. So anything she wanted, really, he was more than willing to be put through it.

"I know the chivalry is pretty much hardwired into your football shaped brain but could you stop acting like you just 'violated my honor' or something, Arnold? Seriously, it was an accident, it was brief, we've already been pretty physically intimate with each other over the last month anyway, and also, I mean…come on, Arnold, it's not like you walked in on some twenty-year-old super model chick. I know you find me pretty and attractive but when you do get right down to it, m-my body's not much different than yours, at least at present, so…in a nutshell can you just not make this whole thing way more awkward than it has to be?" At the finish of her request now Helga was giving an awkward half smile and trying to ignore the bit of blushing heating up her cheeks as she turned away, pushing a piece of hair behind one of her ears, and gathered up her former clothes from the floor to stuff them into her shopping bag (naturally in her surprise a moment before, they had gotten quite scattered and she had forgotten about them.)

Meanwhile, Arnold, with a continuing blush of his own, just blinked and looked at her with his head tilted to the side a little as she gathered her things together. He looked rather curious. He opened his mouth as though to make a response but then he hesitated, considering some more. His gaze roved a little bit once twice, and then he blinked and opened his mouth again, taking a (albeit shy) step toward her. "Um…I…I-I can try to be a little less awkward about it, Helga, and…and I guess that all makes sense but…" his blush increased a little, "I-I'm still going to need a little bit before I don't feel bad about it…and also, I.." he glanced away, and his next step forward took him a little bit away from Helga and toward nothing in particular though he did manage to find something on a shelf to play with for a moment as an obvious distraction as he went on, "…You…You didn't open my last present for you last night…the little pink package…did you?" He barely looked to her out of the corner of his eye and the question wasn't asked with curiosity or an accusing tone so much as just waiting for this deduction of his to be confirmed.

Helga blinked, her shopping bag now out of the way under an end table, not having expected that question. And instantly it made her indeed remember the little present in question. And she also remembered the fact that she indeed forgotten to open it last night. "Oh, ,um…s-sorry, Arnold, no, I…between the guys interrupting the end of our date last night and then that family breakfast of mine this morning and then talking to the other girls and Rhonda afterwards…" Helga had called Arnold first thing this morning after breakfast to let him know about that little ironic parallel experience of hers while he had been dealing with the boys, "…and then trying to satisfy a squealing Olga with details about our anniversary," she had to roll her eyes here before going on, "I just sort of forgot about that present, I guess…Sorry," she finished sincerely. She looked to him hopefully though and added, starting to rummage in her purse a little, "But I've still got it in here—I could just open it now, and—" _'Don't know why we're moving on to anniversary presents randomly but…as long as it means we don't have to talk about my body, fantastic!_' she started to think anxiously yet gratefully.

She was cut off from both thoughts and words now though as Arnold just half smiled and glanced toward her a tiny bit more, politely interrupting her off with a blush and a half raised hand. "U-Um, no, that's…that's alright, Helga. H-Honestly, I couldn't handle that right now on top of everything else…please." He cleared his throat after that cryptic comment and smiled a little more, "I was just asking because…" he sighed and his eyes went away again and he became 'very interested' once more with tinkering with random knickknacks on the shelf, "…if you had already opened it…you would not be saying that we're the same in our b-bodies…" His face felt on fire, absolutely on fire, "Trust me. It doesn't matter how old we are. You, um…w-well, l-like I said last night, y-you make me…curious. Heh…" A nervous little laugh and shrug escaped him.

There was a moment of silence during which Arnold did not turn around.

Then he cleared his throat and walked off into another direction entirely. "Um, I…heh, if we're going to have a picnic, th-then I should probably get some blankets for us to lie—s-sit down on…Besides, I forgot something downstairs anyway. I-I'll be right back, Helga. And…please save the present for later." Arnold barely turned to her, gave her a small bow and then swiftly departed his room.

* * *

Arnold came back a few minutes later with a nice big quilted red and white checkered blanket under one arm and a little bouquet of daisies in his free hand. His blushing was much more under control by now and he even felt okay about maybe looking Helga in the eye again (and without going into total spazzing shock while doing so). "I-I know it's your night of our anniversary date, Helga," he started with a humble smile, closing the door behind him, "…but I still wanted to get you some flowers. Daisies…just like that first flower I gave you, that time you had 'amnesia.'" He even managed a chuckle as he put down the blanket on the floor and walked toward Helga, holding out the bouquet.

He paused though, of course, a couple of feet from her as his eyes caught how she looked right now.

Though perhaps it wasn't so very shocking, really.

Thankfully enough, she at least wasn't in the process of blushing like crazy and grinning as she read the new, secret love poem he had written her (she must have taken his small final plea to hold off on her last anniversary present to heart). But still, she was…well, she was lying on her back on his couch, looking up at the skylight ceiling…a light blush was on her cheeks and a sort of scrutinizing look was upon her features, neither of which had broken despite her beloved's address to her.

Arnold really couldn't be blamed for being a little confused and curious, and especially for not quite understanding specifically what Helga was doing at the moment. At the very least, he or anyone else probably would have needed several minutes of observing Helga G. Pataki closely to realize what she was doing.

In point of fact, Helga had spent her few moments of solitude between Arnold's departure from and arrival back to his room blushing and staring up…at her reflection in the glass skylight panes just above her. She had been looking at herself very closely and thinking a bit, just needing a moment to herself before they went on together, her thoughts going along back and forth but in general as something like this:

_'I'm…I don't know, I guess I'm…I-I don't know, maybe it's wearing all the jumpers all the time that hides things. After all I…I doubt anyone would mistake me for a boy or something looking the way I do in this right now. And my body is…well, maybe it is…I-I mean…maybe there are more differences at this point between his and mine than I've been willing to admit. A-And he…notices…d-dressed and…n-not so dressed…I—'_

Arnold had come in around then and interrupted her thoughts, of course.

"Helga…are you alright?" his voice broke in again softly after another second, and now with a blink Helga turned her head to see that he was a little closer to her.

She noticed the flowers in his hand and processed what he had mentioned before about getting them for her for tonight and why. "O-Oh, um…yeah." She smiled a little and sat up, giving a quick stretch. "I'm alright, Arnold. Just…thinking."

Arnold's curious smile softened and then he blushed and glanced down, gripping the flowers just a touch more tightly. "O-Oh…S-Still…about…the accident before?" He casually laid the flowers down on the end table of his couch and then walked over to the blanket, unfolding and preparing to spread it out for them upon the floor for that picnic dinner she had mentioned to him just before coming up here. She had wanted him to not act terribly awkward about all of this and that was what he was going to do his best to do.

Helga hesitated, shook her head, then shrugged, sitting up a little. "Sort of yes and no."

Arnold had to blink and glance over his shoulder to her at that reply. "Huh?"

Helga shrugged again and glanced away, crossing her legs. She did her best to speak plainly and sincerely, no awkwardness and no anger. Just Helga G. Pataki saying something to her Arnold. "I was thinking of how you made a good point before you left. A-And how I shouldn't let that nasty lack of self-confidence of mine mess with my judgment about something like that." She then stood up and walked toward him, placing herself in front of him. She clasped her hands together. "You're right. We are different enough, even now, that it's awkward. To be honest, I should have realized that from the start. After all, it…" she blushed and looked down, blinking a few times, "...i-it was one of the most nerve-wracking moments of my life w-watching you from behind the couch…that time…Why shouldn't it be the same for you seeing me?" She looked up at him again and hoped she hadn't made things too difficult by bringing up the parrot incident again in their lives, especially considering their silent agreement not to go into it again for a very long time. "S-So anyway, Arnold, I understand. And I'm sorry…a-and…I hope that…wh-whatever little experience you had, that it…that it was…a-as good as mine was…" She swallowed and added promptly though calmly, even smiling a little again as she tried to lighten the mood somewhat once more, "Th-Though, um…o-of course we can talk about that more later…m-much later. W-We've got an anniversary date tonight after all a-and a whole awkward adolescence together to get through besides, heh…"

She was met with Arnold blushing and yet not looking at her awkwardly or nervously so much as just intently. As she finished he took that all in and then swallowed and nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, paused…considered…then, "Thank you, Helga…for understanding. And, um...for what it's worth…" he quickly leaned near her and whispered into her ear while he still had the courage, remembering how she had done so for him once not too long ago… "I'll have only nice things to say one day when we really do talk about this along with the parrot one day. L-Look at the present first though…when you get a chance…i-it'll explain some of what I can't right now." A little kiss was placed upon her cheek and then Arnold smiled and blushed warmly and then pulled away from her and turned around, snatching up the picnic basket from the floor and heading over to the blanket. He glanced over his shoulder at her as he reached its edge. "Coming, Helga?" he asked causally, hoping to start bringing them back to a relaxed and easy state together.

Arnold had to smile more at the sight of Helga right now. She was blushing distinctly and had a grin on that was just about ear to ear with the shyest little look about her, hands clasped behind her back. "U-Uh, I…" she reached up and played with her hair a little, stroking a large piece over and over. "Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Sheesh, s-so much impatience, paste for brains. I-It's a good thing I like ya so much." She laughed and then headed over and sat down upon the blanket as he sat down. She began to unload the contents of the basket. "N-Now, it's nothing fancy…" she was starting to do her part for bringing them back to a normal, easy, young state now too, "…though if I had let Olga have her way she would have prepared us a gourmet meal, but I really wanted to do this all on my own so we've got stuff for sandwiches, some potato salad, some potato chips for me and some pretzels for you, Mister 'healthy, karate-practicing, boy of Zen'." Another laugh. "A few Yahoo sodas, and some apple pie for dessert…" She leaned close to his ear and whispered playfully, "I compromised on that one and bought a pie crust. Olga's really the Pataki sister who got the domestic gene."

Helga giggled and Arnold chuckled and smiled at her. "It's okay, Helga," he whispered back, adorably leaning in a little closer too, "I-I've always had to do a bit of cooking around here whenever my Grandma's recipes get a little too 'creative' for everyone so…you and I can switch on and off with that in the future. Maybe we'll even be able to learn some stuff from each other…"

"Thanks, Arnold…" It seemed like she was going to pull back then, but… "And Arnold…?" Her voice was the lightest whisper right near his ear, "I'll…only have nice things to say as well…very nice things…from what I remember of 'that time'…before I passed out in overwhelming bliss." She giggled, kissed his cheek, and then punched him lightly in the shoulder before he could get all nervous and blushing, and then pulled back to further unpack the picnic basket, humming a happy little tune under her breath.

"Ow!" Arnold exclaimed with a blink, rubbing his arm. It had worked—the sudden sore feeling in his limb really did keep him from expressing the…severe fluster he suddenly felt inside now. After all, in his attempts to avoid recalling the 'parrot incident', he had naturally never thought about the fact that he had made Helga G. Pataki pass out…The second she had reminded him though, he had been about to reply with something stuttery and bashful and awkward and that would probably make no sense, he would have been so tongue-tied… but now with the momentary flinch to distract him he just looked at her and she giggled and went right about making a sandwich with a smile like nothing had happened and so he just blushed and smiled and…started to do the same.

"The daisies are nice, Arnold. Thanks, my love." Helga spoke casually and naturally and smiled at him.

Arnold nodded, smiling naturally to her as well. "You're welcome, Helga. I'm happy you liked them. And, um…I really like your outfit tonight, and your hair…You look pretty." He looked at her with a touch of dreaminess.

Helga giggled. "Thank you, Arnold…I'll be sure to let Miriam and Olga know you approve. They were both poking and prodding me for tonight. Luckily I got out of there before Olga brought out her own personal makeup bag though—Helga G. Pataki draws the line at mascara." Helga faked a cringe and chuckled.

Arnold chuckled as well. "Yeah…Your eyes don't need anything, Helga…They're already full of blue fire. Why hide that under anything?"

"Flirt," Helga shot back playfully, her smile growing.

Arnold smiled more too. He reached into the picnic basket. " Should I open you up a soda, Helga?" He had two bottles in his hand as his arm moved out of the basket.

Helga nodded. "Yes, please, darling." She chuckled and added, "Oh and, uh, thanks for being such a sport about me showing up at your little get together before. I hope the guys didn't give you too much of a hard time after I popped up here."

Arnold just grinned and shrugged, removing paper plates and plastic utensils from the basket. "Oh no, not too bad…They, uh…just laughed a little and teased me a tiny bit…said that you sort of act like my wife…just that."

Helga almost choked on her first swig of soda and she blinked a few times and blushed quite a bit.

Arnold had to laugh at the reaction. He grinned at her, splitting up some napkins between them. "What?" He shrugged. "Personally, I thought it was cute, putting it like that. You have to admit, sometimes we act a little more serious than just 'boyfriend/girlfriend.'"

"Oh just shut up, you big lug." Helga finally snapped out of her shock and rolled her eyes, managing to smile again as she sat back a little on the blanket, laden plate in hand. "Wife… Huh, well, I'll tell you one thing—when I'm your 'wife', I'm not sneaking through air vents anymore, not in my own new home. I'm gonna crash your guys nights completely openly." She winked at him and laughed, snatching up a fork.

Arnold just sighed and sat back as well, likewise with a plate of food in his hand. "Whatever you say, Helga." He took up a utensil as well.

They both shared a laugh at that and continued their sweet conversation. Eventually, Helga requested some music and luckily Arnold had just the thing in his sound system at the moment—that Dino and Nancy Spumoni duet record that he and Helga had listened to here in his room so many weeks ago, and that he had given her an autographed copy of the other night as part of his anniversary presents for her. And so their lovely little picnic dinner went on, accompanied by happy conversation and the sounds of sassy and sweet, swinging love songs playing pleasantly in the background.

* * *

"Nope, it's not the cafeteria lady…Guess again, Arnold." Helga giggled, looking to her beloved in amusement.

Arnold, from his position sitting up on the blanket, a half empty pie plate in hand, looked at her with a curious smile, enjoying with the conversation with…and the sight of her. She was lying on her side, her empty plate pushed away, and her legs were pulled up a little and her head rested on one of her hands. Her blond hair gently sloped behind her head toward the floor in a shiny blanket of gold. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders, and put his own pie plate aside. "Helga…I-I know I've asked this about three times so far but are you sure it's okay to, well…gossip like this? I-I know it's just between us but still…"

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes and laughed, waving him off. "Oh come on, it's not like we're going to blab this all over the school, Football Head. On top of which technically all of this is just speculation—no real secrets are getting told here." Then she blushed and grinned a little more and added, "And anyway in light of our new 'husband, wife' social status I'm pretty sure this falls under 'spousal privilege' somehow." She chuckled and winked. "And besides…" She rolled over a little more onto her stomach, stretching a bit, "I'm curious to see how your powers of perception have developed over the last month. You started off blind as a bat—I figure by now you should be at the standard girl level of romantic intuition, and pretty soon I'm hoping to get you up to my own level of it. So now, once more…Harold has a crush on…?" She awaited his reply with eagerness and a grin.

Arnold sighed (trying not to blush about the fact that she was now insisting on having continuous fun with that whole 'wife' comment the guys had made before) and considered, a smile on his face and his head resting on his hand. "Um…well….Rhonda?" he asked hesitantly.

"Ehh!" Helga made a noise like a buzzer and shook her head. "Nope, sorry, football Head. Close though. Rhonda was his crush until, oh, I'd say…three or four months ago. Any other guesses?" She laughed a little.

Arnold laughed as well. "Well, actually I was torn between Rhonda and Patty Smith…"

"Ding, ding, ding!" Helga announced, her eyes and smile brightening. "We have a winner! Very nice, Arnold. It's completely been Patty Smith ever since that dance Rhonda threw where they met and started to be friends." She winked at her beloved. "Okay, now here's an easy one—Lila has a crush on…"

"Arnie." Arnold sighed and rolled his eyes, smiling little more.

Helga giggled and nodded. "Yup. By the way, if he asks to come by this summer you really need to say yes, Arnold." Her smile got a little crafty. "Lila's been calling him and coaxing him toward that, and she and I think it would be just 'ever so wonderful' if you helped bring them into close quarters for a few weeks. Not to mention with her like liking him and him like liking me and you like liking me and me like liking you and you having like liked Lila, I sense a lot of very fun summer shenanigans we could get into! Awkward moments and romantic drama. I think it'd be a blast!" She almost sounded eager for all of the awkwardness and hilarity of it all…Matchmaking with her beloved by her side. What a refreshing way to be spending a summer.

In response to her excellent point, Arnold just laughed and nodded, unable to refuse if acquiescing would really make her so very happy. "A-Alright, alright, I'll say yes and he can come…as long as you let me help you with the matchmaking." He leaned a little down toward her, a touch of a smirk in his smile, and his feelings on the matter instinctively echoing her own… "I do love shenanigans with you, Helga…especially romantic ones." He winked suavely.

Helga blushed and giggled and glanced away. "O-Okay, okay…Meanwhile, sheesh, way to get off topic. So anyway, let's see…Sid has a crush on…" She looked at him with part of her (still slightly thinned) brow raised and her grin picking up on one side.

"Any girl he can get?" Arnold replied smugly without missing a beat.

Helga laughed, holding her sides and rolling on the blanket a little. "Y-Yeah, yeah, u-until he r-realizes his feelings, sure…" She finished her warm chuckles and sighed, resting on her stomach with her head propped up on her hands and looking back to her beloved as she concluded, "But after that…" she got a little shifty eyed and leaned in close, "Nadine… Completely and utterly Nadine."

Arnold blinked and then grinned. "Nadine? I…" he paused, considered, smiled more, looked back to her. He seemed rather intrigued now. "I…I like that. It'd be nice, actually. She likes bugs, he likes frogs…" For two ten-year-olds, those facts alone were more than enough to suggest an inkling of a potential relationship. Arnold chuckled and then glanced back at Helga. "He hasn't realized it yet though, huh?"

Helga just shook her head with a grin.

Arnold sighed and shrugged. "Poor guy. I remember when I was like that…I was so young." Our football headed hero shook his head melodramatically.

"You were ten-and-one-eighth instead of ten-and-one-sixth, Mr. Maturity." She reached out and gave him a little nudge in the shoulder, and then propped herself up on her elbows a little as she looked at him. "Now, no more losing focus from testing your observation skills, Football Head. Besides, this last one I'm going to ask you is a breeze—Curly is in love with—"

"Rhonda. Always Rhonda," Arnold answered completely confidently, gazing down at her with his head resting on one of his hands. Then he looked curious for a moment and asked Helga with interest, "Helga…does…does Rhonda have a crush on…on Curly? Or…Harold?...Or someone else…? Or…no one?"

Helga, to his surprise, blinked at his question, the smile leaving her face. She glanced away and cleared her throat, sitting up a bit. "Uh…Arnold? I…the thing is, I-I know the answer to that question but…n-not from 'observation.' What I mean is, it's…it's a secret that I know as a fact…and a confidential fact. So…" She shrugged and looked at him, "Sorry Football Head, can't give you an answer about that one. You'll have to try and figure it out on your own, if you want to."

Arnold blinked, looking at her in further interest. She had never withheld something from him like that. It almost tugged at something within him and yet somehow pride in her overtook the selfish feeling. This, right here and now, was Helga doing the 'right thing' in the circumstances in life that were important to her. If this had been a secret she knew about who had cut class or who had secretly barfed after lunch in the hallway, right or wrong, Helga would have spilled in a minute, at least to him. But when it came to love…she was too entwined with it, she felt it too deeply. Someone had shared a confidence of the heart with her and it would stay with her until the day she died, if that's what the other person wanted. It was a beautiful and noble side of her, and it warmed Arnold all over to see it. He smiled at his beloved softly. "You really are becoming better friends with the other girls, aren't you, Helga? It's very nice of you to let Rhonda talk to you about something like that, and to keep it a secret. I'm sure she's really grateful for it."

Helga smiled a little and sighed and sat up all the way. She nodded, her conviction and confidence making her glow a little. "Thanks, Arnold." She looked to her beloved's eyes and affirmed, "And she is grateful…That much I can tell you. It's…" Helga bit her lower lip a little absentmindedly, "…it's a complicated situation, there. I'm gonna try and help a little bit with it though. Not too much but just a little—I think it'll make things better." She rolled her eyes and sighed with a smile. "Ugh and then I have to focus on Brainy's deal…" she smirked a little, "Oh I wish I could tell you about that, Arnold…Honestly, I had started thinking he was the most astute one of all you chuckleheads and yet he's just as oblivious as you once were." She giggled and winked.

Rather than looking at her in curiosity though at this newest little cryptic statement, Arnold only smiled more. "Oh, I already know something about 'Brainy's deal' actually…You know, he was here earlier. I invited him to the party."

Helga blinked, looking at Arnold in surprise. "He was here? You mean…you invited him…" she seemed pleased, "…and he came!" She seemed doubly pleased, her eyes even lighting up a little. She moved closer to Arnold. "Did he enjoy himself? Did he have a good time? Did he do alright with the other guys? How did I miss him?" She was just bursting to know, obviously.

Arnold had to laugh a little at her enthusiasm. Admittedly, a tiny shimmer of jealousy couldn't help but come to him but it went away in the warmth of the laughter. Helga's interest in Brainy really was actually more sweet than anything else when you thought about, and she was so open about it…There was nothing to be jealous about. And he wanted to share with her. He nodded. "Yeah, he…actually seemed very happy. He mostly sat a little bit away from everyone but everyone said hi to him and…" an amused grin came to Arnold's face, "..actually, for a while until he left he was really hitting it off with Curly."

"Curly?" Helga couldn't help questioning, raising part of her brow.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah…Actually…" He leaned back on his arms, looking up toward his ceiling in thought as he kept speaking, "Curly seemed sort of, um…more quiet than usual when he came over tonight, but then Brainy showed up and eventually they started talking and…then Curly started to look better and then Brainy started to smile, and then Curly would make some big gesture with his arms and Brainy would laugh and say something back, and then some of the other guys even joined in and…you know, he even helped me with some of the 'advice on women' stuff." Arnold looked back to Helga's eyes, smiling warmly. "It was fun. The other guys were even sorry to see him leave."

Helga was just beaming. "Aw, that's so great, Arnold! Thanks for inviting him over, you big lug!" She lunged at him with a hug, chuckling a little, and then pulled back, adjusting her hair and sitting on her knees. But then she pouted a little. "Aw, but why did he leave early? I'd have loved to have seen him." She smiled again. Then looked confused and added, "And…what do you already know about 'Brainy's deal', exactly?"

Arnold smiled softly at her. "Well, first of all…I think he left because he really doesn't like social situations too much so an hour or so at one was probably all he could be a part of and still be comfortable for now…and for another thing, he…he probably knows you so well that he figured somehow, someway you'd show up earlier than seven…and he didn't want to run into you and have you ask him about another reason why he had to leave early…" Arnold sighed and added with a casual shrug… "…He was meeting someone tonight." He smiled a little more, still looking into Helga's eyes. "Oh and he told me I could let you know that, if I wanted, so there're still no confidences broken, just like you like." He winked at her.

Helga looked a little, well…stunned by all of this for a moment. "Wow…" she crossed her arms over her chest, "Darling, seriously, you have gotten very good at not being dense anymore. You know things even I don't know yet—I think this might be the first time that's happened since our mutual relationship began." She smiled. "You're so bright, my Arnold." She giggled…but then a little half frown came to her features. "But, so…Brainy…really wanted to avoid me?" She looked down a little. "Actually…maybe I can't blame him." She stroked a piece of her hair a little with both of her hands, looking down sheepishly. "I…think I've been a little intense about, um…well…there's this 'person' and…"

"Siobhan?" Arnold supplied, his small smile never faltering.

Helga blinked and glanced up at him.

Arnold shrugged. "Brainy told me before he left. And...from what else he told me…yeah, maybe asking him about her a lot and trying to bribe Brainy to ask her out and looking for an opportunity to introduce yourself to her all over the past two days whenever you haven't been with me, apparently, has been a little intense…" Arnold almost had to laugh at his love's enthusiasm before finishing sweetly and supportively, "But he knows your heart was in the right place, Helga." Arnold's smile grew a little as he added casually, "And, I don't know, but…I think some of that encouragement might have actually helped…since he was going to stop by her house on his way home 'just to say hello' tonight."

Helga's jaw dropped. And then everything on her face lit up again. "Oh…Oh! Oh he didn't! Oh no way! Oh I could just sock him for keeping that from me! Oh but I wish I could have followed him and seen it—Oh Arnold, it would just be so cute! She's adorable and he's such a sweetheart, my love! Oh Arnold, can we double date with them? Can we?" She looked positively ecstatic about the idea.

Arnold meanwhile was just watching her with wide eyes and an amused grin. It was just…every once in a while…just like with her hair last week on the roof, talking about it frizzing up with a blow-dryer and how she wanted to have it cut soon and everything…there was this very effeminate side of her that would come tumbling out and that normally he only got in bits and pieces or in the poetry…and now was absolutely one of those times. She was absolutely in womanly matchmaker mode and it was adorable!

Arnold reached out and took one of her hands in his. "Yes, we can double date, Helga." He chuckled and added with a warm, half lidded gaze, "And you know, you're very cute when your… 'gruff exterior' slips up and your warm, mushy good hearted girly center comes out like that. You should let that happen around Olga and Lila sometime—I think they'd get a real kick out of it." He winked.

Helga blinked, thought for a second and understood what he meant, and then blushed. She smiled. "Oh…Oh ha ha, very funny, Football Head…And if you ever do tell my sister or your ex-girlfriend that I can get like that about some things, I'll slug ya—nothing personal, just gotta keep up the 'I'm in love but I'm not a girly girl, you dolts' reputation I've just managed to cement." She winked back at him playfully...And then she leaned in and looked into his eyes, something tender and soft in her own… "And you're very cute…well…period…Ugh, but especially in that suit and tie." She reached out and gently started to twirl the end of his tie around some of her fingertips... "I do have such a weakness for you when you get all dressed up. Ooo and you're wearing the Chez Paris tie…Very nice touch, my most beloved Arnold…" Her smile grew…

"Th-Thanks…" Arnold was smiling and blushing and his heart pounded a little and he liked it.

Helga felt the same.

They were forehead to forehead now somehow, and all alone up here still. It would have been so easy to…

But then Helga sighed, caught hold of some of her self-control, and merely went forward and gave Arnold a brief kiss on the lips before pulling back, managing to let go of his tie, and saying to his look of confusion and enamoration mixed, "H-Hey, before kissing time…want your presents, Arnold?" Her coy little grin picked up on one side.

"Hmm…? Oh!" Arnold blinked, snapping out of his small daze. "Presents? Yeah, sure, Helga. Presents would be nice…before 'kissing time.'" He smirked a little back at her. Then he sighed and his smile became softer. "Although, honestly…after the 'first part' of my present the other day…with you being okay with loving each other in public…I really wouldn't expect anything else." He looked into her eyes, speaking sincerely. "That was the bravest and most wonderful thing you've ever done for me, Helga G. Pataki. And I'm…I'm really really happy you did it…and I'm really, really, really happy it's made you happy too..." He sighed softly, in a tiny touch of awe at her.

Helga was just blushing and smiling and looking down, playing with a few locks of her hair in her fingers. "Oh…Arnold." She giggled then managed to smirk at him again and roll her eyes. "Flirt." Then she scooched away a little to grab her shopping bag again and opened it up to pull out several things. "'But seriously, you and I both know it was high time I stopped making us put on some kind of charade about our love—no way I'm going to use actually finally going for it as some kind of 'excuse' to 'get out' of giving my favorite football head some presents." She winked at him, laying some small packages wrapped in blue tissue paper with pink ribbons tying them out on the blanket beneath them. "Okay, so, yours had multiple parts for me…and mine's got multiple parts for you. Well, actually it's got three parts besides the 'first part' of it that was me confessing…Anyway, I'm figuring you'll get a serious kick out of the whole thing so here you go." Finally there where three presents on the floor. One was of average size and rectangular-shaped, another was of a similar shape but somewhat larger and flatter, and the final one had a bit of height to it and was a little awkwardly shaped and stood up on its end, whatever it was.

Arnold looked from the first to the second to the third, and then looked to Helga, his smiled bright and happy, optimistic as always. "Does it matter which one I open first, Helga?"

Helga shrugged, smiling as well, trying to seem casual (perhaps a little too casual) though her deepening blush gave away that she really was quite excited and flustered about him opening his presents and what he might think of them. "Eh, I guess not…Though…" she sighed and glanced at him… "that one on your left…the larger, thinner one…" she gestured with her head, "…that's gonna probably bring out that wishy-washy emotional side of you…and the one on your right is just going to make you smile and laugh…and then that one in the middle, I don't know what it'll do to you, so maybe go with the smile and laugh one first, then the mystery one, and then get lost in the emotional one?" she suggested helpfully.

Arnold chuckled at her cute little assessment of things and nodded. "Whatever you say, Helga. I'll laugh first…then, um…the mystery, I guess…then I'll get all wishy-washy."

Helga smiled more and rested back on her hands a little. "Very good, Arnold. Really, this whole 'husband and wife' thing is going to go a lot more smoothly if you keep taking my advice about things." She winked.

Arnold just rolled his eyes and smirked a little as he started to unwrap the first of his presents (it happened to be the funny shaped one resting on its end). "Y-Yeah, w-well…I'll keep taking your advice about our relationship and you take my advice about everything else, 'Mrs. Pataki-Shortman,' and I'm sure we'll both turn out just…" Arnold paused. He had just finished unwrapping the present. And now he beamed. "Helga!" He laughed happily, admiring his new little possession…or rather possessions. "You didn't have to…e-even though I'm kind of glad you did. I always wanted a piece of your shrine to go with the poetry books you lend me each week." Sitting before Arnold on the blanket were two yahoo soda bottles…the yahoo soda bottles that he and Helga had used during the night he had confessed…the soda bottles she had then decorated as little dolls of himself and her and had put up in her yahoo soda bottle shrine almost four weeks ago. Arnold touched them, admiring them fully. "They're so cute, Helga…I promise I'll put them somewhere safe…a-and private…just for you and me." He looked at her warmly.

Helga was just smiling away and blushing, looking down with a touch of humbleness. "I-I just…and y-you're so obsessed with my shrines…a-and, yeah, s-somewhere private would be, um…Thanks, Arnold." She swallowed and looked up at him, eyes hazed in a touch of love. "I'm happy you like them. A genuine piece of a Helga Pataki shrine all for you, my beloved."

Arnold smiled tenderly. "It's a perfect gift. Thank you, Helga." He picked up the bottles carefully and placed them on one of the end tables near his couch, and then leaned toward her and gave her a warm hug.

Helga blinked and beamed a little and hugged him back. "Oh Arnold…you're welcome…" She let herself snuggle against his cornflower hair a little before pulling back shyly and with a blush. "Um…a-anyway…not that this isn't the perfect segue for that whole 'kissing time' thing I mentioned before, Football Head, but…before that, I really would like you to open presents two and three…" She gestured to them with her head, smiling softly.

Arnold blinked a few times, coming out of a small lovesick daze. "Hmm…? O-Oh…" His mind went away from 'kissing time' and back to the two remaining packages still on the floor. "Right…O-Okay, Helga…" It was her night of their anniversary, after all, and he wanted to respect her wishes just as she had respected his own last night regarding the 'schedule' of their evening. And so he reached out and took the present that she wasn't sure how it would make him react. He was very curious about this one and commenced to opening it eagerly. "I can't wait to see what it is, Hel-" The last layer of tissue paper fell away. Arnold stopped speaking now. And he was hesitating and looking rather puzzled at the moment because the present in his hands was…a videotape. But not a 'Helga went to the store and bought you a new copy of Evil Twin 4' videotape. It was black, unmarked, had no box…and looked quite beaten up to say the least. Arnold observed it carefully, really trying to figure out what it might be. But then finally he couldn't get it and he had to pause and look up at her in confusion. "Um…Helga? I-I'm grateful but…um…should I…know what this is?" he lifted the tape up a little.

Helga smiled a little more, just playing it cool and trying not to bust a gut. "Honestly…no, I can't blame you for not knowing what it is, Arnold." She sat up a little more, giving a stretch upward. "I actually didn't know it really existed until a few days ago…I mean, I've considered the possibility of it existing for a few months now but…I really have to thank Geraldo for pointing me in the right direction to actually find it." Helga crossed her arms over her chest and smiled proudly.

Now Arnold looked even more confused. "Gerald?" He looked down at the tape again but still just couldn't get it.

Helga noticed of course and spoke soothingly to him. "Don't worry, Arnold, I know you're not getting it yet and once again I really don't blame you. I should explain more…" she sighed and then went on, looking into his eyes (hoping to see soon the moment when they would light up with realization). "Gerald helped me…because he contacted Fuzzy Slippers—fantastic cover name, by the way…" She rolled her eyes and chuckled but then went on, "…and Fuzzy Slippers got me in contact with Bridget. You remember Bridget, don't ya, Football Head?" A bit of a gleam came to Helga's eyes. "That twenty-something-year-old chick in the skintight blue jumpsuit who ziplined down the side of a building to bring you the tape with Sheck burning the tomato document on it? Come on, you know, you and Geraldo kept ogling her out of the corner of your boyish eyes." She rolled her eyes and smirked fully.

A blushing Arnold just smirked a little back at her and adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. "I-I…I was under a lot of stress during those two days, Helga…And besides you know I really have gotten better about the 'older women' thing—" Something confident returned to his smile and he leaned in a little closer to her, looking into her eyes. "Now instead of wanting girls who are a decade older than me…I'm more than content with one who's five months older than me…"

"And don't you forget it, paste for brains—I've got seniority!" Helga laughed at his cute way of getting out of things and then scoffed and rolled her eyes. "And really, jumpsuits…ridiculous…Although…" she gave Arnold a little grin, "You know, I talked to that Bridget for a little bit and she's not SO bad…and she did offer to let me be part of her little group. My jumpsuit would even get to be pink. I'm considering it as a part time gig. Gotta give my awesome sneaking around skills at least some practice now that I don't need to use them on you anymore…much, Mister 'I'm one hundred percent sure Helga can't pull anything on me anymore.' Heh…barely even had to try with crashing your party tonight, paste for brains." She glanced at the nails on one of her hands casually.

Arnold rolled his eyes with a grin at her joke, and then his smile grew just a little and he glanced away with a light blush. "Jumpsuits, huh? Sounds fun, Helga…Oh but if you happen to zipline down something to any young guys just make sure to tell them that you're 'already married.'" He blushed absolutely furiously and couldn't help it and didn't want to.

She just giggled in response. "Will do, Mr. Pataki-Shortman, will do." She gave him a little elbow nudge for his silliness and then cleared her throat. "Anyway, the point of the story is that I got that tape from Bridget courtesy of Gerald and Fuzzy Slippers. Now as for what exactly the tape is, well…the answer to that question kind of goes back to that tape Bridget gave you."

Arnold looked at Helga quizzically for a moment. Then asked, "So…you got me the tape of Sheck burning the tomato document for our anniversary?"

Helga blinked and then sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Yes, Arnold—I was feeling nostalgic." She reached out and flicked his ear. "Doi! No, it's not the tape of Sheck—I only said it was related to that. Because they both come from Future Tech industries, or what's left of it. After all, there were cameras all around that building, Arnold…so many hours of footage…of the inside of that building…of the outside of that building…" She looked at him distinctly, hoping he would catch her drift.

However he just remained looking at her with an amused though pleading smile. "Helga…please stop teasing me…" he finally had to plea, just wanting to know so badly the little secret she was insisting on keeping to herself for just a tiny bit longer.

"Sorry." Helga smiled sincerely at him…

…and then she finally admitted to him, like it was the most natural thing in the world (though inside she was just dying to see his reaction and full of anticipation about it!), "I got you a tape of my love confession to you." Helga G. Pataki smirked from ear to ear…and blushed thoroughly all over her face. She went on. "The image quality is second rate, there's no sound, the tape's a little damaged in parts but otherwise…yup, full tape of Helga G. Pataki's love confession to Arnold…The only copy in the whole wide world. It came from a surveillance camera Sheck had out on the roof. Happy Anniversary, Football Head."

There was…silence…

Arnold looked confused still for another moment, his eyes down on the tape again. The denseness…somehow, in some small ways, it would always be there before realization in him.

And speaking of realization…

Arnold's jaw now fell open. Then he blushed brightly. Then he blinked several times.

Then he looked up at Helga…like she was the most brilliant person in the whole world. "You…You didn't!" It was all he could exclaim, a gleam flashing in his sea green eyes.

Helga, having thoroughly enjoyed watching the rainbow of emotions that had played across his cute face over the last couple of seconds, blinked at this response from him and shrugged, smiling a little. "Um…nope, kind of did." She blushed a little more.

Arnold was quiet for a moment more…and then all of the surprise and fascination and anticipation building inside of him finally burst forth. He laughed warmly and suddenly dove at Helga, hugging her tightly and causing them both to topple to the blanket beneath them. He looked into her eyes, then gave her a big, steamy kiss right on her lips and then pulled back panting and with a smile ear to ear. "Helga G. Pataki…you are the most brilliant girl in the whole entire world! And I love you."

Helga was just in stunned, delighted, dazed shock of course right now. She just smiled goofily up at him, eyes hazed in love, and giggled a little. "Uh…th-thanks, you…you Football Head, you…" She giggled a little more. "And I love you too." _'Definitely picked a good part two of his present…_' She let out a happy, girlish, internal and external sigh and swoon

That pretty sound escaping her only made Arnold smile smoothly back at her and pop another little kiss upon her lips, and then he gave her another little hug and then sat up, bringing her to sit up with him. He picked up the tape again and looked back to her, suaveness replaced with an eager brightness in his eyes. "So when can we watch it together, Helga? How about Tuesday night after baseball practice?" Of course they would have to watch this, and of course it would have to be together…It was…their video. They just had to, naturally, and he knew it and he knew she knew it.

Helga just smiled more at the question, readjusting her hair a little, and trying not to roll her eyes.. _'Tuesday? Pft, please, like I'm waiting that long. It was hard enough sitting on that thing without watching it myself for the last week…'_. "Actually, I was thinking it would be a fun activity for tonight if you're up for it." She smiled at him, awaiting his approval.

Arnold's eyes lit up. "Really? Now? In the middle of our anniversary date? Are you sure that's okay, Helga?"

Helga nodded. "Of course! I've kind of had that planned all along actually. Wow…" she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned at him a little. "You are really excited about this, aren't you, Football Head?"

But he was already up and getting things together, too busy to pay much mind to her rhetorical and humorous question. "We can look at it on my computer. I've got a hook up to watch videos…Now, let's see…." He stood up to start grabbing things and setting things up. "I'll bring the monitor over to sit on the couch and we can watch from the blanket. Oh boy…" he sighed to himself, smirking a little as he picked up the monitor, "…this is going to be wonderful, Helga, just wonderful."

Helga smirked a little as well, watching him work. "Just wonderful, huh? Sheesh, someone's certainly eager to watch permanent video footage of himself acting like a total spazz." She laughed to herself a little.

Arnold just rolled his eyes, putting the monitor down on the couch and tinkering with some wires a little. "Actually, I'm looking forward to the chance for you to see once and for all just how much you put me through up on that roof. I still don't know how I didn't pass out and I'm pretty sure any other guy would have the second your lips left his." He chuckled a little to himself.

Helga just rolled her eyes, grinning away. "Alright, it's on then—we'll see who remembers the confession better: me thinking that you acted way too overdramatic and petrified, or you thinking that I was emotional enough to overwhelm even the toughest of young boys. Winner buys the other a soda next time we go to Dino Land. Deal, darling?" She crossed her arms over her chest with a smile.

"A soda, a pizza, and some cotton candy…I intend to win this, Helga, and when I do I want to enjoy it a lot," Arnold just replied playfully over his shoulder.

Helga just chuckled, her smirk growing. "Alright, deal, you great big drama king lug."

They both shared a little laugh and then Arnold took the tape and walked back over to his computer to pop it in, and then he came back over to the couch and turned on the monitor, and then he sat back next to Helga. "Ready Helga?" he asked, turning to her and picking up his room remote.

He expected her to be grinning eagerly right back at him and to nod and affirm in some cute, sassy way that she 'had been ready for days' or something.

Instead though, he turned to see Helga smiling softly at him. And then to his momentary surprise, she asked softly, "Sure, Football Head…But…don't you want to open the last part of your present first?"

Arnold blinked, having almost forgotten about that. Then he turned around and noticed the last little package on the blanket. "Oh…" he smiled, and reached out for it. It was light, he noticed…Light, flat, rectangular… "I almost forgot. Thanks, Helga." He smiled at her and then started to open the gift.

Helga swallowed and smiled and looked down with a light blush, starting to gently play with her fingers as he unwrapped. "U-Uh, l-listen…about this 'last part' of your present, Football Head…i-if you don't like it or don't want to use it, it's really okay…I-I made it myself s-so it's not really the highest quality it could be, I guess, like if I bought it from a store, a-and I-I don't want to pressure you and I, uh…"

"Helga…" Arnold looked up at her, down to the final layer of tissue paper now. He spoke reassuringly and sweetly and with his usual loving smile. "I'm sure I'm going to love it. And especially if you made it yourself. Don't worry." If she hadn't genuinely seemed like she was worried about him not liking it, he would have even chuckled a little too at the very thought. But really…a handmade anniversary present from her…He simply couldn't conceive not liking it or using it.

Meanwhile, at his kind words of comfort, Helga swallowed and barely glanced up at him with a grateful smile. Yet there was still so much nervousness and uncertainty in her eyes, though she did at least manage sincerely in reply, "Th-Thanks, Arnold…" And then she swallowed and added, "B-But really, no pressure."

Arnold just continued to smile sweetly at her concern and sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright, 'no pressure'…" he grinned a little more and looked down at the almost unwrapped gift and had to add, "…even if I know I'll love it."

He reached down and finished taking off the last layer of tissue paper.

In his hands…was a picture frame.

It was for a large photo. The frame was made of simply cut yet beautifully colored cherry wood. And its four sides were secured by a touch of some metal lining the seam of each corner, which looked like it had been welded to attach the frame all together. There was your average prop-up in the back to let the picture stand on its own in case you didn't want to hang it, though there was also a little metal hook on the back of the top edge in case you did…On the front, the whole thing was simply decorated with a touch of paint on the edges. Bits of color and pattern to brighten up the frame. And then on the top on the front, short side written in a beautiful light blue script was painted the world 'My' and on the bottom short side was painted the word 'Family.'

Arnold looked at it and felt touched but couldn't place why for a moment, he was so stunned by its beauty.

Helga, meanwhile, was still acting nervously, though it was slight. She still played gently with her fingers a little and blushed lightly and only looked up a little bit at a time. She swallowed, seeing him not saying anything, and added in explanation, trying to smile, "Um…S-See, the other day when you…when you showed me that picture of you and your mom and your dad, I…I-I couldn't help but notice that it was just kind of loose and tucked away, a-and you've got every right to keep it like that, of course, but I-I was just worried that something might bend it or rip it or spill on it, a-and the edges are already starting to become a little worn, so I…I made you a frame for it. I-If you don't like it or something though or just don't want to use it for their picture that's totally fine, really, I promise I won't get all blustery or disappointed. I know it's a special picture to you and so you've got your own special preferences for it, so you could just use that frame for a picture of Phil and Gertie or something if you want. A-And even if you do use it for your parents, you don't have to start displaying it yet of course if you don't want to. It could still be tucked away, o-only a little safer now." She let out a breath, this long explanation finally over, and then smiled at him and gave him a little shrug. "Happy Anniversary, Arnold…"

There just weren't words. Not at all.

All Arnold could do was just hold the little picture frame in his hand like it was the most precious thing in the world, and like he had to keep holding tightly to it just to prove to himself that it was real in all of its wonderfulness.

It really did take him a moment, and he even had to wipe a little mist from his eyes before he could reply, barely able to speak. And when he did, he just…he just… "I…I-If I had a picture of all of us together…you and me and my grandpa and my grandma and my mom and my dad and even Abner…" His eyes looked into her eyes, green into blue, "…that's the only picture I'd rather put in here over the one of my parents that you made it for…because then it would really be my family…my whole family…Oh Helga!"

His arms were around her, the wind was knocked out of her in a gasp of surprise and he was lightly kissing her face and nuzzling her forehead with his and holding her in his arms as he still held the picture frame in one of his hands. Forget waiting…he wanted 'kissing time' now more than anything else.

"A-Arnold, I…i-it's no big…I-I'm happy you…Oh Arnold, I…Arnold…" _'I'm…I'm his family…_', "Arnold…" Little tears were in Helga's eyes now too…Little tears and she melted with him…She closed her eyes and let herself dream of being Arnold's family.

When he felt her going completely limp in his arms, Arnold managed to ease his enthusiasm a little at least. His kisses and nuzzles and the intensity of his embrace tapered off. He just sat there, panting heavily, holding her gently, eyes half lidded and looking into hers. He smiled so much. "I…I love it…and I love you…and…" He kissed her cheek and then whispered into her ear, "I'll only put the picture of my parents into it…until…until maybe they come back one day and we can take a real picture of us all together to put in here. Thank you, Helga. It's a wonderful gift." He laughed warmly and happily, gave her another little hug, and then was up, dashing across his room to remove his parents picture from the secret place in his Dad's journal tucked away on the shelf next to his bed. He inserted the photo into the frame and looked at the effect—_'Perfect._' Then he moved…then he hesitated. Words echoed in his mind, 'A-And even if you do use it for your parents, you don't have to start displaying it yet of course if you don't want to. It could still be tucked away, o-only a little safer now.' Arnold considered Helga's words…and then with a sigh and a bit more of a smile he pushed out the frame's prop and allowed the picture to be displayed on the shelf next to his bed. He observed it for a moment, getting used to the picture and thinking about whether he could get used to maybe other people commenting on it whenever they might come up here…His friends who didn't know the whole story. But somehow now the prospect of that didn't seem so scary, and he only let out a sigh of contentment, gave the picture a final glance, and then went right back over to Helga, sitting beside her once again on the blanket.

Helga was still a little dazed of course, though she was slowly starting to come back to reality at least. She smiled dreamily and blushed like a rose in bloom and her eyes were half lidded and she giggled here and there. It made Arnold chuckle. He nudged her a tiny bit to make known the return of his presence and then added with a little grin and a gesture of his head, "Look over at the shelf near the bed, Helga. What do you think?"

Helga blinked a few times. "Huh?" she asked in a girlish tone. Then she realized what he was saying and turned to look over her shoulder. Her blue eyes lit up a little. He was using it and he liked it and he was even displaying his parents photo and the whole effect really was pretty boss. Helga frowned for just a moment though and glanced back at him. "A-Are you sure you're ready to…display it publically though, Football Head?" she asked with sincerity.

Arnold nodded, not needing to have a second thought about it. "Don't worry, Helga. I'm ready…Actually I've…I've never felt more ready in my entire life." He chuckled a little and added with a wink, "Perfect timing with the picture frame for it actually."

That reply actually made Helga smile a little more and laugh as well. "Well, it is my job to obsessively know you better than you know yourself, Football Head." She winked back at him. Then she scooched a little closer and added, looking into his eyes, "But seriously though, Arnold…I'm happy you like it. Really…really happy." She let out such a deep sigh of relief. "I was so worried I'd be pushing it a little with that but…I'm so glad I made it and that it worked out." Genuine happiness came to her eyes…and then her eyes looked back into his and she added sincerely, "And I'm happy that you told me about your parents in the first place…It means a lot to me, Arnold. I-I know I gave you seven years of reasons not to trust me, a-and so for you to trust me now after only a month with something like that, I…I know that that's big…So thanks."

Arnold had never heard Helga sound so grateful in their entire lives.

Our young, football headed hero smiled more, gazing back into those 'fiery blue orbs' that he adored so much. "I'd share anything with you, Helga…" _'My parents, my love…my whole life…_'… "…And you're welcome…" he finished simply.

The two remained caught in each other's eyes for another moment…and then came together in a tender yet passionate kiss…moving closer and closer…holding each other…hearts racing.

Once they started feeling that ever familiar compulsion to run their fingers through each other's hair, they broke apart for a moment, just to catch their breaths.

They looked at each other, smiling, panting.

Helga grinned at him between breaths, her face flushed with bright pink. "S-So, um…h—how about we take five minutes to pop in this confession tape and make some popcorn…and then we spend the next hour looping the tape and NOT eating the popcorn while we make out, hmm?" She giggled more.

Arnold chuckled, likewise looking all flushed and happy as could be. "S-S-S-Sure, Helga…I-I'll, um…" he was barely managing to unwrap his arms from the places they had found around her body, "I-I'll get the popcorn, you set up the tape…I-I'll be right back." He finally managed to pull away from her entirely and to stand, his balance swaying a little and a big dreamy smile on his face.

Helga giggled and winked at him, grabbing up the tape. "Whatever you say, my Football Headed heartthrob." She watched him make his dazed way to the door and couldn't help calling out playfully, "And hey, knock this time before you come in, Mr. 'Convenient accident.' " She stifled some chuckles.

Arnold almost stumbled at the comment but managed to grab the door handle before doing so. He smiled, blushing furiously, and just rolled his eyes, glancing over his shoulder at her. "V-Very funny, Helga…" He shook his head, doing his best not to laugh as he opened the door.

Helga likewise stifled a chuckle as he prepared to leave. "Oh just shut up and hurry back here so we can watch you being a big, crazy lug, you big crazy lug."

As Arnold left and Helga prepared to get the picnic stuff out of the way for their viewing of the tape, the two children shared one more laugh before they were out of sight of each other for the moment.

* * *

"Oh Arnold, I have the best idea!"

This announcement was made (rather brightly) by Helga G. Pataki as she sat upon the blanket on the floor with Arnold as he rewound the confession tape once again this evening. A bit of time had passed now during which the tape had been played and replayed several times, a few pieces of popcorn had been eaten, a ton of kisses had been given, and now the two of them were just finishing the popcorn and watching the tape one more time and laughing and making little jokes about it—just having fun. Granted, as Helga had pointed out to him from the start, the tape's quality wasn't exactly great, there were a few frames here and there where things got a little static-y, and of course there was no sound (not that either of them could ever forget the exact words of Helga's confession though, of course), but yes, indeed, as promised, it was a video tape of Helga G. Pataki confessing her love to…and kissing…Arnold. And though they had both already made a pact that no one was ever allowed to watch this tape ever except for the two of them…they had also agreed quite readily that a copy of this tape needed to be made as soon as possible so that they would both have it on hand to watch in either of each other's rooms at their own convenience. It was nostalgia…Think of this tape as a really intense version of 'home movies.'

But anyway, back to what was going on here and now…

Arnold, having finished rewinding the tape now, put it on pause and smiled at Helga in interest. "What is it, Helga?" he asked of her sudden exclamation.

Helga just grinned back at him, a gleam in her eye, and replied, "Let's do the voices!"

Arnold blinked, looking at her curiously. "The voices?"

"Doi!" Helga rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Play it again but this time we'll supply the confession dialogue since there's no sound…unless somehow you don't remember every passionate word of that moment between us that I sealed with your first real, genuine, one hundred percent no-holding-back Helga G. Pataki kiss?" She smirked a little at him, knowing the answer full well.

And indeed Arnold just blushed and smirked a little as well. "O-Oh, no, you…you imprinted every single word of that into my mind forever with that kiss, Helga…Absolutely. I know them all."

"All of 'em, huh?" A blushing Helga giggled a little. "Well, then, to really make this fun…how's a about instead of repeating what each of us said…we do each other's voices instead. Might be interesting…" She winked.

Arnold grinned at her, trying so hard not to laugh. "So…you'll say the things I said back then…and I get to say the things you said back then?" he asked, just to clarify.

Helga shrugged, looking to the side casually. "Hmm, yeah, more or less…" A little gleam was back in her eyes.

Arnold chuckled, watching her with interest…and a little gleam of his own in his eyes. And then he nodded and grabbed his remote to press the button to tell the computer to play the tape again. "Whatever you say…Deep Voice…" He put down the remote.

Both kids then turned back to the glowing computer monitor screen before them, prepared for their fun.

The tape, of course, began with a surprised and confused Arnold entering the roof and 'silently' yelling to the masked figure across from him. As a result of Arnold having been the first to speak during the confession, Helga, in the present, started the dialogue.

"Deep Voice!" she cried out dramatically with a smirk, glancing at Arnold and giving him a playful nudge.

Arnold eyed her a little, trying not to laugh so that he could supply the next line as Helga in black and white on the screen began to speak.. "Oh, don't come any closer! Pay no attention to the person who's obviously been stalking you for the last 48 hours!" Arnold rolled his eyes, almost losing it. He knew what she meant by 'more or less' when it came to repeating each other's words from that day, and he was more than willing to play along with the fun game.

A little chuckle escaped Helga but she managed to keep it under control as she supplied next for her video Arnold counterpart, "No, no more games Deep Voice! For once I'm NOT going to be a dense, gullible little shrimp. Just not on the agenda today apparently…." Then… "Helga! The (as I'll soon come to realize) wonderful, creative, talented, tough-as-nails Helga G. Pataki. You're….Deep Voice?" Helga wanted to just giggle uncontrollably. "And I have to ask it as a question because even though it's right in front of my I'm still just dense enough to not get it!" She smirked fully and crossed her arms over her chest, awaiting his next move.

Arnold just sighed, continuing his Helga impersonation, not missing a beat and smirking right back at her. "Oops. So much for being the queen of crazy schemes…"

Helga gave him even more of a smirk and leaned in a little closer. "Oh but gosh, I'm Arnold and I'm dense and I just don't get it! I thought you were on your Dad's side…thought you were going to get rich off the whole deal…" Helga made her voice sound dramatic and gestured upward with the back of her hand upon her forehead.

Without breaking into total chuckles (which was impressive) Arnold managed to counter, giving her one of his most charming looks (with a little touch of drama thrown in for effect), "Ah but's what's money compared to you, my perfect love god?" Arnold blinked and pretended to look shocked at himself, then very noticeably cleared his throat and corrected himself 'smoothly,' "Oh, uh, I mean…money isn't everything?" He winked at her, breaking into a few silent laughs. '_Okay, along with watching the tape we should also do this more often…It's fun.'_

Helga, meanwhile, blushed at Arnold calling himself a love god via her, and also gave a few silent giggles at his little extra added jest. She did her best not to falter though as she went on with Arnold's next line, "Oh come on Helga…Why oh why did you risk everything all for my little do-gooder dream of saving the neighborhood? I just can't figure it out… Just like always!" She stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

Arnold just rolled his eyes up, feigning perfect innocence as he replied, "Um…hmm…generic excuse number one: something about a civic duty…" He looked at her and raised an eyebrow, his grin picking up on one side.

Helga let out a small laugh, having to hold her sides a little. "Hel-ga!" she countered dramatically, impersonating that patient yet demanding tone her beloved could take with her by using just her name sometimes.

Arnold just sighed dramatically in reply and went on, "Uh…generic excuse number two: I love a good mystery?"

He gave her a bit of a look, like the entire excuse had been one of her most preposterous, which Helga ignored, rolling her eyes up and countering, "Oh Helga, I've decided to be particularly demanding and astute today, so tell me the real reason since I won't buy any of your very plausible excuses!" Helga's eyes gleamed with fire and fun as they met Arnold's again.

"Well, I don't know, Arnoldo…" Arnold managed in his best, slightly sarcastic Helga G. Pataki voice, looking into her eyes, "I guess maybe I pitied you…which is the watered down way of saying that I'm so in love with you I'd do anything not to see you have to move away." He leaned in close as well, grinning widely.

"Helga! I am SHOCKED!" Helga was smirking like crazy, ready to burst into giggles and nearly falling backward onto the blanket from his sudden closeness. "You…did something… for ME?" _'This is hysterical, I'm dying! We need to do this again!'_

They had both been coming closer to each other and giving each other playful little jabs and flicks this whole time. But now suddenly…

Arnold playfully pounced at Helga, pinning her down onto the picnic blanket and smiling at her. Maybe just a little payback for that day so long ago when she had cornered him so thoroughly on the roof of that building. "Oh that's RIGHT, Arnold!" he went on, breathing heavily, smile ear to ear, "I mean CRIMENY what else are you supposed to do when you're a talented, pretty, perfect girl who's passionately in love with apparently the most gorgeous guy in the whole world!"

Helga was blushing quite a bit at finding herself under Arnold like this (and little giggles were threatening to escape her at the fact that he had actually just used the word 'crimeny'), but she was really getting more and more into this game, just like he was. So she went on, eyeing him with a curious yet half lidded gaze. "Excuse me…love?" She let some giggles go now.

Arnold chuckled and smirked like crazy, the 'Helga G. Pataki-esque' passion still high in his voice. "Oh you heard me pal! I love you, love you, love you… Who else do you think stalks you night and day, builds shrines to you in closets, fills volume upon volume of books with poems about you? I love you Arnold, I've always loved you ever since I first laid eyes on your stupid (but actually very adorable and handsome, by the way) Football Head!"

And now Helga, with how accurate he was being (that little compliment to the shape of his head aside), started to speak along with him with a smile, their voices voicing Helga's confession in unison...

"And from that moment and every moment since I've lived and breathed for you, dreamed of the moment when I could tell you my secret feelings and could grab you and kiss you and…aw come here you big lug!" Then Helga suddenly brought her arms down and with a quick twist was now the one pinning Arnold down to the floor. And then the two of them just looked into each other's faces and burst into warm laughter.

Helga fell to the side of Arnold, holding her stomach in uncontrollable chuckles. "O-Okay, wow—best game ever, Football Head!" She looked to Arnold with a big smile, sitting up a little and catching her breath. "Oh and I like how you threw in that part about how nice the shape of your head actually is. Nice touch, Arnoldo." She winked.

Arnold sat up a little more himself, likewise catching his breath and with a big smile on his face. "Yeah, well—for all those years of you making fun of it, I figured I deserved that." He winked back at her.

Helga smiled a bit more and then, as she turned back over to lie on her stomach, her eyes fell to the TV again, and to the kissing scene. She sighed and her eyes went dreamy…She and Arnold's first real kiss. A small, girlish swoon escaped her. "Hey, Arnold?" she started airily, just wondering, her eyes never leaving the screen yet focusing on a different detail than usual now (though her memory still of course held strongly to the feeling of Arnold's body in her arms and his lips under her own for the first time in their lives under no silly pretext), "When we were kissing on that roof…uh, what was with all that bright flashing going on behind us?" And indeed, despite the fact that the tape was in black and white, there did appear to be varying shades of bright, flashing bursting light appearing behind she and her beloved as they kissed.

Arnold blinked at the question, smiled goofily at the dreamy smile on her face, and then laid down on his stomach too and likewise turned his attention to the screen. . "Hmm…" he raised an eyebrow and shrugged, really noticing it now too (likewise, his own memories of that kiss…of the first time he had ever seen Helga G. Pataki's passion outright and the first time a woman had ever kissed his lips…were more prominent than anything else in his mind while watching the kissing scene). He settled for shrugging and replying with a casual sigh, "Not sure…It was raining. Maybe a power line snapped or something and we just didn't notice it…We…were kind of distracted at that point." He blushed a little, smiling more to himself.

Helga let out a single chuckle, blushing too. She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Honestly, a neutron bomb could have gone off during that kiss and I don't think I would have noticed it."

Arnold laughed and nodded. "Yeah, me too…" Arnold continued to watch the video of himself and Helga still continuing to kiss for a few moments longer… but then finally he almost had to look away for embarrassment (as he had done several times so far while watching this video…and most of the other times he had kind of ended up fast forwarding through most of this part, actually). He let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, eyes shut, obviously with something on his mind.

Helga noticed this reaction (as she had been noticing it the entire evening, and noticing that it specifically mostly occurred right at the kissing part of the video) and finally sat up and glanced to Arnold with a curious , kind smile. "Something up, Arnold?" she asked with sincere interest.

"Mmmm…." A slight blush came to Arnold's features and, removing his hand from his face and opening his eyes, he hesitated and then turned his head in her direction, though his eyes remained slightly downward and away from the screen as the kiss went on. "Well…" he gestured slightly to the monitor with his head, "Nothing, it's just…I guess I kind of understand now why you told the boarders I was a lousy kisser when we had that fight during the whole poetry tutoring thing last month." A small smile couldn't help coming to his face as his eyes returned to the TV screen. "Look at me, I'm just standing there completely frozen…My eyes are wide, I'm not moving, you're obviously doing all the work. " His smile picked up a bit more. "I mean, I know I was in shock but still that was a pretty passionate kiss—the least I could have done was hold your shoulders or even close my eyes or something."

Helga just had to let out a scoff and roll her eyes, turning her smiling attention back to the computer monitor and then back to her beloved. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, my little love god. I did kind of drop a bomb on you in the middle of a pretty stressful night 'slash' morning. Point is, sooner or later you were the one to pull a shocked me in for a passionate kiss…Remember, in my room after that poetry tutoring thing? The first kiss you ever gave me, my beloved…?" Helga's eyes went half lidded and she fluttered her eye lashes at him with a touch of playful enticement.

She had one of her hands lying on the blanket by her side, and at the reminder of this memorable moment in their lives—the first time he had ever just really truly gone with his 'instincts' (as Phil had once instructed him to do) in terms of Helga G. Pataki only to suddenly find himself grabbing her and holding her and kissing her with all of his might—Arnold couldn't help reaching over slightly and resting his hand over hers.

Helga felt a shiver pass through herself at his unexpected touch coupled with the memory of that time in her room, and then just let out a small giggle…and figured that as long as they were already touching…

She reached for the remote with her free hand and put the tape on pause. Then her finger hovered over the rewind button.

"Hmm…You know…we COULD do the sound effects for the kissing too, Arnold…According to you there were a lot of them…Some wacky claim of yours that I was moaning like crazy during that whole thing or something." She looked to him with a smirk and winked, a giggle escaping her.

Helga watched Arnold instantly blush, and then get a small goofy smile on his face and then look to her. He squeezed her hand. "Uh…maybe we could just do the sound effects for the rest of the tape first….you know, the part after the kiss that we didn't get to yet." Arnold gestured to the screen with his eyes, "I kind of want to see what we'll come up with for that, and besides…might as well save the best for last…" He let his voice lower just a little, a touch of charm gleaming in his perfect green eyes.

Helga blushed and giggled and looked just about as charmed and dazed as she could be. "Oh Arnold…" she cooed softly. It was just hitting her for a moment, in the part of herself from so long ago that had always been a little girl in unrequited love, how blissful this all was…Arnold loved her, they were having an anniversary, he was flirting with her and they were watching a video of their first perfect kiss. Something inside of her trembled in joy. She managed to come back to the moment though, and her current self—a young lady in mutual love—and reply softly, nodding "A-Alright, um…aftermath sound effects first then, you silly Football Head."

Arnold chuckled at her sweet tone of voice and nodded. Then Helga pressed the play button on the remote and placed it aside. Both children turned back to the monitor screen and Arnold fast-forwarded through a moment or two more of kissing and then pressed play just as Helga's lips were about to pull apart from his own!

Obviously, since Arnold had been the first one to speak after that kiss during the confession, Helga spoke for him now, overly dramatic Arnold impression in full swing. "Wait a minute—now I'm confused! You confessed and kissed me and risked everything for me and SAID you love me… Are you trying to say you love me?" Helga rolled her eyes dramatically at her beloved, smiling away.

Arnold did his best not to break, though he could feel warm laughter filling him again. He replied, his Helga impression as strong as ever (Helga on the video now was grabbing poor Arnold's shoulders and shaking him a little), "Maybe if I shake you, you'll get it! Are you deaf, Arnold?"

"Ohh! I call doing Gerald!" Helga quickly announced and then cleared her throat, just as the Arnold on the tape picked up his walkie talkie. "Hey Arnold, let me interrupt you at the worst possible moment!"

Arnold laughed and spoke for Helga in the tape as she snatched up the walkie talkie. "Not now, Gerald—I'm trying to make out with Arnold!"

Helga blushed and giggled, and said in her most annoyed-sounding Gerald impression, "Not now? Who the—"

Arnold rolled his eyes and made his voice a little light and airy as the walkie talkie in the tape was put aside for 'more important' things. "Oh Arnold just hold and cradle me in your strong arms!" he announced with flair, leaning in close.

Now Helga rolled her eyes upward, reclining her hand back against her forehead. "Wait, after seven years this is all happening too fast! I…I need time to think!"

"Yes, I suppose you'll have to do the thinking for both of us now, my darling…I'm far too distracted with thoughts of you and me." Arnold's eyes playfully burned with passion into her own.

"Whoa, I…I feel dizzy…" Helga merely went on at the height of her dramatics, enjoying herself too much to let herself get too distracted with Arnold's capacity to charm her without even really trying, "Denseness…leaving my body…I need to lie down!" Then she grinned at Arnold and whispered quickly, a gleam in her eyes, "By the way, Football Head, I think that comment was JUST a little subconsciously suggestive of you. You needed to lie down…when I was quite all over you at the moment? You lying down would have meant both of us lying down, case closed, Mister 'repressed feelings of attraction to Helga G. Pataki.'" She giggled.

Arnold just blushed and smiled more (though he glanced away in a gesture feigning innocence). He did Helga's line. "Wonderful, I'll go with you and snuggle my head into your chest and tell you that it feels strong so that you'll give in and kiss me." His voice lowered to a whisper as well, and then he replied playfully as himself, "Hey, I might have needed to lie down but you're the one who insisted on coming with me…" His grin grew.

"Ah, and yet…" Helga started to whisper, and then she cleared her throat and her Arnold impression was back, making her point, "NO!" Helga shouted in dramatic panic, just as the Arnold on the computer monitor obviously yelled 'no!'. "Oh, I mean…There's no time for lying down together." Helga's voice lowered to a whisper once more and she couldn't help but add, "I may have been the one to openly suggest we go off together to lie down but you're the one who could only say back, even in total panic, 'no, there's just no time…' So, was that implying that if there HAD been time, you wouldn't have minded a little cuddling somewhere?" Helga giggled, and continued on with Arnold's line from the video. "We only have mere minutes until the bulldozers roll!"

"Bulldozers?" Arnold asked in the airiest voice he could come up with, all the while blushing and grinning away, yet trying to keep up a bit of Helga dreaminess. "All I can see are your perfect green eyes…" His voice quieted once more and he added under his breath in response to her accusation about his subconscious desire to lie down with her, if not then during the confession then at least at some point, "Maybe…After all, we had just shared quite a kiss. Who wouldn't have an instinct for…well…afterglow…" He blushed a little and cleared his throat, glancing away.

Helga just giggled behind her hand at his cute little secret reply and then went on with Arnold's next line from the video, her voice full of determination this time. "Uh, the neighborhood! We HAVE to save the neighborhood! There'll be time for me to be all in denial about my feelings later. Let's roll!" Then it was just Helga in the here and now smiling at Arnold in the here and now and she added, ignoring the tape (they had both walked off screen at this point anyway, leaving the roof), "And then you went and put me through the unbearably uncomfortable (though quite fun) experience of clinging to your back while we went down the side of that building…Was that as awkward for you as it was for me, Football Head?" she asked with genuine interest.

Arnold nodded his head with a smile, chuckling and smiling back at her. "Helga, a girl had just told me she loved me and given me my first real kiss ever. And then she wrapped her arms around me as tight as possible and pressed herself against me while we hopped down the side of a building. It was…" He blushed and squeezed her hand again, entwining their still touching fingers a little over the top of the soft blanket, "Come on, Helga…you were holding on so tightly…couldn't you feel my heart pounding?" He glanced at her meaningfully out of the corner of his eye.

Helga blushed at the question and then smiled more to herself and gave his hand a squeeze back, entwining their fingers more as well. "I…was too busy worrying about my own heart pounding…After all, you were in my arms…My heart always pounds when you're in my arms, my darling…" She looked to him with a small smile. "Did climbing down together like that really make you that nervous, Arnold? Even before you realized you liked me back?"

Arnold gave a small nod. "Helga…you made me nervous half the time even before you confessed. I just never really knew what to expect from you—sometimes you'd yell, sometimes you'd do something nice, sometimes you'd just…" He sighed, remembering all of the many emotions she had made him feel over the years. "You were…interesting…" He gazed into her eyes, "But after that confession, of course, EVERYTHING about you made my heart pound…It just took me a little while to figure out why that was my reaction and what it meant…"

"Ah…I see." Helga smiled at him softly. She looked away for a moment in peaceful thought, and then giggled, a notion coming to her. "You know…I probably should have asked to rappel us down with you on my back…considering my experience scaling the sides of buildings and all. It's almost ironic that you did it, if you think about it…" She giggled more.

Arnold chuckled and sighed. "I guess so…But then, like you said once, Helga…Something about being aware of how perfect we are for each other makes us irony's best friends…" He winked at her.

"Oh…I remember…" Helga recalled that moment…Sometime last month in the middle of Arnold finally managing to succeed in the process of getting to talk to her openly about her feelings. She and Arnold had been sitting on his couch up here alone after all of their friends had gone home, poems all written for class the next day thanks to Helga's tutoring….That little joke about being 'irony's best friends' had been the first casual, carefree thing she could ever recall saying to him about her feelings…Nothing biting, nothing sarcastic, nothing nerve-ridden…She had said something funny about her feelings and he had smiled and laughed and she had smiled and laughed and…it had taken her until much later to realize it…later that night when she had been in her room secretly sobbing after giving her beloved one final kiss goodbye, believing that he must never really ever be able to bring himself to love her back… it had taken her until then to realize that that one fleeting moment of easy honesty with her beloved had been a happiness she had been searching for ever since the day they had met…And she had decided then, curled up in a ball on the floor of the attic space in her closet, that even though from now on she would do her best to cut Arnold out of her life entirely…she would cherish that little moment in her heart forever.

"Helga…what's wrong? Are you alright?"

These words of concern in Arnold's voice met Helga's ears suddenly. And indeed, now that she noticed it, his tone sounded very worried.

She blinked and was about to ask him what was wrong, when her blinking made two tears that had apparently been brimming in her eyes fall down her cheeks.

She blinked several more times now in surprise, wiping the trails of warm water away from her face. "Oh…Heh…" She smiled, her face clean again. "S-Sorry. Well, um…hey, at least I made the right call not letting Olga get anywhere near my eyes with that mascara of hers—o-otherwise I'd have big, black, Olga tears all over my face." She swallowed and laid down on her side on the blanket, resting her head on her arms and smiling, though it was faint. These moments didn't happen as often anymore but they still did, even a month in… She had explained them to her beloved a little only a few days ago, during their time on the roof after that food fight in the cafeteria following the end of their first major fight together that had progressed over so many days… though this particular kind of moment was different a little from the one she had discussed with him and learned to put behind her. She had talked to him then about her constant fears over the last month that they would try to be together and fail. But this here and now was different…This kind of moment, a little less frightening but still very unsettling and somewhat more frequent than she would care to admit, was when she would suddenly realize just how…how really possible and likely it had always felt that Arnold would reject her feelings from the start…and how much that had indeed seemed to be the case after her confession. It had hurt her very deeply, all of that doubt and then despair coming to sour fruition. And though she knew in her heart now more than ever that she and Arnold were meant to be, it couldn't help but almost make her shiver the idea of just how easily they could have managed never to be. Moments like that were a little emotionally tiring for her and that was why she had to lie down for a moment now. But at least now she didn't have to hide these moments anymore out of guilt or fear…Arnold knew about them and…he could be a comfort to her. And just the idea of that was a deep comfort in itself.

Indeed, Arnold was swiftly lying right beside her on the blanket. He looked at her with tender concern and a little frown, though her eyes were cast away from his. "Helga…" he started softly, reaching out and gently touching a curl of her hair, moving it behind her ear. "What is it?...Please tell me…I want to know."

He sounded about as sad as she had felt. It restored Helga a little, realizing that. They really were so very connected.

"Sorry. I…You said that thing about that time I made that crack about irony and it made me have a little flashback and then I…I had another one of those moments…s-sort of like the ones I told you about where I get afraid of us breaking up…where I kind of remember being almost as convinced that you'd never return my feelings at all as I am now that you'll love me forever…I-I really don't have them that often anymore, Arnold, I swear, but we've been so busy with stuff over the last few days that I guess I was due, right?" She smiled and shrugged, even managing to look back to his eyes now. "All better now though, Arnold. I promise." She spoke sincerely, her eyes looking into his.

Arnold gazed back at her. He still had that look of tender concern in his eyes but at least a small smile had found its way to his lips. He nodded, gently entwining his fingers a little more completely with her own. "It's okay, Helga…I understand. And if…if you ever…have to cry or anything like that, you know I'm always here for you…I know that that seven years wasn't just fun and games for you. And, even though I hate to see you sad, if you ever need to express something about it all, you know I'm here for you for that…okay?" He looked back at her with hopeful anticipation.

She nodded of course, smiling softly yet gratefully. "I know, Arnold…I know…" She moved a little closer, their foreheads lightly touching. "Thank you…Arnold." She had to end saying his name. She loved getting to say that name in front of him and sounding as in love as she pleased. It was wonderful. "I'm here for you too…Arnold."

Arnold nodded. He knew what she meant…even if he had never explicitly expressed it to her like she had done to him about her own doubts and worries sometimes. But in point of fact, sometimes he could stop them in the middle of a kiss or a moment together, or she would stumble in upon him up here in his room and find him deep in thought, his brow furrowed. Once it had been when he had found a really old picture of Lila that had fallen behind his desk drawer, and another time it had been after he had been flipping through an It Girl magazine and stumbled across an article about the likelihood of relationships lasting when starting at certain ages (and the percentage for elementary school had been quite low, to say the least), and it had happened several times before the whole 'Brainy' thing had been worked out. Arnold would stop and suddenly think how genuinely easy it would have been for himself and Helga never to have found each other. Certainly, fate had placed them in the same neighborhood, at the same school, in the same class…But how easily he could have never realized his true feelings for her, how easily she could have avoided and avoided confessing until college or marriage or something had torn them apart from each other forever, how easily he could have picked and stuck with the absolutely most wrong girl ever for himself if he had only listened to his own ridiculous tendencies of attraction and had never had Helga interfere…and how easily, on the top floor of FTi, he could have not seen that shadow out of the corner of his eye coming from the roof…or how simple to have seen it but ignored it, not followed it, left it alone….How easily he could have missed out on her and how lonely the idea of living another seven years or maybe the rest of his life like that seemed. Whenever he got like that though she was always so soothing. She would smile and hold him and try to lighten things for him, though she would still listen to any doubt or concern he had. She would tell silly stories from the pre-confession days and joke with him about how even if the FTi rooftop had never happened, she'd been ready to pop like a cork on a shaken up bottle of French champagne by that point, 'So I probably would have shown up at your house during breakfast the next morning and grabbed you and screamed it at you…then passed out and slept for a good two days to recover from the stress of that whole 'saving the neighborhood' thing.' And then she would laugh and soon Arnold would laugh and then they would go back to normal.

"Arnold?" Helga prompted softly, here and now.

Arnold blinked, coming back to the present moment and out of his thoughts. He recalled what she had said about always being there for him too. "Thanks, Helga…" He gently moved his forehead more against hers. He liked quiet moments like this, when they could just be near each other and knowing each other so well…

"Arnold?" soon came Helga's voice in a soft coo.

A soft sigh left Arnold. "Yes?" he asked, likewise quietly.

Helga smiled a little more. "Will you…press the button on the remote and put on some of that dorky jazz music of yours? And then can we just…lie here for a little while together? I hate to be a wet blanket but I'm so tired, Arnold…There's been so much, my darling…I'm…tired. Happy but tired…" She almost chuckled.

Arnold almost chuckled as well. He understood. "Yeah…me too…There's been a lot. I'll put on the 'dorky Jazz music'…" He smirked a little. Then his hand not holding hers reached behind him and, searching for a moment or two, found the remote. He didn't even have to look away from Helga's eyes, he knew the buttons by heart.

He pressed two and this time, instead of Nancy and Dino Spumoni crooning upbeat and gentle swing music, soothing, suave, velvety tones of saxophone with occasional hints of other brass filled the room.

Another button or so got pressed and the lights dimmed just a touch, enough to still see by and yet enough that two people could certainly rest peacefully together.

At these little effects of the evening Helga couldn't help but lightly blush and giggle. "Oh Arnold…You and your swinging bachelor pad…Always trying to 'set a mood' …" She smirked at him a tiny bit.

Arnold swallowed, lightly blushing as well, his eyes half lidded. "A little atmosphere never hurt…And that book of 'Cool Moves for Happenin' Dudes" I told you about does say that a 'swinging bachelor' always makes sure his 'pad' is very 'groovy' for his 'foxy chick'."

Helga had to giggle. "One day, can we go disco dancing, Arnold? I really would love to actually see you doing that…my 'happenin' dude.'"

Arnold sighed, blushing a little more, but nodded. "Alright, Helga, we'll go one day…But…alone or just with Gerald and Phoebe…and maybe some place downtown where we won't know a lot of people? At least at first?"

Helga nodded, smiling more. "Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks, my love."

Arnold smiled more back at her. "You're welcome, my love…"

And so, from there, the two stayed close together on the blanket surrounded by the dim lights and the mellow sounds of jazz. Sometimes little things were said, sometimes nothing was said at all, sometime a small kiss was shared or a touch…

Arnold and Helga were tired, they needed some quiet time together.

* * *

Naturally, when two people are quite tired…sometimes they fall asleep.

At least for a little while.

Arnold felt his eyes flutter open now though. Until right now he hadn't even been aware that he had fallen asleep, actually. But in order to wake up, one must first be asleep and so…his mind accepted that he must have been asleep.

His mind then tried to figure out his body's current situation, naturally. He was in his room, but on the floor, holding a hand…

He blinked. "Oh…" left him softly. He remembered now. Anniversary date, just lying here with Helga, so very peaceful…Not wonder they had fallen asleep. His eyes instantly went away from Helga and to the alarm clock near his bed in worry. '_Oh good…Only 9:30. Okay…_' He felt relief that he hadn't missed Helga's curfew.

"Helga, I…" Arnold paused, looking to her again. She looked so…beautiful like this. He remember lying down next to her in her bed that one time while she slept. How she had looked…so soft, so peaceful, so happy…He had wanted to put an arm around her ,wanted to hold her close, wanted to be with her like that for a while…for a night…

It saddened him to think of disturbing her right now. She really did deserve her rest too… Seven years of crazy schemes and emotional denial weren't exactly the makings of a peaceful and carefree childhood…Saving the neighborhood had certainly taken its toll…Her confession had drained her entirely…That April Fool's dance had all but given her a heart attack…Those next few weeks of limbo had been a constant tension on her that had nearly made her snap…Finally getting them both to his confession had been the emotional roller coaster to top all emotional roller coasters for her…Then a month of building romance but such risky secret-keeping…Finishing with her public confession which had nearly broken her down so many times.

He didn't want to wake her.

For a moment, for just a brief moment, Arnold, always seeing Helga not only as the little love of his life but also his closest friend, Gerald excluded, had been unable to help a certain 'notion' about how to solve this dilemma of his from popping into his head.

When it had though, he of course knew why he shouldn't, just from an obvious angle…But…

He thought really hard about it. He considered it very, very, very carefully.

Really it was nearly ten before he finally decided.

And what he had decided to do, Arnold then promised himself that he would only ever consider doing again on the most special of occasions, and even then he would make sure to think very carefully about it and any potential consequences before committing himself to such a deep decision.

Arnold then carefully extracted his hand from the grasp of Helga's and slowly and quietly sat up, doing his best not to disturb her. Then he bit his lower lip and hoped for the best…upon which he then reached out and gently got one arm under Helga's legs and one around her back…and then he carefully lifted her up in his arms. Of course, she naturally snuggled in close to him when in his embrace (just like that time at the end of their first date after their one week anniversary when he had picked her up from the sidewalk after making her pass out with a kiss). She sighed softly too. She smiled a bit extra as well…and it went up a little on one side. Arnold noticed.

Our football headed hero was just dazed by her for a moment. Then he sighed and came out of it and took a step toward his couch at first…but then eyed the site, quirked his mouth a little and finally shook his head to himself. No, that wouldn't do…Maybe for one of the guys but this was a girl, this was Helga—in this instance he, as host, would provide something better. Arnold then took a step in the other direction and instead walked her over to his own bed. And here he gently laid Helga down upon the covers, the pillow under her head. He watched Helga's form relax on his bed and then she snuggled extra into his pillow, sighing deeply. "Arnold…" The noticeable half grin was still there.

Arnold gazed at her tenderly for a moment…He never wanted to forget the image of her upon his bed like this.

And then of course he leaned in and gently placed his lips to hers. What was a date without a goodnight kiss, after all? Even if she was asleep and couldn't respond…

Helga's lips puckered back slightly, making a kiss with his.

Arnold blinked as the kiss ended. He pulled back and paused and looked at her closely.

Then he smiled in a special way.

Arnold shook his head. And then he walked back across the room to his phone and picked up the receiver. He dialed a number and held the phone close, facing away from Helga. The phone on the other end rang a few times.

Finally the ringing stopped and someone picked up on the other end of the line.

Arnold listened to the person's greeting and smiled more. Then he replied back, quietly though still a bit audibly, "Hi Phoebe. It's Arnold…Sorry I'm calling so late…Thanks. Anyway, I…I'm sorry but, could I ask you a small favor Phoebe? If you're not comfortable with it, it's okay, but it would mean a lot to me and Helga." Some more talking from the other end. Arnold smiled more an nodded. "Thanks, Phoebe. Well, um…Helga fell asleep here and she's kind of had a long few days. I'd rather not wake her up. So I was thinking of letting her spend the night here—there's plenty of room to sleep. But I don't think her dad would like it too much if he found out she was spending the night here w-with me, and Helga mentioned you used to help her with her schemes so I was wondering if you could call her parents and tell them that you and her are…" A slight pause as Phoebe talked a little. Then Arnold's eyes lit up. "Really? You'll call them and set everything up? Thanks Phoebe." There was some more talking from the other end, and Arnold blushed, then said sincerely and gratefully, "Thanks again, Phoebe. Bye," and hung up.

He turned back around and sure enough Helga still appeared to be sleeping peacefully upon his bed. He had some work to do now.

He went to the picnic blanket first and the basket Helga had brought with her, and did his best to clean up all of the picnic stuff. Then he went around to his clothing drawers and grabbed a couple of items. Then he took the clothes and some of the trash from the picnic and he left the room.

About twenty minutes later he returned. He was now dressed in his pajamas, his suit tucked under his arm, and under his other arm were a couple of blankets and a pillow. He threw his old clothes in his small hamper, and then took one blanket and the pillow and laid them down on his couch, and took the other blanket and walked up to Helga (who was still just sleeping way, it appeared) and gently covered her with it. She snuggled into the blanket instantly, sighing dreamily once more.

Arnold smiled more at the sight. She was so very peaceful, happy…golden hair fanning out on his blue sheets.

He wanted to lie down with her again…and in a bed again…His bed, this time…It would be very easy…

It was very hard not to, but Arnold managed to take a small step back from the bed, putting the desire away for now. He had already decided somewhere inside of himself, long before this moment, that the next time the two of them really 'laid down' together, he was going to ask first and she was going to be awake during it….and also they weren't going to be ten when he did it.

So instead Arnold just smiled and leaned close and whispered softly into Helga's ear, "Goodnight, Helga. You win, you get to spend the night in my room for once, completely with my permission…I hope it's nicer than the other times in the wall or the couch. And thanks for a wonderful anniversary weekend."

She seemed to smile more at these words. Even a light blush came to her cheeks.

Can sleeping people blush, anyway?

Arnold just smiled more and shook his head again and straightened up. Then he walked over to the middle of the room, picked up his remote and turned out the lights. He placed his remote onto his end table and laid down on his couch (and tucked a small little something secretly away under his pillow…for now), and then snuggled into his blanket, hugging the pillow a little. He looked at Helga—a soft hill on his bed in the moonlight—and smiled more. _'Just once…Just this once. Helga…_' He shook his head and closed his eyes.

But maybe he kept one eye open.

And he let his breathing slow, as though in sleep.

* * *

Five minutes later, Helga G. Pataki was still lying in Arnold's bed in the dark, resting comfortably and snuggled into his blankets, facing the wall…

And the grin on her face was a mile wide and her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. _'Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, it worked!_' She was utterly joyful! She listened carefully. Arnold's breaths had slowed, he wasn't making a peep, and she did know him to be a quick sleeper. _'Awesome, he's out like a football headed light!'_

Very carefully Helga reached for her purse (the strap of which she had kept around her body) and pulled out something small. She pressed a button and spoke very, very quietly. "Hey, Grubworm this is Mighty Falcon. Thanks for going along with it when he called you, Pheebs, I had a feeling he'd turn to you considering I mentioned it as an option last night." Some talking from the other end. "No, he's completely clueless. I guess there'll always be a small dense part of him." She chuckled a little. "Well, good night, Pheebs."The voice on the other end said something else and then Helga pressed a button to shut off the small walkie talkie in her hand.

"Say goodnight to Grubworm from me too, Helga."

Helga G. Pataki's eyes flew open at these sudden words from across the room (coupled by a few of the ceiling lights suddenly coming on) and she sat bolt upright in Arnold's bed with a gasp!

She was only like that for a moment though…and then she just had to smile. It took all she had not to laugh entirely actually. She turned a little in Arnold's bed and looked back at her beloved, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear and shrugging. "H-Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying, Arnold. Especially when she succeeds. Guess I should have kept my mouth shut a little longer before calling Phoebe, huh?" She shrugged sheepishly.

Arnold, now sitting up as well, just crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes a little. "Sure, Helga, I didn't figure out anything until just now when I heard you on the walkie talkie her." He chuckled and then added with a little smirk, "Oh and by the way, I had my grandma get some pajamas together for you when I went downstairs before, and a clean toothbrush. They're in the bathroom if you want to use them. She also says she'll make us eggs in the morning just like you like…You remember, Helga…Being Eleanor Roosevelt and eating those eggs in your sleep?" He grinned a little more.

Helga's eyes went a little wide for a moment and her cheeks warmed with a blush, but then she just smiled more and laid back down a little, propping herself up on one of her arms. "Oh ho ho, you just think you're so clever, don't you Arnold? Figuring out I was faking still being asleep after you woke up…What gave it away?"

Arnold shrugged casually. "Oh, I don't know…a few little things that kind of built up. I guess the first one was when I brought you over to my bed and kissed you, you kissed back a little…and then eventually I knew." He smiled craftily at her.

Helga giggled. "Oh darn it…I guess I'm licked." She pouted a little, her eyes getting bigger. "Are you going to kick me out then and send me home, my Football headed little love god?"

Arnold blushed more and shook his head, still smiling away. "No, of course not. Why do you think I asked my grandma for stuff for you—you can stay, Helga…I-It can't be a regular thing…" he looked down shyly, then finished, "But…tonight, you can stay…" Arnold then gave a little yawn and then added with a small wave, "See you in the morning, Helga." He laid down fully on his pillow.

Helga just beamed and blushed and laid down fully on her own pillow too. Then she cleared her throat and suddenly added in as sweet and hopeful a tone as could be, "Oh but…Arnold? Most dearest, most darling, most dashing man of my dreams?"

Arnold was both blushing and smiling fully. _'Oh boy…this must be a good one…_' He looked to her. "Yes, Helga?"

"…Along with just me getting to spend the night in your room with permission finally… weren't we saying something last night about cuddling together until we fell asleep on your couch…?" A grin spread across Helga's face and a bright gleam came to her eyes "…and, well, I mean, as long as we're both awake…and alone…and it is our anniversary..." She was actually starting to sit up a little, almost in anticipation of moving somewhere new…

Though she was quickly stopped by Arnold's rather nervous sounding though still firm voice interrupting her flirtation. He cleared his throat and spoke. "N-Not…Not tonight, Helga…Thank you, though " he merely replied graciously. He…really did want to wait until they were older before…for a whole night…The thought made him gulp and blush some more.

Meanwhile, from across the room Helga just giggled at her beloved's cuteness and nixed her 'I'm coming over there, you gorgeous little football head you' stance, resting back on her arm again. "Okay, okay, I get it—that might be 'uncomfortable'…all night long together on your couch…" The gleam came back to her eye and she couldn't help herself, "…We could try your bed all night instead…" She even started to pull back the covers for him.

But her beloved, set in his ways and able to tell at least a bit better now when she might be joking, he just sighed in a good-natured way, and smiled, snuggling into his blankets. "Goodnight, Helga…" he replied firmly but with an obvious attempt at not laughing a little.

Helga had to laugh a little though. She just had to. Always her modest, level-headed, sweet little love ,he was. And so very good now at figuring her out. And yet still she had to say one more thing. One more small thing, not said with suggestiveness so much as with determination and hope and love. It came from her in a quiet though sincere tone, and with a smile on her face that was looking forward to something wonderful. "You know, one day I'm going to get you to lie down next to me and sleep, Arnold…Mark my words."

Arnold just laughed a little, eyes closed in preparation for sleep. "Oh…probably," he merely replied back in agreement. Actually…definitely," he then added, going on after another yawn, "That's one of my goals for us too, Helga. But for now…maybe we should just work on being the way we are together. We're only ten, Helga and it's only been a month, after all. We've got forever." One eye was opened a bit to gaze at her lovingly and meaningfully.

Helga's smile softened at his cute way of putting things. She sighed, a hand on one of her hips as she sat up fully now in her beloved's bed, swinging her legs over the edge.. "Oh, I guess so, ya, Football Head. Fine, fine then…Gotta save something for junior high anyway, right?" She winked at him and then stood up and walked across the room, ready for those clothes and that clean toothbrush that had been promised to her (though to be perfectly honest she would have been willing to share Arnold's toothbrush in a heartbeat…Though once gain she figured that maybe something like that was better saved until 'junior high', or just the future in general. Or at least until the stress of the introduction of their new public relationship was behind them a bit.)

And so Helga just giggled and waved to Arnold's reposing form as she reached the bedroom door and opened it. "Goodnight, Arnold."

Arnold just yawned sleepily. "Goodnight Helga… I'll…leave the lights on until you get back up here…" Both of his eyes were closed again, a sweet smile upon his young lips.

Helga gave a small, appreciative giggle. "Thanks, Arnold…" She took a step out onto the attic stairs, but leaned back in the room once more to add, just in case he fell asleep before she got back, "I love you, Arnold…"

Arnold just chuckled and added without missing a beat, still with his eyes closed and lying upon the couch, "Yeah, the video tipped me off about that, Deep Voice."

Helga rolled her eyes, stifling another chuckle, and waved him off though the whole time she was laughing a little inside. "Eh, just go to sleep and start planning our one year anniversary, Football Head."

Arnold let out a small chuckle and replied casually, "Already have…The only question is how in the world I'm going to save up enough allowance money over the next 11 months to fly us both to Paris? But if that doesn't work then I guess I could just take you out for a really nice, and stress-free dinner at Chez Pierre or Chez Paris…" A touch of pride came to that little smile of his.

Helga giggled, her hand on the door handle to close it behind her. "Yeah, well…as long as neither of those two options involve me eating cow brains and eggs, being near cockroaches, or getting dishpan hands again…count me in, my love."

"Whatever you say, Helga…" Arnold merely replied back with a chuckle, eyes still closed.

She was half way out the door but had to pause once more and laugh, shaking her head at that familiar little refrain of his, "Oh and we've gotta work on some new material for you, Arnold."

"Yes, dear…." was all the met her ears from her beloved's smiling and nearly slumbering lips.

It was a simple reply. Yes, dear. But Helga felt as though he had never responded to her with that before and something about it made her heart skip a bit and her cheeks blush considerably. It made her think again of how the guys had teased her love…saying she was like his wife… Helga smiled goofily and replied softly, "Oh shut up, you big lug…"

Arnold just smiled more in his near sleep.

Helga started to take a step down the ladder and added over her shoulder, "Um…and, Arnold? I'm really happy you liked my night of our anniversary…And thanks for a wonderful anniversary weekend too. It really was perfect." She smiled happily.

Arnold nodded against the pillow, his sleepy green eyes even opened a little again tonight. "It was…And You're welcome, Helga. But except for Paris one of these days I really don't know if I'm going to ever be able to come up with anything to top it…I just hope you're not disappointed for our next anniversary." He looked to her sheepishly yet hopefully.

Helga just smiled sweetly at him though from her place half way down the ladder. She spoke reassuringly to him. "Arnold, I think you might be just as good as romantic plans as I am at crazy schemes. Don't doubt yourself. I'm sure you'll outdo even the perfection of tonight one day…and you'll have me to help. We'll work things out together." She winked.

Her sweet words made Arnold smile more. "Thank you, Helga. We'll…" another yawn, "We'll do our best."

"There's a love…" she softly cooed before slipping away entirely with a giggle, leaving him with that new little phrase of endearment.

As she descended the ladder and made her way down the hall, Helga's smile was about as bright as could be and her thoughts were airy and light and happy and ecstatic and they raced all over. _'Oh I always wanted to say something like that to him! And he said 'yes, dear' to me…just like we really were married.'_ She reflected over the whole past month—over the past few months in an instant! _'Oh, confession isn't just good for the soul! It's good for the whole package!'_ Multiple anniversaries with Arnold…could she really be that lucky? And maybe one day…really being married, really being husband and wife? _'Well, here's hoping… But I guess we should take things one step at a time….Better to just focus on breakfast tomorrow or something and see where everything after that takes us_….' She nodded to herself as she entered the bathroom to prepare for bed.

She returned to Arnold's room about ten minutes later. He was asleep (she knew he really was, he was no good at faking things like that, at least not to an extent that he would be able to succeed at it if she was really observing him closely). She patted his cheek, took the remote, climbed into his bed under the covers and blankets and then turned out the lights in the room and put the remote on the end table and settled in for the evening herself.

Arnold and Helga's night together continued.

* * *

**A/N:**

Oh I really really hope you guys all liked that! ^w^ Thank you so much again for your patience! I really appreciate it so much : 33333

Oh and the thing that I mentioned 'a collaborator' giving me an idea for was Arnold walking in on Helga XD It always did seem a little unfair to me and this other person that Helga got the parrot incident and Arnold obviously is way too much of a little gentleman to ever attempt something like that so one day I was thinking…why not let him have a moment by accident? XDXD Just keeping things fun and fresh :) I hope you all liked that and that it didn't push anything too far XD

Oh and also, I'm not sure if anyone's ever theorized about the existence of a confession tape before but it's been something that's been on my mind for at least a few years now ever since I started working on the drafts to these later chapters of LTBH XD I hope you guys liked that and found it plausible!

Alright, I think that's all for now. I'm going to be trying very hard to wrap up a lot of my fics so hopefully the next update will be soon (definitely not six months from now!). I'd like to start working on a few original projects and also one or two fanfics for some more obscure things, which I hope you all will check out if you get the chance :) I'll post anything original on my fictionpress account! Thank you!

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	26. The Rain (aka Arnold and Helga)

**A/N:**

Hello everyone, and happy holidays! I know, I know, I know, it's been forever since I've updated and I'm sorry, I truly am : 3 All I can say is that working and going to grad school at the same time is not an easy thing XD But I appreciate all of your patience and continued reviews very much :) And please just bear with me with slow updates through the spring until I graduate in May-then I will have much more time on my hands for a while ;)

Alright, some quick things about this chapter because I know you all want to get right to reading. First, let me be clear that although this chapter kind of ends on a 'closing note' this is NOT THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE STORY! I absolutely promise you that! This isn't even the last chapter before the epilogue actually XD What's to come after this is one or two more 'courtship' type adventures and then sort of a montage chapter...you'll see what I mean ^_^ Following that there will be the epilogue and that will be the end of this story :)

Also, I know this chapter is a little shorter than ones I usually do (only 15,000 words! O.O XD ) but that's because it covers only one moment really between Arnold and Helga and to stretch it out just...wouldn't have been right. It's better this way, I promise :) And also the chapters to come will probably be my usual lengths so I hope you enjoy those even if reading this one is brief for you guys :)

Thank you, I hope you all really enjoy this. I tried to make it as special and real as I could because I love you guys and I love this show of course :)

Alright, without further ado, grab some eggnog and get to reading already while I kick back with a soy chai latte and curse the fact that the internet in my house is currently down XD (Otherwise this chapter would have been up last night!)

Oh and also I tried to put a cover on this story but they make the covers go more vertical than horizontal so I'm not sure if you can see it too well but it's by KasuKAPL :D Thank you, sissy!

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 26:**

**The Rain**

**(aka "Arnold and Helga")**

* * *

The rain was such a funny thing. It could be there during some of the worst, some of the best, some of the most terrifying, and some of the loveliest moments in your life…and yet somehow every time it managed to fit perfectly. Somehow it complimented the emotions of that given moment so well that it made you forget about all of the other emotions and experiences the rain could easily be a part of too. What it was that was so universal about beads of water falling to earth all around you, grey skies like cream and dark embers swirling overhead, cool air filling the spaces in between the drops and a new way of being suddenly becoming part of your world, it might be hard to say. But maybe that was part of what made the rain perfect, just perfect—its transcendent beauty needed no words at all.

It was raining this morning, this Sunday morning after Arnold and Helga's one month anniversary weekend. The water fell on Arnold's glass roof, the clouds filled the canvas of skylight panels overhead, and though inside it was warm and dry there was a touch of new coolness brought about by this early morning rain hovering over this sweet, colorful little space of human life.

_FLASH. CRACK._

A bolt of lightning and a boom of thunder (a louder one than there had been so far) came onto the scene and its effect was to make the heart of a certain ten-year-old young lady miss a beat. "Ah…!" she gave a small squeak of a gasp.

Helga G. Pataki caught her breath and opened her eyes. Not that she had ever been afraid of a storm but she had certainly never liked being startled out of a sound sleep. Besides which, throughout her life the rain had had more bad connotations than good. It had been raining the day in preschool when her parents had made her walk by herself…it had been raining that time she had lost her Arnold locket to Abner…it had been raining that time there was the flood and she had fallen out of the school's window and nearly drowned without ever telling her beloved how she felt about him…it had been raining when she had later gone out of her ever-loving mind and finally confessed to Arnold…All very nerve-wracking memories to say the least.

Even if a wonderful good had come from them all in the end.

The relief of this wonderful good, now as much a part of Helga's young life experience as anything else, put her internal reaction to the thunder at ease now and she let out a breath, feeling okay again. Actually, come to think of it, she felt better than okay. And…why the heck was her room so green and blue and… "Oh!" A little squeak left her. Yes…she was in Arnold's bed. She had slept in Arnold's room in Arnold's bed last night. These were his blankets around her body, this was his pillow beneath her head, these were his adorable yet very random knickknacks on the shelves just above her, there was the picture of his parents (now in its new picture frame) just near the head of the bed…Yes, all of it was Arnold's and she was reposing in it.

Honestly, prior to her confession and the events it had set into motion, if Helga had ever woken up in a position like this one she was fairly certain she would have gasped, screamed, beamed, swooned and then passed out in paralyzing bliss, and done that repeatedly until whenever it had been time to leave this ideal little heaven of hers.

Helga now though smiled. She had outgrown all of those over-the-top antics just a little to say the least. Oh, don't get her wrong, waking up in Arnold's bed—definitely the best way to start a morning ('_Wouldn't hurt if he was in here with me but…yeah, I get it, we're still only ten and honestly I'm impressed enough with what I've gotten already…_'). But there was no need for the dramatics, for the theatrics, for the overly-romanticized freaking out: she liked being here in Arnold's place and space, and it was a tender, sweet, warm, passionate feeling that she held within her…and one she felt she could even have forever if she wanted. She felt safe and content here in this room and in this feeling. And she could just enjoy that contentment without having to behave like it was the be-all-end-all of her young existence.

Helga smiled and glanced up, noticing the rain for the first time and the dim, grey, barely glowing sky from which it fell. '_It must be very early_…' She stretched a little and yawned.

"Helga…are you alright?"

The softly asked question from across the room made Helga's heart skip a beat, made her just a little happier. She smiled more, not glancing over her shoulder across the room just yet at her sudden little inquirer. "Who wants to know?" she asked back with just a touch of sarcasm (underlied by an obviously suppressed laugh).

She heard a familiar patient sigh come to her in reply at first (though it too seemed underlied with a suppressed laugh) and then Arnold's voice added, "Just that do-gooder little Football Headed kid you insist on picking on in particular all the time. You know, the one who always has to have his nose in everyone's business."

Helga's smile was nearly a full blown smirk now. "Oh, _that_ guy. Ugh, what a pest. Doesn't he have some woman twice his age or at least a girl twice as sickeningly sweet as he can be to bother? I'm busy spitting in dumpsters and throwing rocks in the river—a real class act, I am."

A little laugh from the other side of the room from her beloved. "Oh please, like he was going to fall for that act…for more than six years…" Arnold added the last part sheepishly, then cleared his throat and went on in an innocently suggestive tone. "To be honest, I think he's got a little crush on you."

"Ha!" Helga faked a scoff, grinning entirely now, still just gazing up at the sky. "Oh well now I _know_ he's out of his Football Headed little mind. What guy with any sense picks Helga G. Pataki to fall in love with?"

A good-humored sigh met her ears along with the reply of, "A question I now ask myself every single day of my life…" Arnold finally couldn't help it and laughed a little at their cute conversation.

Helga's eyes brightened at his quip and laugh, and she finally turned around in the bed to face him. "Oh yeah, Football Face, well? Well, you'd better be prepared to ask it for quite a lot more days because not only am I and my burning passion for you not going anywhere but if you think I'm ever going to stop doing and saying all of that random stuff that for some weird reason manages to charm the heck out of you then you've got another thing coming, bucko!"

Across the room, resting on one of his arms but otherwise just lying on his couch under a blanket, Arnold Shortman gave a loving smirk right back to Helga G. Pataki, and added a little extra enamored look as he cooed in a touch of a sarcastic reply, "Oh, you _are_ always prettiest when you're yelling at me and threatening me and finally angrily admitting that you like me. It reminds me of when you confessed your love to me." He laughed more and winked at her.

Helga just blushed and rolled her eyes, unable to help laughing a little more too. "Ugh, and darn it _you_ always are cutest when you're seeing right through my blustery exterior and finding my insanity attractive and giving me that 'I'm Arnold—take me, I'm yours' look you always get with women." She sighed and shook her head at him with a grin. "Well, that's it, I just give up, Football Head—come on, let's go get married and get it over with already. There's gotta be some country on this planet that'll hitch two ten-year-olds legally, and if anyone can find it, it's you and I." She winked at him and then burst into giggles.

Arnold blushed rather rosy…and then broke into chuckles along with her at the 'suggestion'. "Okay, and then what? I guess since we'll be married you'll want to move in here with me… I mean, we could move into your room instead but…honestly, I'm pretty sure your Dad would kill me." He shrugged and sighed with a smile and went on with, "So we'll just move all of your stuff over here—blankets, clothes, Arnold shrine, Arnold poems, purple pens, sewing machine, chain saw, burnt cork, black ski masks—" He was counting them all off on his fingers, his smile growing wider and wider as he went on.

"Yes, yes, all of the Helga G. Pataki essentials…" Helga chimed in with a pretty big smile herself and another roll of her eyes at how cute he could be when he would do witty banter with her.

Arnold smiled more, ending his counting and continuing on with his imagining of the situation. "And then you'll live up here in the attic with me. Well, with me and Abner. We'll just have to make some extra room."

"I call the closet. All of it." Helga announced with a smirk, and then she shrugged innocently and added, "Sorry, Football Head. I need a space for all of those pink outfits you like, a place for my shrine materials, and a private area I can slip into just to muse over our happy love on occasion…oh and a place for changing clothes, you know, just so we can avoid any more awkwardness about that right off the bat." She blushed thoroughly but still managed to maintain her smile and eye contact with her beloved as she looked over at him in full expectation of a cute little reaction of fluster on his part.

However, instead Arnold just smiled more, though he did blush even more thoroughly than she was doing at the moment. "Oh no, no, no…" he shook his head at her in reply to her suggestion, still managing eye contact as he explained with a grin, "If you think that I am ever changing clothes in this room again at all after you move in, I'm sorry, my Helga, but you're wrong. You know how to hide in this room and I know I'm bad at finding you…and I also know how you've acted in the past under those circumstances. Forget it—the whole room is yours for changing." He sighed with a grin and laid his head back down on the pillow for a moment. "Oh and before you say anything again, yes, I will always be knocking before I come in here." He rolled his eyes with a little laugh.

It was taking Helga all she had not to burst into a full on uncontrollable giggle fit. "O-Oh why don't we just solve everything by getting a house of our own, Football Head?" She got herself under control and was just smiling away now, eyes bright at her latest plan for them. "I was thinking some sort of palatial mansion in the country—enough room for you, me, all of our stuff, the kids later on." She laid down on her own pillow too, yawning in perfect contentment and stretching up her arms. "Oh and let's build a replica of Dino Land in the backyard—you know, just so we and the kids have something to do."

A smiling Arnold just shook his head though and let out a sigh, yawning a little himself before replying to her. "Helga, we have to live at the boarding house. I mean, not just because we're ten and don't have enough money for a mansion…and because we really, really don't have money for our own Dino Land…a-and because we really, really, really can't have any kids since we are kids…" His rosiness returned for a moment but then softened as he finished sweetly, "We have to live here because it's…home." Arnold looked over to Helga with a touch of something genuine and sincere in his eyes. "That's the only real request I have, Helga. We can sleep in any room here, you can have all the closets you like, we can even paint the building pink if you want…but we have to live at the boarding house, Helga. We just have to."

The sweet conviction in his words made Helga smile, and made her turn on his pillow and look over to him again. It was cute, hearing him express such a lovely preference as that…even if they were just kind of joking around at the moment. And so she sighed and smiled and nodded and replied back just as sincerely, "Alright, Arnold. Yes, we can live in the boarding house. I promise you."

Something very happy came into Arnold's eyes and they glowed with a warm, emerald fire. "Thank you, Helga."

Helga's sapphire eyes took on a warmth and peace all their own. "You're welcome, Arnold."

For a moment the two kids just gazed at each other from across the room.

Arnold spoke next, words and eyes still full of tender, soft love. "Helga…you never answered me before. Are you okay? I heard you give one of those little yells of yours before and that's what woke me up. I…was a little distracted at first by how cute it sounded, but then I realized something must have startled you. Did you have a bad dream?"

Helga blinked then smiled (and blushed a little) and shook her head. "Oh, nah, nothing like that. Just a…loud crack of thunder. Wasn't used to hearing something like that happen so close to me because of the glass roof. It surprised me but I'm fine…Just don't tell anyone that thunder scared me for a second or I'll sock you one." She held up a fist playfully.

Arnold's smile picked up on one side. "Oh, yes, Helga—I was just going to run out after this and tell all of the guys that you got scared of thunder when you woke up in my room after another late night of kissing on the lips. Now would that be before or after I went and told them all about your confession videotape and the fact that I like to cuddle with your poetry books at night? By the way, just to be clear since I know I'm not as good at sarcasm as you are, if I ever told anyone any of those things except maybe my Grandpa or Gerald I wouldn't be able to face them ever again." He blushed cutely and added sheepishly and with a touch of embarrassment, "I don't think I'll ever master…how did you put it last night… 'bragging with the boys'?" He sighed and shook his head with a grin at the very notion.

Helga had just been letting out little giggles and scoffs the entire time he had been talking. "Eh, don't worry about it." She waved him off good-naturedly now. "Besides, as long as you're willing to cut loose with the edgy, daring, 'bad boy' side of yourself every so often when you're alone with me, I'm happy…" She blushed a little more and added, "And I'm actually very, very happy to know that the more adorable and awkward parts of our intimacy won't be getting bandied about by those chuckleheads we call friends the next time you guys are scarfing down pizzas and having Yahoo soda belching contests and all of those other boyish activities it's actually kind of cute to watch you all do…and that it's actually kind of fun to join in with sometimes for me."

Arnold smiled, cheeks rosy. "I-I'm happy I still get to have the most fiery parts of you and me and 'us' all to ourselves too…" He then nodded and turned onto his stomach a little, getting his blushing under control and adding, "And y-yeah, I think they like when you join in a little bit too. Actually…I think they find you kind of fascinating right now." His grin picked up on one side.

Helga blinked, raising part of her brow and moving some of her hair that had fallen forward away from her eye. "Fascinating? Uh…what are you talking about, Football Head?"

Arnold just shrugged a little. "Well, for starters, I don't think all of them ever really started processing you as a…girl. It wasn't fair of them not to do that but I guess it was just easier before to see you as 'one of the guys.' But now they're really aware that you're a girl…and also still one of the guys…and I think they just…find it very interesting. And also all of them have been becoming kind of less close with the girls now that we're a little older and I think they like that they found out that they do actually still have a close girl friend—you. Oh and also along with 'you' they're fascinated about 'us' a little bit too of course." He smiled more, turning on his back again and gazing up at the rain. "After all, they can all talk about girls and boys and going out as much as they want but we're the only ones actually really doing it…i-in a grown up way."

Helga smiled, understanding. "Ah, I see." She sighed and turned on her back again in the bed and stretched up a little. "Well, whatever then. As long as I don't catch them all curiously staring at me and as long as no one ends up pulling any chivalrous crap (besides you, Arnold, besides you) and as long as we really can all stay friends like they said last night, I'm good, paste for brains, I'm good…" She smiled in contentment to herself and gazed up peacefully at the sky above her.

"The view in here is really beautiful, Arnold…" she spoke softly then all of a sudden... "It's almost poetic…like everyone else hides away in their houses under a bunch of plaster and bricks but you're resting just underneath the whole universe…the sun and the clouds and the heavens…the entire natural order watching over you…"

"Promise me you'll write books with beautiful words in them like that…" came the soft reply to her words from across the room.

"Hmm…I can only promise I'll _try_ at that, Arnold love…But I will try," she gently added in return. Then she put her arms behind her head and closed her eyes for a moment in peace.

As Helga rested, Arnold (who had much…much…much…on his mind) watched her. Besides the fact that she was very cute-looking in the mornings (a new fun fact that he would secretly treasure forever), he liked just looking at her right now, here, this morning. He felt like both of them had been through a lot and had finally reached a point of calmness and peace and security. This was a good morning.

And he was pretty sure he had just decided to make it the 'best' morning. The best that he could conceive of for them anyway.

He was just thinking of a way to break the ice so to speak…when…

"So…Arnold…are you gonna be the one to come over here or are you waiting for me to break and come over there? Bed or couch, Football Head…we're going to end up together on one of them right now. Which one would you prefer?"

The question was both carefully and lightly tossed out by Helga as she continued to rest on her back with her eyes closed and her arms behind her head…Of all the moves to make out of nowhere she had certainly made quite a one.

Arnold blinked and his eyes went very wide. Not that he hadn't been almost half expecting…not that the concept hadn't naturally suggested itself right now under these circumstances…and not that it wasn't a thought constantly present at the back of his mind anyway, but…he… "Helga, I don't think that…I…" Arnold bit his lip and thought very carefully and considered…considered…considered...trying to listen to both his head and his heart. Then again though, this was a special morning, and he did have her permission (not like when she had been asleep that one time in her room or last night), and it was already morning anyway… "Well…m-maybe we _could_…together…j-just for a little while…j-just until we head downstairs to breakfast, heh…" He tried to swallow but he was rather thoroughly nervous at this point and instead just bit his lip and felt his heart pound and wished it would stop doing that because it was very hard to be calm and make a rational decision with blood rushing in your ears.

From across the room Helga's eyes lit up and she sat up in bed and turned to face him excitedly. "Hey, really?! Aw, sheesh, I thought you'd 'Helga…' me or something but, alright, if you're seriously up for some morning cuddling time then so am I!" She giggled and then reiterated, "So, like I said, bed or couch, Football Head...?" She grinned a little more and fluttered her eyelashes. "And may I add that from a practical standpoint, Arnold love, your bed's better designed to hold two people." She was practically smirking as she giggled now.

Arnold was sitting up now too and looking away from her a little. "U-Um...yes, but, you know, f-from a _romantic_ standpoint the couch is, uh…designed to hold people more closely, heh…" A blushing Arnold gave a small smile and then pulled back the top of his blanket a little and patted a touch of extra space alongside him. Not that he was specifically trying to up the romantic tension right now—he was already nervous enough—but he really could not handle the bed with her and he did not want to handle the bed with her. The very notion of it made his prudent little heart almost blanch. But lying down on a couch…not such a big deal really…sort of a stepping stone to lying down in a bed…and they had cuddled on this couch dozens of times before anyway right? In addition, Arnold knew, right or wrong, that he would just be too nervous in the bed under such short notice: he knew if he got in there with her the rest of the morning would be spent with her just giggling and hugging him and him just blushing and looking away and not knowing a single thing to say. And he really needed to be able to say words to her on this particular morning…

His eyes shyly went toward Helga and he saw that she was looking at him with her eyes lit up and an impressed smile on her face. "Now that is a very excellent point, Football Head." She smirked a little as she removed the covers from her body and swung her legs over the edge of his bed and stood up. "Just so we're clear though I am definitely going to get you in the bed with me one of these days, my little love god…One year anniversary, perhaps?" She approached the couch with a little smirk and a giggle.

Arnold smirked back, feeling much calmer now that she was tabling the bed for the moment. "We'll see, love goddess, we'll see."

She giggled again and then it was only another moment before she stood before him…and then hesitated. She tried not to seem as terrified as she currently felt (Helga, bed or couch, was absolutely just as nervous at the idea of crawling into a sleeping space with Arnold as Arnold was at the idea of her crawling into a sleeping space with him). She glanced down with a dark pink blush, her arms behind her back. "S-So, uh…scooch over, lover boy. Gotta give a girl some room…" '_Oh boy I'm going to be lying with Arnold in pajamas underneath covers in his room! Oh boy, oh boy, ooookay, calm down…Oh!'_ Yeah, she figured a little internal squealing wasn't entirely uncalled for at the moment.

Arnold swallowed and nodded and then laid down and pressed himself as far against the back of his couch as he could. He looked away from the now larger open space beside him, clinging to his pillow and the couch cushion beneath him a little.

Helga swallowed. She wasn't sure how to go about this for a moment, but she felt like no matter how she did it, it would be awkward. And so she just sighed and went for it and as quickly as possible managed to slip herself in beside Arnold on the couch underneath the blanket.

Helga blinked at her own action, feeling a tinge of a rosiness rising to her features. She was really right next to him like this really was their own little bed or something. Helga turned her head and her eyes instantly sought her beloved's…

She was surprised and interested to find him squinting hard, almost in fear, and turned a bit away from her.

She couldn't help but question him softly about it. "Arnold…? You okay?" She swallowed and then added, very sincerely, "If this is too much, Arnold, really please just tell me and I'll go back over to the bed. It's okay. I promise."

Arnold swallowed and let out a breath, and then managed to open his eyes, blinking a few times. "Um…sorry, Helga. N-No, it's okay…" he played with the fringe of the blanket a little in his small fingers, "I'm just nervous. Y-You know me and…l-lying down with you." He chuckled, and then managed to look to her with his wide, green, unsure young eyes.

Helga looked back to him with her own wide blue eyes. They really were so close together in the small space of that couch that it was actually hard for her to look at anything _but_ his eyes. She swallowed. "I-It's okay, Arnold…" she replied back in that normal, gentle tone she could use, "I know. I'm nervous too. But I'm happy you let us try this. Thanks, Arnold." She gave his nose a little kiss and then glanced down with a little extra smile, pushing a curl of hair behind her ear.

"Y-You're, um…welcome, Helga," Arnold said back. He looked down too. He wanted to talk to her about…to ask her…to see if…He sighed. This was very hard. '_Maybe now's not the right time after all_…' Perhaps he could do it after breakfast? Or some other night or morning? He blushed a little at the idea. _'N-not that we'll be having many, um…m-mornings together in the future…yet. But maybe __someday_…' Still though this was a predicament, wasn't it? What to do, what to do…

Meanwhile, Helga had managed to look back to Arnold's face and she could see, with curiosity, his look of distress and hesitation as he gazed downward. She frowned, feeling a little bad. She didn't mean to overwhelm him…though of course she didn't want to leave or to make him feel like he was making her so uncomfortable that her only option would feel like leaving. An idea occurred to her then and she smiled. "Hey Arnold…would it help make things a little less 'tense' if I lost the 'mysterious Cecile' look and went back to the pigtails and threw in a few extra 'Football Heads', Football Head?" She grinned a little, hoping to lighten the mood further.

Arnold blinked at being addressed, then processed her offer and looked back to her eyes and smiled. "Oh, I…well…" he gave a small nod, "I guess it might help a little. I mean, I like when your hair's down of course but with it up…well, it's more familiar I guess…so I wouldn't feel as nervous. Thanks Helga." A touch of something grateful was in his look.

Helga smiled more and then sat up a little in the bed, taking out her ribbon to fix her hair into pigtails as best she could, and then tying the ribbon on the top to finish up. "No problem, paste for brains." All finished, she laid back down again…and then felt she had earned the right to a little something for helping alleviate some of the tension and so she moved forward a little, cuddling near him under the blankets. A girlish sigh escaped her. "Arnold…" she giggled. "Sorry, I hope this isn't too much but…I've never felt happier than when I'm with you…and I love being so close to you…"

Arnold, meanwhile, after a sudden deep breath through his nose, just blinked a few times and then his eyes lit up and then went half lidded, he smiled…He even managed to cuddle closer to her too, just a little. It felt very nice, very warm, and it made his heart race a bit. He shook his head at her expression of her concern. "No, it's alright. It feels….it feels really nice to be lying next to you…I'm…I'm still a little scared but it's worth it." He cuddled just a tiny bit closer. '_We can't ever tell anyone about this ever…_' he thought to himself shyly before adding aloud, "It's worth anything I'm afraid of or worried about to be close to each other and happy with each other and open with each other. I love you…a lot." He finished with that and then managed to let his green eyes come directly to her blue ones. They were very close. It was nice. Like being secretly tucked away together in their own little world.

Helga sighed very softly, starting to feel quite beautifully overwhelmed now herself. Something inside of her trembled a little but she did her best to keep it under control as she spoke back to her beloved. "I know, Football Head. I love you too my worrywart little love god. And I'm…" her smile quirked a little as she admitted, "I'm acting a lot more confident about this than I really am. Actually I'm mostly trying to keep my heart from flying out of my chest at the feeling of being so close to you, my sweet prince…" Something of the poet was taking over her again as her voice lightened to a velvet coo and she went on. "You feel good and smell good and sound good and look good…and if I remember right from last night those lips of yours always taste good." She giggled, unable to help it, and then shrugged and added in a more normal sounding tone and with a wink, "Just so you know you're not alone…"

Arnold laughed, warmly and quietly. "Thanks, Helga…You're not alone too."

There were a few moments of tender silence between them, cushioned by the faint plops of raindrops falling overhead.

Arnold's mouth twitched and he felt on the precipice of asking her but then… "Hey…Helga?"

"Mmm hmm?" she asked back softly.

He swallowed and spoke in a very quiet voice. "One day we'll try this in the bed…I promise…just, not yet. But…one day…soon…" He smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged.

Helga just giggled, looking at him with a mixture of playfulness and love. "I'll be counting the minutes." She winked and then burst into a fit of giggles. "Remember, Arnold? During that whole 'tutoring' thing? Sunday morning I think it was—I called you to tell you Olga had 'kidnapped' me for shopping so I'd probably be late and then you said 'I'll be counting the minutes.' I had no idea what to make of that! It was the most confusing thing I'd ever heard you say to me!" She laughed more to herself, warmly and happily. "I-I'm sorry, Football Head, it's just—I didn't realize it, but back then the idea of you being nervous around me, of saying something probably flirtatious to me was so…foreign! I can't even imagine the confusion _you_ must have been going through about it all!" She got her laughs under control, though there were nearly tears in her eyes at this point. It was just such a funny thing…a funny, silly, ridiculous, incredibly sweet thing. A nice memory.

Arnold was finding it hard not to laugh right along with her now. He sighed and closed his eyes and shook his head. "I remember that." A little laugh did escapee him and he opened his eyes again. "I had just woken up from dreaming about you and I felt good and I had no idea why but it made me nervous and then you called and that made me _really_ nervous and it was the only thing I could think of to say. After I hung up though I felt so embarrassed." He laughed more at the whole thing.

Helga laughed more too. "We were a little ridiculous weren't we? Oh well…more fun stories to tell the kids one day, right?" She rolled her eyes with a little smirk.

Her beloved predictably blushed just a little and gave a small nod. "Sure, Helga. Whatever you say."

She just rolled her eyes again and gave him a little elbow nudge under the covers. "Typical safe, wet blanket 'Arnold' answer." She sighed dramatically but then added with a little smile, "Eh, but it's pretty early and you did technically let me crawl into 'bed' with you so I guess it's acceptable." She watched her beloved blush and smile more and it made her smile more, and then she blinked and a thought occurred to her causing her eyes to brighten. "Oh I almost forgot—speaking of the morning…what, no good morning kiss, Football Head? Sheesh it's the least you could do for a lady who agrees to spend the whole night with you." Despite how confident her words might have seemed she was blushing just a little and glancing away with a touch of shyness. '_A good morning kiss from Arnold…A good morning kiss from Arnold!' _The stuff that romantic, girlish dreams were made of!

Arnold looked at her with a touch of surprise at the request and yet there was something intrigued in his gaze as well. He smiled. No harm in a kiss and, well…it was another slight distraction from the big thing he wanted to do. He merely leaned in closer to her and cooed gently, "Oh of course, Helga. Where are my manners?"

Helga perked up a little, and looked to his eyes and how much closer they were and she moved closer too. "I…I don't know…b-beats the heck out of me…Arnold…" By now both children's eyes had shut and now they drifted together for a brief, tender good morning kiss.

It only lasted a few moments before they gently pulled apart but it was a wonderful few moments—sweet, simple, perfect.

A light sigh escaped Helga, her eyes fluttered open. "You…just gave me our first good morning kiss…" left her softly and dreamily.

Arnold smiled goofily and almost chuckled as he asked quietly, "Our _first_ one? So…there are definitely going to be others then? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Helga." He winked at her.

Helga giggled, unable to help herself. "Oh…just shut up, you little shrimp! Ugh there's that ego again, always reading _way_ too much into everything I say and do." She smirked a little.

Arnold smirked right back at her. "Oh so are you saying that we _won't_ have any more good morning kisses ever then?" He awaited her reply, displaying full confidence in his look that it would be in the negative, of course.

Helga just blushed and sighed, shaking her head. "What I'm saying, Football Head, is that you've got a flirtatious streak…and also that if you think that on a regular basis I'm getting up when the sun's barely up and it's a Sunday morning and it's summer vacation, you've got another thing coming, pal. Unless we have sleepovers on school nights when we have to be up by a certain time, the only things you'll be getting from me for quite a while are 'good _early-afternoon_-kisses', got it, Arnoldo?" She grinned at him.

Arnold just grinned back, laughing a little to himself again. "Alright, alright, I've got it, Helga Geraldine. You get to get your beauty sleep in the mornings and I'll just have to wait for kisses. I'll manage somehow." He sighed dramatically but playfully and then added with a little extra grin, "Of course, though, by the time we'd be having mornings together regularly we'd probably be married so I'm sure I'd be able to manage just fine just by getting to think about that and how wonderful it would be."

Helga's eyelids lowered and something a touch extra sweet came to her tone and she placed a fingertip on his nose, "Very true, I suppose…still though I hope that we'll at least have a few more mornings together before we get married, since that's so far away and all…"

A giddy looking Arnold just blushed and nodded. "O-Oh, um…of course, Helga. We could do that…sometimes…maybe…on special occasions." He laughed a little goofily.

Helga laughed a little too. "Good. Thank you for the indulgence, my love."

_Crack!_

Suddenly another littler rumble of thunder sounded overhead and the two kids blinked and looked up at the clear roof again. The dark, grey, glowing clouds still moved a little in the sky above them and still coated the roof with a steady, streaming rain that made little beads and threads as it gathered and moved upon the glass ceiling. It was nice to watch.

Helga blinked a couple of times, feeling her eyelids growing a little hazy for a moment and a yawn almost coming forth. The rain was so relaxing, she couldn't help it. But then a thought occurred to her and she smiled and spoke again, quietly, reviving a little. "We met in the rain…"

Beside her, Arnold, likewise feeling something sleep-like wanting to come over him (though he resisted) smiled. Then a thought occurred to him as well. "You confessed in the rain..."

Helga smiled a little more then added with a grin, "I…think I heard it was overcast the night you confessed."

The two kids laughed warmly together.

Then the two kids yawned finally. "Hey…Arnold?" Helga started again, snuggling just a touch closer, "I…I like this…this talking thing we're doing now together…but maybe we could just listen to the rain and rest a little…together? I told you, I'm not much of an early riser. And this is so nice and peaceful. Please, Arnold." She didn't want to pressure him into staying in this position for too long but she had never felt more comfortable, more at ease, more happy in her entire life. It would be so nice to repose in all of this calmness and gentle comfort, in the shared warmth of herself and her beloved, and to savor it all as a memory to be cherished forever.

Arnold, meanwhile, did indeed feel a little nervous about staying like this and 'resting' together but breakfast would probably be in an hour or so. They had taken little naps together before too…usually above the covers but still… And besides, maybe in an hour after they woke up he would have the courage to do what he wanted to do.

"Arnold?" left Helga with another little yawn. "It's alright if you don't want to." She looked to him, eyelids a little droopy but still with a smile on her face. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable, Arnold. I can go back to the bed." She sat up a little, even starting to put her hair back down again. It was just easier to sleep like that either way.

Arnold shook his head though, sitting up a little too. "No, it's alright, Helga. Sorry, I'm just a little sleepy. We can rest…together…" He blushed a little and smiled at her.

Helga pushed some of her now loose hair behind one of her ears and smiled more too. "Thanks, Arnold." She laid back down. She realized though, now that they were settling in, that sleeping together here really could not be done comfortably if they were both lying on their backs. And so, preferring her side anyway, she turned over a little towards Arnold's bed (not wanting to overwhelm the boy by making him sleep face to face with her or inconveniencing him by making him sleep with his face crammed against the back of the couch).

Arnold lay down too, copying her motion of turning on her side towards his bed. Yes, this was much more doable and roomy. On their backs or stomachs would never have worked at all. Arnold sighed and yawned softly, eyes closing.

And then absentmindedly his arm drifted around Helga's waist under the covers.

Naturally, Helga G. Pataki blinked, her heart stopped and then sped up like crazy, and the whole length of her body where his arm rested went on tingly fire. She got all of the giddy-girlish stuff under control for a moment though and smiled and managed to ask without sounding completely lovesick, "A-Arnold? Where, uh…where did this friendly arm of yours come from?" She really did her best to sound casual and amused even though she was just brimming with passion and emotions and an unquenchable desire to hear his answer.

Arnold Phillip Shortman froze entirely. His little green eyes were popped open wide. He remembered…from that time trying to lie down with her in her room…he remembered the instinct to hold them gently together and now he had let it out, hadn't he? Yes, now he had let out that instinct… His heart raced and he blushed a lot and for a moment all thoughts of proposing or anything else left him entirely. He moved his arm away with a cringe. "O-Oh, sorry, I—I didn't even realize I… I yawned and started to fall back asleep and then I just…I guess it just felt right…I'm sorry." He began to shift away from her entirely, trying to press himself as much as he could against the back of his couch, feeling quite humiliated to say the least.

He was stopped though of course by Helga piping up in an eager and yet gentle and understanding voice, "Hey, hey, hey, you don't need to move your arm, Arnold. I…I wasn't complaining…" Her hand found his under the blanket and she gently guided his arm back near her.

Arnold let her, listening with interest and blushing considerably…though he liked it.

Soon his arm was back near her waist and he thought she would stop but then Helga went on a little bit. He was more near her ribs after all than her actual waist so she slid his arm down just a little (despite how tense she could feel it was). "Shh, just relax Arnold…just…here…First uncurl your fist—it's not THAT terrifying having your arm over me…There…now just…don't resist…just let your hand sit against my stomach or something. There. And now just relax your arm…let it fall into the curve of my hip. Because you know despite the fact that I'm no Ruth or Summer I do indeed have at least a slight figure Arnoldo…" Helga laughed, hoping to lighten the mood for him and also to really get him to relax. There was nothing wrong with being together, holding each other, liking being near each other. It was a small, good expression of a great and good love.

Beside her Arnold just swallowed and then added quietly, "Yeah, I've…um…n-noticed."

Helga was the one to freeze now. Then she turned quite scarlet (was grateful she was still facing away from her beloved so that he wouldn't get nervous from seeing her color change…and so she wouldn't get more nervous from seeing his probable color change too), and then swallowed and let his arm alone and felt her heart flutter as it stayed in the position she had left it.

"Helga?" came to her ears softly, hesitantly.

She swallowed, realizing she had to say something back to that. "O-Oh, um…okay…g-good to know. Um…a-anyway, uh…about that arm of yours. Yeah just let it rest there…and be calm…let your stomach rest against my back…" She let out a deep breath, trying to relax.

Behind her Arnold did his best to relax a bit more as well, though he couldn't help smiling. Awkward but always wonderful—the only way to describe their relationship. "Thanks, Helga. I feel better now…" And he did feel much better now. And what more wonderful thing to add to this precious Sunday morning moment together than to be hugging her while it was happening.

They could have just fallen asleep like this.

They did drift off for a few minutes at least.

But something was nagging at Arnold's mind again and he sort of knew what it was.

Arnold opened his eyes and swallowed. He hoped Helga was still mostly awake.

"Helga?" He did his best to sound okay.

She sighed through her nose. "Mmm hmm?" she asked sleepily, though she still sounded awake enough.

Arnold let out a little sigh of his own. He reached under his pillow with his arm that wasn't around her and grabbed something, clenching it tightly in his fist. "Um…I'm sorry. I don't want to wake you up again, I know you wanted to rest some more and that you're not a morning person but it's just…there's been something that I've been meaning to ask you for a little bit…especially for the last few days. And I think I want to ask you now. Now feels…um…good." He swallowed, pulling the little velvet box out from under the pillow though he kept it hidden against himself and under the covers.

Helga sighed and spoke coherently again. "Okay, okay, you have my attention…" she replied patiently but with amusement. She opened her eyes and turned over a little onto her back so that she could look at him. "If you're interrupting my beauty sleep and trying to sound as calm as you're trying to sound, it must be an important one. Let's have it. Better be good news though or you'll wake up bound and gagged and on a train to wherever I think is funniest." She smiled at him smugly yet playfully.

Arnold smiled. Whenever she smiled it had always made him smile. He un-hid the box a little bit. "I wanted to…Helga, will you marry me…someday?" he asked, hoping he sounded like something more than a nervous ten-year-old boy in way over his head.

Helga blinked.

Then she looked at him with a half grin and part of her brow raised.

Then she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Football head." She yawned and started to turn away a little to get comfortable again. "Come on, Arnold, seriously, can we save more cute marriage jokes until after breakfast or something?"

Arnold sighed a little, deflating a touch. He had been afraid this would happen. Still though, he had been anticipating disbelief on her part a little and so his natural optimism quickly brightened him up once more. He tried again. "Helga…I'm asking you if you will marry me someday. For real." He sat up a little more on the couch.

He watched as Helga remained still for a moment where she was.

Then she blinked several times and sighed again and sat up as well, turning to him once more. "Arnold, darling, I'm serious." She gave him a bit of a dry look. "I am really, really, really not a morning person. I understand that you're trying to be cute now but I would really appreciate it if you could just save it for later, alright?" She smiled again. There was something impatient about it but it was a genuine and sincere smile nonetheless.

Arnold sighed. Disbelief and denial again. Still, he knew he just had to be persistent. He remembered trying to confess to her a month ago, how she had needed him to repeat his claim of falling in love with her over and over before she had accepted it. So he could do this, he could convince her. He knew it.

Arnold merely pushed the covers away from him a little and spoke clearly again with the same honest smile on his face that there always was ready and waiting inside of him to come out for Helga. "I'm not trying to be cute, Helga. And I don't want to save it for later. I-I mean…one day when we're grown up I'll propose to you officially of course…but for now I…well, that's why I'm asking if you'll marry me _someday_…So…will you marry me someday, Helga G. Pataki?" He moved the little box with the ring in it into view on the bed, feeling his courage gaining.

Now Helga looked at him with very wide eyes and almost a touch of panic about her. She had caught sight of the ring box. "A-Arnold…I want you to stop this. Now." Her eyes flew back to his eyes, she seemed to be almost holding her breath.

Arnold frowned a tiny bit now, looking at her with concern. She seemed to understand now that he was being serious…yet now she seemed more annoyed than ever. Why? "So you…don't want to marry me?" he asked, but not really seriously, knowing she would never say no to that. He just wanted to understand what she was trying to tell him now.

Helga blinked and shook her head. "No! I-I mean yes! I-I mean…stop it! You're just kidding!" Then she turned away and laid back down again, burying herself under the covers. She was upset or getting there at least.

Arnold moved closer to her. He spoke gently and calmly and patiently as he had always done. "Helga…I'm sorry, I don't mean to spring this on you. I've been planning it for a little bit and wanted to do it sometime this weekend but either the timing wasn't right or we got interrupted and then we fell asleep last night during our date. But I do mean it, Helga…I'm asking…seriously…will you do me the honor of accepting this little ring and giving me your word to marry me…someday? Because I…will never want to marry anyone else but you Helga G. Pataki. I know it in my heart. I want you to be my wife...and I'll be your husband. So, like I said, will you marry me someday?" He had the little ring box open and inside was a little pale pink stone on a silver looking band. "I'm sorry—I wish I could have gotten you a nicer little ring but like I said I'll propose to you again officially one day when we're older and then I'll get you a really nice one, alright? But please just give me an answer for now, Helga, please—it would mean so much to me." A little something twitched in his smile and he looked down and added, "E-Even if you say 'no' right now because I surprised you, that's alright. Maybe then you could just tell me what I should do differently the next time to help make it so that you'll say yes. " He smiled as optimistically and innocently as he ever had in his entire life, still holding out the little box with the little ring and waiting to see what Helga might do.

She was quiet. Then…"Grr…" he heard her growl. And then suddenly she sat up again and looked at him. A familiar (though rarely seen these days) scowl upon her features. "Arnold…" she seemed gearing up to say something but just (in a rare moment) unable to pick the words. She just shook her head, biting her lip. Finally, "A-Arnold…" something was faltering but she didn't want it to. "Arnold, don't…do that…please." She let out a breath and looked down and she looked so angry but he knew it was just frustration.

He was concerned now, to say the least. He put the little ring box aside for a moment and looked carefully at her. "Why?" He had never just left her alone to suffer before, at least not on purpose, and he certainly wasn't going to start now.

"Because…you…!" She looked at him with such annoyance and frustration.

Arnold didn't flinch though. He waited patiently and openly for whatever she might have to say.

And then she couldn't help not saying it anymore. "Because when we joke about it, fine, who cares?! Or even when I ask, heck it's still a joke and either way I'm insane so what does it matter?! But this with the anniversary and the ring and the 'for real', Arnold, you listen to me very carefully, buster—" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close, looking into his eyes with a determined scowl, "You do not suddenly spring that question on me for real unless you mean it. And I don't mean that you just mean it now when we're ten and because it's our anniversary and you're a sappy, wishy-washy little hopeless romantic. You have to mean it very seriously and very for real because that is how I'm going to take it and if one day when we're twenty-something I bring it up and you laugh and say 'Helga, come on, we were ten—you can't take that seriously!' so help me I will clock you one right in the nose and go on and be president all by myself and you will never hear from me ever again, you pathetic, ridiculous, sentimental…weird…loopy…you…I…" Somewhere toward the end of all that the tears had started to drop here and there from the scowling eyes and the set jaw had started to tremble and now she just couldn't keep it up and she just let herself collapse forward and hold against him while she rested her face against his shoulder and silently finished her crying that she had been trying so desperately to avoid.

A tear or two couldn't help but leave Arnold's eye as well at this surprising and yet understandable reaction of hers.

He just held her for a little while now, stroked her hair, kept them close. She would let him know when she didn't need all of that anymore.

Finally Arnold heard Helga let out a small breath. He listened. Then she spoke. Her voice was a little hoarse and quiet but she spoke nonetheless. "I know…I'm so attached to you, so focused on you…I already told you I'm not scared that you'll leave me now…and I have…oh Arnold I have wanted to marry….marry…but…Arnold…growing up is a very big thing…and I have no way of knowing if you won't leave me then or if I won't leave you or if we won't leave each other. We'll be the same but different than we are now…we might still be good for each other but too different to make that goodness work like it does now. I just…can't handle agreeing to…being promised that you'll…if it didn't work or we changed too much and you took it away or I had to ask you to take it away I…" She trembled but then sighed again. "I don't know, maybe I would be alright…I know you would…You bounce back from anything. You're better at being happy than I am, Arnold." She trembled a little again and her voice went down to a whisper and he could feel her features cringe a little against his shoulder. "I just don't want to be waking up random nights ten, fifteen, twenty years from now and smiling for a moment because I dreamt about you, only to feel like falling apart when I realize that happy time in my life is gone and I might never find it or anything like it again. Realizing that I don't know you anymore, or even myself maybe, and that it was all perfect once and then it all fell apart." She loosened her grasp on him, though moved closer to him at the same time. "That's why I don't want you to ask me that now, even if you mean it 'for real', unless you really, really, really mean it, Arnold…" She pulled back and looked into his wide green eyes with her wide blue ones, "…because if you ask…and you don't mean it…it'll break my heart. And it's so hard for the rest of you to keep being okay when your heart is broken…"

Arnold felt all of the feeling, all of the concern, and all of the sincerity. He understood. And now that he thought about it, he wouldn't have wanted her to just jump all over him about this with an instant "YES, YES, YES!" This made it more real, this made it matter more…it was scary but beautiful.

He spoke seriously and softly to her, eyes looking into hers, arms around her in another one of the dozens of hugs he had given her throughout their lives.

"I understand, Helga. But…believe me I've thought about this a lot…and I want to do it so much. And I don't…know how we'll be later…or even much later…as people or as a couple. But…" he swallowed, his gaze never once leaving hers, "I do mean it now…and I intend to mean it later too…and if you'll help me we can try together to make it happen in the end. That's what I'm asking you to promise me right now, Helga…to just…try with me very hard. Will you do that, Helga? And it's okay if you can't just yet." He smiled. "I don't mind waiting. I'm very patient." He smiled more. "I mean, never as patient as you were with waiting the seven years but I'm definitely runner up." He laughed a little.

She couldn't help cracking a smile and laughing a little too.

For a few moments the two of them just laughed together a little, holding each other.

Then Arnold smiled a little funny and blushed and piped up. "Um…so…"

Helga looked at him curiously. "Yeah, Football Head?"

He swallowed and shrugged. "Your answer…?"

Helga blinked and smiled. She let out a deep breath and looked to the side. "Hmm…I…yes, Arnold. I'll try with you." She saw his cute little green eyes light up and that he was about to speak but she reached up and placed a finger over his lips. "Upbupbup….one condition please, love."

Arnold blinked, waiting for what that condition might be.

Helga removed her finger and looked to the side at the little box still open and resting near them on the couch. "I'll take the ring, but I'm not going to wear it…for now." She looked up at him. "I-I don't want a ring right now, Arnold, I just want to enjoy being together. But I'll keep it and cherish it and when you propose to me for real later—or even if I propose to you—we can use it then." She grinned a little and added with a little extra grin, "Unless of course you really did want to give me some big fancy rock at that time, in which case," she sighed dramatically, "If you insist." She winked at him.

Arnold laughed and then one of those ear to ear grins came to his face and his green eyes were bright with joy. "O-Okay, it's a deal then, Helga. I…_thank you_!" He wrapped his arms around her in one of those great big tight hugs he had always given her here and there throughout their lives.

Helga smiled and blushed and laughed and savored being hugged by him. "Okay, okay, sheesh, rope it in, Romeo. Crimeny you get mushy sometimes, Arnold."

He laughed a little too and pulled back to smile at her. "Yeah, well, you'd better get used to it, Helga. You're probably going to be putting up with it for a very long time."

Helga smirked and gave him a playful push in the shoulder. "Ooo, calling the shots now, huh, Mister Push Over?"

Arnold smirked back. "Just reminding you of our deal…my dear." He hesitated for a moment but then managed to give her a playful push in the shoulder too (though he couldn't help but make it as soft as could be and blush a little after it was done).

Helga blinked (blushed from him calling her 'dear' again) and then leaned closer to him, her smirk growing. "Hitting girls now, huh, Football Head? Thought that wasn't allowed under your chivalric code."

Arnold leaned closer too, likewise smiling more. "And I thought ladies weren't supposed to hit anyone at all, especially boys they like."

Helga pushed her forehead against Arnold's. "There's an exception for do-gooder little shrimps."

Arnold pushed his nose against Helga's. "Then there's an exception for pretty girls who I'd like an excuse to touch."

Helga's eyes narrowed playfully. "Oh yeah…?"

Arnold's eyes narrowed playfully. "Yeah…"

"Oh that's it, you're dead, Football Head!" And then she swiped up the ring box, popped it on the end table, and suddenly she pounced him to the couch and was tickling him and laughing.

"H-Helga! Stop!" Arnold barely choked out between laughs! Though it didn't take him long to regain some ground in their little sleeping space and tickle her quite a bit too.

Helga laughed and laughed, giggling like mad. "N-Never! Not in a million years, my little future fiancée!" She hoped that word would get him.

She managed to glance at her beloved and saw him blushing now as he was laughing. "O-Oh, fiancée, huh?" he managed to get out. "Wh-Whatever you say, Helga G. Pataki…Helga, stop it, I can't breathe!" He was laughing away, trying to get her back and they were just dying with laughter together under the blankets on the couch.

"Oh and l-like_ I_ can!" Helga managed to choke out between giggles. "A-And you bet, 'whatever I say.' You're the one who wanted to be engaged." She writhed in happiness and pleasure under his touches.

"Engaged?!" Arnold's tickling all but ceased and he blushed immensely now, eyes wide. It wasn't that he didn't have an awareness in his mind in a general way of the fact that when two people were supposed to be married and decided to be each other's fiancées the usual term applied to describe them was 'engaged.' It was just that…well, 'engaged' sounded like such a grown up word! So official! It overwhelmed him for a moment.

Helga let her tickling slow for a moment too, and looked at him with interest, her face flushed with happiness. "Yes, engaged, you silly little proposer. Anything wrong with that, bucko?"

Arnold swallowed and shrugged. "No. Um…it's just…" he looked at her a little sheepishly, "…'engaged' sounds so formal. I mean…I think it's just a word I'd rather use when I actually do propose to you for real and you wear the ring and everything you know? It makes me nervous right now thinking about us like that." He swallowed, hoping she would understand.

And indeed Helga looked at him with a sweet smile. "Oh, alright, Arnold, no more 'engaged.' I'll even cut down on the 'fiancée' stuff." She sighed, a pensive look coming to her features for a moment. "Hmm, still though, I wish we had some kind of word for to express our intended union…" She thought for a moment.

Arnold considered too, but then the word 'union' struck something in his memory and he blinked and smiled and asked innocently, "What about tantric?"

"NO!" Helga blushed completely furiously and even pulled away from him on the couch only to lead to her falling off of it with a plop. "Oof!" She sat up on the floor, half covered in a blanket and rubbing her head.

Arnold leaned over the edge of the couch and looked down at her in concern. "Helga? Are you alright?"

Helga blinked a few times and nodded and then stood up, getting back onto the couch and under the blankets again. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine, just…" she cleared her throat and tried to sound as calm and casual as possible, "…uh, no…not 'tantric.' Let's just keep that term between you and I…alright?" She may have been trying to seem casual but she looked at him in a way seriously begging for an answer. '_Crimeny I should never have mentioned that word to him, he brought it up the other night too…_' she thought to herself, recalling a joke of his involving that word on their Friday night date.

Arnold looked at her (and her rose red cheeks) curiously, thought about asking…but then decided to let it go for now. Besides, he knew stuff about the shrines could still embarrass her a little. And either way he did still have that big dictionary around here from that whole spelling bee thing—he could look up that word any time if he wanted so that he could understand it better. "Okay, Helga." He nodded. "We'll think of something else to describe us."

Helga let out a relieved breath and gave a small smile. "Thank you, Arnold." She sighed and then thought for another moment and then suggested, looking at him hopefully, "How about 'betrothed', Football Head?"

Arnold looked at her with interest. "Betrothed?"

Helga nodded. "Yeah. It's sort of an old fashioned word that just means promised to each other. What about that?"

Arnold thought about it and then smiled and nodded. "Okay, Helga. Betrothed it is." He took her hand under the covers, gave it a little squeeze and a shake.

Helga's smile became completely relaxed and happy once more and she squeezed and then shook his hand back. "Agreed, Football Head." A warm chuckle left her. "Alright, good, at least we've got that settled." She swallowed and blushed a little, glancing to the side coyly. "H-Hey, Arnold? Um…so…you really do want to get married…do you really want to, you know…have kids…like we talked about that one time? Y-You remember, you had just had your married dream about us—the good one—and your grandparents had just finished telling us about your Grandma's confession and then we were up here and we were kissing and then you told me about your dream and a daughter and stuff…"

Arnold blinked, the memory coming to him. "Oh, I remember, I…" he blushed rosy, eyes going half lidded, "Of course I want to have children with you, Helga."

Helga giggled. "Good to know." She snuggled closer to him. "I want to have children with you too."

Arnold snuggled closer as well, chuckling a little as he added, "Well, as long as the stork doesn't bring three at once like in my first married dream, I think that'll be fine then and that we'll be able to handle it, Helga. We can have children…live in the boarding house and have children…There are plenty of rooms at least."

Helga nodded, giggling again. "O-Of course. Gotta fill up all of those rooms somehow, heh…" Then she laughed a little more and shook her head a bit. "And 'the stork'—very funny, Football Head."

Arnold blinked, looking at her with curious (though still slightly dazed) interest. "Huh?"

Helga laughed again and was about to make a joke about his joke or something to that effect when she paused and blinked for a moment. Come to think of it…he hadn't laughed or said anything when he had told her about the stork from his first married dream, had he? Then she blinked and it dawned on her. "Arnold…you…seriously think babies come from the stork?"

Arnold blushed more, his eyes now going a little wide. "I…well…" his mouth quirked to the side a little. "I don't know…I mean, I guess that seems kind of stupid—people don't come from birds but I don't really know what else there would be." He looked at her with innocent confusion.

Helga looked back at him with sincere interest. "Oh…" She supposed she couldn't blame him. They were ten, it wasn't entirely unbelievable that Arnold might not have a general idea of the reality of the situation. She had a few options before her now. She rejected entirely the 'tell him the truth' option on two accounts: one, she figured a discussion like that between them at this stage and age would probably be a complete and awkward mistake, two, she didn't exactly have an understanding of every single specific about the whole thing herself. The next option was to more or less let him know that she knew the truth of the matter, and that it involved no stork, but she would not tell him the answer to it all at the moment. That would probably annoy him though, and wouldn't be very fair. A third option was to lie to him and say she had no idea either, though she was fairly sure he would see through that in a second since she had gotten so bad at lying to him and he had gotten so darn perceptive lately

Helga sighed and settled on a light combination of the three. She smiled at her beloved. "I see. Well…I think it's a complicated situation, h-having children, but…we'll just figure it out together whenever we're ready." She let her fingers lace with his underneath the blankets.

Arnold looked at her with interest. He knew that she was more knowledgeable than he was about romantic things and love, he had known that from the start, and he hadn't been able to help an assumption going along with that observation that if he ever had a question about things between them or about love in general she would know the answer or at least know something on the right track of the answer. His assumption extended to this topic too. And he appreciated her response. It didn't make him feel ignorant or immature but it didn't embarrass them at all. He blushed and smiled back and laced their fingers more. "I'd like that, Helga. Let's figure it out together when it's time."

Helga smiled more and nuzzled his forehead a little. "You got it, bucko," she replied softly. Her response made Arnold chuckle and then she yawned and sighed and looked at him. "Alright, alright, this whole 'betrothed/ pre-proposal/ having kids' thing was your one freebie for keeping me awake this early on a summer Sunday. Now I am going to sleep and I don't want to hear any giggling, pet names, cutesy wedding or honeymoon plans, name suggestions for the kids, adorable observations, you get the drift. You're going to have a wife who enjoys sleep, Arnold, better get used to it now." She popped a little kiss onto his nose and then snuggled under the covers and turned toward his bed, closing her eyes and settling in. "Goodnight, Arnold, my love…"

A grinning and blushing Arnold just settled in too, facing in the same direction. "Goodnight, Helga G. Pataki." And then with a little fake yawn and a smirk he put his arm over her again and pulled them a little closer.

Helga giggled at the action. "Very funny."

Arnold smiled, closing his eyes. "I thought so."

The gentle rain pattered on.

There were a few final whispers before the sound of that rain was the only thing to fill the room.

"Arnold?"

"I thought you said we were supposed to be sleeping, Helga."

"Cork it. It's just one more thing…" A yawn.

"Yes…?" A smile and a yawn too.

A grin. "Just for fun, when we go to baseball practice tomorrow…do you want to pretend that we hate each other again in front of everyone?"

There was a moment of silence and then Arnold laughed and then Helga laughed.

Soon enough rain and sleep and love over took them.

* * *

An hour later it was still a bit too early for breakfast but Arnold and Helga had woken up and were still lying 'in bed' together on Arnold's couch.

Helga was admiring the adorable little ring in the cute little box, girlishly sighing over it now and again. "So, that second married dream you told me about, the part that you left out…it was buying me a ring and proposing now instead of waiting?" She sighed dreamily and looked back to him again. "I'm glad you didn't tell me, Arnold—the surprise was much better. Much more emotionally draining but much better." She laughed.

Arnold laughed too and nodded, looking to the side humbly. "Yeah, I figured you'd like the surprise part of it after you got used to it, that's why I decided to keep that part of the dream to myself. It seemed like a perfect thing to do, asking you now instead of waiting a bunch of years to really bring up the idea of you and me actually g-getting married."

Helga nodded. "Yes, definitely a good call on the part of your subconscious, Arnold." Her eyes went back to the glittery little ring. "And Arnold, I don't mean to go all girly on you but seriously this ring is so boss!" She giggled and looked at him again with a smirk. "I can't believe you went through the trouble…seriously, what is that, a rhinestone?"

Arnold smiled humbly and shrugged. "Um…cubic zirconia, actually."

Helga blinked in surprise. "Arnold, those actually cost money. Like double digits money. Like possibly twenty dollars money. You spent that much on me on top of all the anniversary stuff? And this was only your pre-proposal? Arnold, where did you get the money…or heck, better question, where did you get the ring?" She looked at him in confusion.

Arnold blinked then smiled more and sighed, turning a bit to look toward the ceiling. "If I tell you, I think it's only going to make you more excited. Are you sure you want to know?" He glanced at her with a small grin.

Helga rolled her eyes. "Doi! Of course I want to know!" She moved closer to him, looking eager. "Come on, Arnold, I wanna know how far you went with this whole thing. It'll help me prepare for how insanely over the top you'll probably go for the big official proposal." She smiled and moved so close that their noses touched. "Please, Arnold…my fiancée," she cooed, fluttering her eyelashes and giggling.

A blushing Arnold smiled goofily. "Oh…alright…fiancée." He gave her lips a little kiss, which made her giggle and pull back a little, and then he sighed and looked to her. "Um…first, don't worry about how much I paid for it—you're worth every penny. As for where I got the money, well…ever since we started dating my grandpa raised my allowance a little, remember? So don't worry about it." He winked at her. Then he cleared his throat and finished, "And as for where I got the ring…well, the only place I could think of to get something like that was that jeweler's shop you went to once. You remember, the place you told me you got your locket engraved? That's actually where I got my pocket watch engraved too." He laughed and added, "Oh and by the way, um…I hope you don't mind but I told him I knew you and I paid for your engraving…" He looked at her with a little chastising smile. "No more not paying for things, okay? Just like at the movies when we had our fight… Oh and don't worry about the engraving money—you've been nice enough to wear my picture around your neck for the last seven years, so the least I can do is pay for you putting a little message with that picture about how I'm always in your heart." He chuckled a little and looked at her with a warm and loving smile.

Helga was just blushing and blinking and at a loss for words. "You…I…uh…" she looked to the ring again and back to Arnold, "I…" And then she just smiled, and accepted the generosity, all of it. "Thank you, Arnold." She looked into his eyes. "This has been the best anniversary ever." She snuggled in close to him under the blankets and put an arm over him, pulling him down to the couch with her. "And you are the best guy there ever was—just like I told the boys last night. Kind, caring, supportive, sweet…not to mention a real looker." She giggled. "Yes, sir, an excellent date all around."

Arnold was blushing and smiling goofily, though he managed in a normal enough sounding voice to reply, "You're welcome, Helga…And you're a pretty excellent date yourself. I'm happy that…I'm just happy." He smiled at her.

She smiled back. "I'm happy too."

They were quiet for a moment.

Then she gave Arnold a little flick in the shoulder. "But no more breaking the bank on presents, at least not until we both have jobs, Football Head. Stuff like what we gave each other for our anniversary is fine…Homemade things or little things like my picture frame or that birthday cake you made me or the shrine dolls I gave you or…" She blinked, a thought occurring to her. "Oh that present you gave me the other night, the little pink one, the one that's in my purse…that's homemade too, right?"

Arnold blinked and blushed a rosy scarlet at his cheeks and looked down. "Um…yes…it is…I-I mean, home _written_ is probably the better way to say it. I…I wrote another poem for you." He was suddenly feeling very nervous again about being so close to her.

Helga's eyes widened and she smiled, practically beamed actually. "You did?"

Arnold nodded. "Well…yes. I…I used that pink book that you gave me, the one with that poem in it that you wrote for me the night of our one week anniversary when I snuck into your room. That pink book still had a few blank pages at the back and I never returned that one to you over all of these weeks and so I wrote another poem about you and I put it in the back on those blank pages. I even included a little note to explain it to you for whenever you read it…" Suddenly he wasn't feeling too confident in the idea despite how much work he had put into it. "Helga, you'll probably think it's silly. You know poems aren't really my thing. I-I'm more of a straight talk kind of guy, heh." He hid his face under the blanket a tiny bit.

Helga's eyes brightened. Then her gaze softened and so did her voice. "Oh Arnold, my love, I may be the more experienced writer but you have a little silver tongue of your own when you want to—and I'm sure anything it directed you to put on page must just be heavenly. In fact…I'll think I'll read it right now, my beloved." She winked at him and then slipped out of their little bed and quickly raced over to her purse near Arnold's bed with a giggle.

Arnold just sighed and blushed and turned to face the back of the couch, bringing the blankets up around his head a little. "Mmm…whatever you say, Helga. But I really do hope you like it. I'm not sure when I'll have it in me again to write another one…and I don't think I'll ever write another one quite like that one."

Helga blinked and looked at him with interest. "What do you mean?"

Arnold shrugged, still making sure to face away from her. "Well…you remember how during our one week anniversary you gave me a poem that was more like something I would write—straightforward…So I tried to write something passionate like you would. But I don't think I'll do that again. It took a lot out of me and I felt so embarrassed, and also I'm just better at being straightforward."

Helga just smiled and pulled the little pink package out of her purse, then trotted back over to the couch to recline alongside her beloved. "Oh I'm sure it's wonderful and that I'll love it, just like I'll love any other poem you ever write no matter what the style." She flipped through, found that poem she had written on their one week anniversary, and then flipped past it to the next page where the handwriting and ink color were different from her usual ones.

"O-Okay, Helga…" Arnold finally sighed, his voice sounding accepting. He turned a little to glance at her over his shoulder. "I really do hope you like it. I-I called it 'Arnold and Helga' because, well…I think that our names sound nice together and also until I can find a way to make you a perfume that we can name 'Arnold and Helga' I hope this'll be a close enough substitute." He smiled more at the idea, almost laughing.

Helga looked at him with blushing surprise. What a sweet thought. "Oh Arnold…" she swooned lovingly. Then she giggled and turned back to her poem.

First she looked at his little note. It was a brief, modest few lines explaining everything he had just explained to her about what he meant by giving her one of her own pink books as a present, where to look for the poem, and what he had tried to do while writing it.

Then Helga turned to the poem once more. She read aloud to herself, figuring that for all the times Arnold had wanted to cuddle up with her and hear her recite her poems about him, she was more than entitled to not keep this to herself.

_"Arnold and Helga"_

_There is a glowing girl goddess who I know,  
Though I didn't understand her until recently,  
Because I am sort of a dense kind of guy,  
And she is a ravishing queen like no one's ever seen._

_Sometimes I would watch her from afar,  
And think I would see a smile or a spark,  
But every time I tried to talk to her about it  
She would call me a geek and away she'd walk._

_Of course I should have known better though,  
What enchanting darling was ever easily won?  
But it's hard for a guy to sort out his feelings  
When he's faced with an angel, with hair like the sun._

_And blue eyes like waters a boy could get lost in,  
Full of brilliance and charm and a passion so dear,  
And she has these soft cheeks that blush sometimes  
Bright as the strawberries she's forbidden to be near._

_Her giggles are like music for only one boy's ears  
And her smiles are a dazzling finish to those songs,  
And when she walks I hope the other boys don't notice,  
Because there's something just wild in the way she sways along._

_But now somehow I've got her here with me,  
It turns out she thinks I'm pretty interesting too.  
And we hold each other close...and feel our hearts beat together,  
And there are so many nice things my goddess lets me do._

_I can't mention them all right here and now  
Because I'm modest, and very young and shy,  
But she knows just what things I mean,  
And I hope she knows by now just what they do to a guy._

_The feelings I have for you, Helga, my love,  
Make me tremble all over whenever we're close.  
I used to want any girl...now I ache for one lady...  
And that lady is you...and I just wanted you to know._

_For Helga Geraldine, my heart and the love of my life._

"I know, I know, it's silly…I tried but it's silly. I didn't capture any of it right. You really should have decided to marry Brainy—he's a lot more literary than I'll ever…um…oh." Arnold, after waiting what he felt was enough time for Helga to have read everything (and twice if she wanted to), had been delivering this little nervous disclaimer…when he had then suddenly been stopped by the sudden action of Helga putting aside the poetry book on the end table, crawling back under the covers on the couch and crawling on top of him of all things.

Arnold looked up at her with his green eyes wide and little chest rising and falling quickly.

Helga just smiled, her eyes softened with love and tenderness. "Arnold…" she almost laughed, "…just shut up and kiss me."

He blinked, blushing rosy, and then nodded and felt his eyes starting to close. Helga's eyes closed too and they kissed gently.

Eventually Helga sighed softly through her nose and removed her lips from her beloved's. She let out a breath and gently rolled off to the side of him. "Now enough embarrassment…You and I are the only ones who will ever see poems like that about each other anyway (and know that they're about each other)…you and I are the only ones who will see our confession video…you and I are the only ones who will ever know about all of the moments we've had…you and I are the only ones…Now let's finish enjoying our first morning together before we smell breakfast cooking and have to go downstairs for it." She cuddled in close to him under the covers, snuggling up alongside him with a smile.

A likewise smiling Arnold snuggled close to her too, closing his eyes. "I…couldn't have said it better myself."

He laughed a little and so did Helga.

Helga smiled to herself. "Best Sunday morning ever…"

Arnold smiled to himself too. "Best month ever…"

They laughed again…then yawned.

The rain was lightening and now they could be cozy and warm cuddled up together in total silence, happy and ready to face whatever the rest of their lives after this month and after the last seven years might throw at them.

There was nothing but quiet and the faintest patter of rain and the light, slow breaths of Arnold and Helga filling the room.

Then…

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"AHH! Oof!"

"Ah! Grandpa!"

"Good morning, Shortman and Helga! Hope you slept well! Just wanted to let you know that your Grandma's having a lucid morning and we'll be having piles of flapjacks and fresh squeezed orange juice in half an—HEH, HEH, HEH, HEH, HEH, HEH! Oh Arnold, you really are a chip off the old block, aren't you? Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Phil had just entered the room with a warm smile and every intention of greeting the two sleepy children and letting them know breakfast was almost ready (and would be edible) but now he was just doubled over in laughter at many things including having caught them cuddling on the couch, their yells of surprise, Helga suddenly falling off of the couch onto the floor and finally Arnold just blushing like mad and looking mortified and clinging to the blanket for dear life.

"G-Grandpa, we…it's not what it…Helga and I just…" A thoroughly red all over Arnold just stumbled over his words, looking down with wide eyes. He could hear Helga on the floor panting lightly from the surprise of this sudden interruption as she tried to regain herself a little.

But then a thought occurred to Arnold. _'I'm…I'm going to be a married man. I can't keep acting this embarrassed and nervous every time someone sees me being close with my wife. That's not fair to Helga or to me.'_ And so he just sighed, tried to get his heart to stop beating so quickly, and then looked up at his grandfather with a smile. "I mean…good morning, Grandpa. Sorry for yelling, you surprised us a little." Arnold moved to the edge of the couch and took (a surprised) Helga's hand to help her up and back onto the couch with him. "We were just spending the morning together. We didn't even think about putting up the 'do not disturb' sign." Helga was all settled next to him and Arnold looked back to Phil now. "Thanks for letting us know about breakfast though, Grandpa. It sounds good—I'll take some clothes and leave Helga to get dressed and we'll be down soon."

"Uh…yeah, what Arnold said," Helga added, "Be down in a sec, heh…" She was blushing too but it was getting under control and she was quite grateful for and impressed with her beloved's calmness. It helped her feel much calmer and much more quickly than she would have on her own. After all no matter who it was, no matter how far along in their relationship they were, Helga did not like third parties walking in on her intimate moments with Arnold, period. She smiled now too though, hiding a bit beneath her hair but otherwise facing Phil right along with Arnold. "Thanks for letting us know, Phil. A-And sorry for the scream—I'm really not a 'surprise' kind of gal." She rolled her eyes at herself, straightening the blankets over her lap.

"Heh, heh…" Phil was done laughing for the most part now and he wiped a tear from his eye and straightened up, "Oh I'm sorry, kids, but you two always make me smile. Remind me so much of me and your Grandma, Arnold…" He sighed with a smile and shook his head at the memories. He turned back toward the door. "Anyway, I'll let Gertie know that you two'll be down soon from your little 'sleepover.'" He made air quotes. "Have a good rest of the morning together, you two! And happy anniversary!" He waved and chuckled to himself a little more as he headed down the attic steps and closed the door behind him.

Arnold and Helga both let out small sighs of relief and looked to each other with smiles.

"Very smooth, Arnoldo. I'm impressed," Helga quipped with a little extra grin.

Arnold shrugged. "Well, I couldn't leave my fiancée in distress, could I? And besides…" he grinned more, something a touch passionate coming to his eyes, and then put an arm around her waist, pulling her close, "…this has been one of the best mornings of my entire life. I'm not going to let anything or anyone scare me out of enjoying every single second of it that's left…my talented, blue-eyed love." His voice had lowered a little.

Helga gulped, her eyes wide, heart pounding a bit. Then she swooned and smiled dreamily. "Oh Arnold…" she cooed. "Arnold…" She dove at him in a kiss, pushing them against the back of the couch. "Mmm…mmm…" She moaned and sighed happily through her nose.

"Mmm…." Arnold moaned and sighed too, his eyes closing as he held around her and relaxed into the back of the couch.

They separated a few moments later and just looked at each other tenderly.

"I love you, Helga…"

"I love you, Arnold…"

They shared a laugh, and then Helga flicked Arnold in the ear. "Now get the heck out so I can change for breakfast, Mr. Curious." She giggled to herself.

"Ow!" Arnold rubbed his head, blushed a tiny bit, then rolled his eyes and stretched and got up. "Alright, alright, I'm going…" He went over to his closet and pulled out a few things for himself. "Women…" he mumbled playfully under his breath.

"Oh please—women?" Of course Helga had heard him as she stood up and stretched a little. "Try men…Whatever am I going to do with you, Arnold my love?" Smiling to herself she picked up the little ring box that had fallen on the floor, admired the ring inside for another second then closed the box and took it and her poetry book and walked them over to her purse for safekeeping.

Arnold had gathered everything he needed and now he walked over to his bedroom door. "You'll marry me and that'll take care of everything, Helga G. Pataki." He looked over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured after the first time we met." She was sitting on the edge of his bed and she had just pulled out a change of clothes from her purse.

Arnold raised an eyebrow and looked at the clothes with a questioning smirk.

Helga looked down at them then looked up at him and shrugged with a grin. "What? Arnold, please, I've been planning this accidental sleepover since Friday—of course I brought a spare change of clothes with me."

Arnold just closed his eyes and shook his head. "Of course. I wouldn't have expected anything less." He opened his eyes. "See you at breakfast, Helga." He gave her a little wave.

She laughed and waved back. "See you at breakfast, Arnold." '_Breakfast_…_with Arnold…YAY!_' She could have just burst with happiness!

Arnold laughed and headed out the door, closing it behind him. '_Breakfast with Helga…Breakfast everyday with Helga one day…right here in our home. Yeah, that works…definitely.'_

And with that a very happy Arnold headed briskly down the stairs and to the bathroom, about as perfectly content as any man would be after proposing to the girl of his dreams and getting a 'yes' in response.

* * *

**A/N:**

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and that it was worth the wait :) Thank you all so much for your consistent readership and for your patience with me. As I said in the top A/N I still have a winter/spring of craziness to get through but I will at least try to update here and there if and when I can, if not this story then some of my shorter ones at least to get them all squared away. I'm starting to work on doing a little bit of original writing of my own and I'm trying to give myself a chance to experience and work with that as well, but nothing I have ever started here will be abandoned-if I begin it, I will end it, and I will end it to the best of my ability, guaranteed. Thank you all again for bearing with me :)

As for what's next on deck for an update...I'm considering writing a new (very short) chapter for my annual Christmas fic (I have an idea but I haven't tried to put it on paper yet so I'm not sure if it'll be good enough for me to add as a chapter-I don't want that story to get too drawn out just because I like updating it every Christmas XD) If I do like how it plays out though then it should be up sometime tomorrow probably :) Also, before New Year's I'm hoping to have a new chapter of my fic "Dinner AND a Show!" up for you guys ^_^

Thank you all and have a wonderful Christmas and end of the year! I love you all! Stay strong and be happy, and thank you all for your reviews and comments-you help make me a better writer by giving them and I am very appreciative of that.

Love and Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


	27. Snapshots

**A/N:**

Hello everyone. Thank you all so much for sticking with this story through my long gaps between updates, I sincerely appreciate it. LTBH is finally winding down. After this concluding chapter there will be an epilogue and then the whole thing will finally be done XD I hope it helps make up for the wait that this chapter is nearly **90,000 words.** I think it's also my favorite chapter I've written. I like where I am as a writer better now than I ever have before. Unfortunately, after this, I don't think I have any more chapters in me the length of the ones I've submitted for LTBH, at least not for fan fiction. I love being a fan and I love writing for all of you and for our favorite characters, but this much quantity takes a lot out of me. I'll still be finishing my current stories of course, I'll still be adding new stories too (for this and other fandoms in the future), but with more like 10 to 20 thousand word chapters, not 50 to 100 thousand. That'll let me enjoy the writing more, and give me energy to work on some of my own original projects. But I hope you'll all enjoy this last mega chapter from me. Despite the work, I've enjoyed crafting it a lot, and I'm very much looking forward to what you all think of it : )

The title of the chapter will make more sense once you read the forthcoming epilogue.

**Also, please note**—I'm aware that I reference certain intentions in here regarding TJM and The Patakis but that I deviate a bit from the specifics of those intentions. Since LTBH would technically be in an A/U from TJM (since Arnold is supposed to realize he loves Helga in TJM but in my story he realizes long before anybody goes to the jungle), I had to adjust some things to make this story work. I hope you guys enjoy what I've come up with to try and make everything fit together.

A special thanks to Uriel Manx for bringing to my attention a slight problem with the ending of the Chocolate Boy story, I've adjusted it to fit canonically with a certain HA! episode it references.

**Remember the Courtship chapters? Think of this as one very big courtship chapter with many stories XD Here is a list of the story titles in order for your reference:**

**Operation Slumber Party**

**Another Beach Story**

**Fou Amoureux (Crazy in Love)**

**Brainy's Girlfriend**

**Gerald and Phoebe and Love**

**Fifth Grade**

**Scenes from a Tree Top Balcony**

**Chocolate Boy**

**Christmas Presents**

**Nights in the Jungle**

**Sleepovers**

**Deep Voice and Long Legs**

**The Beginning of an End**

**Separation**

**Gods and Pigs and Old Friends**

**Decisions and Debates and Doing the Right Thing**

**Home**

**Cleaning**

**Just a Thought**

Thank you all again for your patience and your readership with this story and others.

**LEARNING TO BE HELGA**

**Chapter 27:**

**Snapshots (aka Take a Picture, It'll Last Longer)**

* * *

**Operation: Slumber Party**

"Phoebe, remind me again why I'm doing this when instead I could be relaxing and watching wrestling or bothering the heck out of my 'fiancée' with flirting?"

The question, out of context, sounded sarcastic, and yet Helga G. Pataki's casual tone and slight smile as she asked it of her best friend as the two of them proceeded to finish setting up Helga's living room for her soon-to-be-arriving guests suggested that she was being facetious more than actually lamenting tonight's all fourth grade girls slumber party: an event which she had set up last week during her and Arnold's revelation to all of their friends about their feelings for one another.

Phoebe smiled as she finished lining up some yahoo sodas on the coffee table, and replied simply to her best friend, "Because your anti-social tendencies have greatly diminished over the course of your mutual relationship with Arnold, and as a result you've expressed a stronger desire to connect more deeply and sincerely with our fellow female classmates than you have thus far in our lives." Phoebe shrugged, adjusting her glasses and straightening her red silk pajamas as she happily placed a few rather complicated board games alongside the sodas on the table and added, "Besides, you're going to wear Arnold out if you go on dates with him every single night of the week, Helga." She giggled a little.

Helga smiled more and let out a little chuckle too as she jumped into a reclining position on her sofa, straightening her purple nightgown a bit. "Eh, all I heard during the first part of that was 'blah blah blah—something Bliss would say, something that makes me sound like I've gone soft—blah blah'…" She grinned brightly. "Second part got through loud and clear though. Can't wear out poor Arnold at the tender age of ten—won't make for much of a honeymoon later on." She giggled and then held out her hand, admiring the little pink-stoned ring on her finger. She had told Phoebe about Arnold's little proposal—she figured that was acceptable. And though she had told Arnold that she didn't plan to wear the ring right now in their lives, she absolutely couldn't help 'trying it on' sometimes as long as only herself and maybe Phoebe were around to admire it. Helga adjusted her pink bow and straightened her pigtails a little bit, and then sighed girlishly at the sight of the little gem on the ring catching the light. "I'm completely holding him to that proposal, Phoebe. Ugh, I just wish I had a recording of it or that I'd at least gotten him to sign something in writing. Ah, well, I'll just have to rely on that nagging conscious of his and his inability to back out of promises." Helga was joking, of course—she and Arnold had already talked about the fact that if he wasn't pretty much gravely serious about marriage he shouldn't propose in the first place. But it was nice right now to smile and joke a little as she relaxed with her best friend before the slumber party in a room full of freshly made gourmet junk food (courtesy of Olga) and tons of monster movies (along with a couple of romantic mushy ones just to respect everyone's tastes) courtesy of Helga's trip to the video store earlier.

Phoebe sat down on the other end of the couch, smiling at Helga's comment. "If only your old parrot was still around, Helga. Then he could have heard the whole proposal and repeated it word for word for you whenever he felt like it."

Both girls looked at each other and then shared a hearty laugh.

Helga finally sat up after a few moments, wiping a tear of hilarity from her eye. "Alright, alright, but seriously though, it's probably time for me to put this thing away. Everyone's going to be showing up soon." She glanced at the clock on the mantle as she slipped her ring off of her finger. "Or at least they'd better be here soon. It's five minutes until eight, and Olga's only gonna be able to keep Bob and Miriam out of the house until eleven tops, and the last thing I need is them trying to 'pop in' and 'be part of things' while I'm meanwhile dealing with actually being a little social with our ragtag band of friends for once. Not to mention Olga has a very bad habit of randomly doing things that embarrass the heck out of me even if she really is getting better about it." Helga sighed and rolled her eyes. "But I figure since that movie she made Bob and Miriam go to with her is foreign and a director's cut and full of subtitles it should keep them busy for at least three hours plus. And by eleven everyone here should be practically comatose from brownies, cookies, pizza bagels, caramel popcorn, and yahoo sodas, not to mention a couple of movies. The timing ought to be perfect." Helga smiled confidently as she slipped her ring into the back of her now exposed and opened locket and then slipped the locket back underneath her nightgown and crossed her arms over her chest.

Phoebe nodded, resting back against the couch more. "An excellent plan, Helga. And it was very nice of Olga to be willing to take your parents away from home for a few hours this evening. Wasn't she looking forward to attending the slumber party herself?"

Helga nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, she was, but she decided to be cool and put that aside to help me out with Bob and Miriam. In exchange, of course, I had to swear to fill her in on every detail that happens tonight, and I'm sure her 'little sis' will be doing the same thing even if I don't, so that'll give her her fix. Plus I promised her that she could sit and talk with all of us at breakfast, provided she makes us some fancy gourmet breakfast grub of course." Helga grinned with a touch of smugness.

'

Phoebe smiled more. "Sounds scrumptious, Helga."

Helga nodded. "Yeah, and then after breakfast I figured you'd want to rush out to spend a long, private summer day with tall hair boy, so I called him this afternoon and told him to pick you up here at ten tomorrow morning and I said you were very excited to see him and also that if he was late I would pound him."

"That sound like a lovely way to—Helga!" Phoebe squeaked, turning away a little and blushing (though she smiled a bit nonetheless). She swallowed. "I-I just haven't had time to spend with him lately because of…well, um…"

"What, homework? It's summer vacation, Phoebe—nice try but try again." Helga looked at her with part of her brow raised incredulously. She had noticed for the last week that her best friend had been spending quite a bit less time than usual with her main squeeze, and frankly she wanted to know why. There didn't seem to have been a fight, Phoebe didn't seem mad or sad, after all…. She just seemed very shy when Helga observed her distancing herself from Gerald, and Helga really wasn't sure what to make of that, to be honest. To top off the weirdness, Phoebe usually shared everything with her, but she was keeping a tight lip on things lately…though Helga had a suspicion that…well… "You've been telling Arnold what the problem is but not me, haven't you Phoebe?" she suddenly said softly, looking at her best friend.

Phoebe instantly blushed more and didn't say anything. She just looked very, very shy. She glanced at Helga hesitantly.

Helga smiled a little, knowing what new things might be bothering Phoebe right now and waving her off about it. "Relax, relax, Football Head didn't tell me anything. But I couldn't help but notice you occasionally talking to him in private once or twice this week. Definitely spotted you two at the park once and one time coming out of Slausens. And you were frowning…and Arnold had that look of selfless concern her gets on his face when he's giving advice." Helga's tone became very sincere and she spoke softly to her friend. "Pheebs, you don't have to tell me what's bothering you if you don't want to. Will you at least tell me if Arnold's advice is helping you, though?" She half smiled a little. "It'll make me feel better to know either way."

Phoebe, feeling a little calmer now, swallowed and nodded. "Yes, he's…he's made some excellent points and he's been very kind to listen to me. I know I was putting him in an awkward position since the situation is regarding his best friend but…Helga, I don't mean to insult you or to leave you out of things, really." She looked at Helga sincerely. "I just needed to talk to someone who's…a little more like me, I guess. Quiet and shy and reserved. That's the perspective I felt would help me best, Helga." She smiled and added truthfully, "I do appreciate your perspective too, Helga, I really do…I just need a different approach at the moment, that's all."

Phoebe's problem was simple enough actually: she was very concerned that she might be quite in love with Gerald. Before their own little 'courtship', of course, she had just liked him very, very, very, very much; he had been a young infatuation for her. But now…he was so nice and the time they spent together was so special and the feelings she got, not even just from kissing him but from being around him, even just from seeing his face…. Sometimes she felt she would all but pass out from the fluster. Actually, she was starting to get quite afraid that if left alone with him for too long she might just snap inside and say something about her feelings or even do something about her feelings that would be too extreme for him to handle. And then she would feel so embarrassed and Gerald would probably feel so uncomfortable…She knew he was already starting to seem a bit uncomfortable lately now that she was starting to avoid him a tiny bit, but still Phoebe felt she needed to address her situation as thoroughly as possible before resuming full time dating with him. And Arnold really did seem like the best candidate to help her. He was quiet, shy sometimes, reserved, just as she had explained to Helga. Whereas Helga would have probably advised something that ended with going with your feelings and passions, which was helpful in a way…Arnold's guidance had appealed to Phoebe much more so far: waiting and thinking and talking calmly with Gerald. That was what Phoebe would do. She would start tomorrow afternoon, she had decided. After she left Helga's in the morning she would call up Gerald and ask if he would meet her in the park for a walk. Then perhaps she would apologize for her distance lately and try to explain her feelings to him just a little for now. Or at least she would work up as much courage as she could (and hope they were as alone as possible on whatever outing they chose) and then do her best to try talking to him.

Helga, meanwhile, seeing her friend in such deep thought, nodded to her in understanding. Sure, it frustrated her a tiny bit to be out of the loop here, but she knew that, much like Arnold, Phoebe too was a bit sensitive and needed to work things out in her own way, especially about something as potentially awkward as all of this romantic stuff. She smiled supportively. "Well, if anyone's the best to get advice from, it's certainly the Football Head. Good call, Phoebe." She put a hand on her shoulder. "I hope it all works out soon. I miss you and Geraldo being such a cute couple with Arnold and me. Besides, I like bugging him during double dates." She laughed.

Phoebe laughed a little too. "Thank you, Helga."

"No prob, Pheebs."

There was quiet for a moment and then Phoebe considered maybe trying to talk to Helga about everything. "Um…Helga? I—…."

_DING DONG. KNOCK KNOCK._

"Helga! I'm ever so certain I'm a few minutes early but I just couldn't wait any longer! I brought homemade muffins and new nail polish for makeovers and my copy of _That Oh So Special Someone_! Ooo I've been looking forward to this night all week! I'm ever so certain it'll just be the most special night ev—"

"Okay, okay!" Helga by now hadn't been able to help getting up and racing to the foyer, upon which she had yanked open the door, pulled Lila in, and then shut tight the door behind them. "Sheesh, Lila, tone down the excitement a little or the neighbors'll call the men in white coats to take you to the funny farm. We get it, we get it, you're here and you're happy, now make yourself comfortable." With a sigh and an eye roll, but a smile too nonetheless, Helga ushered her red-haired friend into the living room. She was happy to see Lila of course, yet she couldn't deny a bit of frustration at her sudden arrival, all things considered. _'Darn it, I think Phoebe was just about to spill. Oh well, maybe I can get her alone later before bed or talk to her tomorrow after breakfast. But at least she's got Arnold helping her, so I know she's in good hands. Hmm, that idea almost puts me in a mind to try talking to tall hair boy, see what his perspective is on all of this.'_ She shook her head to herself with an interested grin as she headed over to join Phoebe and Lila.

Phoebe, putting aside her sudden shyness and near readiness to confide in Helga, smiled her usual nice smile and gave Lila a small wave. "Konbanwa, Lila. I'm very happy you're looking forward to this evening, and I'm sure Helga is too. Are you enjoying your summer so far?"

Lila, arrayed in a mint green plaid nightgown, put her duffel bag full of clothes and blankets and a pillow down on the floor and smiled and nodded at Phoebe as she proceeded to take off her shoes and light jacket. "Oh yes, it's been ever so wonderful! Olga took me to the ballet and then she took Helga and me to the observatory outside of town, and Brainy introduced me to an ever so interesting series of paintings at the museum all about rural communities. Oh, and Helga invited me to go to the cheese festival with her and Arnold this year, right, Helga?" Lila beamed a little—the invitation had come out of nowhere, and she was ever so thrilled to get to spend time with both Helga and Arnold together. She thought they were so cute together, and it was so nice to finally have a real friendship with Helga and it was so nice to finally get to be friends with Arnold without him constantly trying to impress her or ending every single encounter with 'so do you like me like me yet?' It was going to be the best summer ever!

Phoebe blinked at this information and glanced over at Helga. "Helga, you invited Lila to accompany you and Arnold to the Cheese Festival this year?"

Helga nodded, popping herself back onto the couch and gesturing for Lila to take an easy chair if she wanted. Lila placed her jacket atop of her duffel bag and took the chair with a smile. Helga turned back to Phoebe and shrugged. "Yeah, well, Arnold and I spend enough one-on-one time together regularly now anyway, and I figured I owed it to her after the stunts I pulled on her and Arnold at the last Cheese Festival." Helga looked to Lila with a touch of sheepishness and added, "Sorry again I almost made you drown, Lila…and that I sat back and ate popcorn with a smile while I watched it happen."

Lila just laughed. "Oh it's okay, Helga. I'm ever so sure I was being a little dramatic at the time. It was only a few inches of water, after all."

Phoebe smiled a little more and asked Helga with a touch of humor, "So does this mean next year you'll invite Ruth to the Cheese Festival with you and Arnold to make up for—"

Helga stopped her right there. "Hey, NONE of my plans against Ruth actually worked, and she and her other training bra wearing friends can fend for themselves. I'm just doing Lila a solid, no other girls. Arnold can deal with them on his own if he wants to." She rolled her eyes and grinned.

Phoebe and Lila laughed. Lila looked to Helga again. "Oh Helga, it's really alright about the last Cheese Festival though. And it really was just an ever so shallow bit of water I fell into. This year it won't matter though anyway—Olga said maybe I could come to the beach with your family sometime this summer and that she'd teach me how to swim." Lila looked excited at the idea.

Helga actually laughed and grinned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, wow, okay, you two have fun with that. I'll be basking in the fact that I don't have to spend all of my time trying to keep Arnold away from manipulative beach bimbos, and also trying to wheedle Bob into buying us all at least one lobster dinner."

Lila giggled. "That sounds ever so nice, Helga. But if you have any time you can spare I wish you'd help me learn to swim too. Olga told me all about how she taught you how to swim when you were little, and how you picked it up so quickly that you used to run away from her before she could even get your little bathing suit all the way on you and just dive right—"

_DING DONG!_

"OKAY!" Helga sat bolt upright from the couch just as the doorbell rang once more, blushing and trying to look at Lila seriously. "Lila, no more stories of things that Olga ever told you about me ever, got it? Now I'm going to get that and new general rule—no one ever brings up anything about anyone that occurred before they were nine years old, minimum. Thank you." And then with a touch of embarrassment she dashed over to the front door.

Phoebe and Lila just shared a small laugh at Helga's shyness.

Helga, meanwhile, straightened her hair a little and took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit before she opened the door with a grin to greet whoever else was here now. Her eyes lit up and her grin grew as her gaze lit upon a familiar tall girl in a light jacket and a long nightgown with a flower on it, and another girl about her own height with a few blond pigtails that stuck out of her head at varying angles, and this second girl happened to be holding a small, clear, plastic 'cage' with a frog in it. "Nadine, Sheena, get the heck in here!" Helga gestured inside with a sweeping motion, and the two girls entered with smiles.

"Hi Helga, how are you?" Sheena asked politely in her slightly squeaky voice.

Helga shrugged, following after them. "Can't complain. I'm still wondering if I'm going to regret being as social as I'm going to be tonight, but what the heck, we'll see how it goes. How are you guys doing?"

Sheena smiled, putting down her things as soon as they entered the living room. "Oh I'm alright, Helga. I brought my juicer and some fresh organic fruit for drinks tonight to go with the sodas. I hope that's alright."

Helga gestured over to a seat for Sheena and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Probably a good idea actually—any more than three of those sodas in a row ever since I turned ten and I go into a major sugar crash anyway." She sighed and shook her head with a grin. "The things age'll do to you, huh?" Then she turned to Nadine. "And how are you doing, Nadine? Oh and who's your slimy friend?" Helga looked at the frog in the container.

Nadine smiled, taking a seat and setting the frog on a table beside her. "I'm alright, thanks, Helga. Oh and uh…" she rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I hope it won't cause any problems but this is sort of Sid's frog Sidney." She rolled her eyes. "He came to me yesterday saying that his frog wouldn't eat regular flies anymore and begging me to find a bug he would eat and to constantly keep an eye on him to see how he did with the new food, so I figured I'd better bring him along." Nadine shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "It was kind of weird actually. Sid sounded really, really desperate. Wasn't he, Sidney?" She glanced at the frog, which croaked in reply.

Helga thought it was a little weird too. But still maybe it was just…well…she had sort of suspected a Sid/Nadine thing at the back of her mind for a while now. She decided not to pry into that, though, and to just smile her approval of the frog. "Yeah, well, boys are weird, right?" She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, yeah, sure, the more the merrier. Hey, maybe we could even give the frog a makeover like we did with Harold that one time, remember? Ugh that would probably bother Sid and the other guys so much!" She chuckled at the memory.

All the girls laughed a lot, remembering that night too.

Lila looked confused though. "Pardon? I'm ever so sorry…. Is this a story from something that happened before I moved her? Oh I'd ever so love to hear about it!" She smiled eagerly.

Lila wanting to hear about that night just made the girls laugh together all the more. "I-It…" Helga started between deep laughs, "Rhonda had a slumber party a-and I wasn't invited…s-so I crashed it and was trying to be girly b-but it backfired." She laughed more and finally went on with, "Then the guys crashed the party, all of them, and we chased them down the street and we caught Harold and tied him to a chair and dressed him up as a girl and made him have a makeover. It was the best night ever!"

All the girls nodded and laughed.

"It was such a good idea I showed up to Rhonda's," Helga went on, holding her sides, "I was the only one who was strong enough to hold Harold down while we tied him to that seat!"

"Yeah!" Nadine added amidst laughter. "And then, Sheena, you got that dress slipped over his head because you're the tallest!"

Sheena nodded. "Yes, and then Phoebe figured out how strong the ropes would have to be to hold him!"

Phoebe nodded, laughing too. "Yes and then Rhonda coordinated his color palette and we got started!"

All the girls laughed even more before finally settling down. Lila laughed quite a bit too. "Oh I'm ever so certain that sounds like such an exciting night! How did it end?"

Helga wiped a tear from her eye and, calming down a bit now, answered her. "Eh, we only held him til like midnight, then we blindfolded him, snuck out of the house, brought him to Arnold's, I threw a rock at Football Head's window and then we all bailed. The guys were all over there having a sleepover themselves and the lights were still on. We'd figured they'd find him and bring him inside." She let out a big deep breath, still smiling away. "I don't think anything I ever do will ever top that party of Rhonda's."

All the girls nodded, Lila still seeming quite impressed.

"Hey," Helga raised part of her brow and glanced at Nadine, "speaking of the princess, where is RhondaLloyd? She definitely coming?"

Nadine nodded. "Yeah, she just needs to be fashionably late, that's all." Then she looked at Helga with a touch of meaning and added, "Have you…spoken to her much lately?"

Helga nodded, looking a little meaningful too. "A little. She clamed up a bit after the first major spill though. Not sure if she's planning to surprise me with anything again any time soon."

Nadine smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah…but I think she will, Helga."

The other three girls were interested, of course, in what Nadine and Helga might be referring to regarding Rhonda right now. But they also figured they shouldn't pry, and that what was being discussed was probably a private matter.

It was 8:05 by now, and then doorbell rang again.

Nadine smiled more. "That'll probably be Rhonda, Helga."

Helga nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised." She got up to answer it, and as she opened the door of course Rhonda Wellington Lloyd was standing there with a fancy black leather bag and a fancy long red nightgown underneath her own light jacket, her whole ensemble looking posh as ever. Helga just grinned at her, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, well, well, princess Rhonda, how the tables have turned." Helga smirked a little, leaning against the frame of her doorway. "Who would have guessed one day you'd be showing up at a slumber party at my house of all places—isn't life just screwy sometimes?" She laughed a little.

Rhonda smirked a little back at her, checking her hair in a small compact mirror and then stepping forward. "Yes, yes, the irony is simply delicious, Helga, now can I come in BEFORE I soil my new Cabrini slippers on your stoop?"

Helga, grinning more, just stepped aside and gestured within. "Whatever floats your boat, princess, whatever floats your boat."

Rhonda just sighed and rolled her eyes and stepped inside, though she couldn't help her smile continuing. She sort of liked Helga now—and not the usual occasional liking of Helga that she had felt during their lives so far. She sincerely liked her in a more permanent way now. That probably explained why she had gone insane last weekend and spilled her guts about the Curly thing to her for a good half hour right here in this living room after Helga's sister had dropped them off here following that 'one month anniversary' thing Arnold and Helga had had together.

Thinking about that memory made Rhonda grimace a little as she sat down now in Helga's living room. Perhaps she was starting to like Helga a bit, but could she really trust her not to spill the beans about her predicament or to go to Curly or to do some entirely worse third thing that would come completely out of left field? Yes, Helga seemed to take these romantic things very seriously and also, in a pinch, an appeal to Arnold to beg Helga for her kindness and mercy could probably help. But still it made Rhonda a little uneasy taking such a big risk regarding confiding in Helga and about such a big thing too. She really hoped that at least Helga wouldn't bring up anything about the Curly situation during the slumber party. "S-So, erm…is anybody else coming, Helga? Your sister perhaps or any of the older girls?" Rhonda did her best to ask as casually and as calmly as possible to her hostess.

Helga shook her head at Rhonda's question as she resumed her seat. "Nope, just us ladies, and my sister's actually got my parents out at a long movie this evening so that I can keep any bothersome interference or embarrassing moments to a minimum. Just us…oh and whatever guy we decide to go out and rope and hogtie and makeover this time around." Helga laughed and the other girls joined her.

Rhonda remembered the incident and laughed as well, feeling the ice start to break a bit. "Yes, well, if we needed it I'm sure you could get Arnold to come over here in a pinch." She smirked just a little, though it was friendly, not hostile at all, and she laughed a bit and the other girls did too.

Helga blushed a little but managed to maintain her poise and even her smile. "Nah, it wouldn't be any fun to do to Arnold—he's not nearly 'macho' enough," She actually laughed a little. "And either way I've put the poor thing through enough over the years, he deserves quite a few years of only the most mild prankage from me if possible."

_CROAK_

"Ugh!" Rhonda grimaced, glancing at Sidney. "Nadine, what is that frog doing here?" she asked in a touch of obvious disgust.

Nadine patted the frog's cage. "Oh come on, Rhonda, he's not so bad. He actually _eats_ bugs, for starters—I'd think you'd like that. Besides, I was just telling Helga and everyone that I promised to take care of him for Sid because he thinks Sidney's sick and he was kind of desperate about it." She shrugged, looking at the little frog with a frown. "I think Sidney's his best friend, isn't that right, Sidney?"

_CROAK._

Nadine smiled more at the little frog. "Just don't get loose when we get back to my room and eat any of my bugs and I'll be happy."

Rhonda just rolled her eyes. "You collect bugs, and Sid asks you to watch an animal that eats bugs. Nadine, dear, promise me you'll get that thing away from yourself and back to him as soon as possible."

"Sure, Rhonda," Nadine replied with a good-natured sigh, looking back to the other girls again.

"Aww, Rhonda, I think Sid's frog is ever so cute," Lila chimed in, smiling sweetly and holding her hands up as she clasped them together and gazed at the frog. "You're very nice to take care of it for him, Nadine." Lila giggled and glanced at Helga. "Helga, you should call Arnold and have him bring over Abner so that Sidney can have a friend."

Helga blinked at the suggestion and rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Oh please! First of all, the Football Head can take care of that pet pig he insists on having just fine on his own—believe me, he practically treats the thing like it's his baby. And besides, I've already had enough animal trouble in my life between the parrot and the monitor lizard."

Phoebe couldn't help but giggle at the comment, though the other girls looked a little confused.

Helga just waved them off, "Eh, it's a long, long, looong, story. If I ever get the urge to really, really humiliate myself but also to make you all laugh a lot in the process then I'll tell it to you one day. But until that day of girly gossip and intimacy rears its ugly head in my life…" and then she stood up, clapping her hands together commandingly with a smile, "We have snacks, we have drinks, we have movies and we have the house to ourselves. So let's shut up about men and wacky adventures and get to it then because I am starved for food and for entertainment. Phoebe, hit it!" Helga pointed to her best friend.

Phoebe nodded. "Hitting!" She then reached for a complicated remote, examining it a little and then pressing a button. Instantly the television came on, a tape sitting half in the VCR went in all the way and started playing, and then (with another press of a button or two) the lights dimmed,

"Ooo…" The girls all admired the sudden change in atmosphere.

Helga sat down with a smile, grabbing a bowl of popcorn. "Yeah, pretty boss, huh? I got the Football Head to rig up a fancy all-in-one remote for me just like he has in his room. And he didn't do a bad job if I say so myself—definitely got me a winner." She started munching and reached for a soda as she added, "I figured we'd start with a classic monster movie. Then we can try something girly if everyone really, really, really, really, really wants to. And…then if you all still want to, we can talk about boys and dating and junk…" She rolled her eyes with a smirk.

The girls all nodded and then grabbed snacks and drinks for themselves and gathered in cozy places around the living room to watch the TV and kick off their first official slumber party of the summer. And Helga tried not to 'hate' it TOO much…

* * *

A few blocks over, in the secret fourth grade bunker in the dump that Park ran and that had luckily been cleaned out of fifth graders ever since last trash can day, Gerald, Stinky, Sid, Harold, Eugene, Iggy, Curly and of course Arnold were all sitting together. And they were wearing very familiar get-ups of dark pants and sweatshirts, the occasional dark knit hat, and burnt cork under most of their eyes.

Arnold was trying very hard not to smile a lot. He figured he shouldn't seem like he was enjoying what was going to happen soon too much, though even the mere idea of it made him want to laugh. Helga was going to love this, he knew that. And the best part was that he knew Olga had taken Helga's parents out for the evening, so, as long as Helga didn't spill the beans (and he really doubted she would) and as long as they timed things perfectly, no one would be the wiser about this little prank of sorts he and the rest of the guys were going to pull tonight. And Helga thought he couldn't ever pull anything on her—oh he was going to show her. He smiled a lot more but managed to get it under control. He and the other guys were just killing time and going over details until 9 pm when their 'operation' would commence.

"Arnold, are you sure we should do this?" Gerald asked his best friend (for about the hundredth time so far) with a raised eyebrow as he tucked his tall hair into a long, stocking cap.

Arnold just nodded. "Yes, Gerald, I'm sure. I have a really, really good feeling about this."

Gerald, lowering his voice a little so none of the other guys would hear, just rolled his eyes and replied in a murmur, "If you ask me, I think you just want to see Helga in a nightgown."

Arnold blinked and cleared his throat and blushed and glanced away, still trying not to smile. "Gerald…" he said softly under his breath.

Gerald smirked a tiny bit, still speaking low. "Never mind, I'm sure you _already_ _have_ managed to see her with a nightgown on," he said, mostly jokingly.

Now Arnold couldn't help his smile growing. He just looked forward and gave a little shrug, recalling their one-week anniversary and coming back to Helga's room for a second time that night only to have found her already changed for bed. "Maybe…" he replied softly, but with a touch of pride, under his breath, and then he laughed a little to himself and walked over to the other guys, hearing the sound of his best friend scoffing and sighing behind him.

"Are you guys almost ready?" Arnold asked with interest, admiring their enthusiastic preparations. Everything was looking just as good as it had the night they had raided Rhonda's slumber party back at the beginning of the year.

The fellas nodded.

"Yup, I reckon so!"

"Boy howdy, we are lucky you're dating Helga, Arnold, because otherwise I'm pretty sure she would hunt us all down and kill us."

"I think this has the potential to be the coolest thing we have ever done as preteens. Ever."

"But WHY can't I free the animals for us to ride to Helga's house to crash the slumber party, Arnold? Come one, at least just the giraffes? The giraffes let you make a great entrance! Or can't I at least bring along one of the leopards in a cage? Rhonda says leopard print is in this year…"

"Arnold, Gerald's right—are you really, really sure we should be doing this?"

This last response came from Harold, who looked hesitant, to say the least.

Arnold nodded to him, still smiling confidently. "Yes, Harold, I promise, it'll be alright."

Harold scowled and frowned a tiny bit, speaking very matter-of-factly. "Because I'm NOT getting caught and left behind and forced to have some girly makeover again."

Arnold nodded. "I know, I know, Harold. And I promise, if they catch anyone I'll make sure it's me. Helga'll go a little easier on me…or maybe harder." He shrugged, not really sure. "Either way I'll make sure it's me they get, not you."

Harold sighed but nodded. "Okay. But seriously, Arnold, I don't get left behind or I'm gonna pound you." He wouldn't, obviously, but he was pouting and making the threat nonetheless.

Arnold sighed, though he still smiled a little and retained his calm manner. "Harold, I promise you can pound me if the girls catch you and give you a makeover. But…I can't promise Helga won't pound you right back if you do. Sorry." He shrugged sheepishly.

Harold just rolled his eyes and went back to applying burnt cork underneath them, grumbling something about 'Madame Fortress Mommy' and how this 'Helga and Arnold dating' stuff was very confusing to him sometimes.

Arnold just smiled and shook his head a little. "Thank you, Harold," He gave his friend a nod and then walked over to Sid. "Sid…?"

Sid—the only guy not in an obvious sneaking around disguise—let out a breath and smiled. "I'm all ready to go, Arnold. Sidney's planted and Nadine doesn't suspect a thing."

Arnold nodded. "Okay. And thanks for going in first for us, Sid. I'd do it myself but if I show up suddenly Helga will definitely suspect something. A-Also, I'm not really good at lying to her, so…"

"Arnold?" Sid started with a raised eyebrow and his head tilted to the side, "You're not good at lying to _anybody_."

Arnold gave a small laugh and blushed and rolled his eyes to the side a little. "I-I know. But it's worse with Helga. So that's why it's better that you go in first—at least you'll have a reason for showing up there." Sid would merely say he had come to collect Sidney—doing so would get the door open for the guys and would provide a distraction so that they could get into the house.

"No problem, Arnold," Sid replied with a smile. "Just, uh, make sure you're in there along with the other guys pretty quickly because if Helga realizes what we're up to and I'm all alone she'll kill me." He swallowed with a sheepish half grin.

Arnold just nodded in understanding. "No problem, Sid. You won't die, I promise."

Sid let out a deep breath, still doing his best to get himself frosty. "Okay. I can do this."

Arnold smiled more and shook his head a little to himself as he walked away from Sid to head back into the center of the crowd of boys. They all seemed as ready as they'd ever be now, and so he let out a sigh and then cleared his throat and spoke up to get their attention. "Alright, everyone, I think we can start this now. And thank you all for agreeing to do this with me. I know crashing a girls slumber party might seem a little…out of character for me maybe…" he smiled sheepishly and blushed a little and shrugged, "But—"

"Arnold, they found out you're dating Helga G. Pataki—nothing will ever seem out of character for you anymore to them. There's nothing you could pull that would be more out of left field than declaring your undying affection for that insane woman," Gerald had to interject dryly with a little smirk threatening to come to his mouth.

Some stifled and not-so-stifled laughs left the other guys.

Arnold just smiled more and rolled his eyes. "That's a good point I guess, Gerald. I've been…changing a lot lately, growing up a little. So I'm trying to try some new things and tonight is one of them." He looked to all of the guys again. "Anyway, I think this'll be a lot of fun, maybe even more fun than when we all crashed Rhonda's slumber party."

"Hey, that was only fun if you didn't get caught," Harold added with a frown.

Arnold nodded in understanding. "I know, I know, we'll have to be careful that no one gets left behind this time. Helga's a much more…well…um…as a hostess I guess she's much more…"

"Ruthless?" suggested Gerald, grinning more.

Arnold smiled and nodded. "Yes, she's much more ruthless than Rhonda. And also we've really got to make sure everyone's out of there before eleven because that's when her parents are supposed to come home and her Dad's…kind of…um…"

"Mercilessly protective to the point that he practically made you fear for your life that time he caught you taking a nap on his couch and letting Helga take a nap with her head in your lap at the same time?" Gerald really couldn't help himself and he even laughed now, and the other guys all went wide eyed and dropped their jaws but then laughed quite a bit too.

Arnold blushed very considerably and looked down, rubbing one of his arms. "Um…y-yeah, he's…he's a little sensitive about the Helga dating thing…" he managed to mumble despite his embarrassment.

"Arnold, you are becoming such a dog, it's fantastic!" Sid laughed out, wiping a tear from his eye.

Arnold blushed quite a bit more and looked away more. He had come to accept the bold romantic side of himself quite a while ago by now, but he had some hesitations about other people becoming aware of some of that side's more intimate except, of course, for Helga or maybe his best friend or possibly Phoebe if it was necessary. "Gerald…" he managed under his breath in a slightly chastising tone to the 'so called' best friend in question.

Gerald half smiled and said back sincerely, crossing his arms over his chest, "Sorry, man, I didn't mean to spill any beans. Just, uh, pre-operation jitters, I guess." He cleared his throat and glanced at the other guys. "Hey, come on, guys, cool it and let my man finish." The other guys finally got a little more under control and Gerald turned back to Arnold. "Continue, man. We're all listening."

Arnold swallowed and managed to smile a little again and look up. He did his best to just keep going on despite his fluster. "Th-Thanks. A-Anyway, that's why we have to kind of get in, do whatever we want to do to have some fun, and then get out before anyone can catch us or before any of the adults come back. And, like I was telling Harold, if Helga asks or gets angry with any of you, I take full responsibility for all of this so just send her straight to me."

The guys nodded enthusiastically. "That will not be a problem Arnold, that is definitely cool with all of us," Iggy affirmed with a thumbs-up.

Arnold gave a small laugh. He nodded. "Okay then. I think we can afford to take just another five minutes to get ready, and then we can all head out. Sid will go up to the stoop first to get the door open and to give us a distraction. Then half of us will sneak into the ground floor using the garage and surprise the girls and then in the confusion the other half can run in through the front door behind Sid. Any questions?"

"Just…one…" came a familiar wheezing voice, the sound of which was quickly followed by the sound of the door above them shutting.

All of the guys looked up, and Arnold blinked at who was descending to the lower floor of the secret fortress. "Brainy?" He half smiled. "I thought you said you didn't want to come because this was going to be too impolite and it was going to violate the girls privacy too much?"

Brainy sighed as he finally made it to the same level as everyone else. He took a few deep puffs of his inhaler and then put it in his pocket and replied as he caught his breath from the climb down. "It…is. But…if I don't help you all, I'll feel too guilty." He shook his head and let out a small sigh.

All of the guys looked a little confused, Arnold included. "Guilty about what, Brainy?"

Brainy smiled more. "About the thorough thrashing Helga is going to give you all when she foils this slumber party crashing scheme of yours, not to mention the thrashing the other girls will give you too."

All of the guys looked a touch uneasy for a moment. Arnold half smiled. "Brainy, we'll be okay—we've got a plan worked out and—"

"It won't work," Brainy said simply, putting a small satchel he had down on the floor.

Arnold blinked. "Why not?"

Brainy sighed and shrugged. "Because Helga alone is more clever than every single person in this room, including me a fair amount of the time, and I read encyclopedias for fun. All of you are in dire need of more assistance if you want this scheme to actually work."

The guys were starting to look like they agreed with Brainy. And Arnold couldn't even help but be a little bit interested. "That's…yeah, that's true." Arnold knew Helga was an evil genius, plain and simple. Maybe there really should be a little extra finesse added to this plan of theirs. "So what did you have in mind, Brainy?"

Brainy smiled and pulled some ropes and a few blueprints out of his satchel. "Oh, just some minor modifications." He opened the blueprints, lying them down on a table and looking over them as he spoke to the boys. "To begin, the garage and front door as entrances are acceptable ideas, but you need a quick and unexpected escape route in case Helga really is quite angry. The door is out—too obvious. The garage exit is perfect—ground floor, easy access. But she'll be reminded of that if you use it to enter. If you want to enter by some other way than the door then some of you will have to sneak into the backyard and enter by the back door if it's open, or you'll have to rappel up into Helga's bedroom window and head down the stairs to the living room." The guys all nodded at first but then looked a little uneasy—this was getting a touch complicated and…Helga's bedroom? Talk about a place often visited in one's nightmares. Brainy went on. "Secondly, and this is most important—Sid cannot be the only one to knock on the door first. You'll have to be with him, Arnold." Brainy glanced up at Arnold. "Just say you happened to be spending time with Sid when he decided he wanted to pick up Sidney. You're not very good at lying to Helga but you are the most excellent person available for distracting her and that's what you'll all need—to have her off her guard. Charm her a little, Arnold, we all know you know how." Some of the guys smirked and Arnold blushed a little but he had to nod to himself—that did make sense. "Third, all of you need a place to meet up if you have to bail from the mission because things go south. I'd recommend meeting here, or at least running to Arnold's. Absolutely decide which you'll be doing before you leave, and then try to split into two groups and take different routes to the same destination—it'll be harder for the girls to catch you. Once you're safe, enter and lock the doors. And if anyone gets left outside, I'd personally recommend hiding in a trashcan: I've always found that to be one of the most excellent hiding places." Brainy looked up at all the boys with a smile.

They all looked very impressed with him and were nodding and smiling.

Arnold went over to Brainy with an appreciative smile of his own. "Thanks, Brainy. All of that's actually really smart. We can go over the changes and then get started."

Everyone nodded.

Brainy smiled humbly. "Thank you all. And…I'll accompany you as far as Helga's house, though I don't know yet if I'll go in." Then Brainy swallowed and added, glancing up at the other boys, "Oh and one last thing to keep in mind…"

All eyes were attentively on him.

Brainy went on, trying not to look too sheepish. "Don't let the girls make you let your guard down. Arnold is supposed to be charming Helga—don't let yourselves be charmed by anyone in return. You let yourself get that distracted and then before you know it you're on the receiving end of a firm punch to the jaw or the equivalent. Just as a final warning."

All the guys blinked and then tried to roll their eyes and smirk though they couldn't help blushing a little. They were really starting to leave behind the 'yuck, girls are gross and have cooties!' stage, and it really was a weird transition for all of them.

Arnold did his best not to respond with too much warm laughter to Brainy's final (and very real) caution. Then he looked out to the boys and gestured for them all to come closer. "Okay, everyone, lets go over the changes a few times, and then we'll all head out." As the fellas moved in, Arnold wiped the burnt cork from under his eyes. Helga might be willing to let the darker clothing he was currently wearing slide as a trick of the streetlights or some random preference on his part for the evening, but burnt cork underneath his eyes was beyond a dead giveaway to her that he was up to something.

Arnold felt so excited as he went over the last details with everyone—and he felt another immense wave of appreciation in his life that his relationship with Helga had changed to such a perfect new means of give and take.

* * *

_DING DONG_

Sid and Arnold stood out on Helga's front stoop, trying to look as innocent as possible.

A few moments passed and no one answered the door, but the two boys could hear the sounds of movies and talking and laughter inside, and so they decided to ring again in case they hadn't been heard the first time.

_DING DONG_

"Alright, alright, crimeny, I heard you the first time!" Helga G. Pataki's familiar voice shouted out from deep within the house. Then the sound of her footsteps got closer.

"Arnold," Sid whispered, a big smile plastered on his face, "I'm freaking out a little."

Arnold, a pleasant half smile plastered onto his own face, just swallowed and whispered back, "I promise, Sid, Helga's really a very nice person deep down. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Yeah, that's what you said when we tried to take back Gerald Field from the fifth graders…and the time we became friends with MonkeyMan…and the time we tried to steal Wheezin' Ed's treasure off Elk Island…and the time we went to look for the ghost bri—Ow!"

The door handle was turning and Arnold had elbowed Sid to shut him up.

The door opened now and there stood Helga G. Pataki in her familiar purple nightshirt and with her familiar pink bow atop her head, and also a pale pink bathrobe drawn hastily over her shoulders. "Wow, when I told you pizza delivery guys to have the goods here in under 20 minutes or there'd be trouble, I didn't think you'd get here THIS fa—" Helga blinked, finally taking in who was actually standing before her on her stoop.

All three of them were silent.

Helga, eyes wide, just looked from Arnold to Sid to Arnold back to Sid and then to Arnold again slowly. Then she looked a little cagey and crossed her arms over her chest. "Arnold…" she nodded at him, "Sid…" she nodded at him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" She leaned against the frame of her door a little.

"Uh…" Sid started, then he swallowed and cleared his throat and just went for it, "I-I wanted to pick up my frog…f-from Nadine…b-because I miss him. Heh…" He smiled cheesily.

Helga's mouth twitched just slightly. Then she glanced at Arnold again. "And you're here because…?"

Arnold just shrugged, smiling more. "Well, I-I happened to be in the neighborhood, and can't a guy just want to say hi to the girl he 'like likes'?" Arnold smiled a little more. He knew Helga HATED that phrase, but obviously the two of them weren't going to parade around telling everyone that they were in love with each other—something like that still felt too weird, and they doubted their friends would understand yet anyway. Plus it was just fun to bug Helga with the 'like likes' thing.

And, indeed, Helga scowled and pouted just a little at his use of the phrase. "Oh shut up." She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. Then she leaned her head back a little and called out toward the living room, "Nadine! Chucklehead here to see you! And bring the frog!"

"U-Um, maybe I can just come in and—" Sid started bravely, taking a step forward.

Helga was a wall though. "Not a chance. Girls only. Stand down, go-go boot boy."

Sid took a step back instantly and swallowed. "Okay."

"Um…" Arnold stepped forward now, hoping to ease the tension and get things back on track. He smiled, remembering that he was supposed to be here to charm Helga as much as he could. "Sorry, Helga, we really don't mean to interrupt your party." He tried to look as endearing as possible. "We're really going to leave very soon, I promise. A-And, um, you look pretty tonight." He smiled sheepishly.

Now Helga just looked plain confused. Arnold did not flirt with her in public if he could help it. So why was he doing everything he could to flirt with her in public right now? She raised part of her brow at both of them.

"Helga, who's here and why do you need Sidney?" Nadine asked now as she suddenly appeared in the doorway with the frog in its cage in her hand.

Sid's eyes went wide. "Nadine, what did you do to his cage?!"

Nadine smiled and shrugged, holding up the cage as she moved alongside Helga in the doorway. "We all decorated it with little bugs made of craft paper. Oh and Rhonda added the glitter—sorry about that. Anyway, you can have him back now if you want, Sid, he doesn't seem to be sick anymore." She held out the cage.

Sid frowned and took the cage. "Aw, Sidney, it's okay. We'll fix up your bachelor-lily-pad good as new, I promise." He looked at his friend beside him a bit dryly and added, "Arnold, we're blaming you for this."

Arnold just sighed and replied calmly and sincerely, "I'll help you clean up Sidney's cage later, Sid, I promise."

Sid sighed. "Okay." Then he looked up at the two girls listlessly. "Thanks for taking care of him, Nadine," he added politely.

Nadine just nodded with a smile. "Sure, Sid. He wasn't half bad—he wanted to eat a lot of the bugs I caught over the last few days, but otherwise not that bad. And I guess that's a good sign, right? Seems like he's all better and back to normal. Well, anyway, see you guys around. Have a good night Sid and Arnold!" And then she returned to the living room. There was some more laughter from that direction and some sounds clearly from a fun movie.

"Alright, well, I'll see you when I see you, you couple of geeks," Helga said to the boys with a smirk. Then she glanced at her beloved specifically and added with a wink and a little extra smile to her smirk, "Arnold, stay adorable as always." Then she gave a quick salute to the two of them and stepped inside and prepared to close the door.

"Wait!" Arnold suddenly called out, stepping closer again and holding up a hand in hesitation.

Helga stopped in surprise. "What?!"

Arnold blinked. "Um…" Okay, this was starting not to go well. He'd had these visions of grand plans for weeks but no fantastic entrance was presenting itself, and he was starting to lose confidence in sneaking everyone in, and he was kind of starting to be nervous about his plan in general. Crashing a girl's slumber party? What was getting into him these days? And yet he wanted to, and yet he…he…Oh just hang it all! At least they had the emergency escape parts of the plan down pat (thanks to Brainy) in case they needed them.

Arnold instantly grabbed a walkie-talkie out of his pocket, pressed a button and spoke into it nervously. "Gerald, Plan B!"

Now Helga looked utterly confused as could be. "Arn—"

Instantly, then, cries met her ears, and then suddenly from the alleyways on either side of her brownstone poured every guy she knew in dark clothes and with burnt cork under their eyes, and they all charged up Helga G. Pataki's stoop and right into Helga G. Pataki's house!

Helga was only saved from being dragged along with them or getting trampled by them by jumping aside in surprise and conveniently right into a waiting Arnold's arms. Smiling, Arnold then ducked inside the house with her, still cradling her, and let the door close behind them.

Helga just clung to Arnold in shock for the moment, breathing heavily. "A-Arnold!" she practically squeaked, she was so flabbergasted. Then she looked at her beloved in bewilderment.

Arnold just swallowed, breathing a bit heavily in surprise too. What a rush that had all been! No wonder Helga had taken to crazy schemes so regularly over the course of her life—talk about a thrill! Finally, though, he got over his giddiness enough to manage a small sheepish smile to her and to reply in explanation, "U-Um…s-see, I can pull of schemes, Helga. Um…" from the living room there were sounds of screams and rampage and empty soda bottles falling and couch cushions being thrown around, and it made Arnold wince, "Well, I-I'm not sure if whatever's happening in there right now is according to the scheme's plan—I-I actually didn't think things out much farther than just getting in here. But, um…for what it's worth…surprise." He gave her a little smile and a shrug.

There was just silence.

The two of them remained in that silence for a few more moments as the chaos in the other room continued.

* * *

"I should destroy you for this, you know," Helga G. Pataki mused, trying not to smile, as she now leaned back against one of her living room walls alongside one of her favorite people (and one of the only football headed ones she knew.) They were watching the current chaos of the slumber party play out from a small place of peace together.

Arnold, beside her, just sighed and nodded with a small smile. "I know."

"I mean, destroy you in a really brutal way," Helga went on, adding some emphasis and glancing at him. "Like worse than that makeover Rhonda and the rest of us girls gave to Harold that one time. Like worse than the bunny pajamas thing. Like worse than the time you ran out of the house in teddy bear pajamas just because you couldn't handle a dream about being over the moon for me."

Arnold just sighed and nodded again. "I know."

"What I should do is start critiquing you as a boyfriend in front of all the guys and all the girls, but this time I should go for the personal stuff. I should tell them all just how much of a hot blooded, flirtatious, sensual little stud you really are behind closed doors…and on rooftops…and in tree houses…and in the alley behind the school and…Oh come on, Arnold, I'm not actually going to tell anyone any of those things, sheesh." Helga gave Arnold a playful nudge and smiled a little. He had been starting to look rather red in the face and overwhelmed, so she had figured she should maybe cut him a break. Besides, this whole 'crashing her slumber party' thing _was_ a little boss…and surprising—and she did like this unpredictable side of Arnold.

Of course it would have helped things if the chaos in the living room had died down at all yet.

Helga looked out to the living room again with a cringe. Girls were chasing boys, boys were chasing girls, people were climbing on other people's backs, some boys were trying to bail through the window and being dragged back inside, some girls were trying to dash upstairs and being blocked, pillows were flying, the TV was blasting, popcorn was being thrown everywhere—it was utter bedlam!

Helga just sighed and shook her head with a look of concern. "Boy, Olga's gonna have an awful time cleaning this up tomorrow morning."

Arnold had to laugh at that statement. It was so Helga. He looked at her. "As soon as they leave, I'll help clean up as much of it as I can before your parents and Olga get home, Helga. I promise. And I'll do my best to stay out of your way since your party will still be going on. Will that make up for everything?" He smiled sheepishly at her.

Helga just smirked a little back at him. "Only if you do the cleaning in a French maid's costume and agree to be our butler for the rest of the night, you great big lug."

Arnold blushed a lot and turned away but did smile quite a bit too. He even laughed a little, and then he glanced back at her. "How about this—cleaning, no outfit, your personal butler for one weekend this summer, and that'll get us half way there to making up for all of this."

Helga smiled back and then held out her hand. "You drive a hard bargain, Football Head, but it's a deal."

Arnold reached out his hand too and they shook on it.

Then Helga sighed deeply, turning back to the chaos, and finally moved away from the wall. "Alright, seriously, I've gotta break this up. Cover your ears, Arnold."

Arnold did so.

Then Helga took in a deep breath, put two fingers in her mouth, and finally let out a piercing whistle so strong it stopped everybody in the room and even made a few of them hold their ears and cringe.

There was silence then save for the occasional croak of Sidney.

"ALRIGHT!" Helga took a very commanding tone and slowly strode into the middle of the room with a dark scowl on her face, glancing around. "So, you fellas crashed my slumber party—well hardee-har-har and congratulations. You made it in and I didn't skin you alive in the process. And so now we're all trying to torture each other to get back at each other, and everyone's screaming, and there's food everywhere, and half the furniture's turned over, yada yada yada. My point is that this is lunacy!" She held out her arms wide.

Everyone looked kind of nervous and also maybe a touch ashamed.

Then Helga sighed and picked up some throw pillows and some of the pillows the girls had brought to sleep on. "If we're going to destroy each other, let's at least do it in an organized and mature fashion. Pillow fight, cage match rules, a good clean battle." She tossed half the pillows to the girls and half to the boys. "But we've gotta be done by 10:30 before my parents and sister get back, alright?" Helga smiled now out at the crowd.

Everyone blinked in surprise for a moment…but then all of them smiled and nodded and took up their weapons.

Helga grinned and picked up the room remote. "And a little music for fun…" She flipped through and found a decent dance song—some Ronnie Matthews remix (but with something undeniably _Yakety Sax_-ish about it). "Ready…aim…fire!" And then she ducked away as the pillows started to fly.

Helga nearly tripped as she just barely made it out of the crowd, but luckily Arnold came forward to catch her under the shoulders and hold her up a little.

She smiled down at him as he held her like that and as she held his shoulders in return for support. "Remember that night you confessed to me? You caught me and held me like this just before you did…" She blushed a little.

Arnold blushed a little too. "I remember…" He looked a little shy—sure, everyone was distracted right now but he and Helga were still in public after all. The idea of reliving such romantic moments right now made him nervous. "Um…do you want to join the pillow fight?" he asked her with a little shrug.

Helga just giggled and straightened up. "Actually…honestly, Arnold, I'd rather dance."

Arnold blinked, looking curious. "Dance?"

Helga shrugged and nodded. "Well…yeah. We really haven't since that April Fool's dance. And there's chaos going on here anyway. And it's my party, and you do still owe me." She held out a hand to him. "Come on, Football Head, let's cut a rug." She smirked a little.

A very intrigued looking Arnold smiled and nodded and took her hand. "Whatever you say, Helga."

And then they started.

It was strange but somehow they just worked so well when they danced. Even not doing anything set like the tango or anything rehearsed, there was nothing awkward, no confused hesitations. They moved and twirled and pulled close right at the right times in their little space near the pillow fight, and Helga laughed and all she said was, "Okay, this plus the other stuff makes up for your stupid slumber party crashing scheme entirely, Football Head."

Arnold laughed too, giving her a quick little dip and then pulling her up. "Thanks, Helga."

People did start to notice them eventually: the girls first, finding the sight interesting and sweet, and then the guys, finding the sight unusual and intriguing. Then the pillow fighting resumed, though everyone was getting a bit worn out so the whole thing was much tamer than before. Then dancing really didn't seem like a bad idea, and soon some other people were even joining Arnold and Helga.

Arnold noticed and moved himself and Helga more towards the center of the crowd.

Helga blushed a little, smiling more. "A-Arnold!" But she did go with it. She even laughed.

And then somehow another twist and a turn brought them very close together again.

Rather than move and dance more they just remained very close.

They were both trying to see about something with each other.

And then they swallowed and gently and briefly let themselves kiss.

There was a definite change in the atmosphere of the room as this action took place between them, which they both picked up on, though they waited a few more seconds before separating. Then they just stayed near each other, blushing a lot, glancing away, clearing their throats.

"Wh-What? Ain't any of you ever since two people who lo…l-like each other kiss?" Helga managed in a very mumbly and soft voice as she felt so many eyes upon her.

There were one or two light snickers and gasps and ooos of shock from some people.

Phoebe ended up making the party move again by doing the only thing she could think of: she went near Gerald (which was a lot for her considering some of her current awkwardness about him) and lightly hit him with a pillow.

"Ow!" Gerald said, rubbing the side of his head. Then he saw that it was Phoebe and got what she was trying to do. He smiled and then hit her back, and then, on a backswing, 'accidentally' hit one of the guys.

The pillow fight started up again, and so did the dancing and general merriment.

Arnold and Helga even danced a little more too before retiring to a quiet space behind the sofa and sitting down together. "Well..." Helga started, blushing and beaming, "We just got through our first public lip lock, I think. Not bad…No interruptions or cataclysmic cosmic rips in the fabric of space time or anything."

Arnold laughed a little, unable to help himself, and nodded sheepishly, likewise grinning and blushing away. "Y-Yeah, it went okay. Um…it was interesting to try at least…"

Helga nodded. "Yeah, to try…Um…we could do that sometimes if we want, but I'd rather wait for anything regular until we're a little older."

Arnold nodded. "Me too, I think."

Just then the doorbell rang.

Helga looked like she was going to panic.

Arnold put a hand on hers though. "Helga, that can't be your parents and sister. It's too early, and besides they wouldn't ring the bell."

Helga calmed down. "Oh…yeah. Probably the pizza guy." She brightened up a little. "Wanna intercept it and sneak it to the kitchen and pig out before anyone else gets to it?"

Arnold brightened up and nodded and laughed. "Whatever you say, Helga." He stood up and took her hand, helping her up. "Let's have some pizza."

Then they dashed to the door to claim their prize.

* * *

"Alright, goodnight, ladies, and have a good party!" Sid called out, waving behind him as he exited the Pataki household for the evening

"Yeah, and thanks for not getting angry with us, Helga—this was actually kind of a fun sleepover to crash!" Harold added with a smile and a wave as he headed down the stoop too.

"Yes, very cool shindig—you should try throwing some boy/girl parties, Helga. Now one of those would be the epitome of cool," Iggy chimed in as he left as well.

"Aww, do we really have to go?" asked Eugene cheerily. "This has been so fun, and I love all of your nightgowns, girls!" Still, though, he headed out to the stoop too—it was getting a bit late after all.

"Well, Helga, I've gotta hand it to you," Curly started, reaching out and shaking Helga's hand, "For someone almost as 'crazy' as I am, you sure kept a level head about everything and at the same time threw a pretty zany party. I especially liked when you threw everyone for a loop and went and smooched with Arnold on the lips in the middle of the pillow fight—you two wacky kids." He gave Helga a playful punch in the shoulder.

Helga smirked and laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, I just wanted to really mess with everyone for trashing my living room. Oh, and Arnold and I ate all the best slices from each of the three pizzas I ordered for the party. That was part of my revenge too." She winked.

Curly grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Very nice. I'd personally toss in some maniacal laughter too and maybe a mongoose or something, but to each her own I guess."

Helga just sighed and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever you say, you poor, twisted little freak."

Curly just gave her a salute. "Well, see you around, fellow obsessor! I—"

"Oh boys, before you all leave I just wanted to let you know that Helga and Iggy just now have inspired me, and I'm planning to have another boy/girl soiree of my own in a couple of weeks! I hope you all can attend!" Rhonda suddenly appeared in the doorway to make this announcement to the guys before they were out of earshot and while the mood still seemed ripe to accommodate a party.

Her announcement over, she suddenly found herself face to face with Curly.

She swallowed and took a step back, but did manage to refrain from making an excuse and popping right back into the safety of the living room. "Um…hi Curly," she said simply, managing to keep any malice out of her voice.

It was honestly a golden moment for Curly's obsessive love to shine—his Rhonda was right there, she had just (albeit indirectly) invited him to her house for a party, AND she was wearing a nightgown.

Instead though…. "Um…h-hello, Rhonda. P-Pleasant evening, huh?" Then Curly swallowed and gave Helga another quick wave. "Well, goodnight Helga. Say bye to Arnold for me." And then he dashed off.

Helga watched him with interest as he left. Then she looked to Rhonda.

Rhonda looked confused and unsure.

Helga half smiled. "Um…hey, at least he didn't come on to you like a leech onto a medieval sick person, right?" She shrugged.

Rhonda still looked just so puzzled though. "Yes, but…that doesn't make any sense." A touch of concern came to Rhonda's features. "Heh, I hope the little freak's not…broken or anything…?" Her tone sounded much more concerned than the actual question sounded.

Helga frowned a little. But then she smiled again. "Maybe he's just trying to give you a little space, not come on so strong…. Maybe he's hoping that you two can just be…friends first."

Rhonda glanced at Helga. "Friends?" She looked very curious. "I…Helga, have you been talking to Curly?" She frowned and scowled a little.

Helga shrugged again. "In general? Oh yes. In regards specifically to you? Nope, not at all." She shook her head. "I take my confidences very seriously, ask Football Head. Seriously, there are things he's done in regards to me over the last five or six weeks that would let me own him until Armageddon if anyone else found out about them. But have I told a soul? Nooo. Oh sure, I've hinted, I've implied here and there…"

"Helga…" Rhonda said seriously, wanting her to cut it out and really answer her question.

Helga just smiled and then sighed. "Look, all I've done is point out to him a few things about me and Arnold's relationship, and I've shared some of my experience and great wisdom with him about wooing members of the opposite sex. That is all, princess, I swear." She made an X over her chest with her index finger, crossing her heart in a pledge.

Rhonda just sighed, looking away. "Oh, fine, I guess." She looked after where Curly was walking away. "I just don't like him changing like that—it always worries me. It usually means he's going to try something unpredictable soon."

Helga watched Rhonda with interest as Rhonda just shook her head and then headed back inside to the living room.

Gerald popped into the foyer now, heading toward the door to follow suite with his friends. "Hey, Pataki, have a good night and thanks for not killing all of us for crashing your party." He winked at her and pointed at her and made a little clicking sound with his mouth as he stepped outside onto the stoop.

Helga made the same gesture back at him. "You got it, hair boy." Then she blinked and beamed. "Oh, hey, and wait, before you go…" She then slipped back into the house and closed her door for a moment.

About two minutes passed, and then Gerald heard some struggles nearing the front door…and some voices.

"Helga, I don't—"

"And Phoebe would like to wish you an extra special goodnight too!" Helga suddenly announced proudly as she door instantly opened and she popped her best friend out onto the stoop all of a sudden, and then quickly shut the door slightly behind her.

Phoebe just stood there out on the stoop in her pajamas, eyes wide, blushing brightly.

Gerald's eyes were kind of wide too.

He smiled though, looking at and talking to her warmly. "Hey, Babe." He gave her a wave. "Great party. Maybe I'll throw a shindig of my own after Rhonda's—of course, we'll have to padlock ourselves in the garage otherwise Jamio'll crash it and pile drive me into the floor." He laughed a little.

Phoebe managed a small smile, looking down shyly. "Y-Yes, of course…" she said softly.

Gerald let out a small sigh. He took a step toward her. "Babe…um…this might be a dumb question but…well, are you alright? You seem kind of 'reserved' lately, like more than normal." He smiled a little again. "Maybe we could hang out together again soon and you could talk about it if you want too?" He looked hopeful. It really had been at least a week since he'd had a date with Phoebe. At first he had just chalked it up to their schedule's changing as part of summer starting, but now he was sort of worried that something really was up with her or, worse, that he had done something wrong to upset her.

"O-Oh, I…" Phoebe took a step back, "Gerald," she looked up at him hesitantly, "It's not that…well…" Honestly, she did want to talk to him…but she did feel the need for a bit of transition first, and also for a much better situation in which to do so than a five minute window in her pajamas out on Helga's stoop with a bunch of their friends still right inside and a bunch of their friends still lingering right out here on the sidewalk. So she would start slowly… "Th-That would be fine, Gerald, but would you mind if our outing was actually a double date with Arnold and Helga? I-I promised Helga now that she and Arnold have announced their relationship publically that we would attempt a more non-covert double date sometime soon." She smiled sheepishly.

"Oh." Gerald blinked at the offer. "Well…" he smiled again though, understanding, "Alright, babe, that works for me. We could all go out to dinner or something to celebrate. Um…then maybe we could have some alone time afterwards though?" he tacked on unsurely.

Phoebe nodded, a small grateful smile coming to her lips. "I think that would be delightful, Gerald."

Gerald smiled brightly. "A-Alright, cool! Thanks, Phoebe." Then he gave her a little wave. "Alright, well, we'll work out the details later then. Have a good night! Um…your pajamas are cute." And then he turned and walked very briskly down the stoop and away from the house toward the fellas. '_I just told her that her pajamas were cute—I'm getting worse than Arnold._' He shook his head, feeling so embarrassed and yet happy nonetheless. It really had been a good night, after all.

Phoebe, meanwhile, couldn't help blushing as scarlet as her pajamas at his comment before then heading inside with a little soft, private smile. She thought him saying that her pajamas were cute might have been the single most adorable thing he had ever said to her yet in their relationship.

* * *

There was still a little bit of time until eleven, and everything was cleaned up already and a fresh movie was popped in the VCR and there were still plenty of snacks to eat, so the girls were settling in for the continuation of their sleepover.

"Wow, this really has been a fun party, Helga!" Nadine commented with a smile as she pulled a blanket over her legs and dug a hand into a bowl of popcorn. "You should throw parties more often."

Lila nodded. "Oh yes, I'm ever so certain you should, Helga. This has been such an oh too delightful night." She cuddled close with a rag doll as the movie started.

"Oh, I'll admit, it's had a certain…je ne se qua in regards to it so far," Rhonda added with a little smirk and a smile as she brushed out her hair on the couch.

Helga smiled as she reentered the center of the living room from the hallway, carrying another six-pack of yahoo sodas in hand. "Oh, quit sucking up. That's Arnold's job. And speaking of Arnold…" She put down the sodas on an end table and called out over her shoulder toward the kitchen with even more of a smirk on her lips, "Football Head, you done with those dishes yet? Come on, it's like twenty minutes to eleven—chop chop!" She laughed, clapping sharply at delivering the last two words.

After a second or two, Arnold finally did come out of the kitchen now, rolling down the sleeves of his sweater as he did so. "All washed, Helga—but you dry them." He tossed a dishrag at her. "That was the deal, remember?" He smiled.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes with a grin as she caught the dish rag and proceeded to head back to the kitchen. "Yeah, yeah. But we're definitely working out a better system for these kinds of things once we're hitched, Football Face." She shook her head.

Arnold stopped entirely and blushed distinctly. "Helga—" he started with a touch of concern. He did not want anyone else to know about the fiancée thing—and especially not every girl in their class.

Helga cut him off, though, with a casual shrug and smile as she passed him by. "Oh relax, Arnold, I'm joking. Sheesh, you take our relationship way too seriously. Relax a bit, Football Head. In fact, snag a soda and take a load off for a few minutes. I'll finish up the dishes quickly and then join you." She headed off into the kitchen.

Arnold let out a breath of relief—she was just joking, just doing one of her 'hiding in plain sight' things. And he _was_ kind of tired. And a soda _did_ sound kind of nice, come to think of it.

Of course, though, Arnold also realized that taking Helga's advice and relaxing for a moment would leave him alone in a room full of almost every girl he knew during a slumber party. Not that Arnold ever felt shy around any of them regularly, but these were special circumstances. Not to mention he had just been dancing with and kissing Helga in front of them.

Still, though, Helga would be back shortly, and so he thought he might be okay just for a little while.

Arnold quietly walked forward and took a soda and then sat down on the floor underneath where Helga's spot on the couch would be. "Um…hi, guys—u-um, girls." He blushed a tiny bit and smiled and tried not to be too awkward. "Sorry. Anyway, I hope the rest of the guys and me didn't ruin your party or anything. I guess the whole thing was sort of a silly idea, but we thought it would be fun." He looked around to all of them.

Phoebe smiled, seeing how slightly nervous he seemed to be at the moment and wanting to help him. "Oh of course, Arnold. It was quite diverting and a wonderful surprise tonight."

The other girls nodded.

"Hey, at least you guys did it right this time and not like at my last sleepover," Rhonda chimed in with a smile. "There you ruined the whole soiree atmosphere, but here it worked."

"Yes, Helga's lucky to have you as a boyfriend, Arnold. You two seem to get along together so well," observed Sheena with a smile.

Arnold smiled more and looked down with a little blush. "Thanks, Sheena."

The girls giggled. Nadine smiled. "And it was really nice of you to help clean up so much afterwards, Arnold, and to even wash the dishes for her."

Arnold swallowed, still smiling to himself, playing with the top of his soda bottle a little. "Oh, well, it just seemed like the right thing to do after making such a mess with the other guys. A-And there really were only a few dishes anyway…" he finished modestly.

Lila giggled then and added, "Oh Arnold, it's ever so cute that you're so very shy about liking Helga enough to plan something this big to surprise her. I'm just oh too sure she picked the best boyfriend when she picked you."

The other girls giggled a little more, and Arnold just smiled more and looked down more shyly, blushing again and rubbing one of his arms.

"Hey, hey, hey, little miss sunshine, I hope I didn't just hear you calling my man cute!" Helga, with a big grin, sauntered back into the living room. "That's my department now." She glanced at Arnold. "Arnold, you're cute." Then she looked back at Lila, hands on her hips and her smirk growing. "See?"

Everyone laughed a bit and Arnold just blushed all the more and managed to mumble a "Thanks, Helga" as he continued smiling away to himself.

Helga sat down next to Arnold on the floor, grabbing a soda of her own. "Seriously though, Arnold, I wish it wasn't so close to eleven. It'd be nice if you could stay, Football Head. Hang out with just us girls…Oh, unless that would make you seem even more girly to the other guys. Those chuckleheads." She rolled her eyes with a smile as she took a swig of soda.

The scarlet in Arnold's features softened but still remained, and he looked at her. "Helga…" He shifted uncomfortably.

The other girls giggled again and Helga just took his hand and squeezed it. "Alright, Arnold, I promise I'm not going to embarrass you about what the guys said last night…about you being all sweet and demure and ladylike and how it looks like you wear a skirt."

Arnold gave her the tiniest little nudge, though he was still smiling mostly so Helga kept smiling too. Then she shrugged and glanced at the TV and added, "I may embarrass you, though, with some of what_ I_ said last night—about how great of a catch you are, not to mention very boyish when you get down to it."

Arnold just rolled his eyes now and tried not to laugh.

"Aw, Helga, you stood up for Arnold as a boyfriend to all the boys? That sounds ever so sweet," Lila cooed.

Helga nodded in her direction. "Yup. Told them all he was cute and nice and a great catch overall. Plus I lo-… 'like' like him so, you know, there's that." She laughed.

"Helga, I'm going to have to leave early if you keep this up. I'm really starting to get embarrassed," Arnold couldn't help but observe. Then he sighed and added, "And you're cute too." Then he kissed her cheek.

Helga just sat there wide-eyed and blushing. The girls laughed warmly again.

The sound snapped her out of it, and then Helga grinned and snuggled in a little close beside Arnold on the carpet. "Shut up and watch the movie for the ten minutes you have left here, Arnold."

"Whatever you say, Helga," he replied simply. He let himself snuggle a little alongside her too.

The other girls admired the cute sight.

The movie was getting good, so most of the room's attention went there now.

A few minutes passed, and then Helga mumbled to Arnold, "Didn't this whole thing involve breaking that promise to my dad you made about no sneaking in?"

Arnold smiled a little and mumbled back. "I didn't sneak in. You invited me in. The other guys snuck in. And either way the promise was about no sneaking _out_ with you."

Helga smiled a lot. "Very clever, Arnold."

There was a pause and then she lightly sighed and added, "You know, if Olga and my parents really do pull up outside early or something, there'll be no way to get you out of here from this floor. You'll have to get up to my room and bail out the window."

Arnold just nodded. "Okay, Helga. I will. I'm used to it by now anyway."

She laughed a tiny bit, though she kept it very low.

"Hey Arnold?" she then asked, this time in a very soft whisper.

Arnold nodded and whispered back, "Yes, Helga?"

She then said as breathily as possible so that only they could hear, "I love you. Not just 'like' like, like we keep having to say to everyone. I love you."

Arnold blushed a little and whispered back, "I love you too."

"But you're lucky I don't critique every boyish charm you have right here and now to make up for one upping me like this, Football Head."

Both kids shared a laugh now and the movie played on. Then Helga's sister and parents did come home a few minutes early (not to mention Arnold and the girls had started to get distracted with the movie and lost track of time a little), and Helga distracted everyone long enough by feigning panic to let Arnold sneak up the stairs and out to safety. No one could be the wiser.

It really had turned out to be a wonderful slumber party and a promising start to the summer…and to Arnold and Helga's mutual, open courtship together.

* * *

**Another Beach Story**

_HONK! HONK!_

Arnold Phillip Shortman, hearing the perky horn of his ride honk outside one more time, double checked to make sure he had everything for the summer outing he was currently about to go on. He was already in his red plaid bathing suit and had a green t-shirt on as well as a pair of brown sandals. He opened the small beach bag he had and looked inside. '_Towel, sunblock, sunglasses, money_…' Seeing everything there he glanced up and approached his front door to exit the boarding house. "Bye Grandpa!" he called over his shoulder as he opened the door. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Oh!" came Phil's voice as he suddenly stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway very quickly with a smile. "Alright then, Shortman. You and Helga and her sister have fun!" He winked at his grandson cheekily.

"Thanks, Grandpa," Arnold replied with a small smile, trying not to blush…and especially trying not to blush as he hesitated for one more second before exiting to his front stoop. He swallowed and added to his grandfather, "Oh and like I said I probably won't be home until tomorrow…I mean, we'll be getting back kind of late and I'll be eating at Helga's house anyway so she said it'd probably be okay if I slept in her living room tonight."

"Right…" Phil just gave Arnold a sly look, crossing his arms over his chest. "In her 'living room'…" He made air quotes around the last two words.

Arnold blushed very hotly and looked away shyly. "Grandpa! I told you…her ending up spending the night in my room two weeks ago during our anniversary was an accident…She just fell asleep and I didn't want to wake her up, so…"

"Right, right…" Phil rolled his eyes and put up his hands, more than familiar with 'the story', "So you put her in your bed and slept on the couch…And then somehow the next morning when me and your Grandma came in to check on how your date went and why you hadn't come down to breakfast yet, you two were under the covers and cuddled near each other on your couch totally by accident…Do I have that right, Arnold?" He was doing his very best not to laugh but…it had been a hilarious situation to catch the kids in, to say the least…especially when they had jumped in surprise at being suddenly interrupted and Helga had fallen upon the floor with a small scream and Arnold and turned bright red as can be as he calmly tried to handle the embarrassing situation.

Arnold meanwhile, continuing to blush, just sighed and rolled his eyes back in the direction of the stoop. "Goodbye, Grandpa…I'll see you in the morning…"

"Heh, heh, heh!" Phil finally had to give in to some chuckles. "You do that, Arnold. But just don't let Bob Pataki catch you cuddling in your sleep with Helga tomorrow morning or you'll have to have a jailhouse wedding with the girl in the future if you want Bob to give her away since after he finds you asleep with her, he'll probably try to kill you!"

Arnold just finished closing the door behind him, thankfully muffling his grandfather's next bout of laughter. Getting caught cuddled next to and holding Helga in his arms while the two of them had been in their pajamas under the covers on the couch and totally alone after their anniversary weekend had been about the most embarrassing thing ever…and he really didn't want to relive it right now. Sure, his grandparents really had understood and it had been a special occasion…and also who could feel funny about reposing near the woman he had promised to marry that morning… But still, it had been a very intimate experience for Arnold and one about which he didn't do too well with having jokes made.

It was also an especially awkward experience to think about since, as he recalled with a smile as he saw Olga wave from her car's driver seat, he was leaving right now to spend the day at the beach with Helga…and maybe, though he wasn't about to admit it to anyone including his grandfather, he and Helga had been talking and they had some plans of their own for the sleeping arrangements tonight…

"Hi Arnold, sweetie!" Olga called with a cheery smile as Arnold approached the car. "You can just put your stuff in the trunk—Helga?" She then seemed to look over her shoulder into the back seat with a very sly smile. "Why don't you get out and, um…help Arnold. You know the latch always sticks on my trunk…" She had this look on her face that couldn't help but remind Arnold of that time so many, many weeks ago when he had knocked on the Pataki's door to return a book to Lila only to find himself on a surprise first date with Helga…And thus Arnold couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity at whatever this observation might mean…

His suspicions that something was up were only further confirmed by the reply Olga got to her request from her sister who was obviously slouching in the back seat since she couldn't be seen by Arnold, though her voice rang out pretty clearly. "_Olga_…Oh fine…I guess…Mary freaking Sunshine princess…"

Arnold was very intrigued now, to be sure.

The sound of the other side of Olga's passenger door opening and closing met his ears. He waited patiently and with interest as he heard the footsteps of Helga obviously walking around the front of the car to meet him…

They hesitated for just a second though, Helga still out of sight. "Hey, uh…Football Head?" came her voice now.

"Uh…yes, Helga?" Arnold had to half smile…. What was with all the build up?

He heard her clear her throat. "Uh…could you do me a favor and just…close your eyes for a second?"

Arnold tried seriously hard to fight back a chuckle as he replied with, "Helga, is this another lip gloss thing?" That whole incident seemed like it had happened so long ago even if it was only barely over a month behind them. It would always be such a funny and amusing memory to him though.

A very exasperated sigh came rom the other side of the car now. "NO! Doi! Just do it already, Arnoldo! Crimeny…"

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes at her defensiveness.

"Please Arnold," Olga looked at him sincerely, "She's a little nervous, I think, and—"

"OLGA!" Helga yelled from the other side of the car, causing Olga's head to whip around in that direction. "For Pete's sake, maybe I don't necessarily want him to know every single freaking emotion I'm feeling at the moment!"

Olga just smiled. "Okay, okay, sorry, baby sister…" She turned back to Arnold. "Anyway, Arnold, ple—" She stopped at the sight of Arnold just standing there smiling, his eyes already closed politely.

"Okay, Helga," he called out to the girl on the other side of the car. "My eyes are closed… Will you please come 'help me with the trunk' now?" He did his best not to laugh at the obvious excuse for just letting Helga come out and see him, however she might look right now or whatever she might have to show him.

He heard Helga give a sigh that a mixture of nervousness and frustration. "Okay…Ugh…"

A few more light footsteps met Arnold's ears, and then they slowly ceased somewhere not too far from him.

"Alright, open sesame, Arnoldo…"

With a small laugh at the command Arnold opened his eyes…

She was standing there in an actual bathing suit for once, not just pink shorts and a white tank top like he had seen her in the last time they had been at the beach. No, this was a regular, full pink bathing suit, and with a little thin, white wrap around her waist. And she had her hair tied back in a loose bun and white sandals upon her feet.

Arnold blushed, unable to help doing so…After all, he had seen female friends in bathing suits before. But this was just…different in a way. Very different, actually. He understood now why she had been nervous—he had never seen her specifically in a normal bathing suit, and never ever when they had been in love.

He imagined she must be terribly self-conscious. He knew he was going to be a little once they were at the beach and in the water. But it didn't seem as bad for him since Helga had seen him in a bathing suit a few times before.

He noticed her looking down now, digging one of her feet into the sidewalk pavement. "Take a picture, it'll last longer…" she mumbled under her breath to him with a small half smile.

Arnold swallowed and finally found his voice. He approached her, gripping his beach bag a little more snugly by the handle in his hands. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Um…you look nice, Helga. Is that bathing suit new?"

She sighed a little, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, unable to help it. "Yeah. I got it when Olga took me shopping last month. I usually don't go swimming much so I didn't have a regular bathing suit…but then I figured I might as well get one, just in case. Like for days like today." She looked down, feeling frustrated and slightly embarrassed. She wished the big deal about her outfit for the day could just be over and done with already.

"Are you comfortable in it?" came Arnold's quiet voice suddenly to her ears.

Helga's eyes went a little wide and then softened. Only Arnold was that considerate and intuitive. She smiled more. Then she looked up at him again. "Yes. I like it actually. And it'll be nice to go swimming this time at the beach." She blushed a little and shrugged. "I just get nervous about you seeing me in new things sometimes, Arnold." Then she swallowed and, before he could answer, she had walked over to Olga's trunk and opened it up. "Um, you can put your things in there, Arnold. Then you can come have a seat in the back with me." Her smile grew a bit more and she slipped around the back and into the car, closing the door behind her.

Arnold did not move to put his things in the trunk at first though. He merely looked toward where she had disappeared into the car, a pensive sort of look on his face. On the one hand, he knew Helga would have told him the truth and said she wasn't comfortable in the new bathing suit if she really wasn't—in fact, she probably wouldn't have worn or bought it at all if she had really been uncomfortable with it. So Arnold knew she was okay about the new outfit. On the other hand, he understood her nervousness, her slight awkward fluster. The physical thing, the bodies thing…that was still a very sticky point for them (not to mention they were right on the cusp of the most awkward age to be considering it). She probably felt a little too exposed, and that could be unsettling regardless of whether or not a person was comfortable with what they were wearing…And it didn't help either of course that she knew Arnold saw her in an attractive light. He felt kind of the same way, considering that they were going to the beach and everything…He had a bathing suit too after all.

Arnold got a little idea then to help Helga. After all, he probably couldn't make her nervousness go away, at least for a little while, but he could join her in being nervous so that she wouldn't have to feel alone.

* * *

Meanwhile, Helga had been just sitting in the back of her sister's car with her seatbelt on for a good five minutes now after having invited Arnold to come inside. And she had never been a patient woman. With a slight scowl she sat up a bit, trying to peer out the opposite passenger side window to the place where she had left Arnold. "What is taking him so long…?" she mumbled to herself. "Hey, Football Head!" she tried to call out of the half opened window now. "Come on, I wanted to watch the sunset on the beach, but I didn't want that to be the _only_ thing I got to do at the beach! We're waiting!" She sighed and sat back a bit, crossing her arms over her chest again and rubbing one of her temples. '_Somebody just get me there with A/C blasting the whole way, then get me to a beach umbrella with a tall Shirley Temple and nothing to do. Maybe I shouldn't have worn the actual bathing suit and should have just stuck with the shorts and shirt—we're both going to feel awkward today and all I wanted to do is relax with my beloved in the surf and sand and—'_

The sound of the opposite car door opening, the car shifting with the weight of someone new getting in beside her, and the sound of the opposite car door then closing snapped Helga out of her thoughts. She sighed softly, slumping down in the car's leather seat. "About time, Arno—…_HmmMMM_, _A-Arnold_…!" The second she had laid eyes on him, her words had caught in her throat and she hadn't been able to help the soft exclamation of his name and then turning away with an awkward blush and clearing of her throat.

The silly boy had gotten into this car beside her without a shirt on, of all things.

Yeah, sure, Helga had expected that would be a part of today, of course, since they were going to the beach and Arnold clearly wasn't going to need a shirt the entire time for that. And she had seen him like that before. Very nice to look at, but manageable. She had just never seen him like that sitting right next to her and also in love with her at the same time, not to mention she hadn't been expecting him to just…well, freaking get in the car like that! No warnings, and her sister was in the front seat (though Olga had promised to give them both as much privacy as possible, and, hey, having her as a driver beat having Miriam or Bob as a driver any day). The point was she was really not in the mood to be flirted with just yet. Maybe later at the beach near some sand bar or on some secluded dock or after building a sand castle and getting some ice cream but not right now.

Arnold just swallowed and smiled humbly, trying to keep himself from blushing. This definitely felt as awkward as he had imagined it would, but still it was manageable…He hoped it would be manageable for her too. "Alright, Helga, I'm all ready to go…" he replied softly, putting on his seat belt.

"Alright, baby sister and Arnold, I'm taking off then. Oh this is just going to be the most wonderful summer day ever, Helga!" Olga giggled, and then the car moved away from the curb and started down the street.

Meanwhile, a still rather intrigued Helga just glanced at Arnold, giving him a sort of confused and scrutinizing look. She didn't even say anything, she just waited for an explanation.

Arnold swallowed and shrugged. "Wh-What?" He smiled a little more.

Helga's look got a bit dry. The two of them were speaking quietly now to keep it so that only they would hear each other. "Okay. I can't believe I'm saying this but where's your shirt and why isn't it on your body?"

He looked down a little, shrugging. "Because we're going to the beach, and it's hot…"

She just kept looking at him though. She knew his actions were a bit more deliberate than that, and he knew that she knew that. "Arnold…" she blushed a little, "Another thing I can't believe I'm saying, but couldn't you have waited…just a bit? You know how I feel about you…all the parts of you." It was really hard for her not to look at him like this. The thundering pulsations it sent through her heart to do so were very pleasurable to say the least.

Arnold blushed a little more. He understood now: she thought he was flirting… He moved a little closer, glancing at her. "Oh. No, Helga, I didn't mean to…well…Since you were looking a different way around me today, I didn't want you to be alone with that so I thought it might be good for me to look a different way around you too, especially if I was going to once we got to the beach anyway. I thought it might make things less awkward." He watched her blush softly, her eyes wide, though she didn't say anything back. Then he frowned a little and added sincerely, "But if you want me to put the shirt back on if you don't feel comfortable right now, I can ask Olga to stop for a second and then get it out of the trunk agai—"

Arnold stopped at the feeling of Helga suddenly moving up alongside him and laying her head on his shoulder.

He heard her sigh softly. "Sorry. Your godlike grace overwhelmed my better judgment once again, my beloved. You were just trying to make me feel more comfortable." She smiled and laughed warmly to herself. "Do-gooder little shrimp."

Arnold, though blushing quite a bit from her sudden contact, sighed and smiled, his gaze going half lidded. He put one of his hands over one of hers. "_Are_ you more comfortable?" he asked softly.

Helga nodded. "Absolutely, my darling. Absolutely."

Arnold smiled warmly. "Good. Me too."

* * *

Though they had been speaking very softly, and though the engine of her car made a bit of noise as she drove, Olga had been able to hear the better part of what had been said between her baby sister and Arnold. And though, since they had been a little vague and she had missed a few words, she hadn't understood all of the details of the situation, it seemed like overall Helga had still been nervous about her bathing suit and Arnold had done something to make her feel better and more comfortable. And they seemed very happy now.

Olga knew her parents had some small reservations about Arnold and Helga's relationship (Bob especially)—they didn't necessarily entirely care for the exclusivity or the intensity or the passionate quality of the feelings of the two ten-year-olds. The children seemed awfully young for that kind of interaction, and it worried them a bit, especially since, to their observational skills, Helga had never shown the slightest interest in boys until all of a sudden over these past couple of months. They knew Arnold was nice and they knew Helga wasn't a pushover, but they would have preferred a little preteen crush (whether it had turned out to be the only one in her life or the first of many) to whatever it was that seemed to connect Arnold and Helga so deeply and so thoroughly. Or at least they would have preferred to have them both be about another ten years older before finding a relationship this deep with one another. Heck, even another five years would have taken some of the edge off of their worry and slight confusion about their daughter's affection for Arnold.

Olga disagreed though.

She saw Arnold care for her sister in a way that surpassed the capacities of most men even her own age that she knew. He was sincere and attentive and intuitive, and he never did stereotypical things that seemed like they 'should' make her baby sister's problems better and then expect her to be better…He actually thought about what Helga might want and need as an individual and did his best to provide that for her and to respect her reactions to his actions. And in Helga, Olga saw a girl care for a boy in a way that, though she blushed to admit it, she herself couldn't claim to have mastered yet. Helga didn't just obsessively pour herself into Arnold, she didn't do everything to please him and look for faults in herself upon failing at such a task. She didn't seem to base her value as a person on her relationship with Arnold, and she didn't seem to have chosen him for any sort of superficial or selfish reason. Helga could still be very tight-lipped with her big sister about her true romantic feelings, but what Olga saw in her was a young lady who cared for another person based on who he was as a person. Helga clearly found Arnold attractive, yes, considering all the blushing and swooning she did around him, but that attraction stemmed from her love and not the other way around. Helga also fascinated Olga in how true and serious she could be regarding her feelings for Arnold. Helga did not love lightly…Olga always sort of had, she knew many other girls and women who did. But not Helga. And perhaps loving that deeply and thoroughly was overwhelming and even frightening to some people…but Olga also suspected it was the only true and real way to love. She suspected that loving lightly would always lead to a lot of problems. She had seen it lead to a lot of problems. It had almost led to some problems at least once in her own life. Furthermore, despite how very deeply she cared for Arnold (and Olga could tell from the passion and sincerity in her sister's voice when she spoke about him that she did care for him very deeply), she maintained standards regarding him. Helga had shared with Olga so far a small story or too—silly things her sister had done to try and impress Arnold like pretending to have interests in things that bored her to tears or even dressing up like another girl he had liked once…Things not unreasonably expectable from a young and potentially vulnerable kid in love for the first time. But instead of not seeing why those choices had been mistakes or making such mistakes again, Helga professed to have learned greatly from them—she and Arnold would care for each other on their own mutually respectable terms or she would not be cared for by him at all. Even the new outfits or new things she did with her hair or appearance now weren't for Arnold, they were just for her, to grow and experiment a little and try new things as she felt ready. She appreciated the value of being your own person and putting that freedom over pleasing another person just because you so very much secretly wanted them to be pleased with you. Olga thought that was very wise. Olga knew she still didn't understand how to do that in her own life. She pleased her parents. She pleased her school. She pleased her educational employers. She had even pleased that fiancée she had had once. She just wanted everyone to like her and be pleased with her, even if she didn't like some of the things she had to do to win that approval. But now that she had graduated she wanted to work on that a little. Helga would be an excellent example to follow.

Come to think of it, Olga just wished that another ten years or so would pass because she wanted to talk to Helga about all of these things, but she couldn't bring herself to try discussing them with her baby sister when she was only ten-years-old. But she wanted to one day. Helga had great judgment and deep wisdom, and Olga knew that and wanted to share in it with her, and to share anything with her baby sister that Helga might find helpful at some point in her life, regarding love or anything else.

Olga also respected very much how Arnold and Helga's relationship was about mutual benefits for themselves and each other, just like whatever the situation was that had just occurred in the back seat. They gave each other something good when it was needed. Olga thought it was beautiful.

But, really, she was not going to overwhelm her little sister now in her life with all of these things. She was just going to drive Helga and Arnold to the beach, maybe let herself get a little bit tan (an option not really available in Alaska), then buy them all dinner and ice cream and drive them home. And she had a feeling something was going on with her sister and Arnold tonight, but she would cover for them, whatever it was. And then later she would just let Helga know later that as long as whatever they did wasn't dangerous or over the top with bending the rules Olga would be happy to cover for them in the future.

Olga turned onto the expressway and pretty soon they were over the bridge and out of town, heading to the shore.

* * *

Arnold and Helga remained very cozy and comfortable throughout the car ride. They also remained quite content and happy together throughout the day as they walked on the beach, played in the surf, took part in a bout of expert sandcastle building, and went for a few strolls up and down the boardwalk followed by eating a fun seafood dinner and ice cream before the sun finally set and Olga finally took them back home.

* * *

Later that night…after returning from the beach and Helga wishing Arnold 'goodnight'…only to have him double back, sneak into her backyard, sneak up her tree and finally sneak into her room…

"Helga I already told you—I am sleeping in the sleeping bag on the floor, not in your bed with you. Absolutely no way." Arnold, his bathing suit still on and his green shirt now too, looked at Helga firmly as he knelt on the floor by her bedside, though he was trying to hide a smirk.

Helga, her bathing suit still on as well but with a white shirt and pink shorts over it for now ever since they had eaten dinner earlier, just let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, removing the second pillow from her bed and finally grabbing the rolled up sleeping bag she had snuck up to her room for Arnold a few days in advance. "Oh fine, you great big stick in the mud." She unrolled the sleeping bag and laid it upon the floor and then placed the pillow at the head. "It was worth a shot…" She sighed. "You just get into your pajamas and you can sleep on the floor…"

Arnold sighed and grabbed the bag with pajamas and a fresh change of clothes that he had likewise left here a couple of days ago during one of their dates. "Okay, I'll just go change…. Be back in a second Helga."

He stopped, however, at the feeling of Helga suddenly grabbing one of his arms. "Wait, Football Head! Crimeny you can't go out there—my parents'll see you! Or my sister!"

Arnold blinked suddenly realizing how true that was. "Oh, right…"

She half smiled. "Looks like you'll have to just change in here…"

Arnold blushed furiously. "Helga!"

"Oh relax!" She gave him a playful nudge, shaking her head and laughing a little. "Just messing with you—I'll grab my stuff and go change in the bathroom and you just change in here, okay?" She put her hands on her hips.

Arnold just cleared his throat and rolled his eyes and took a step back. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Very good, Arnold…" She walked across her room and opened a drawer and pulled out a pink thing or two. "Be back in a jiff!" She headed over to her door and paused, her hand on the handle. "And don't worry—I'll remember to knock…probably." And with a wink she exited to her hallway, closing her door behind her.

Seeing her go, Arnold couldn't help shaking his head and thinking in momentary amusement, '_It'd serve her right if she came back and found me faking being asleep in her bed just like she did to me during the anniversary_…' And then he couldn't help but add to himself, making sure to kind of pick up the pace with his changing a little, '_But…just in case she decides to take any, uh, 'revenge' for what happened that night w-with me forgetting to knock, let me change really quickly, heh, heh…._' As Arnold did so, he couldn't help but recall how thankful he was that not only had sneaking up here tonight worked out perfectly, but that tomorrow Olga had invited him over for an early breakfast. He could just change here early as soon as he and Helga woke up, then sneak out of Helga's window and then knock on her door and say he was sorry to come so early but he was hoping to help Olga with making breakfast since she had been so take them to the beach yesterday. And Helga had promised to come downstairs (feign pleasant surprise at his arrival) and help too, even despite her constant desire to sleep in and her loathing of cooking. Piece of cake.

This 'private sleepover thing' was fun…but it would also not be a regular occurrence. Arnold had assured Helga of that while they had been planning this. He was just going along with it now to celebrate the summer, to celebrate being open with their relationship, and also to kind of reciprocate for her having spent the night in his room that last evening of their anniversary weekend. So just this once, and maybe on certain special occasions, private sleepovers like this could happen. And as long as they both wanted to and didn't do anything to make anybody else uncomfortable, Arnold figured it was all right. But he really didn't want to push things by having them occur too regularly, all things considered.

By now Arnold was all dressed in his pajamas. And then there was a light knock on the door. "Come in," he said as softly as possible so no one else would hear. Helga entered with a smile. She was wearing a long pink nightgown—it looked very comfortable and cool for the summer, and Arnold always had found pink to be one of her best colors of course. She closed the door behind her and made sure to lock it, just in case.

Helga glanced at him with a smirk as she headed over to her bed. "What, no teddy bear pajamas this time, Football Head?" She noted his plain blue cotton attire.

Arnold just rolled his eyes, blushing and trying not to laugh as he knelt down near the edge of his sleeping bag. "Maybe next time, Helga," he joked to her.

She just laughed and then got onto her bed and under the covers. She sat up a little and gazed at her beloved. "Hey Arnold? Thanks for doing this. I-I promise I won't request it too often. Even just this once is wonderful, you staying up here in my room." She blushed softly and laid down on the pillow on her side, still gazing at him.

Arnold got into his sleeping bag and got comfortable. He looked at her warmly. "You're welcome, Helga. I think it'll be nice. I-I just have to make sure to sneak out of here just before breakfast so that I can get downstairs and knock on your door at the right time and everything'll work out." He shrugged, looking optimistic as always.

"It'll work out, Arnold, I promise." Her smile picked up on one side. "Come on, you and us, Football Head—when we're a team we can do anything. Climb any mountain, swim any ocean—"

"Rappel down any tree and rappel up any boarding house wall," he added in amusement, and the two of them shared a warm laugh.

Just then there were steps in the hallway.

They both got very quiet.

"Baby sister, are you still awake? And what are you laughing at?"

Helga swallowed, giving Arnold a signal to shush, and she replied to Olga, "U-Uh, yeah, I'm still awake! Sorry, Olga, just…talking to Arnold." Helga glanced at Arnold and grinned sheepishly and shrugged—hey, it was technically the truth even if Olga probably assumed Helga meant on the phone.

"Oh, alright, Helga! Well, have a good night and wish Arnold a good night as well for me. Tell him I can't wait to see him in the morning for breakfast!" Olga called back cheerily.

Helga's voice got a little too perky as she replied quickly, "Can do, Olga! You have a good night too!"

There was the sound of her sister lightly laughing, it seemed, and then Olga's footsteps departed.

(Helga wouldn't realize until tomorrow when she and Olga talked that Olga had actually been going through that rather loud question and answer bit with her to prevent their parents from questioning Helga still being up and giggling in her room, and possibly wanting to enter to check on their daughter. Helga would be very grateful to her big sister after learning this.)

Meanwhile, here and now, Helga let out a big sigh of relief. She looked to Arnold and whispered. "Alright, on that note, I think we should hit the hay, Football Head. Pleasant dreams." She reached over to her nightstand and turned off her light.

Arnold nodded, whispering back to her in the semi-darkness. "Goodnight to you too, Helga. See you in the morning." He grinned a little and added playfully. "And no pretending to sleepwalk and coming down to the sleeping bag with me, alright?"

She laughed a little, but mostly stifled it, and replied back, "Fine, but no lying down next to me 'just to see what it's like' and falling asleep from you, Casanova. Now go to bed. And sorry in advance if I snap at you a bit in the morning when you get me up to finish executing this nutty scheme of ours. I'm really not a morning person, like I told you."

"It's alright, Helga," he replied back, yawning as he really settled in and closed his eyes, "I _am_ a morning person, so somehow it all works out. Sweet dreams."

"Thanks, Arnold, my love…" was the last thing she said in the darkness before they both fell asleep. It really had been a long, tiring and wonderful day after all.

They decided they were going to enjoy summers spent actually not being at each other's throats for once in their young lives.

* * *

**Fou Amoureux (Crazy in Love)**

"Helga, I really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY, really do not want to do this," Rhonda Wellington Lloyd assured Helga G. Pataki with a nervous cringe as the two girls stood near the front doors to Chez Paris. Rhonda was dressed in a black summer dress with a red sash around the middle and red Cabrini pumps on her feet, a red barrette in her hair and a strand of pearls around her neck, for effect of course. Accessories made the outfit, after all.

Helga, dressed in a red skirt and a pink blouse with a familiar pair of red sling backs on her feet and her hair loose save for her familiar pink bow planted upon the top of her head, just smiled a little and started pushing Rhonda forward from behind toward the restaurant doors. "Rhonda, look, this is going to be a piece of cake, and I'll explain why AGAIN: first, the invitation you got to come here was signed 'your secret admirer'. So even though it's going to turn out to be from Curly, since I'm the one who suggested this indirect idea to him and you're the one who, unbeknownst to him, has decided to go along with it, you're still saving face because, in the eyes of others, for all you knew it could have been from…I don't know, Ronnie Matthews or someone." Helga rolled her eyes.

Rhonda glanced over her shoulder at Helga with an eyebrow raised, stopping their movement forward. "Ronnie Matthews? Helga, please, he is such a has-been. Why would you even bring him up?"

Helga blinked and then looked away innocently. "Uh, no reason, just the first famous name to come to mind. And hey," she shrugged, "sure he's kind of a jerk but he can really work the system. Don't knock it. And anyway quit trying to change the subject." She smiled more and started pushing Rhonda forward again. "Okay, so, where were we…. Oh, yeah, well, so, no one can blame you for showing up. And then, second, who could blame you for staying even if your date does turn out to be Curly? You're already dressed up, you're already here and it's a free meal—why rock the boat?" They were right at the front door now and Helga stopped her pushing and just shrugged with an innocent grin. "And then, well, if you do have a good time, who could blame you for becoming friends with Curly? Heck, I'm sort of becoming friends with Curly, and frankly I wish I'd done it sooner. Little freak has some great strategies for stalking—he gets a little random for me at times but otherwise I think I've only outdone him in the 'hardcore worshipping your beloved from afar' category in one way so far."

Rhonda, despite the fact that she was still blushing a little and hesitating all she could, couldn't help looking back to Helga and asking curiously, "How could you possibly outdo him in this? _In ANY way?_ Helga, do you understand what that little freak has put me through? He tries to sniff my hair for crying out loud!"

"Hey, at least he asks permission to do that—I used to just wait until the old Football Head wasn't looking and then just go for it!" Helga pointed out firmly and yet with a touch of a blush and a sheepish grin. "A-And never mind how I beat him out," '_Shrines—Shrines of used gum, kissing shrines, tantric spells with_…' Helga shook her head to clear it of such mortifying thoughts (which she would NEVER share with Curly, even if it would top him and his usual antics) and went on. "Y-You're trying to change the subject again. The point is…" Helga pointed at the interior of the restaurant through the front door, "Get in there, get yourself over to your 'secret admirer's table, talk to Curly, eat some overpriced foreign grub, be grateful that none of our chucklehead friends ever bother springing for a fancy joint like this so none of them will possibly see you, and be grateful that Football Head and I will be eating at a table outside right across the way at Chez Pierre to keep an eye on things. Then go home tonight and use this whole memorable experience I've personally set up for you to think about some things, like your feelings for starters, _Mrs. Gamelthorpe_." Helga hadn't been able to help herself.

Rhonda whipped around, eyes narrowed and flashing. "If you ever call me that again, so help me, Helga G. Pataki, I'll—" she started darkly.

Helga just smirked, leaning closer to her. "Get in that restaurant or I'll chalk it on every wall from 33rd to 39th street, _MRS. RHONDA WELLINGTON LLOYD GAMELTHORPE."_

Rhonda looked so frustrated for a moment. And the most annoying thing was, despite the sort of friendship and truce the two of them had now, she really couldn't tell whether or not Helga would actually do something like that. "Oh fine!" She gave a little pout, and then Rhonda finally stepped into the restaurant.

Helga, from outside the glass doors, watched her go and made sure she (albeit reluctantly) made her way to the right table and actually finally (after overdramatically feigning a ton of surprise and annoyance upon setting eyes on her companion for the evening) sat down with Curly.

Then a grinning Helga dashed over to her own little table with Arnold at Chez Pierre across the way.

She sat down briskly, straightening her hair, her eyes beaming a little. "The peacock has landed in the roost with the cuckoo bird, carrier pigeon."

"Helga, can we talk about a new codename for me? You promised we could…" Arnold tried very hard not to smile too much as he put down the menu he had been glancing at while Helga had been off with Rhonda for the moment.

"Oh, 'promised' is such a strong word, Arnold," Helga sighed wistfully with a grin, "I'm pretty sure I just said we _maybe_ could talk about it, which means that I'm just really hoping if I put you off long enough you'll come to accept 'carrier pigeon' since I like it so much myself." She chuckled a little.

Arnold just rolled his eyes and glanced at the menu in front of him again. "Whatever you say, Helga…"

"Up bup bup!" Helga corrected him, grinning a little. "Codenames…"

Arnold sighed, trying not to laugh as he managed to mumble out. "Whatever you say, 'mighty falcon.'"

Helga just laughed, snatching up her own menu. "Crazy schemes really are much more fun with you along, carrier pigeon." Helga glanced over at Chez Paris, where she could just see Rhonda and Curly's table through the window. Rhonda had managed to stay, Curly wasn't dancing on a table or diving on her or anything. Helga just wished she could hear what was going on…

* * *

"So, uh…thanks again for agreeing not to run away in disgust, Rhonda. Um, I-I picked this place because it's kind of fancy and you're really, really fancy and you said you and your mom went to Paris sometimes to check out the new fashion lines each season so…Chez Paris." Curly smiled a little, really trying to keep himself toned down and mellow tonight. He figured, considering the results she had been getting lately, Helga had to be right about starting slow and building to expressing your obsessive devotion to another person. Just give Rhonda some time to get used to him, try to be her friend, and just be himself, both the zany parts of himself and the not so zany parts. No problem. Doable, at least.

Rhonda gave a small sigh. It was annoying, but his concern for pleasing her tastes really was considerate of him, wasn't it? She swallowed and managed, still trying to maintain her emotional distance, "Thanks, Curly. That was nice of you." Then Rhonda added, trying to be considerate herself, "A-Are you sure this restaurant's okay for you, though? French cuisine can be a bit of an…acquired taste."

Curly smiled. It was nice of her to ask, and Rhonda being nice to him meant he was doing something right. "Oh don't worry about me, Rhonda baby. This menu's got snails on it, cow brains, aged cheeses—I'm in heaven. Garçon!" Suddenly Curly snapped his fingers.

The familiar face of Jacques came over to the table. "Alo, my name is Jacques and I will be your waiter for the evening." He seemed particularly snooty as he looked at Curly, obviously recalling some of his more colorful experiences with ten-year-olds at this restaurant.

Then Curly proceeded to speak to Jacques in perfect French. "Ah, et je suis sûr que vous serez un bon garçon. Pour commencer, nous voulons de l'eau Pyrénées. Et nous voudrions pain, s'il vous plait. Ensuite, je voudrais l'escargot et une ordonnance de la vichyssoise. Et que prenez-vous, mon chéri?" He looked to Rhonda with a grin.

Rhonda was just sitting there…stunned, just stunned.

It took her a second, but then she recalled the basic bit of French she knew thus far and managed, "Ah, oui, je voudrais le coq au vin et une salade au bleu de gex, s'il vous plait."

Jacques looked very impressed with the two children, to say the least. "Bon. Votre repas sera bientôt prêt!," he replied in French, and then took their menus and dashed away with a smile of approval.

Curly just grinned in that half crazed way he had.

Rhonda really looked confused.

Then Curly cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Rhonda blinked a bunch of times and then held out her arms. "I…you…the French, Curly, the French!"

"The French?" Curly grinned again and shrugged. "Lovely people, I guess, though a bit too stuffed-shirted for me. What about them?"

Rhonda just rolled her eyes and sighed. "I mean you speaking French! You speak French! How do you speak French?!"

"Ohhh…" Curly understood now, "Oh, I have a lot of spare time. And if I ever get caught doing a wacky stunt, breaking into another language sometimes confuses whoever catches me and gets me off the hook. I've got quite a bit of that fancy talk under my belt along with some German, some Welch, Esperanto of course, and I've been working my way through a little Russian. Oh and Klingon!" He leaned back a little in his chair. "Being a little nuts isn't half bad, Rhonda—gets your mind working, makes every day a game and a challenge."

Rhonda just looked at him quizzically, arms crossed over her chest. She almost wanted to…But then…She sighed. "S-So, um…what else do you like to do Curly? I-I mean, what other hobbies do you have?"

Curly beamed a little. She was actually asking about him. He shook his head though, leaning closer. "No, no, no, I don't want to talk about me. I want to talk about you! What are your interests and secret hobbies, Rhonda baby, I want to know!" He tried his best to make his request sound genuinely interested rather than overbearingly creepy.

Rhonda blinked at that question. Then she smiled a little. He wanted to know about her. She liked that. "Oh, well…a-are you sure, Curly?" She rolled her eyes a little and smiled more and added, "I promise I'm far less fascinating than you might think."

Curly just laughed a little and nodded. "Of course I want to know about you, Rhonda. Your likes and dislikes, your greatest hopes and darkest fears, even just about your day today."

Rhonda smiled a little more. She couldn't help it. She maybe even blushed slightly, though possibly it was a trick of the warm candlelight glowing between herself and her date for the evening. "Well…o-okay, I guess. As long as we're here and have to wait for the food anyway…."

Curly looked positively joyful. "Oh, but, um…one thing, Rhonda?" he then tentatively asked before she could begin.

Rhonda nodded, tilting her head to the side curiously. "Yes, Curly?"

Curly swallowed and blushed a little and then asked, "Would you, um…if you'd be comfortable…would you call me Thaddeus? I-I mean, not around other people, I don't like it too much, but since it's just us and everything I'd like that."

Rhonda blinked a few times at the strange request. But then…well…why not? But she had to save some face first. So she sighed and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling a little too. "Oh…I must be out of my mind but, what the heck, the evening's shot anyway, so…" And then she nodded, her smile returning. "Alright, Curl—um…Very well, Thaddeus." Thaddeus. It made her want to giggle a little, which freaked her out very considerably so she did her best to suppress it like crazy. She cleared her throat and then started, "Well, anyway, um… right now it's summer so I love when Mummy and I really can jet off to Paris to see the new swimsuit lines…But when I'm around here I actually like to go butterfly hunting with Nadine. I look in her book on Butterflies and find the ones I like the most and that I think are prettiest, and she takes it as a challenge to find one before the afternoon's over. And she usually does pretty well at it too. I'm also getting ready to participate in a piano recital in a couple of weeks—my teacher says I have excellent posture and poise. Oh, and speaking of things going on now, I must compliment you and the other boys on crashing Helga's slumber party the other week—simply genius. I do hope to see you all breaking into my room at my next slumber party as long as you pull it off with the same pizzazz."

Curly—pardon, 'Thaddeus'—grinned in that kind of maniacal way he had, but it didn't come off so badly. "Oh sure, Rhonda, baby, whatever you say—you know how much I love spicing up a party. Not to mention I never thought I'd actually see the inside of your bedroom unless it started with me committing a few minor burglary and breaking and entering felonies, and ended with a restraining order."

Rhonda blushed a bit and couldn't help but look down a touch uncomfortably, almost with a frown of displeasure.

She noticed her reaction made Curly blink a few times and sit back a little and look down with a touch of disappointment.

Now Rhonda frowned at herself more than at Curly. She tried to smile a little. "Um…that's funny, Curly…A-And it's even funnier because I could probably see you doing it and getting away with it." She was trying to be supportive, but then got a sort of dry look and added just for good measure, "But seriously if I ever do wake up to find you've snuck into my house or into my room, I reserve the right to pound you to within an inch of your life and to sic the hunting dogs on you, got it? Slumber party crashing fine; randomly breaking and entering only fine in joking format. Okay?" She smiled a little again and held out a hand for him to shake.

Curly's smile actually returned now too. "Oh…okay, I think I understand…" Then he reached out and took her hand and shook it. Then a little extra grin came to his mouth. "But of course you do have to allow me some liberties at least. My impulse control really does leave something to be desired, hot lips." Then he dramatically pulled her arm forward and gave the back of her hand a passionate and fiery kiss. Hey at least he had resisted intruding upon her lips this time in his life, right?

Rhonda turned bright red and scowled, getting worked up (but not genuinely angrily…rather it was just in that playful, back and forth, love/hate way she'd always had of dealing with Curly). "Oh, you little—Curly, for crying out loud!" She rolled her eyes and managed to get her hand away. She cringed at the feeling of the moisture of his mouth on her hand and quickly wiped at it with a cloth napkin.

"Ah, you know you love me, Rhonda baby!" Curly merely waved her off with a grin and a wink. "You only yell at me the way you do right now when I get just enough under your skin that you like it but hate to admit it to yourself. I know how you yell when you really are upset with me." His smile lessened a little bit and he swallowed, "It hurts when you do that, but…hey, at least it gets me to stop, right?" He was recalling how she had yelled at him when she had broken up with him during that incident with him fixing the stain on her mother's coat, or how she had yelled at him last month during the baseball game against the fifth graders when he had finally flirted with her in public one too many times. That was a very different kind of yelling from her usual annoyed complaints, and he would always listen to and respect that kind of yelling. Despite his strange, obsessive desire for her, he did want to respect her wishes and make her happy more than anything else, after all.

Rhonda blinked a few times. Then she recalled what he meant and blushed. She put down the napkin and folded her hands on the tabletop, looking down. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Cur—erm…Thaddeus. I promise I'll try to control my temper a little more. I-I've just been under some stress lately." She smiled a little and finished, "You really aren't such a bad guy, Thaddeus. And…" she blushed a lot but added, "…if I had to make a list of the last people on earth I'd want to eat dinner with tonight, you wouldn't necessarily be at the top of that list." Then she swallowed and looked down politely and took some bread as a distraction.

He was silent at first.

Then he grinned in an undeniably maniacal way. "I knew you had the hots for old Thaddeus, Rhonda baby. Never any doubt in my mind." Curly took some bread too…and then proceeded to remove a small container of something from his pocket.

A blushing Rhonda caught sight of his action and looked up. She raised an eyebrow. "Um…Thaddeus?" she questioned as he started to spread the stuff on his bread. "What's that?"

Curly smiled back at her. "A mixture of guacamole, garlic paste, an a few chopped up anchovies thrown in for flavor. No restaurant I go to ever has this, only just butter for bread—go figure, huh?" He shrugged. "Anyway, it's delicious." He took a bite of his bread covered with the concoction and smiled. Then he swallowed and put some of the stuff on another small piece of bread and held it out to her. "Wanna try?"

Rhonda looked positively appalled. But then…well… "I-I suppose since the night's already shot anyway like I said, I could…um…" Before she could reconsider she then reached out and took the bread and quickly (her eyes shut in a cringe) stuffed it in her mouth. She chewed, looking like she was ready to be horrified.

"Well?" asked Curly eagerly.

Then Rhonda opened her eyes. Then she blinked few times. Then she swallowed. "It's…actually quite…good! Sort of like a combination of Mediterranean flavors. Have you ever thought of adding a nice French cheese to it to complete the pallet?" she asked with interest.

Curly shook his head, his whole countenance brightening. "No, but good idea, Rhonda! I'll give it a shot the next time I whip up a batch. Do you want some more?" he offered her some of the paste.

Rhonda smiled a little and nodded. "Well…sure, okay…maybe just enough for one piece of bread more. Thanks, Thaddeus."

"You're always welcome, baby."

The two shared a laugh and shared some more bread together.

* * *

Across the way, Arnold and Helga could see through the Chez Paris window a very clear image of Curly and Rhonda smiling and laughing. A very excellent sign.

Things did threaten to get a little choppy at a point later in the evening when Curly pulled the violin player over, got up from the table and took Rhonda with him and then proceeded to dance with her amidst the other tables. But by the end when he dipped her back Rhonda was laughing, she just couldn't help it. And Curly was laughing too. Hey, he had to throw SOMETHING a little extra zany into the evening after all? (And it was a good precursor, he thought, to his after dinner plans of having them both raid the lobster tanks out in back of the restaurant to free the cute little crustaceans into the City Lake. Rhonda didn't end up being entirely on board, but she did sit back and let him have his fun before he walked her home. And that was something).

Based on what they could observe thus far though at least, Helga and Arnold felt that all of this was a very promising turn of events.

* * *

**Brainy's Girlfriend**

"Brainy, I couldn't help but notice that you refrained from crashing my sleepover with the other guys—what's the deal?" Helga, standing on Brainy's stoop with her arms crossed, just smiled with a touch of smugness up at the boy in question (who now stood before her after unwittingly answering her ringing of his doorbell).

Brainy blinked at the sudden question and sudden presences of Helga G. Pataki. But then he had to sigh and roll his eyes. Honestly, he had sort of been expecting some acknowledgment of his absence during Helga's sleepover night. Still, she certainly was being rather direct about the whole thing. "Uh…" Brainy, wheezing deeply, held up a finger for a moment and then reached in his pocket and pulled out his inhaler. He took a few puffs and then cleared his throat and spoke. "Helga, come on, you know I wouldn't have enjoyed myself crashing an all girl slumber party…again." He rolled his eyes to the side awkwardly, recalling accompanying the guys on their crashing of Rhonda's slumber party earlier on in the year…and mostly because of Sid's announcement that in attendance at said slumber party was one Helga G. Pataki 'dolled up like a girl.' The thought almost made him blush, but he did his best to suppress it and just finished quickly, "I-It just didn't seem appropriate. I-I did help the other boys with their plans though. I really am trying to be a bit more social, see?" He smiled and shrugged a touch sheepishly.

Helga just kept smiling at him with interest. Then she leaned against the ledge railing of his stoop. "Okay then, fair enough. So just one more question: when are you and Siobhan and Arnold and I going on a double date?"

Brainy blinked and blushed a little, frowning a bit. "Helga…"

Helga laughed, unable to help it. "Ooo, that sounds just like when Arnold gets annoyed at me. He just says my name, but in that tone that speaks volumes, you know?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

Brainy sighed and leaned against the other ledge railing of his stoop. "Yes, well, stalking you for all these years meant spending a lot of time around Arnold by default. Some mannerisms couldn't help but be picked up, I suppose."

"You're still not answering my question. When's the big double date?" Helga asked, grinning smugly again.

Brainy sighed. "Helga, please. Not that your interest in my private life isn't very flattering—and the subject of four of the screenplays I've written, using different names and situations of course—but you're embarrassing me. And do not talk to Siobhan." He looked at her very firmly as he said this last thing.

He was met with Helga looking…well, embarrassed at first—clearly the idea of being the person who was written about instead of being the person writing about another was a new concept to her. But then, intent on her mission still, she quickly shook off her intrigue and grinned and then gave Brainy an 'innocent' look and started to open her mouth.

He cut her off at the pass. "And by that I mean no talking to her, no 'randomly' bumping into her, no having Arnold talk to her for you, no gesturing to her, no having _anybody_ talk to her for you, as a matter of fact, no talking to somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who knows her and having whatever you have to say passed through the grapevine. No writing to her. And no stalking her." Brainy almost smiled a little. He liked throwing Helga for a loop by being just as clever as she was.

Helga blinked. Her jaw even opened a little. '_Wow, cut off at every pass…Arnold would be laughing so much right now if he were here.'_ Brainy really wanted her to stay out of this, didn't he? "Oh…erm….o…kay…" She frowned a little in a touch of confusion, not really sure what to say next.

Brainy just watched her. Then he sighed, that slight smirk of satisfaction leaving his features. He looked at her and spoke calmly. "Helga, not to harp on these examples, but how would you have felt if I had just popped out of a trashcan one day a few months ago and started asking you a bunch of questions about when you were finally going to start dating Arnold? Or better yet, to get the potential situations more accurate…let's say a few months ago I'd popped up behind Arnold and started asking him when he was going to court you, Helga G. Pataki? How would either of those situations have made you feel?"

Helga blinked once. Then she looked very sheepish. She sighed and looked downward. "Sorry." She shifted back and sat down upon the ledge railing of his stoop. " 'Courting' Arnold gets me a little punch drunk, I guess. It's hard for me to remember right away how certain things would have made me feel not too long ago." Then she looked up and spoke to him in that kind of quiet, sonorous, sincere tone she had but rarely used, even with Arnold. "I promise I won't interfere, Brainy. And…if you don't even want me to bring this up alone with you, I won't. You have my word."

Brainy smiled softly. He liked that tone of voice. It was Helga G. Pataki speaking from her heart, no gimmicks, no tricks, no hiding. He found it beautiful, actually, and always sort of hoped, at the back of his mind, that when Helga grew up her voice would sound like that normally, except for when she chose to make it sound differently maybe for whatever special purpose.

Brainy spoke back to her with equal sincerity. "Thank you, Helga. But you can bring it up with me at least, if you want. Just…don't push me too hard…alright?" Brainy felt his wheezing coming back. The new prescription really had been helping but lately but now, once again, its potency on him was weakening. It was really only with the nebulizer machine that he could get any prolonged talking time. He knew one day when he was a bit older he would be able to have some minor sinus surgery done to fix most of his breathing problems, but for now it was such a bother trying to work through things daily using different kind of inhaler after different kind of inhaler.

Helga got up and stepped toward him, looking a touch concerned. "You need to step inside and use the nebulizer machine, Brainy? We can keep talking in there if you want."

Brainy shook his head, his full wheezing starting to return. "No…thank you, Helga. I can't use…so much medication…at once…I'm afraid I'll just have to be the strong…silent…type for you for a bit…. I'll use the…inhaler…later…"

Helga nodded, understanding that he knew best. Then she smiled a little and shrugged. "Hey, um, since you can't talk…and since the big double date is postponed indefinitely," she chuckled a little, "and if you're not doing anything right now, wanna catch a movie, Brainy? My treat—and like, seriously my treat, not 'my treat' as in I'll sneak us both in." She rolled her eyes to the side. "Arnold's got this thing about me being as upstanding a citizen as possible."

Brainy smiled. "Um….okay…Helga…"

Helga laughed. "Ah, if only dating Arnold were as easy as this." She walked over to him and hooked arms. "I could do all the talking, he could just smile and say 'okay'. It would make our lives so much easier, you know?"

Brainy laughed a little, and so did Helga.

Then Siobhan came from around the corner and suddenly ended up at the bottom of Brainy's stoop. "Oh, um, hi, Brainy!" she squeaked with a shy smile. "Um, I just wanted to see if, since it's summer, you'd be okay with changing our regular appointments at the doctor's office from 4pm to 2pm on Wednesdays. I have cello lessons at 4 right now…but I still hoped we could walk together, so would that be alright?"

Helga, who was still holding Brainy's arm hooked with hers, felt him tense considerably. But she was smart enough to realize of course that this action did not necessarily indicate some deep attraction on Brainy's part to little Siobhan. Brainy was surprised, not to mention he had just indicated to Helga that he wanted her to leave Siobhan alone and yet here Siobhan was all of a sudden, ripe for Helga's picking.

Beside Helga, Brainy composed himself and then gave his usual calm, appreciative smile to the little girl below them. "Um…okay…that's fine…" he wheezed, wishing he could still talk fully.

"Okay. Thank you," Siobhan squeaked with her usual little smile. Then she stepped back, like she was going to leave. But then she paused and looked back up at Brainy and Helga…more specifically, at Helga. "Um, hi. I'm Siobhan." She waved her hand.

Helga opened her mouth but then paused and looked at Brainy. She had promised not to say a word to Siobhan after all.

Brainy saw her looking at him and looked back at her a touch dryly, trying not to smile too much, and then he gave her a little nudge, clearly saying, 'Well, of course, greet her, Helga.'

Helga smiled little and tried not to laugh. She looked back at Siobhan. "Hi Siobhan, my name's Helga. Helga G. Pataki. Pleasure to meet ya." Helga held out the hand of her arm that wasn't currently hooked with Brainy's.

Siobhan reached out and shook Helga's hand in her light, shy way. "It's nice to meet you too." Then she smiled kind of funny and blushed a little and said, "Your girlfriend's really pretty, Brainy."

Helga blushed, grinned, looked embarrassed, and then grinned again, unable to help herself…as meanwhile Brainy started so badly that he was clinging against her for a moment until he then blinked and pulled directly away from her, unhooking their arms. He looked down. "Siobhan…Helga's…not…"

Brainy already couldn't breathe well and Helga didn't want to strain him with the pressure of this. She spoke up for them, a very casual smile on her face as she did so. "Oh, whoa, whoa, hold on there, I am not Brainy's girlfriend. I am Arnold P. Shortman's girlfriend, thank you very much. Brainy here's just a good buddy, right, Brainy?" She gave him a little punch in the shoulder and grinned.

Siobhan seemed to brighten a little. "Oh. Really, Brainy?"

Brainy still looked very uncomfortable. At being directly addressed by Siobhan again, though, he blinked and looked toward her and nodded very emphatically, almost nervously.

Siobhan still had her bright smile. "Oh, well, that's nice. Anyway, I should be going. Bye, Helga, it was very nice to meet you. Bye Brainy." She gave him a little wave and then dashed off.

Helga and Brainy just stood in silence for a moment.

Then Helga couldn't help herself, and she figured it was okay since they were alone again. "Awfully jumpy for someone who does not have romantic feelings for his asthma buddy, aren't you?"

To be honest, a big part of Brainy wanted to laugh right now because Helga G. Pataki, when all was said and done, was just a funny person. But he didn't want to encourage her. So he gave her a bit of a look and wheezed out, "Helga…if I…could talk, I…" He had to take a few extra breaths—too many words at once.

Helga just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Ah, but you can't talk, Brainy, you can't. Now come on, buddy, I was just teasing you, and I was on really good behavior with her, wasn't I? So let's hit that movie and I'll even throw in some popcorn and a soda to help calm your nerves. And you're in luck—you get real movie popcorn and a fountain soda with ice instead of a plastic bag of popcorn and a bottle of pop I've been hiding in my pocket, and all because Football Head's encouraging me to actually bother to patronize the concession stands. I'll even let you pick the movie—" then she gave him a slightly serious look and added, "But nothing with subtitles. We're not doing that again. You want subtitles, you go with Olga or with Lila or even with Phoebe on occasion. If I want to read, I'll pick up a book, got it?"

Brainy had to give a wheezy laugh. He nodded. "Uh…okay…"

Helga smiled brightly again. "Good, that's what I like to hear. Let's go!"

And with that she hooked their arms again, and the two friends headed off to the movies together.

* * *

**Gerald and Phoebe and Love**

"Hey Arnold? You up here? You told me to meet you here at four, and it's already—Oh!" Gerald Johansson stopped in his tracks (which currently put him just a step away from dropping onto Arnold's rooftop from Arnold's fire escape) and blinked. He saw a familiar face up here, though not his best friend's. "Phoebe?" He came onto the rooftop entirely now and walked toward her with a curious smile. "What are you doing here, babe?"

Phoebe, rather surprised by his entrance herself, blinked and stood up from the lounge chair she had been sitting upon the edge of. "Oh! Um…Gerald." Phoebe blushed a little. She was still having quite a bit of that 'fear of growing intimacy' problem with him…They had done the double date with Arnold and Helga already, they had done another little date or two together on their own…but always Phoebe felt like she just couldn't say anything, like the place was awkward, like she would never be able to put it right before they got interrupted or had to go somewhere. Phoebe swallowed and continued on in her greeting. "Konnichiwa. Um…Helga told me Arnold was making a bonsai garden with his grandmother and wanted some tips, and that I should come over today at precisely four pm to help him."

Gerald looked confused. He approached Phoebe. "That's weird. Arnold had Chester fly me a note saying he wanted me to meet him up here at four o'clock to work on his checkers game so that he can beat Helga one of these days." Arnold may have been King at Chess but Helga was Queen at Checkers, hands down.

They both looked very confused and unsure for a moment.

"Hey guys, figured it out yet?!" a familiar voice suddenly called up to them from the street below.

Gerald and Phoebe blinked and then both went over to the ledge of Arnold's window and looked down to the sidewalk below.

There was Helga, grinning triumphantly.

Gerald and Phoebe still just looked confused.

Helga G. Pataki rolled her eyes and called up with satisfaction, "We pulled a fast one and did that thing where you trick two people into getting together by inviting them separately to the same place and then ditching them together. Arnold's skylight entrance to his bedroom should be locked by now, and we took out a section of the fire escape earlier, so it looks you two are stuck up there for a bit. Arnold and I will see you in a couple hours once we get back from the movies. Bye bye!" She gave them a wave.

Gerald just rolled his eyes. "Oh for crying out loud, Helga!" He scowled down at her. "Seriously? Don't you have anything better to do? Besides, why would you need to trick Phoebe and me into spending time together?" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. Okay, maybe he was aware that things between himself and Phoebe had felt a little funny lately, but, come on, he didn't need to be _tricked_. He was practically a fifth grader (well, only two months more of the summer away from being a fifth grader), for Pete's Sake!

"Helga," Phoebe frowned down at her friend, "I really wish you would talk to me first before you—"

"Phoebe, this is me we're talking about—when am I ever considerate to the feelings of others? And besides, you promised me you'd spend some real alone time with him weeks ago and you still haven't done it so now I'm helping you do it." Helga grinned cheekily, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, yeah, we'll be off then! Come on, paste for brains." Helga made this call in the direction of the front door of the Sunset Arms. Then Gerald and Phoebe could make out Arnold coming into view from the direction of the front door, which he had apparently just exited. As he came over, Helga hooked arms with him and proceeded to lead him along down the street.

"Um, bye, Gerald, Phoebe! I'm sorry, and we'll be back soon, I promise!" Arnold managed to call up to them with a quick wave and a sheepish but guilty smile before he was pulled around the corner by Helga. He was a little less sure about this idea than Helga seemed to be, yet he had agreed to go along with it. After all, as Helga had pointed out, a couple of (initially unwanted) hours locked alone together one evening had done wonders for the two of them not too long ago following the catastrophic effects of a certain poetry tutoring fiasco.

Back on the rooftop…

Gerald turned to Phoebe with a dry look. "Is it possible for us to divorce ourselves from those two? Or at least to get a trial separation or something?"

Phoebe had to smile a tiny bit. She always found Gerald funny. "I think we're stuck with them, Gerald. Better to go along with their complicated plans and pretend they don't bother us. I believe that's the only way to get Helga to stop interfering in your life—giving her negative attention only fuels her on further, as we've seen in Arnold's case."

Gerald sighed and shrugged. "Yeah, you're right, I guess. Better off just letting them get it out of their systems." Gerald smiled warmly at Phoebe and gestured to the lounge chairs behind them. "So, anyway, as long as we're 'stuck' up here," he rolled his eyes, "Wanna have a seat, maybe just enjoy the view, babe?"

Phoebe smiled softly and nodded with a light blush. "Hai, Gerald-kun," she replied softly. Then she went over and sat on the edge of one of the lounge chairs.

Gerald followed after her. At first he had been going to take the second lounge chair…but then he paused and finally ended up sitting alongside Phoebe on the edge of hers. "So, um…Arnold and Helga are being kind of silly, right? Why would the two of us need to get forced together after all, right?" He shrugged, smiling sheepishly…maybe a touch nervously.

Phoebe swallowed. She knew he knew something was wrong, and, what was more, she knew that he knew that she knew something was wrong. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst time to bring it up—they were alone and everything. No interruptions or obligations…and the topic had sort of been breached already, so… "Gerald, I…"

"I-I'm doing something wrong, aren't I?" Gerald suddenly started right out of the blue, looking at her with more nervousness than she had realized he might be experiencing right now. Phoebe looked to him and watched as he rubbed the back of his neck and went on. "I've been being a little geeky with all the 'dinners at each other's parents houses' thing, and taking you to spoken word shows, and telling you all the details about that 'Gerald can't ride a bike' fiasco, haven't I?"

Phoebe blinked and shook her head. "Gerald, of course not. It's just—"

"Is it that we're spending too much time around Jamieo and Timberly?" he couldn't help having to ask, even if it meant interrupting her. "I'll get Jamieo to stop making stupid jokes and blasting love songs every time he drives us anywhere. And we don't have to play princess tea party with Timberly if you really think it's lame or boring or something—I'll just make Arnold go back to doing it with me full time instead." He smiled hopefully (though a touch desperately) at her.

Phoebe shook her head again. "Gerald, please, I—"

"I'm just imagining things, and you're just busier lately, and I just totally humiliated myself and made myself seem really desperate, didn't I?" he finally suggested with a defeated sigh, unable to think of anything else.

Phoebe not only shook her head but also, at this suggestion, took up his hands in both of hers. "Gerald…" she squeezed his hands, and the surprise of that kept him from interrupting her again, "No, you're not imagining anything, and you don't appear desperate to me, promise." Then she smiled a little and went on. "And I don't mind so much if you're older brother teases us—I know he means well. And I like playing tea party with Timberly—it's sweet to watch you two interact together. And I've enjoyed the dinners and the spoken word contests very much, Gerald, really. And…I think the story of how you learned to ride a bike is quite cute actually." She blushed extra and looked down with an even larger smile. "I promise you, Gerald." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and then pulled back.

Gerald was frozen for a moment, eyes a bit wide and blushing lightly. Then he shook it off and blinked a few times and spoke again. "Um…oh, um…okay, I-I'm glad." He smiled but then the smile faded and he added, "But…what's wrong then?"

Phoebe sighed softly and looked down. She took her hands away from his and adjusted her glasses nervously. "I don't want to embarrass you…us. And you might think it's silly."

Gerald scooted just a bit closer to her. He spoke very sincerely. "Babe, come on, you can tell me. We're…friends. Very, very, very, very close friends. And you know I respect that mind of yours…." He smiled a little.

Phoebe smiled a little too. Then she replied to him. "Things between us have been going very, very, very well, Gerald."

There was a pause, and Gerald (understandably) really wasn't sure what to say. He shrugged. "Yeah, they have." He smiled more, hoping her starting out this way was a good sign.

Phoebe went on, articulating herself as carefully and as best she could to express herself as accurately as possible. "But…things are going so well that we might get too close too quickly. I-I know we've already both been feeling it sometimes… What if we f-fall in l-love with each other…" Phoebe had all but stumbled over those words, "and then everything really does move too quickly? It's very difficult not to think about considering how directly the situation confronts us in the form of Arnold and Helga's relationship. I just…feel very unprepared for kissing and touching and saying things like how the case is with Arnold and Helga…B-But I do like to kiss you Gerald…and to touch sometimes, like our hands…and I even like telling you how you make me feel sometimes." Blushing entirely now, she finished awkwardly, "I'm distressed at the idea of confronting things I'm unprepared for as our relationship proceeds to progress so expeditiously, even if part of me does want those things in some small respect…" She was slipping into larger vocabulary as she got more and more nervous.

Silence met her ears for quite a bit.

Phoebe glanced over at Gerald hesitantly.

He was just blushing and sort of half smiling but mostly looking a little surprised.

"Gerald?" she prompted softly.

Gerald blinked and snapped out of it. He swallowed. "S-Sorry, uh…it's just…no girl ever talked about loving me before. I-I figured that was something most guys didn't deal with until like high school. Guess Arnold's rubbing off on me a little…" He shifted a little.

Phoebe frowned a little, blushing more. "Sumimasen. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, Gerald."

Gerald shook his head. "N-No, no, you didn't. I-I'm flattered actually, really. D-Didn't know I was that appealing, heh…" But then, especially since Phoebe only blushed more now, he cleared his throat and spoke more seriously. "But, seriously, come on, babe…. You and I both know that we aren't emotionally old enough to feel like we l-love each other. We are just very, very close friends who dig each other a little…romantically."

Phoebe still looked to him with concern. "But our feelings, what if we cannot control them, and—"

"Phoebe," Gerald felt he really had to be very serious now. He looked into her eyes, taking her hand and squeezing it. "We are never going to do anything we're not ready for. And…it's not like…I mean…I…" he blushed a little and his breathing picked up, but he had to say it to her, especially since it was the truth, "I already love you as a friend, Phoebe. I always have…I think I always will. And I hope you love me like that too already…. So, see, we've been fine so far even though we love each other sort of…" He smiled and blushed and couldn't believe he had just told a girl he loved her, even just as a friend.

Phoebe blinked. The thought had never occurred to her, at least not directly. Yet…she really… "I love you as a friend too, Gerald. Perhaps…you're right." She had turned to look at him again with a soft smile, but now couldn't help but realize, after their small intimate talk, that they really were quite close together. She blushed more. "It's very considerate of you to be so understanding. Arigatoo gozaimasu…" she added softly.

Gerald was blushing more too. Usually they really were so casual when they talked…Usually they didn't talk about big things like this directly. Usually they both just blushed and got quiet and looked down really awkwardly until they could find something to help them sweep it under the rug for now. He understood why Phoebe had been nervous, had been distancing herself from him a bit lately…He felt nervous too. "No problem, b-babe…" Loving Phoebe…Arnold had said he secretly wanted to marry Helga one day. What if he and Phoebe… Gerald blushed a lot more.

The both of them were kind of glad they were on Arnold's rooftop. It was a very private and secluded place, and much better than either of their houses where any of their family members could interrupt them.

They leaned in to kiss each other.

They had never kissed like this before. Usually they thought of kisses as sort of points in time. A kiss was a single action, like swinging a bat or licking an ice cream cone. This, right now, however was not a point in time. This was an ongoing action, like the entire process of playing a baseball game or the full twenty minutes it took you to polish off a complete triple scoop ice cream cone. There was nothing heated, nothing excessive, nothing that probably needed to wait until at least junior high. They were just sitting together on a quiet summer afternoon and kissing slowly. Phoebe didn't even keep count of the time…. The seconds melted into each other too much and too pleasantly for her to care.

They really weren't sure how much time passed, but eventually they pulled apart as awareness started to sink in and as they feared continuing too much longer would mean too much awkwardness after the fact.

Gerald just sat with his hands in his lap and Phoebe just gripped the edge of the lounge chair, and both were heavily flushed.

"S-Sorry, babe. Are you okay?" Gerald managed softly, glancing at her.

Phoebe nodded. "O-Oh yes, I'm…. No need to apologize, Gerald. I'm okay."

"Yeah, but we were just talking about you not being ready for—" he started with concern.

"I-I know…" she interrupted shyly, adjusting her glasses nervously, "But that wasn't o-out of control or anything of that nature, Gerald. It was certainly, um…different. But I…enjoyed the experience. Did you?"

He absorbed her words and then nodded and sighed. "Y-Yeah…a lot." He smiled and looked at her. "Phoebe? Maybe we can just do whatever feels right as it feels right…and maybe if we're every really worried or upset about anything we can just agree that it's okay to talk to each other about it—no feeling awkward or anything, just…kind of like sharing a secret with each other?" He smiled a little. "The only person I trust nearly as much as I trust you is Arnold, babe. But I still don't think I'd be okay with talking to him too deeply about things like this…But I wouldn't mind talking to you. I-I've gotten over a lot of the awkwardness about us being an item, after all, and I haven't been nearly as much of a spazz around you anymore, right? So maybe we could just follow the advice Arnold always gives and talk about everything together whenever we can. What do you say?" He awaited her reply hopefully.

Phoebe had just been looking at him and smiling more as he spoke. Then she nodded. "I think you're right, Gerald. That would probably be the best way for us to handle our situation." She giggled, "And…I'm not as shy around you as I used to be…and I can become even less shy, I think, eventually." She lightly laced the fingers of their hand. "I trust you very much too, Gerald. You're a very dear friend." Then she did something she had always imagined doing: she leaned to the side a bit and gently rested her head against Gerald's shoulder.

Gerald beamed a little inside. "O-Okay…that'll work. I-I mean, that's cool, babe." He leaned in a little too, just to make them closer.

Phoebe smiled more. "I'm sorry I didn't discuss this with you sooner, though…and that I've been avoiding you. I was going to talk to you, even before Arnold and Helga planned this little escapade of theirs…I just wasn't sure what to say yet. But it was nice just talking to you without thinking it through too much before hand—I feel like we were able to be more honest and direct with each other that way."

Gerald sighed softly and smiled more. "It's okay, Phoebe. Sometimes…we both need time for some things…and that's cool with me.

They sat in sweet silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the view.

Then Gerald almost laughed. "Did Arnold really give Helga a pre-engagement ring?"

Phoebe almost laughed a little too and nodded. "Yes. She shows it to me a lot. She's quite enamored of it."

Gerald just sighed and shook his head. "He's a bold kid. And insane."

Phoebe laughed. "Yes, he and Helga are very compatible that way, I suppose."

Gerald laughed at her joke. "Yeah, who says opposites attract?"

They shared a laugh.

Then Gerald spoke again. "So, while we still have some time up here, wanna have some fun and pick the lock on Arnold's skylight, and then drop in secretly and crosswire his room remote so that all the buttons do random things, and then hide some of his pigeons in his wall behind his couch so that he and Helga really have some fun when they at least get that to work?"

Phoebe laughed a lot. "Soodesu, Gerald-kun. Tanoshiidesu."

"Sounds good to me too," Gerald replied with a grin. "Then wanna go down to the boardwalk and eat funnel cakes and use those algorithms you're always coming up with to win a bunch of stuff at the prize booths?"

"I think that would be lovely, Gerald. Then sushi afterwards for dinner?" Phoebe sat up a little and glanced at him hopefully. "I promise if you'll just sample it, you'll like it, Gerald. And if you really don't then I'll just get you a big bowl of noodles and then ice cream afterwards, my treat."

Gerald sighed and nodded with a smile. "Alright, babe, I'll give the raw fish a shot." He looked at her with a touch of seriousness. "But just make sure that whatever the heck I order really is just raw fish and not raw eel or octopus or squid or sea urchin or something—one step at a time, babe." He winked at her.

Phoebe nodded with a big smile. "Of course, Gerald."

Then Gerald smiled more and added, "And do you promise me that later tonight after all of that I can pick you up a milkshake and some fries and you'll try dipping the fries in the milkshake and eating them? Seriously, Arnold and I discovered that in the second grade and it's delicious. And I'd recommend either a pistachio milkshake or a peanut butter swirl one, but you can just stick with vanilla or chocolate if you really want to."

Phoebe just sighed and rolled her eyes with a grin. "That sounds like something Helga would find very appetizing—can't you take her to do that as part of the both of you trying to be better friends?"

Gerald just smiled and shook his head. "No way, babe. It'll be more fun with you. Besides, I'm sure Arnold's got that department covered with her."

Phoebe just sighed and nodded. "Very well, Gerald. I'll try it." Then she stood up. "I'll pick the lock and rewire the remote while you get the pigeons?" She smirked a little.

Gerald smirked and nodded, standing up as well. "You got it, foxy lady."

Phoebe giggled a lot and then dashed over to Arnold's skylight window (but not before giving Gerald a nice hug).

Gerald grinned ear to ear before heading over to the pigeon coop to take care of his role while Phoebe took care of hers. Pranking Arnold and Helga, followed by food and games, and all of that following a very nice talk and a very, very nice kiss? Gerald became even more convinced that he and Phoebe really knew how to have a good date even better than Arnold and Helga did.

* * *

**Fifth Grade**

"Class, I'd like to welcome you all to your first day of fifth grade, and may I just add how special I feel to be your teacher again for this year!"

The class cheered and welcomed back Mr. Simmons on their first day of the new school year. Helga had been very good about keeping Mr. Simmons' reassignment to fifth grade teaching a secret, so everyone really was surprised to see him (even Arnold!)

Mr. Simmons, with a big grin, held up his hands to let the class know to please simmer down a little despite how much he appreciated their enthusiasm. "Thank you all again. Now, before we start our first day—which is going to feature a lot of special and fun activities—I have two announcements to make. First, I'd like to introduce you all to someone you may have seen around the halls a few times last year, and who will now be our new full time school counselor available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—Dr. Bliss!"

Dr. Bliss, who had been sitting serenely in a chair in one of the corners with her familiar clipboard, stood up with a smile. At least a couple of the kids in the class knew her well, of course, and all of the kids recognized her at least, and Helga gave her a bright grin with a little salute. Helga now only visited once every two weeks, with the occasional extra visit thrown in if needed. Her progress was swift, and Dr. Bliss felt amazed yet again at the resilience of children and especially her. "Hello, everyone," she addressed the class, "it's nice to see you all again. I hope you enjoyed your summer break. I'll be walking around the halls some of the time that I'm here, but most of the time I'll be either in my office in this building or available to meet at my office uptown Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. If any of you want to visit me, please do anytime. I'm here to help you." She smiled in that warm, welcoming, and sincerely caring way she had.

"Thank you, Dr. Bliss," Mr. Simmons assured her with a smile, "I'm sure everyone here will take advantage of your special abilities if they need them during this brand new school year."

"Thank you, Mr. Simmons," Dr. Bliss nodded with a smile. "I hope so." She looked back at the kids. "My office will be down the main hallway, two doors to the left of Principal Wartz's office. Have a very 'special' first day, kids." She gave them all a wave (and Helga a meaningful smile), and then departed to let the kids continue to start their day.

All of the kids seemed very content and happy with all of this.

Mr. Simmons turned back to them all. He opened his mouth, about to say something, when then there was a knock at the classroom door. He paused and then smiled more. "And now for our second announcement, class. We have a younger student who's very delight about being transferred up to our grade." He walked over to the door. "Please give a very special welcome to Siobhan." He opened the door.

There stood little Siobhan with a big smile, pushing up her taped glasses and holding some books in her arms. She shuffled inside and waved. "Hi," she said in her light, squeaky voice, "I'm Siobhan and I just moved up from the third…um, the fourth grade."

Mr. Simmons smiled, leading her over to a free desk. "Yes, Siobhan was actually skipped up two grades at one point, but then decided she preferred students her own age. But she really is a very special student so Principal Wartz and I felt moving up just one grade might be better for her. I'm sure you'll all make her feel very special and very welcome."

The class murmured hellos, and seemed generally happy and accepting of their new peer.

Helga smiled a lot as she looked at Siobhan taking her seat. Then she looked at Brainy who looked at Siobhan and then looked at Helga (who held up her hands with a grin, indicating to Brainy that she wasn't going to jump all over the poor girl and that she hadn't had anything to do with this). Siobhan in this class: this turn of events would make things interesting. Helga felt like she could see it already: Brainy would be infinitely more awkward…Lila would want to get to know the 'new' new girl with an abundant enthusiasm …Phoebe might get a bit jealous if Siobhan was smarter than her sometimes but then might actually welcome someone she could relate to about her more advanced intellectual interests and hobbies…. Siobhan might end up being unsure about staying at some point and either Helga or Arnold or both could convince her to keep with their grade…. A lot of potential plot points waiting to be unfurled…

Not to mention Bliss was going to be here regularly now, which would only add to how interesting things would be around P.S. 118 these days in general.

Helga G. Pataki leaned back in her chair. She decided she was going to enjoy being a fifth grader.

English class would be up first. What a pleasure to start the year by signing your own names to your own poems.

* * *

**Scenes from a Treetop Balcony**

"Come on, Arnold, do this for me—before all the leaves drop off of my tree for the fall and you can't hide up there, and before you have some annoying inevitable growth spurt and can't climb up the tree anymore at all, Mister 'almost-11-years-old-and-officially-a-fifth-grader -for-three-weeks-now'." Helga smirked down at Arnold from her bay window. He was on the ground in her backyard standing near her tree and looking up at her.

Arnold was smiling but also looking a little shy and sheepish. "Helga…" he looked around a bit, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's not that I don't want to, but I'm outside and someone could hear…. Do I really have to?" He looked up at her again.

"Please, Arnold…" Helga's voice was very soft and nice, and she sat on the seat of her new bay window now and looked down to him with a little sweet, hopeful smile, "Just once…for me? For old time's sake? For the sake of our first kiss technically?" She played with a leaf or two from her tree, which were all now starting to turn gold and orange from the oncoming autumn weather.

Arnold sighed softly. He wasn't going to be able to say no to a request put like that. But he figured he could at least get something in exchange for doing this. "Afterwards will you help me catch Abner to give him a bath?"

Helga blinked and then moaned a little and rolled her eyes. "Arnold, come on, you know I hate doing that. The last time I ended up stuck half way through that doggie door in your kitchen and covered with coffee grounds. No way!" She shook her head.

"Helga…come on…" Arnold grinned up at her with a knowing look, "If I'm really going to do this, then helping me with Abner is the least you could do. Besides, you like him and he really likes you and you _are_ the best at catching him…although I think you'd catch him more quickly if you didn't get angry and excite him sometimes by yelling that you would 'sell him to the bacon factory for five cents and a Mister Fudgy bar if you had the chance'." He rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh. "And besides, he really likes how you let him jump in your arms after he's all dry and you tell him that he's not so bad and scratch behind his ears…"

"Oh alright, alright, I'll catch the pig and give him a bath, sheesh, just quit getting all sappy on me about it!" Helga grinned down at Arnold and couldn't help but add, "Your parents couldn't have just given you a nice normal cat or dog or something when you were a baby, huh?"

Arnold just shrugged. "Well, I had a parrot once but _someone's_ MONITOR LIZARD—"

Helga cut him off, holding up her hands. "Okay, okay, do not lay that guilt trip on me, please. And yeah, touché, monitor lizard is freakier pet than a pig." She smiled and shook her head. "Alright, deal, you do this for me, I'll catch the pig for you."

Arnold nodded. "Deal."

Then there was a moment of silence and Arnold blushed a little, looking to the side and digging his foot into the grass a little.

"You have to start, Arnold…" Helga prompted gently.

"I know…" Arnold sighed once more. Then he cleared his throat and finally looked up at her and started what she wanted. It was a desire which was a result of how her window was now more like a balcony, not to mention there was such an understandable temptation to relive the nostalgia of their first kiss and everything.

"But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,

Who is already sick and pale with grief,

That thou her maid art far more fair than she:

It is my lady, O, it is my love!

O, that she knew she were!

Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,

Having some business, do entreat her eyes

To twinkle in their spheres till they return.

What if her eyes were there, they in her head?

The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,

As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven

Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night."

Helga was all but beaming. He hadn't exactly been 'passionate' about the delivery, but he had definitely put some genuine emotion and sincerity into it. Then she had to get out without giggling too much, "Ay me!"

Arnold was blushing so brightly. He kept going. "Sh-She speaks: O, speak again, bright angel!"

Helga leaned out of her balcony a little bit and gazed down at him with a loving, doting look.

"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I'll no longer be a Capulet.

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself…"

Their little repetition of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet continued throughout the rest of the truncated scene until Arnold finally cheated at the ending a bit by climbing Helga's tree and making it to her 'balcony' rather than fleeing into the night as the character of Romeo would do.

They then laughed a little bit together, until they went downstairs and exited Helga's house and started to take a walk to Arnold's house to help with Abner.

"I asked Simmons if we could do another Shakespeare play this year—I suggested Macbeth though," Helga mentioned with a shrug as they turned the corner onto Vine Street.

Arnold looked at her with interest. "What's that one about, Helga?"

Helga sighed. "Eh, another tragedy, but much less sappy—it's got witches, murder, political intrigue, ghosts. Plus I'm totally cut out to play the power-hungry and devious Lady Macbeth."

Arnold smiled more. "I'm sure everyone'll like the idea of doing that play. And I can't wait to see you try out for Lady Macbeth. I hope you get the part, Helga."

"Eh, getting the part won't be the hard part," Helga waved her hand through the air, "What'll be fun is my personal goal to somehow get Rhonda cast as a witch…Or as Lady MacDuff with Curly as MacDuff." She laughed to herself.

Arnold laughed too. "I don't think she'll mind, Helga…Um, the getting cast with Curly option, not the witch option."

"Aw, darn, and the witch option is my favorite," Helga snapped her fingers and faked a disappointed frown.

The two shared a laugh again. They were nearing the Sunset Arms now.

"So, Arnold, what do you want to do for your birthday? Seriously, it's in a week, I need some feedback from you," Helga looked to him with interest.

Arnold just sighed and shrugged, smiling humbly. "Well, I'm having my birthday party like usual, Helga, and…that's more than enough. They'll be cake and ice cream and music, and everyone's invited so…"

"Arnold, come on, you know I mean what do you want to do _special_? I want to do something special for you, with you," Helga prompted, giving him a little nudge.

Arnold smiled a little more. He knew what she meant. He gave a little humble, mild-mannered shrug. "Maybe just a quiet movie together in my room after everyone goes home would be fine, Helga. Or a game of chess."

"You're really not going to let me like take you to a rock concert or anything, are you?" Helga couldn't help but ask with a little smirk as they reached Arnold's stoop and paused together for a moment.

Arnold just shook his head and glanced at her peacefully. "No, thanks, Helga. I'd really just prefer something nice and quiet."

Helga sighed but nodded. "Okey dokey, you got it, Football Head. You are the birthday boy, after all."

"Thanks, Helga." Arnold smiled up at her appreciatively.

"Of course you know this means I get WrestleMania and a concert at the Cocoa Hut and dinner at Chez Paris on my birthday, right?" Helga gave him a dry look with a half grin and crossed her arms over her chest.

They shared a laugh and Arnold nodded, heading up the stoop and opening the door for her to go in first. "Whatever you say, Helga. Whatever you say…"

Helga just sighed, walking past him into the boarding house foyer. "Now all that's left if figuring out what the heck to get you for a present." She shook her head, turning to face him again as he entered after her and shut the door behind them both. "I swear, you are the most difficult man to shop for, Arnold." Arnold raised an eyebrow at that, and Helga went on with in explanation. "You want nothing stereotypical, nothing material. You want things purely from the heart, you love things that help other people more than things that help yourself. You make a person have to look into the depths of their soul for what the most meaningful, selfless thing they could do for you would be. It is a ton of work, Arnold, especially for someone who prefers the materialistic flashy stuff usually." She laughed a little and nudged him.

Arnold wasn't smiling back at her though…Actually, he was just looking at her with interest…curiosity…that same look, in fact, that he had used to give her after her confession when he would realize the truth about something about her or about something she had done for him in the past…And, in truth… '_What has she gotten me before…. And…last Christmas…the thing she doesn't want me to ask about_…'

"Arnold?" Helga interrupted his pondering, looking at him with a touch of hesitation. That 'figuring it out' look of his always made her uneasy. She wasn't even sure what he might be figuring out now exactly.

Arnold blinked and snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. "Oh, um…sorry, Helga. It's just, what you said, how you think about what I'd like…well, it's really sweet that you care so much. Thank you." He leaned and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sure I'll like whatever you get me, Helga."

Helga smiled, seeming relieved again. "Oh. Thanks, Arnold." She moved a little closer to him and then hooked their arms and started to head them to the den where Abner was most likely taking his midday nap. "I'll do my best."

"I know you will, Helga. I can't wait." He moved closer alongside her as they prepared to begin their search for Abner to bring him to the backyard and give him a bath. And it was a good thing they were getting this all done in the middle of the day—the evenings and nights were already starting to get quite chilly, too chilly to get soaking wet with water outside in the freezing air while you tried to scrub down a rambunctious pig.

Arnold couldn't believe it was already fall, and that Halloween and Thanksgiving and even Christmas would already be coming up again soon…

* * *

**Chocolate Boy**

But in the meantime, there were things to take care of between the holidays, and one of Arnold's jobs besides his chores and his school work and socializing with his friends was to give advice to his classmates lest P.S. 118 be thrown into an inescapable vortex of preteen chaos and drama.

And, what a surprise, Chocolate Boy was in need of help again.

Arnold didn't know about Chocolate Boy's slight relapse at the end of the last school year. How the kid had started dipping his radishes in chocolate…how when Mr. Simmons had done all of those fun things for his fourth grade class on the last day including (and most particularly) bringing in Fudgy Nut Nut Bars for everyone to figure out the areas and volumes of before eating them, something in Chocolate Boy had snapped. It was going to be summer, after all, and that meant chocolate ice cream and chocolate sodas and chocolate covered popcorn for the movies, and…a-and…Arnold had said the most important thing was to be good and be happy…And missing out for the first time on a summer of unbridled chocolate fun would not make him happy.

Still, after three months of then doing everything but shipping himself back to the Yahoo soda and candy factory to go swimming in the chocolate sauce vat, Chocolate Boy was starting to rethink this whole 'But what if chocolate IS what makes me happy?!' thing…And, as he felt absolutely sick to his stomach from the sugar crash he was experiencing as he tried to wean himself off of chocolate cold turkey again, Chocolate Boy figured it was time for another trip to Arnold to beg him for his help again and figure out where he had gone wrong.

Arnold's nice, old Grandpa had let him into the boarding house this afternoon after school and had told him with a smile that Arnold was upstairs, but to knock first because he had a lady friend over. Then he had laughed and pointed Chocolate Boy in the direction of the boarding house stairs.

Chocolate Boy had nodded and thanked him and then started heading up. He knew Arnold was dating someone now. Helga G. Pataki. She could put away chocolate, but only did so when she felt like it—Chocolate Boy admired that about her a lot, actually. He was glad Arnold had gotten together with someone so levelheaded and sensible.

Walking down the hall and up the attic steps, Chocolate Boy finally made it to the outside of Arnold's closed bedroom door.

He paused for a moment before knocking, and during that pause he heard a light giggle and chuckle or two, and then some low talking.

He wrung his hands, unsure of what to do. Arnold was a nice guy, he really didn't want to bother him if he was busy. It was just—"OH..." he moaned a little to himself as his stomach made a bunch of unpleasant sounds. Okay, no choice, needed to talk to Arnold. This was an advice emergency.

Chocolate Boy knocked on the door gently. "Um…hello? Arnold? I'm really sorry, I know you might be busy and I don't mean to bother you. Um…it's Chocolate Boy and I…think I'm sort of having an emergency…and I think I've kind of lost control of the situation." He rubbed the back of his neck. Two weeks ago he had filled the water tank at his house with chocolate drink powder so that all the sinks and the showers would flow with chocolate milk. Uh…no one had been happy about that stunt, to say the least, and Chocolate Boy figured that was his 'rock bottom' moment to seek help again.

Chocolate Boy heard a few unhurried sounds, then a set of footsteps coming across the room.

The door opened and there Arnold stood, blushing a little but otherwise looking normal. "Oh…" he smiled—he always had time for a friend and for anyone in need, "Hi, Chocolate Boy. Come in." He stepped aside and gestured into his room. "Is everything alright?" He looked at the new fourth grader with a touch of concern. He hadn't seen much of Chocolate Boy over the last few months…but it seemed now Chocolate Boy's mouth and hands were covered in sticky chocolate residue again, so that probably wasn't the best sign.

Chocolate Boy just looked at Arnold appreciatively. "Hi Arnold…" he glanced across the room to see Helga G. Pataki sitting there, a few closed schoolbooks on the couch beside her and blushing a tiny bit but otherwise just smiling normally and waiting patiently. "Hi Helga…" Chocolate Boy smiled and gave her a wave. Then he looked back at Arnold, wringing his chocolate stained hands a bit. "Um…Arnold, I think I may have unintentionally fallen off the bandwagon and sort of deluded myself into needing chocolate again, and my stomach's starting to hurt a lot and I'm constantly on a sugar rush or sugar crash so, um…I just need help, Arnold." He looked up at the older boy sincerely. "I promise, I was really sincere about quitting last time and I'm really sincere this time. I just messed up, and I'm not sure how. But I do want to get better again. Please." He looked at him desperately.

Arnold blinked a few times and nodded. "Of course, Chocolate Boy. Um…here, have a seat on my bed, we'll talk about this a little bit." Arnold glanced back at Helga. "Helga, do you mind? It's just…he needs advice, and I—"

Helga held up her hand, an understanding smile coming to her lips. "Say no more, Arnold. You have a job to do, go ahead and do it." She crossed her legs and picked up one of the schoolbooks, flipping it open and reclining back on his couch a bit. "I'll just watch and admire you while you save another poor soul." It was a joke, but her tone and smile were sincere in their support.

Arnold smiled sincerely back. "Thanks, Helga." Then he walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down next to Chocolate Boy. "Okay, Chocolate Boy, tell me everything that's happened…"

"Well…" Chocolate Boy started, rubbing his neck, trying to think things through, "I-I don't know, at first those radishes I got hooked on instead of chocolate were working great. But then I just figured if radishes made me happy and if chocolate used to make me think I was happy, maybe the two of them together would be the best of both worlds. So I started dipping the radishes in just a little chocolate. But then sometimes I'd just take a fingerful of the melted chocolate and sniff it and it smelled soooo good…" A little shiver of pleasure went through him. "A-Anyway, then I just started thinking about chocolate and noticing it all the time, and it's hard, Arnold, with people eating it all the time. And then summer came and that's usually so full of yummy chocolate-based treats, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to have some since the idea of a chocolate free summer made me sad. So I started eating chocolate again a little, and still the radishes too. But, well, now we're back in school and I tried to stop myself from eating it and to go cold turkey but it mocks me, Arnold, from the chocolate milk in the lunchroom every day to the Fudgy Nut Nut Bars in the vending machines all over the halls! It mocks me! And I'm either on a sugar high from binging on the chocolate or a sugar crash from resisting it, and now Halloween's coming up, Arnold—HALLOWEEN! Do you KNOW what that holiday is like for me? So you've gotta help me, Arnold—I just don't know what to do anymore!" By now Chocolate Boy's words had grown quite passionate and he was clinging to Arnold's collar and looking up at him with wide desperate eyes.

Arnold just looked down at the poor younger boy in surprise at his sudden outburst. He considered and then gently took Chocolate Boy's hands and pulled them away from his collar. "Chocolate Boy, it's going to be all right." He spoke soothingly and calmly to the younger boy. "We can start meeting after school again to work on this, figure out why you're slipping again and what you can do to feel better about yourself again and about chocolate." He smiled supportively. "I promise."

Chocolate Boy sniffled a little. "Really, Arnold? Even though I'm a fourth grader now and you're a fifth grader and trash can day's in a few months and everything." Chocolate Boy knew that traditionally fifth graders tended to pick on fourth graders a lot. He just wanted to make sure Arnold wouldn't get in trouble with everyone if he went and jumped ship and helped a younger kid like him.

Arnold blinked but then smiled with that sort of all knowing gaze he had. "Oh, that." He took his hands away from Chocolate Boy and shook his head. "Helga and I have decided we're ending that together. Um…" he bit his lip, glancing to the side, "Of course, last year's fifth graders aren't too happy about that and they've threatened to turn trash can day into a sixth grade tradition but…well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." He shrugged sheepishly. "The point is no more fourth and fifth grade fighting, at least not between our classes. Right, Helga?" Arnold glanced over at her, where she was still sitting on the couch patiently with a smile on her face.

Helga nodded. "Yup. Arnold asked nicely for everyone not to shove the new fourth graders in trash cans at the end of the year, and…for anyone who was resistant to that approach I threatened to sock them one." She punched a fist into her palm and shrugged. "You're safe, Chocolate Boy." She winked and pointed at him. Strangely enough, somehow she and Arnold seemed to have become the social leaders of their class in a way. But then again maybe it did make sense—after all, everyone had always looked to Arnold for guidance and planning and everyone had always looked to her for leadership and discipline, so combined together the whole class pretty much looked to them for both its major trends and even some day to day activities. It was kind of nice being admired and needed like that, and Helga greatly enjoyed sharing the responsibility with Arnold.

Chocolate Boy smiled at her, wiping a tear from his face. "Thank you, Helga." Then he looked up at Arnold. "Thank you, Arnold." He dove at him in an appreciative hug.

"Whoa!" Arnold almost toppled back a little but then smiled and patted Chocolate Boy on the back. "You're welcome, Chocolate Boy." Arnold glanced at Helga. "Helga, um, since helping him seems to be a long term thing, are you okay with studying together a few less afternoons a week for a little while?"

Helga nodded. "No problem, Football Head. You do your job, when you're done come find me and we can go back to being joined at the hip then." She stretched a little. She already had been here an hour and maybe Chocolate Boy wanted to talk right now, so she stood up and grabbed her backpack. "Actually, if you two wanna start a session now, I could get going, get an early start on some writing I wanted to do." Mr. Simmons had been encouraging Helga to both continue with and branch out from the love poems—experiment, whatever she wanted, and he would give her extra credit for whatever she submitted. He was also thinking of petitioning Principal Wartz for an Elementary School Literary Magazine that Helga could run: sort of a preparation for having some kind of leadership role on the Literary Magazine that would inevitably be at her junior high school when she went in a couple of years (though he wanted this idea to be a surprise so he hadn't told Helga about it yet).

Arnold sighed, kind of wishing she could stay. But he already did get to spend quite enough time with Helga, and he wanted to help his friend. He nodded. "Alright, Helga. Thanks. I'll call you later."

She winked at him. "You got it, Football Head." She began to head toward the door.

"Can Helga stay, Arnold?" Chocolate Boy suddenly curiously asked. He turned to Helga. "Can you stay, Helga?"

Helga paused and blinked, turning to look at him. "Me? Why?"

Arnold nodded, seconding that. "Yeah, why _her_?" He raised an eyebrow in utter perplexity, his tone sounding like Helga staying to give advice was the most foreign concept imaginable.

That sort of 'not thought entirely through' question got a little bit of a scowl out of Helga followed by a reply of, "Gee, darling, thanks for being so supportive of my capacity to help other people. I can be helpful and give advice too…in my own way…" She swallowed and rolled her eyes to the side innocently. "Sometimes my way is a bit 'dubious' and sometimes it does get people into worse trouble before it fixes things, but a lot of it is still valid at its core as long as I try my best." She looked back to Arnold, putting down her backpack and crossing her arms over her chest.

Arnold blinked and blushed and looked down sheepishly. "Sorry, Helga. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Really." He looked into her eyes sincerely.

Helga scowled at him for a moment longer but then just sighed and smiled. "It's okay, Arnold. And even if you did mean it that way, I guess I couldn't blame you entirely—I did send our class into turmoil once by accident with my advice and your advice did fix it after all."

Arnold smiled back at her, happy he hadn't hurt her feelings.

Then Helga looked to Chocolate Boy, addressing him seriously. "Uh, anyway, Chocolate Boy, listen, I'm flattered that you want me around but…seriously, like Football Head and me both said, why me? Arnold's advice usually has a much better chance of working than mine does."

Chocolate Boy shrugged, but he spoke to her sincerely. "Well, maybe so, but you're a really cool person, all the younger kids think so."

Helga's grin brightened. "Really?" She stepped over toward the bed. "Go on…Any particular reason they find me so fabulous?"

Arnold tried very hard not to smile too much at Helga's small ego trip. He just watched the exchange between her and Chocolate Boy with interest.

Chocolate Boy, meanwhile, just shrugged. "Well, they know you always stood up to last year's fifth graders and they know you helped save the neighborhood last year and they know that nobody can yell at people as good as you do, not even the teachers, and they also know that you went and kissed a boy in front of everyone and proved definitively that cooties do not exist because otherwise we all figure that you and Arnold would have kicked the bucket by now…"

Arnold tried very hard not to laugh.

Helga let out a deep sigh and rubbed her temples, a light blush on her features. "Yes, okay, uh huh, yeah…moving along…"

Chocolate Boy smiled and finished. "Well, there's all that stuff, and also…I've seen you pack away chocolate like crazy, Helga, but you always know how to stop yourself, and sometimes you even just turn it down altogether in the first place. That's a skill, Helga, believe me, it is," he pointed out very seriously.

Helga blinked and raised part of her brow at him in interest. She watched him very closely, seeming to be in deep thought…. Then her eyes lit up a little. She looked to her beloved. "Arnold, do you mind if I stay, maybe throw in my two cents? I promise, nothing illegal or immoral, okay?" She gave him a little grin and shrug.

Arnold smiled back and nodded. "Of course, Helga. If Chocolate Boy wants you to stay and if you want to help then you should definitely stay with us for a little while."

She smiled and nodded back to him. "Thanks, my love." She trotted back over to the bed and sat down beside Chocolate Boy, crossing her legs and trying not to smirk too much at Arnold's blushing due to her calling him 'my love' in front of another person. She just shook her head and looked to the younger kid. "Okay, first thing's first—you got a real name, I'm assuming. It seems kind of pointless to be trying to get you un-addicted to chocolate and yet to be calling you Chocolate Boy all of the time."

Chocolate Boy, paying very close attention to her, just put his hands in his lap and shrugged. "My name's Charlie."

Helga sighed deeply and did her best to keep her composure and not laugh. '_Charlie. Chocolate. There is an amusing Roald Dahl joke somewhere in there, I just know it…'_ "Alright—Charlie," she proceeded, smiling down at him supportively. "You say I'm good at taking or leaving delicious things. Now, while that may be true of chocolate for me, it was certainly not always true for another dessert—'ice cream.'" Helga gave Arnold a look and a smirk confirming that she was talking about what he thought she was talking about.

"H-Helga…" he started, raising a hand and turning very scarlet.

Helga just grinned and waved him off. "Eh, in a minute, Arnold, I'm talking to Charlie here. Anyway…" her attention went back to Charlie, "So, yes, Charlie, I was obsessed with and hopelessly focused on ice cream."

Charlie blinked, looking at her with interest. "Really?"

Helga nodded. "Oh yeah, could not get enough of that stuff. Seriously, morning, noon, and night I thought about ice cream, I dreamed about ice cream, I doodled and wrote about ice cream. I hung around ice cream every second of every moment I could spare, longing for its sweet feeling upon my lips, aching for the chance to dive into pools of it and let it consume me…" She was looking a LOT more at Arnold now than Charlie, and grinning like mad.

Arnold was just very red and had his eyes closed. He let out a deep sigh at her momentary break. "V-Very nice, Helga…You're making a point anytime soon, I'm assuming…?" He gave her a frustrated little pout, yet Helga could tell it wasn't so much because she was describing the depths of her longing and affection for him right now in front of Charlie (the kid would never know that Arnold was 'ice cream') but because she was causing him to feel very passionate and full of desire for her too though he couldn't express any of those urges since a third party was in the room with them at the moment.

Still, Helga did love to make Arnold sweat. She did tone it down a touch but went on anyway, looking to Charlie now as she did so. "Of course there's a point. So here I am, practically in love with ice cream…But I realize I'm unhappy because how is ice cream ever gonna love me back? And after a while, even though I love ice cream, I start to get angry at ice cream for never appreciating that love, but I guess it's kind of my fault for never being direct about that love to ice cream, but then also let's all admit that it's a tiny bit ice cream's fault for always being more available to silly little airheads who barely appreciate a quality dessert instead of to me who has been faithfully choosing ice cream without fail for six years and dedicating my entire body and heart and soul to the ritualistic celebration of that most clueless and yet appealing dessert of the gods, and—"

"_Helga_!" Okay, she was standing up and gesticulating vehemently now as she passionately delivered her praise for and tirade against ice cream, and Arnold figured all of this was getting very off track now, even beyond just being a joke, so maybe she had lost control of the situation a bit and needed someone to help guide her back to the point of the matter they were trying to deal with.

Helga blinked and stopped, though she found herself breathing heavily. Then she blinked a few more times and seemed to come out of something. Then she blushed and sat down and quickly added in a very straightforward tone, "Uh…yes, and, well, I loved ice cream. Heh…A-Anyway, getting back to your addiction problem…" '_Wow, I need to relearn how to suppress things in front of random acquaintances…Whoo boy.'_ "Well, um," she cleared her throat and managed to recompose herself a bit, smiling at Charlie, "the point is I know what you're going through. Now, since you and Football Head worked on this in the past, what conclusions did you come to and what was your final strategy for fixing the problem?" She looked to the younger boy with interest.

Charlie thought back and then told her (and also he was rather impressed that she had clearly managed to fix such a strong addiction in her life). "Um, we figured I was upset about something from when I was little, but chocolate made me feel better then. So now I use chocolate to kind of make myself happy no matter what's bothering me instead of dealing with the problem itself. But chocolate doesn't make me happy, not really…at least not the way I usually eat it." He frowned a little.

Helga nodded, considering that very carefully. Then she bit her lip and glanced over Charlie to Arnold. "Arnold, you trust me?"

Arnold blinked and nodded. "Sure."

Helga smiled. "Thanks." Then she looked back to Charlie. "Charlie, I'm going to hit you with something I don't think you're expecting—you don't have to give up chocolate."

Charlie looked confused and uncertain at this statement. "But…how? How can I stop hurting myself with chocolate if I don't give it up?"

She sighed and spoke to him very seriously. "Charlie, denying yourself access to chocolate—something you really did genuinely like once and maybe still genuinely like in some healthy way deep down—is only going to make you want the chocolate since you can't have it, and especially since the chocolate is pretty much everywhere. And I think you've already seen that with the relapse you've had. Personally, what I think is that you need to learn how to have a healthier relationship with chocolate." She smiled a little. "Chocolate can be a good, happy thing, but it's the way you use it that robs it of that quality. I think you need to learn to have chocolate in your life in such a way that it helps you to be a better and happier person rather than using it to make yourself a sadder person or getting rid of it entirely which is only going to frustrate you and make you miss something you love." She considered more. "Tell you what—why don't you keep chocolate around at first, but not as something to eat. There's chocolate shampoo, chocolate scented candles, chocolate…flavored toothpaste, I don't know…" She rolled her eyes, continuing on. "My point is try to find ways to use chocolate in your life that don't include eating, and ways that help with either your health or your daily activities or your peace of mind, alright? Form a good relationship with chocolate outside of it being just something for you to consume…and then maybe, as time passes and you feel more comfortable, find a healthy way to incorporate chocolate back into your eating if you want to: a mug of hot chocolate before bed time to help you fall asleep maybe or some healthy chicken and vegetables with mole sauce for dinner." She smiled.

"What's mole sauce?" Arnold and Charlie couldn't help but suddenly ask at the same time.

Helga blinked then tried not to laugh as she replied, "Kind of a savory chocolate and chili sauce—Olga's made it sometimes, and it's not too bad actually." She went back to Charlie. "Anyway, how does all that sound, Charlie?"

Charlie considered. In a way he sort of liked the idea of it. He'd have to make sure not to start consuming any of the chocolate-ish non-edible products, of course, but…it might be nice to try something like that, learning to love chocolate for the right reasons again, getting back to a healthier mindset about it. He smiled at Helga. "I like those ideas, Helga." He looked back to Arnold. "Arnold, do you think they're good too?"

Arnold was just smiling softly. Actually, he almost wanted to let a tear fall from his eye. How sweet…hearing about Helga's change in her love for him in that sort of way… He stayed focused on Charlie though since he knew he needed it. Arnold nodded to his question. "I actually do, Choc—um, Charlie. And if you want we could all talk sometimes while you're transitioning into this, just to see how you're doing and if you need anymore help."

Charlie beamed. "Wow, thanks, Arnold. Thanks, Helga."

Helga and Arnold smiled and spoke at the same time. "You're welcome, Charlie." They shared a laugh at speaking in unison like that.

A grinning Charlie stood up from Arnold's bed enthusiastically. "Alright, I'm gonna go get started right now shopping for some non-edible chocolate stuff. I can't wait! This might even help me get through Halloween with hardly a scratch!" He gave them both an appreciative wave. "Thanks, guys, I really do appreciate this, really. I know I can kick the habit for sure! I'll let you know how things are starting out in a day or two. Have a good night!" He started to walk confidently toward Arnold's door.

"Uh, Charlie, before you go, can I ask you just one more thing?" Helga suddenly said, looking at him curiously.

Charlie turned around and nodded. "Sure, Helga. What is it?"

Helga replied with interest, "You said something kind of upset you when you were little and that chocolate made you happy again, and that's why you became so focused on it. If you don't mind me asking, what was the thing?"

"Oh." Charlie frowned a little. Then he looked down and shrugged and replied, "My nanny left us to move away. And…she was my best friend in the house sort of, so I missed her a lot…But she gave me a bag of chocolates before she left and told me to be good and be happy…and that's when I started needing chocolate to be happy." He looked up at her again.

Helga was very still for a moment. Her face didn't show any clear expression. Then she took a breath and did her best to smile. "A-Ah, I see. Um…thank you for sharing with me, Charlie. I'll make a mental note of that situation for the next time we talk."

Charlie nodded and smiled. "Okay. Thanks again, Helga. Bye for now."

And then Charlie slipped out of the door, leaving Arnold and Helga alone.

There was just silence at first.

Arnold knew something was up with Helga. He started gently with just her name. "Helga…are you alright?"

She looked down now, seeming pensive. Something in her face twitched a little.

Arnold moved closer alongside her. He placed his hand atop hers on the bed. He spoke softly. "Are you remembering when you were little and how your parents left you alone to go to preschool?" He squeezed her hand and moved close, frowning too. He knew that memory was a very deep wound to Helga, even if it had ended with her meeting and falling in love with him.

Helga swallowed. She shrugged a little. "I…" she began quietly, "A little, but that's not…all." She almost smiled but also wiped a quick tear from her eye. "You're right, Arnold, I'm…not the most obvious person to want to take advice from, I…Sometimes I've done such bad things, Arnold. I don't even know why…" She leaned against him, and though she was quiet Arnold felt a few tears hit his jeans. He moved even closer, gently holding her with his other arm as he continued to hold her hand with the first one. She went on. "My nanny, Arnold…I did that bad thing to her, remember? Stealing... And she was my friend…She was strict with me but she cared about me. Reminded me of you actually." She glanced up at him a little. Then she let out a breath and managed to separate herself from him a little. "S-Sorry…" she wiped the tears away from her face, "I don't know why that just got to me. It's been so long and she's even forgiven me, I just…I don't know. The memories about my childhood and the memories about that kind of clashing together did it, I guess." She shrugged, trying to smile again.

Arnold still looked at her with a concerned but supportive frown though. "Do you want to talk about it a little, Helga?"

Helga swallowed and looked away, then she glanced hesitantly at him over her shoulder. "Yeah. If you won't feel too ashamed of me to talk back to me, Arnold."

Arnold took her hand and squeezed it again. He looked into her eyes. "I'm never ashamed of you, Helga. I'm here to help you." He smiled softly. "I'm your devoted ice cream, remember?"

She smiled a little too, almost laughed. She squeezed his hand back. "Okay, Arnold. Let's….Let's get some real ice cream downstairs and then maybe we can talk about it."

Arnold nodded. "Okay, Helga." He stood up and pulled her up along with him. They headed toward his doorway. "And I think you did a wonderful job helping Choc—erm, Charlie, Helga. Will you…help me give advice sometimes like that if you have any ideas and the other person really needs it?"

Helga smiled more and nodded. "Sure, Arnold. Anything you need…I'm here to help you too."

They moved closer to each other as they headed downstairs together.

Helping Chocolate Boy was a great first project (and first success) for them both.

* * *

**Christmas Presents**

This Christmas Arnold was feeling particularly generous. It was a very wonderful time of year in general, of course, which always appealed to his optimistic and caring nature. But this year he just had an extra little spring in his step and an extra devotion to making sure he really did get the perfect presents for everybody. For Gerald he had gotten some bongos for him to use in his spoken word performances. For Phoebe he had gotten a very nice carved wooden chess set. For his Grandma he had gotten a small bonsai tree for her dojo. For his Grandpa he had gotten a new Chinese checkers set. And for his Secret Santa present among the boarders (this time he had gotten Suzy) he had gotten a CD of Salsa music (he had asked Helga for advice on what to get her, and Miriam had overheard, which had led to some kind of memories about salsa lessons starting at the beach and continuing now, and…Arnold had found the whole thing a little funny while Helga had seemed pleasantly mortified as usual and had calmly made him swear never to speak of this again as soon as her mother had left the room so…yeah, Salsa music for Suzy.)

Anyway, speaking of Helga, even though it was only a couple of days before Christmas Eve, her present still wasn't done yet. He had recalled how much she had liked the one-month anniversary present of the Dino and Nancy Spumoni album that they had enjoyed together autographed by Nancy, and he had also come to find out that Dino and Nancy were releasing a Christmas album this year by surprise the day before Christmas Eve. So Arnold had sort of gone to Dino Spumoni and asked him if he could buy an advance copy of this forthcoming album for a 'special friend' of his, and he had also asked, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, if Dino and his daughter could autograph it, and Don Reynolds too since he had done the melodies. Dino (and Don, who had happened to be over at the time apparently—they were getting better about hanging out again more and more) had of course agreed and even offered Arnold the advance copy for free, though not after a little good-natured ribbing to Arnold about having a special lady friend now. The only snag had been that Nancy was in New York at the moment promoting the brand new edition of her line of snow boots, which would only be released at midnight on December 23rd, so she wouldn't be home until Christmas Eve morning. But, if Arnold wouldn't mind waiting, he could swing by that day and pick up the record for Helga. Arnold had, of course, agreed and been very grateful for all of their help, and now was just waiting to return to Dino's house the day after tomorrow for Helga's present.

At this particular moment, however, thoughts about Helga's gift weren't really paramount in Arnold's mind. His focus was on the gift he was delivering a bit early right now, and to one Mr. Bailey of the Federal Office of Information. After all, Arnold was feeling particularly generous and cheerful this year, and Mr. Bailey had helped make last Christmas pretty merry (Arnold was never quite sure how Mai Hyunh had found her way to the Sunset Arms that night, but he had always figured the only thing that made sense was that Mr. Bailey had had a change of heart and had searched for her even without the getting those snow boots he had wanted for his daughter), and he had even helped Arnold save the neighborhood by sending him and Gerald on the right trail of the Tomato Document (even if it had mostly been to save Dolly's Donuts). Speaking of donuts, Arnold had a box full of a dozen fresh Dolly's Donuts in one hand as he walked down the hallway of the Federal Office of Information now. He also had another surprise. You see, Arnold really was grateful to Mr. Bailey for his help with some things over the last year…and also Arnold had just received the annual Christmas card that Mr. Smith, of all people, always sent to the boarding house each year…and, so, long story short, he'd had Gerald call in a favor from Fuzzy Slippers, who had in turn managed somehow to get a message to the elusive Mr. Smith (head of Satellite Industries…which Arnold had a pretty good idea had some ties to the government and the Federal Office of Information, as Fuzzy Slippers had later confirmed). The message, in the form of a letter from Arnold, had been simple enough: Arnold wished Mr. Smith a happy Christmas, he wanted to let him know that his room was always still free if he ever wanted to visit the extended family again, and he wanted to impose on him for one small favor in light of the holiday season. Mr. Smith clearly had the ability to pull some serious official strings, and there was a man at a certain federal office who had helped their extended family last Christmas but who seemed very overworked a lot…so Arnold had asked if Mr. Smith would make it so Mr. Bailey could have Christmas Eve and Day off as part of Arnold's present to the bureaucrat. Mr. Smith had sent back an affirmative response along with wishes of love to his extended family and a promise to try visiting soon if possible.

So now Arnold was on his way with a box of donuts to tell Mr. Bailey that he was going to have Christmas Eve and Day off…(and a little more thanks to Mr. Smith's generosity…) (and with pay…), and to just wish him a happy holiday.

Hearing voices in Mr. Bailey's office as he approached it, though, Arnold paused and chose to wait in the hallway for a moment. If Mr. Bailey was working, he did not want to interrupt him. He would just wait for his meeting to be over or for his client to finish.

It was when the sound of the voice (it was her softer tones, her more reserved speech, and he only got that from her sometimes so it took him a moment to recognize it) turned out to prove that Helga G. Pataki was its owner that Arnold didn't just wait quietly but listened intently instead. What in the world could Helga be doing here, after all?

"—but my point is, I need you to not say anything. Because he's coming—I know that little Football Head is coming. He's been spreading more Christmas cheer lately than a sugar plum fairy on an eggnog bender, and I know he's getting you a yuletide present too. I know you think it's funny and that it really doesn't matter, but I'm serious…if he brings up the Mai Hyunh thing, you CANNOT tell him. Please…" Helga G. Pataki, wrapped in her purple parka and red snow hat and sitting on the edge of Mr. Bailey's desk, looked at Mr. Bailey very sternly and very seriously…but also with a very real degree of tenderness and sincerity.

Mr. Bailey had been smiling a little but then he just looked a touch bored. It wasn't his fault really—he was just such a bureaucrat, and at this point in the conversation he had more interest in getting through the pile of spreadsheets in his inbox than trying to understand why this little girl was back in his office again and why she was so nervous that her little strange-headed friend would find out she had talked to him last Christmas. Kids…. He had never been very good with kids. He just didn't understand them too well. Though last time this particular kid had talked to him, she had seemed a lot more like an adult than he could have imagined a nine-year-old could be. And she really wasn't asking much from him right now. And it was Christmas after all. And she had made his daughter happy with those boots…. And maybe he was a little ahead on those spreadsheets, come to think of it. "Alright, Alright…" Mr. Bailey pushed his chair back a little and nodded to Helga, "I won't say anything to Arnold. What, is he your little boyfriend or something?" He smiled a little. Kids and their crushes.

Helga was normally very capable at maintaining a no nonsense, professional, and quite commanding air when in business situations and with adult. But Mr. Bailey really did have her over a barrel. And his question, however rhetorical it might have been, had caught her off guard. "Yes, he is," she replied softly, blushing a lot. "But he doesn't have to know every detail about my past. The Mai Hyunh thing was a deal between you and me—you got my Nanc…you got Nancy Spumoni snow boots for your daughter, I stayed up all night helping you pull off that missing person's search, I even gave you the address for where the girl needed to go, and honestly I think all of that extra work was worth even more than the pair of snow boots, so you owe me a little." She tried to be stern, but then looked sincere again. "Just don't tell him, alright? It's a secret. And it's important to me…He actually still believes in miracles…I don't want him to know the miracle was just me." Helga was quiet for a moment. Then she let out a breath and added much more casually, just trying to get Mr. Bailey to agree and move on already, "And I promise I'll buy you Dolly's Donuts every morning for a month if you'll just keep my name out of anything the Football head might bring up about last year, okay? Deal?" She sighed and held out her hand to him, clearly waiting for an answer.

Mr. Bailey just looked at her curiously. Then he scratched his head. "You kids sure take things seriously. You know, when I was your age, all I cared about was the normal stuff—ice cream and stickball and my stamp collection. But he's in here saving neighborhoods and you're in here finding missing daughters and keeping secrets…" He sighed and shook his head. '_Those kids should relax while they can_,' he thought to himself. Then he looked back at Helga and finally nodded. "But alright, I won't say a word to Arnold, no donuts required even. I promise."

Helga smiled, finally seeming at ease. "Thanks, mack, I appreciate it. And I promise you won't be getting any more surprise visits from me for holiday person searches anymore." She grinned.

Mr. Bailey smiled a little. At least these kids were kind of funny sometimes even if they did occasionally ask the bureaucratic moon of him. "Alright, alright, enough now. I won't tell. Now shouldn't you be out building a snowman or throwing snowballs at my car or eating Christmas cookies? For Pete's sake, you're only ten. Enjoy it while you can!" He started to shoo her out of the office playfully.

Helga just rolled her eyes but finally popped off of his desk and started across the room. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going." Helga turned around in the doorway and smiled at him. "Thanks, Mr. Bailey. And merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Helga," he called out with a little wave.

Helga pushed open the door when she went out and of course had no need to look behind where the door swung out…where Arnold was hiding with his box of donuts.

Both he and the donuts got a tiny bit crushed by her opening the door but otherwise no major damage to speak of.

Back in the office, Mr. Bailey just shook his head as he watched Helga go. Then he turned back to his desk and yawned and stretched up. He glanced at his inbox. Not too many more spreadsheets to get through. He could probably finish them tonight if he put in a few hours overtime. Of course, there would be a fresh new stack twice as long come tomorrow, and that would take up his entire tomorrow and Christmas Eve. He sighed. "Oh well, better get to work…" he mumbled to himself and then turned back to his keyboard.

It was then that Arnold chose to approach.

He shuffled out from behind the door and shuffled into Mr. Bailey's doorway. "Mr. Bailey?" he started kind of quietly.

Mr. Bailey blinked in surprise and then looked at Arnold, an eyebrow raised. How long had… "Arnold! E-Erm…that's your name, right, kid?" He smiled a little…but then the look on the young boy's face told him Arnold knew everything. Mr. Bailey sighed deeply. It really was a little sad—that girl had seemed to care so much about Arnold not knowing all of the things she had just been talking to him about.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Bailey." Arnold put down the donut box. "I heard Helga, Mr. Bailey," he admitted.

Mr. Bailey rubbed a temple and shook his head. "Arnold, you know, I've been married almost thirty five years, and one thing women hate is when you eavesdrop on them, and especially when you spoil their surprises."

Arnold blushed and swallowed a little. Then he grabbed an extra chair and sat down on it. "Mr. Bailey, tell me everything about Helga and the snow boots…please. I promise it's okay, and I promise not to tell her you told." Then Arnold smiled slightly and added, "And thanks for finding Mai. I wasn't sure if that was you or not."

Mr. Bailey sighed, glancing at his inbox. "Arnold, believe me, I'd love to share all the details with you, but I've got the whole rest of this stack to get through, and another one twice the size of the original pile coming along tomorrow, and I'll be lucky if I finish by midnight on Christmas Eve."

Arnold just smiled more and stood up, placing a little pink and grey memo on Mr. Bailey's desk. "Actually, as part of your Christmas present, I got you off for tomorrow through new year's and a few days after…with pay. I hope that's alright, Mr. Bailey."

Mr. Bailey just sat there frozen for a moment. Then he grinned and even laughed a little. "Oh, Arnold, that's a good one. No one would ever okay me doing…um…" He had started to read the memo. And it looked very official and real and everything…

"Um, I-I know this guy named Mr. Smith a little… He pulled some strings and arranged it. I hope that's okay," Arnold explained humbly.

Mr. Bailey seemed to read the memo a few times to take in its message, and then he smiled widely. "You mean...the holidays off? No final spreadsheets to…Oh Arnold, this is…" He looked back at the boy with such gratefulness, but then blinked and had to ask, still reeling a bit (it had been DECADES since he'd had Christmas off, after all), "But, still, how did you manage…?"

Arnold just gave a small, humble shrug. "I still believe in miracles…. Don't you, Mr. Bailey?" He gave the older man a meaningful smile.

Mr. Baily just blinked and looked at Arnold with such…awe.

Arnold started to feel a touch shy and embarrassed. He brought for the donut box now to help break the ice. "Oh and I got you a dozen of Dollies Donuts. Bear claws and glazed and ones with sprinkles—everything you like."

Mr. Bailey's jaw actually fell now.

Arnold smiled warmly and shrugged. "Like Helga said, I'm spreading a lot of Christmas cheer this year." Then his tone became a touch more sincere, and he added, "But mostly I wanted to thank you. I figured you must have had something to do with finding Mr. Hyunh's daughter, and then you helped Gerald and me find the Tomato Document so that we could save the neighborhood. I just wanted to make sure you had a good Christmas as part of all of that."

Mr. Bailey was just quiet for a moment. Then he looked down at his desk a little, rubbing one of his temples. He sighed deeply. "Look, Arnold…? I'm…I'm sorry last year that I didn't want to help you without the snow boots and that I snapped at you a little and sent you and your other friend packing that night even after you guys did my Christmas shopping for me. You're young, you have freedom and energy and a whole life ahead of you. Me, I get crammed in a cubicle six days a week, I've got bills to pay, and I started going bald at 29. I'm a little on edge most of the time." Then he looked at Arnold again. "So…thank you for the presents. I appreciate them. And…I'll tell you about that Helga girl. But I've really got to warn you, Arnold," he added, "I don't think she's going to be happy if you confront her about this. She's a tough cookie—I think she's gonna get angry and take it out on you big time."

Despite the warning though, Arnold (of course) just smiled a little more. "It's okay, Mr. Bailey. I don't mind if she does a little. And you're welcome. And thanks…. Do you have time now to tell me?"

Mr. Bailey nodded. "Yeah, sure, if this really is the only work I have to get through, then I'm all yours." He stretched a little and grabbed a donut. "Help yourself, Arnold." Arnold grabbed a glazed donut and waited eagerly but with patience for Mr. Bailey to start. "Well…" the older man began nostalgically between bites of a bear claw, "It was late that night, a while after you'd left the office. The Christmas party here was over and I was just locking up myself when all of a sudden that Helga girl comes dashing up the stoop with a pair of Nancy Spumoni snow boots giftwrapped. Still don't know how she managed to get those…She told me later it was a Christmas present she didn't want, but the girls were crazy for those boots last year, so I don't get that. Anyway she said the snow boots were for me and that we had to find that missing person you were looking for right now! But it was so late and so cold, I told her I was going home now no matter what. Then she…" Mr. Bailey had paused, partly because he had finished his donut…partly because what Helga had said, despite the lateness and the cold and his exhaustion of that Christmas Eve night, has struck him to the core as a person…The thing Arnold had just referenced. "She said that…I was being cold…and that I had a chance to do the right thing and spend all night trying to find that girl with her. Or I could go home…and then you wouldn't believe in miracles ever again… So…"

Arnold…touched quite a bit himself already…just nodded softly and proceeded to listen very intently to Mr. Bailey's story.

After this encounter, Arnold would make several phone calls and cash in all the favors he had to Dino Spumoni. But it would be absolutely worth it and then some.

* * *

"Arnold, it's Christmas Eve and it's dark out and it's freezing and it's about to snow…don't you want to be inside with your wacky but lovable family exchanging more gifts and drinking hot chocolate while your Grandma actually plays Christmas carols on the piano for a change this year?" Helga G. Pataki asked her beloved Arnold as they sat on the lounge chairs on his rooftop, totally exposed to the December cold and night. Helga wrapped her arms around her purple parka more and nestled her head down into it, allowing her long, loose hair to help her scarf keep her warm.

Arnold, just sitting there in his winter jacket looking casual enough and not seeming to mind the cold much, shrugged with a warm smile. "We can do that later. Besides, I wanted to give you your Christmas present in private."

Helga smirked a little and blushed. "Arnold, if it's an actual gift, you know I prefer opening them on Christmas morning…. I mean, I don't mind taking the occasional peek beforehand, but I like the actual opening on that morning. I appreciate the Christmas Eve tradition your family's got going though of course, Arnold." She blushed a little more and went on, "And if it's just kisses, we could do that just as easily in your room as here…" She leaned a little closer to him.

Arnold just remained casual and calm as ever, though. He reached under his lounge chair and pulled out a thinly sized gift-wrapped box. "Here you go, Helga…. You can open it whenever you want."

Helga blinked in surprise and took the thin box. She looked down at it curiously, and then looked up at Arnold with a smile. "Oh…alright, I can't resist—can I really open it now?" She smiled hopefully.

Arnold nodded. "Of course, Helga. I was hoping you would, actually. Merry Christmas."

Helga grinned and was instantly at her present. "I'll swing by with your present tomorrow morning after breakfast, Football Head," she assured him as she eagerly worked her way through the wrapping to the gift underneath. "I can't wait to see if you like it…" '_Totally sewed him a scarf by hand—he'll eat something like that up, sentimental little shrimp.'_ She giggled mentally to herself in anticipation of seeing Arnold's response to her present tomorrow morning, a gift which she had been working on for a month straight now actually.

"I'm sure I'll love it, Helga," Arnold assured, still smiling. He was obviously very happy that she was about to see (part of) her present right now.

And indeed, Helga finally sat there now with an exposed gift. An album—Dino and Nancy Spumoni's duet…no, wait…this was different…Oh, wow, it was their new Christmas album! But that hadn't even come out until yesterday, and every store in the city had sold out of every copy within an hour! And…oh, this album was autographed by Dino and Nancy too, just like their first compilation album was that Arnold had given her! And Don Reynolds had even autographed it too! "Oh Arnold…" she cooed softly, her eyes wide with surprise and then flying up to meet his, "This is…great, Football Head! I really wanted to listen to this, and you even got it autographed again. Thank you." She smiled so appreciatively at him.

Arnold smiled warmly back at her. "You're welcome, Helga. A-And, yeah…I-I know Dino Spumoni pretty well, so him and Nancy and Don were really happy to sign another album for yo—Oh!" Helga had flown over to his lounge chair at this point to wrap him in a big, warm hug and with a big, warm smile plastered on her face.

She just squeezed Arnold tightly as could be and then pulled back with a big smile. "Arnold, it was so sweet of you to call in another favor for me like this. And seriously, this is so boss." Helga sat up a bit and looked down to the record again with a big grin. "I love Nancy Spumoni. I can't wait to listen to her together again. Thanks, Football Head, this is such a good Christmas gift. Really. Thank you." She seemed truly happy.

Arnold just smiled at her…and then he smiled more.

Helga was back to admiring her record, meanwhile. Then it seemed to her that Arnold hadn't said anything for a bit, and so she finally glanced up at him again. "Sheesh, no 'you're welcome', Football Head?" She grinned a little. "Crimeny, I guess all of the goody two shoes Christmas cheer you've been spreading to everyone else couldn't help but make even a polite guy like you slack off a lit—"

There was the sound of someone climbing up the fire escape.

Helga's smile fell and she sat up straight. After all, to the best of her knowledge she and Arnold were the only ones who used the fire escape (Grandpa had expressly banned the boarders from using it ever since they had all tried using it at once and had broken it last year during the tutoring fiasco), and Gerald and Phoebe were clearly at their own houses enjoying Christmas Eve with their own families. So who the heck… "Arnold, someone's coming up here," she announced, looking at him with a touch of concern. '_Oh boy, ANY yuletide burglar is gonna have to answer to old Betsey! And the Five Avengers should probably be a part of this too! This is my first Christmas with Arnold, NOTHING is allowed to ruin this!'_

Arnold just stood up, though, and then reached out and took her hand. "I know. Come on, we've got company, dear."

Helga blushed softly, but stood up nonetheless, putting her record aside on the lounge chair. "A-Arnold, what is it, seriously?" she asked almost shyly as he led her closer to the ledge of the roof. It might have been silly, but the 'dear' thing always got to her. She felt like they were married when he called her that.

Arnold just shrugged, stopping them a few feet from the place where the fire escape met the roof. "Somebody else has a present for you. I hope you like it."

Helga just looked at the empty space of roof with much confusion.

Then…was that…Dino Spumoni? Yes, Dino Spumoni ascended Arnold's fire escape and came up onto his roof.

The old singer stood up and leaned against a pane of Arnold's skylight for a moment, panting a bit despite the cold as he remained there for a moment dressed in an overcoat, a warm green sweater, and tan pants with snow boots. "A-Arnold…for crying out loud, kid…you gotta get an escalator on that thing, you know what I'm saying? I'm getting too old for…these shenanigans, kid."

Arnold smiled, rubbing the back of his neck a touch sheepishly. "Sorry, Dino. But thanks for coming up that way so you could surprise her."

Dino let out one more puff of air and finally seemed to have caught his breath again. He straightened up and couldn't help smiling a little himself. "Eh, don't worry about it. I just gotta get back in shape." He held his stomach jokingly. "Gotta work in a few more laps around the gym."

Then another person came up onto the roof from the fire escape, this one with much more ease and grace and style than her predecessor. "Yeah, Dad, that and quit having Ziti al Forno and cheap Chianti and Cannolis every night for dinner." The young woman stood up and straightened her red snow parka, brushing some flakes from her shoulders. "I think I need to spend more time at home so that I can make sure you're eating right." She smirked and brushed her long, curly black hair behind her ears with one hand. Her other hand held a small satchel.

Dino just rolled his eyes with a smile and glanced at the young woman beside him. "Hey, I eat fine—ziti, chianti, cannoli, that's a good Italian meal, Nancy. Mediterranean diet."

Nancy Spumoni just sighed and rolled her eyes. "That settles it, I'm definitely spending more time at home. I don't care where my agent thinks I 'need' to go to promote the fashion line."

Helga had literally been all but plotzing watching this whole exchange: her jaw hung open and she gripped her record so hard her knuckles were white, and now she just, she just…

Nancy Spumoni turned to Helga G. Pataki. "Hi there, you two. Let me guess…you're Arnold," she glanced at Arnold, who smiled and nodded at her, then she looked back at Helga, "And you must be Helga G. Pataki. I hear you're a very big fan of mine. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Helga G. Pataki." And then Nancy Spumoni knelt down a little and held out her hand.

Helga just…just… "Arnold, Nancy Spumoni just said hi to me and she's holding out her freaking hand…" she mumbled quickly to the boy beside her, wide eyed the whole time she spoke.

Arnold chuckled a little. "Yeah, it's kind of a funny story. You see, I—"

"Arnold, shut up, Nancy Spumoni is seriously _standing here_ on Christmas Eve, _saying hi _and _holding out her hand to me_, what should I do?!" Helga had yet to move or blink or breath at all.

Arnold did his best not to laugh at her stunned reaction. "Um…maybe you could shake her hand and say hi back."

Helga blinked at that reply and then scowled a tiny bit and elbowed Arnold. "Arnold. Do not get cheeky, this is NANCY freaking SPUMONI." Helga swallowed and cleared her throat and then pushed some of her hair behind her ears and finally held out her own hand and managed to grip Nancy Spumoni's (after only two or three failed attempts to do so). "Hi, I, yeah, I-I'm Helga G. Pataki…and you're Nancy Spumoni…Pleasure to meet you, heh…" Helga smiled, felt very flustered, and then went on, still kind of reeling, "I'm sorry I'm acting like such a spazz, I promise I'm normally much, much cooler than this." And then she sighed in delight and envy and added, "Ugh, I think your style is so boss." And Nancy really was dressed pretty awesomely—the red parka turned out to be red leather with several silver zipper pockets, underneath that she was wearing a pink cream colored sweater as well as a red leather knee-length skirt, black leggings, and of course an official pair of Nancy Spumoni snow boots—this year's edition! Helga couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She would never be able to afford those snow boots on her own, and now she could never ask her parents for a pair—her mom had put so much effort into getting her a pair last year that she just didn't have the heart to tell Miriam she had given them away. Oh well, not the worst predicament she had ever found herself in of course, but still…Nancy Spumoni was so edgy, so independent, so fierce, so cool, so in charge and so tough yet feminine and unafraid to be nice and soft because she didn't care at all what other people thought of her. Helga normally did not care in the least about famous people…but she really liked the image of Nancy Spumoni.

Nancy Spumoni just smiled and gave a little bow. "Thank you, Helga. I like your style too." She looked to the top of Helga's head. "That ribbon is so classic. I like it. And the pink suits you well." She winked down at the ten-year-old girl.

Helga just grinned and then she sighed and put a hand to her forehead and leaned against Arnold a lot. "Oh boy this is the best Christmas EVER." She laughed warmly.

Arnold laughed too. "Yeah, that's sort of what I was going for." He turned back to Dino and Nancy. "Thank you so much for coming over. I really, really appreciate it."

Dino just smiled and waved him off. "Eh, it was the least I could do after all that stuff you went through with helping me fake my death. Besides, I wanted to meet this girlfriend of yours." Dino looked at Helga and then his eyes opened a little wider. "Oh I remember her, she goes to your school, right?"

Helga smiled and straightened up again, holding out her hand. "Hi, Spumoni, nice to officially meet you." They shook, and then Helga went on to explain with a grin, "Arnold and I kind of fell in love over your music. The whole thing was very mushy. Oh and thanks to both of you for signing your new record for me—I love it." Helga smiled brightly and appreciatively.

Dino smiled back. "Oh, you're welcome, Helga. And call me Dino."

Nancy nodded. "Of course, Helga, and we were happy to do it: anything for someone special to Arnold. After all, I know how good a friend Arnold's been to my dad—helping him with the fake death fiasco, always listening to his problems…making him be friends with Don again so that I can finally bring my fiancée around to family dinners without a spectacle." She looked at her father with a smirk.

Arnold and Helga both looked a touch confused now. Nancy glanced back at them, saw their clear uncertainty, and explained brightly, "Don Jr. is Don Reynolds son, and he and I have been dating on and off since college…which soon became secret dating after Dad and Don Sr. had their little falling out. And then the mood struck me over the summer and I said to myself, eh, what the heck, and proposed to Donny, and he was all for it. And thanks to you, Arnold, now we can actually plan the wedding without our father's comically threatening to disown us if we go through with getting hitched." She smiled warmly.

Helga just beamed a little at this information and glanced at her boyfriend. "See, Arnold, I told you—she is so cool." And then she laughed a little bit and whispered to him, "And I guess that 'proposal' bug was really going around this summer."

Arnold blushed a lot and rolled his eyes to the side. "Helga…"

Helga just laughed more and looked back to Nancy. "Anyway, congrats, Nancy, that's great. Getting married anywhere awesome?"

Nancy shrugged. "Eh, torn between a volcano rim, an Appalachian peak, and an underwater reception in a coral reef. I gave Donny the options, told him he could pick one but he hasn't decided yet. Those are the three he's got it narrowed down to though."

Helga nodded her approval. "Nice. Very nice." She glanced at Arnold. "Take some notes, Football Head. I want you all ready and set to go when I pick a wedding day for us." She nudged him, knowing he'd get all flustered but also knowing he'd quickly get over it and just smile and loosen up more if anything.

Indeed, Arnold blushed a lot but managed to laugh. "Whatever you say, Helga…" he mumbled softly, giving her the lightest little playful nudge back.

Dino and Nancy couldn't help but share a laugh at the sight of the two kids.

Then Dino blew into his hands to warm them up and addressed the kids once more. "Anyway, it's really getting nippy out here, so Nancy and I were thinking of crashing that Christmas party you got going on downstairs, Arnold, and stealing a mug of hot chocolate each before we headed home to celebrate our own Christmas Eve. Oh, right after we take care of that last thing of course." Dino smiled down at Arnold and winked.

Nancy beamed at the sudden reminder of their final task for the evening. "Oh, right!" She brought her satchel forward. "You know, you've really got some boyfriend Helga. Not only did he come to Dad and me for the album and the autograph and the visit here tonight but he did everything he could to get in touch with me in time to get these for you." Nancy Spumoni pulled out a decent sized present box with a ribbon on it. "Here you go, Helga. Merry Christmas."

Helga blinked in surprise at first. Then, of course, she smiled, reaching out and taking the present like a precious item. "Wow, um…thanks, Nancy." She grinned up at her brightly. "Merry Christmas to you too…A-And to you, Dino." She looked to the older Spumoni with a smile as well.

Dino smiled and nodded. "Merry Christmas to you too, Helga…and you too, Arnold." He gave Arnold a nod as well. Then he turned to Nancy. "Alright, come on, Nancy, seriously, I'm freezing…" He walked over to the roof ledge and started to descend the fire escape.

Nancy laughed and followed after him. "Coming, Dad." Then she glanced back at Helga and Arnold. "Have a good night, you two. And, hey, if it's on a day when you're free I hope you two'll come to the wedding. I'll send an invite here. Enjoy!" She gave them a little salute and then headed down the fire escape as well.

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Helga turned to Arnold. "Arnold, seriously, that…I…and you…oh come here you big lug!" Then she wrapped her free arm around him in a tight hug.

Arnold laughed and hugged her back. "You're welcome, Helga. I just thought all of that would be a really nice surprise for you." Then he pulled back and looked at her eagerly.

"It really was, Arnold. Thanks again." Helga smiled at him…and then noticed his eager look and raised part of her brow. "Um…yes, Arnold?"

He smiled more. "Aren't you going to open your present?"

Helga's grin picked up on one side and she laughed. "Arnold, I already told you, Christmas morning is really more my thing…"

"Please, Helga." He didn't say it playfully or casually…he said it very sincerely, very seriously. "It's important."

Helga blinked at his change in tone. "I…well…I guess if you really want me to, Arnold." '_Eh, why not?'_ After all, when had Helga ever turned down early presents, really, and especially from a celebrity?

Helga walked over to her lounge chair with a smile and started ripping off the wrapping paper. Arnold followed her and sat down on the lounge chair across from her as she final got the gift open.

Helga paused. She knew it was a shoebox. But she couldn't…

She opened the box.

Inside was an official pair of Nancy Spumoni Snow Boots…This year's latest design, and they were even the special edition version with the silver accents on the red and black, and Nancy Spumoni's signature stitched on the outside of the left boot in gold.

Helga didn't know what to say. She just sat there looking…confused and pensive.

Arnold watched her carefully. He wondered what she was thinking exactly.

Helga still didn't speak though, and so then Arnold prompted softly, "Do you like them, Helga? Nancy Spumoni snow boots…Nancy thought…and I thought…. Do you not like them for any reason?" His tone was very level and casual as he spoke.

"I…" Helga managed, and then she paused. "Um…no, it's not…. It's just…I…" Then she sighed softly and chose her words carefully as she went on… "I don't really think I deserve these, Arnold…" She placed the box with the shoes in it aside with her record and then sat fully back upon the lounge chair, legs pulled up a little, looking a little lost in thought. In her head… _'It's just a coincidence, I know that…but I…this is missing the whole point, isn't it?'_

Arnold looked at her with more interest. He leaned closer to her. "Of course you do, Helga," he replied softly. "They're a present. It's Christmas. You deserve them more than anybody else."

"No, I really don't, Arnold," she couldn't help but respond firmly, her head snapping up.

Arnold didn't let the quick reaction catch him off guard though. He spoke back to her in the same firm tone. "And why not, Helga?"

Helga opened her mouth, then looked frustrated, and then she looked down. "Never mind, it's stupid."

"Why not, Helga, why wouldn't you deserve them?" Arnold prompted though, leaning even closer.

"None of your business, Arnold," she managed to say back, though she was clearly starting to seem backed into a corner.

"Helga…I…" Arnold let out a breath. Then he moved to sit beside her on her lounge chair. "You deserve them…. You know that. I…I know that…I know about…Helga, I…" He could barely say it, and he could see she was piecing it together as he spoke and stumbled over his words. "I know what you did last year…"

Her eyes went wide and seemed to almost shine with something near tears, though perhaps it was a trick of the starlight. "N-No, you…" she started.

He cut her off though, softly, explaining… "I overheard…at Mr. Bailey's office…what you said to him…I was coming to bring him his present and…"

Then Helga blinked and scowled, and then she grabbed his collar and yanked is head closer to hers. "Arnold Phillip Shortman, I have TOLD YOU how I feel about the eavesdropping! How could you do that?!"

Arnold blinked, eyes going wide. "H-Helga…" She hadn't grabbed him like this or looked this angry since long before her confession. Had he really upset her so very much? "I'm sorry, I—"

"No, you are not getting out of this! Crimeny, how hard is it to knock or to clear your throat or to just tap at the door and say 'hi'? Just do SOMETHING to let your presence be known so that two people having a private conversation realize the conversation's not so private anymore! What, is this some kind of payback for all the stalking I did to you over the years, hmm?" she shot back at him sarcastically.

She was starting to seem a little too hysterical. Arnold picked up on this. He tried to be soothing, calming, gentle, understanding…"Um…Helga, I really am sorry, but I really don't think it's a big deal. It was just an accident and I didn't want to interrupt you guys and…"

"No, we are talking more about this right now, even if it takes all night," Helga merely insisted hotly, cutting him off once more. "The spying is going to stop!"

Arnold blinked at her serious and demanding tone…but then he started to get what she might be trying to do right now. His eyes went a little half lidded n a dry way. He was starting to know her all too well. "Helga…"

"What?" she shot back with a scowl.

Arnold sighed. "Helga…I think you're making a big deal out of this to avoid talking about the Nancy Spumoni snow boots thing. Am I right?"

Helga blinked and then looked even more frustrated. "Oh…" she let his collar go with a little half push and then leaned back in her chair, looking away from him with a deeper scowl. "Shut up." It was so annoying when he was right—how he could always read through everything to her true intentions now?

Arnold just watched her with a soft look. Then he spoke to her softly. "You deserve the snow boots, Helga. You did a beautiful thing."

"Yeah, yeah, take a picture, it'll last longer…" she just mumbled, avoiding things further.

"Helga," Arnold was a bit sterner now, "I already know, so stop pretending about it, okay? Mr. Bailey told me everything he knew and I pieced together the rest. It's already done."

"But you weren't supposed to know!" Helga sat up again, scowling at him. "And I wasn't supposed to get snow boots. I gave up those snow boots knowing I'd never get another pair and knowing that what I did would be special to you and the only thing I had ever entirely done for no personal gain whatsoever. Now you know so that takes away the 'no personal gain' thing because you're clearly all impressed and in awe of me now, and now I've got the snow boots back and in spades which is like a reward or something. Arnold, this ruins everything!" She threw her arms up in the air.

"No, it doesn't!" Arnold assured, looking into her eyes. She had dropped her hands and he picked one of them up. "You gave up something important to you at the time thinking there really would be no way to get it back, and you did do it for completely selfless reasons—just because I know now that you did it and like that you did it doesn't change that fact. And just because you have the snow boots now doesn't change the fact that back then you sincerely thought you'd never own another pair again. Helga, please, I just wanted to thank you, not just for giving Mr. Hyunh his daughter back but for…for helping me believe in miracles some more." He smiled a little. "I know this optimism thing of mine looks like a cinch but I make it look easier than it is. Little boosts from time to time like Mr. Hyunh getting Mai back help a lot." He even laughed warmly a little.

Helga listened to it all. And, though she was still quite frustrated with him about this situation…she also knew that he was right in this point…that it was alright that someone had found out about her selfless deed and that she had someone been given back what she had given up in the first place a year ago. She knew, as Arnold was saying, that her intents and thoughts at the time were what was most important, and that whatever had managed to happen right now didn't negate the goodness of what she had done. So she thought for a moment and then sighed. Then she squeezed Arnold's hand and looked to his eyes. "Arnold…I know all of that…and I understand what you mean." Then she smiled softly. "And I do appreciate the present, my love, so much, it was all so very kind of you…Really, it…it was beautiful of you to actually…" Her eyes seemed teary again…then she added, her smile falling a little "But you have to promise me something, Arnold—I mean it. One thing."

Arnold, very seriously absorbed in her response and sudden request, nodded. "Yes, Helga. Anything…"

She looked into his eyes. "Do not tell Mr. Hyunh or Mai what I did. I don't want them to know."

Arnold looked a little hesitant for a moment.

Helga spoke so sincerely. "Please, Arnold. That would really ruin everything for me. Everyone would be acting so grateful toward me…I'd hate it, Arnold. Please, this just stays between me and you and away from the boarders, alright?"

Arnold listened to her plea, and then he understood and nodded. "Okay, Helga. If you want, I promise I won't tell Mai or Mr. Hyunh what you did."

"Thanks, Arnold…" She squeezed his hand a little again.

There was a moment of peaceful Christmas silence.

Then Helga smiled and let out a laugh, glancing at her beloved, "You know that to make up for you giving me this incredibly sentimental and heartfelt gift, I'm going to have to get you back in the only way I know how…" She leaned in closer. "Next year, you've gotta let me buy you a big, fancy, flashy gift, and you've got to accept it and you've got to like it whether it's some high-tech video game or some advanced electronic thing for your room or even a…a…a robot butler that does all of your chores for you and makes you root beer floats every night before bed. Alright?" Her grin picked up on one side.

Arnold blinked at first. "Helga, you don't have to…. I…" But then he blushed and smiled as she just moved closer and closer to him, eyes wide and lashes fluttering and soft hair gently dotted with snow…Who could resist? He laughed a little and nodded. "Oh, um…okay, Helga. If you want to."

Helga just giggled warmly at his touch of shyness and attraction and at how he had melted in response to her flirting.. "Very good answer, Football Head." She winked then gestured over to the skylight. "Now come on, let's get my snow boots and record stowed in your room and then get our butts to the end of that Christmas party downstairs. Dino's right—it's freezing out here!"

Helga got up and took Arnold's hand and then began to pull him up too, and Arnold just smile and followed along with her. She was so warm and sweet and he knew he had picked the perfect companion for himself with her, he just knew it.

* * *

It was a few days after Christmas and New Year's, and Mr. Bailey, now standing once again in the familiar hallway of the Federal Office of Information, got out his office keys and opened up his office door (he couldn't remember the last time he'd had to actually LOOK for his keys, but for the first time in forever he'd had two weeks off straight and they had been too glorious to care one hair about keys). He unlocked and opened the door…

And there in Mr. Bailey's chair sat Helga G. Pataki with her legs crossed, her arms crossed, and a look of preteen wrath upon her features.

Mr. Bailey blinked in surprise for a moment and then there was just silence between the two of them.

Helga spoke first.

"You blabbed all the details about our snow boots to the Football Head, didn't you, Mr. Bailey?" She gave him such a disappointed and infuriated look and shook her head with a 'tisk tisk' sound.

Oh boy…Mr. Bailey knew that look. That 'oh you are in _such_ trouble' look. Helga would make an excellent wife one day. He swallowed and frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "In my defense…" he put down his hat and coat and brief case, "After I found out he had been eavesdropping, I told Arnold doing that was a bad idea, and I told him that asking me for details about what you did was an even worse idea." He walked over to her. "Believe me, Helga, if he hadn't caught us talking like that and begged to know more and said it was for a really good reason, I wouldn't have told him anything. But he wanted to know, and…not just for himself, but for something for you it seemed like…" He frowned. "I didn't mean to ruin anything you were trying to do. I just wanted to help the kid out. It meant a lot to him."

Helga gave Mr. Bailey a stern look for just a moment longer.

Then she sighed and her face relaxed, her tone becoming much more understanding. "It's okay, I guess. I know you got put in an awkward spot with me leaving and him coming in after overhearing…" She looked at him a touch sheepishly. "Sorry for giving you the third degree at first…" She blushed a little and rolled her eyes to the side. "And, uh…sorry for breaking into your office and picking the lock with a paper clip. I like dramatic entrances." She shrugged, trying to grin a little at the joke.

Mr. Bailey couldn't help smiling a little. She really was kind of funny. No wonder Arnold liked her. "It's okay." He went behind his desk. "Could I have my chair back now though?"

Helga smiled a little more and got up, stepping aside. "All yours. And I hope you had a good, relaxing Christmas and New Year's, Mr. Bailey. Arnold told me about getting you some time off. And I agreed with him, you deserve it."

Mr. Bailey smiled more as he sat down in his familiar chair. "Yeah, it was really nice. I like my job but…the extra time just helped make things a little better. Even gave me some time to actually spend with the family."

Helga smiled. "Good, I'm glad."

Then there was an awkward silence.

Mr. Baily was expecting Helga to say goodbye…and Helga clearly had something else on her mind.

Helga really had had a favor to ask of Mr. Bailey, one she had been thinking of for a while. But she had wanted to let both of them get through the holidays first. And initially she had been going to wait until there was something definite about travel plans for what she was looking into. But after all the snow boot stuff and Arnold putting in such effort for her (and plus knowing Mr. Bailey would probably be in a good mood after two weeks off), Helga had decided she wanted to ask now. It was very important to her.

Mr. Bailey, meanwhile, was about to open his mouth and ask Helga if there was anything else she wanted, when she suddenly opened her own mouth, letting out a deep sigh beforehand and now looking very hesitant as she addressed him. "Mr. Bailey…I know you just got back from vacation and I know you did me a solid by trying, at least, to keep my secret from Arnold, and I know you probably have a lot of other work to get to but…um…I-I need a favor. I big time need a favor. Time's not an issue or anything, but the favor itself is really, really important." She looked up at him hopefully.

Mr. Bailey blinked, looking back at Helga. "What is it?" He could not look forward to another piece of freelance work to do alongside his actual job. And yet he knew these kids—Arnold and Helga. And they only asked something of another person when the favor was genuinely and sincerely and even life-threateningly important. He waited patiently for Helga to reply to him.

Helga swallowed and then softly but firmly began. "That Mai Hyunh girl we found was someone's lost daughter but…I need you to help me find someone's lost parents, if you can. Or at least a guy who knew his lost parents…Eduardo something…. Arnold's parents are lost, Mr. Bailey. They've been lost for ten years. He barely even remembers them… If you could find anything about them, anything at all…I'd get all the snow boots and donuts in the world for you." She smiled a little, shrugging, trying to lighten the mood, but it couldn't help but be sentimental and just a little sad. "I don't even know if anything'll turn up, I just wanted to take a crack at it. But I've got access to a journal, a map…Maybe you could just try? Please." She looked at him very seriously. "I'll pay you anything you want, it might take me a few installments, but whatever your price is, just name it."

Mr. Bailey paused a moment.

Then Mr. Bailey said very simply, "Helga…you just bring me a donut or two any time you come by and I'll try running your search on these parents and this Eduardo…okay?"

Helga blinked and then her whole face brightened up. "Oh…Oh thank you, Mr. Bailey! Heck, I'll drag Dolly over here personally to fry up donuts for you if you'll help me with this!" She practically beamed! And then her grin picked up a little on one side and she rolled her eyes and added with a grin, "Oh but really, really, _really_ don't tell Arnold about any of this either, okay? It is very, very, _very_ important that this conversation between us stays a secret." She held out a mitten-covered hand to him to shake on it.

Mr. Bailey smiled softly and reached out and shook her hand firmly. "You've got a deal, Helga. Consider it a binding contract."

The two of them parted for now after this encounter.

Mr. Bailey did help Helga, and Helga did bring him donuts here and there. He wasn't able to uncover much that wasn't known already, but a few choice pieces of evidence did help that following summer during a certain South American excursion…And on that excursion Helga was very grateful for any help she and her beloved could get.

* * *

**Nights in the Jungle**

Nights in the jungle of San Lorenzo turned out to be quite different from nights in the city, though a person lacking the experience of both locations might at first assume that night was just night wherever it was.

Nights in the city were full of coolness and a touch of static in the air, cars drifting by, the occasional siren, even a cat in the alley, and it was a quiet room sealed off from all those sounds, more or less…. A little space where one slept and dreamt in cotton sheets set among walls of mortar and brick and wood and glass. Separation, civilization and stability marked the nights in the city.

Nights in the jungle, however, were thick with a kind of damp heat and a permeating perfume of flowers and musk. And the sounds were of slow breathing and night animals and a bit of movement through the treetops. And despite your best efforts to hide amongst some canvas and some palm fronds and a little bit of hewn wood, you were never quite sealed off from it all—the whole atmosphere pervaded everywhere, making outside and inside two parts of the same night. You could gaze directly up into the sky above and never imagine how it could ever become day again.

No wonder Arnold slept under a skylight ceiling back home, having been born in a world such a this one, full of nature and life.

And no wonder, here and now, that Helga G. Pataki couldn't sleep at all.

It was this funny jungle night that was keeping her up at the moment…and of course some other things that were on her mind…. They all suddenly really were on this crazy trip out of the blue (and even assisted by her a little and the information she had gathered through her own efforts and Mr. Bailey's to put them on the right track in their search through this strange South American land): there had been chases and confusion and being lost and being found and a bad guy to defeat and a legend to complete…not to mention her beloved had found his long lost parents. So, of course, it was also very difficult to sleep at a time like this when Helga knew Arnold's mother and father were a mere room away, real and living and breathing, and her beloved was only a room away as well and probably wasn't sleeping much either all things considered. She couldn't imagine the thoughts going through his mind.

She knew the thoughts going through her mind though.

This whole jungle escapade, it wasn't some cute stunt like trying to find Wheezin' Ed's treasure on Elk Island, or some emotional journey like that time the two of them had temporarily sort of run away from home and learned the meaning of Thanksgiving together, heck this wasn't even some foolhardy yet do-gooder risky stunt to save their neighborhood. This was serious trip in a dangerous and even uncharted foreign land—people could get lost here, get hurt here, get sick here, be never heard from again here. And there was a very bad man specifically trying to hurt people here, trying to hurt her beloved's parents…and he probably wouldn't have minded a crack at hurting her beloved.

People could die.

Arnold…

Helga was so grateful Arnold's parents were alright, she was so grateful they had found them. But she wanted to leave and she wanted Arnold to leave with her. She wanted him safe and wouldn't have minded having been safe with him.

It scared her.

She couldn't sleep, all alone in this room that Arnold's parents had set up for her in their hut. Not when so much was at risk. Not when Arnold…oh Arnold…

She felt like crying a little. She had never felt like crying much, even in her darkest moments of trying to get Arnold to love her back…. Sometimes some things with her parents had…. But this was too much. If she could at least be near him…

Helga barely managed to doze off. She wasn't sleeping for long, though, when she gasped and sat up, tears in her eyes and barely able to breathe.

Such an awful dream about the jungle and Arnold and machetes and Arnold being the one to get lost this time and not coming back for years, forever, and never seeing their home again—

She got up. She had to. And she dashed out into the darkness of the main part of the hut and went to Arnold's room.

* * *

A little while later there was a light knock on the back of Arnold's parents bedroom door.

Naturally, Miles and Stella hadn't been able to sleep much either. Their son…. Maybe getting to go home…. But there was so much danger… Who could sleep?

So they heard the knock of course. They looked at each other curiously. Then both Miles and Stella got up and opened their door.

There stood their eleven-year-old son in blue pajamas and his little blue hat (they had almost wanted, upon first seeing him again, to point out how small the hat was, but he seemed to like it and it sort of did look good on him so they hadn't had the heart to interfere). Arnold was rubbing his arm and looking a little shy as he stood there in the dimness before them.

Miles smiled a little. Stella smiled too. She looked down at her son. "Oh, hi Arnold. Do you need something?"

Miles nodded. "Yeah, son. " He knelt down a little, rubbing the back of his neck. He had only known Arnold that first year, so he hadn't gotten the chance for much parenting practice and at this point he was kind of rusty to say the least. "Um…did you have a bad dream? Do you want a light to sleep with? O-Or maybe a nice glass of warm milk or a bedtime story? Do you need another blanket or want to sleep in our bed?"

Okay, Stella finally had to roll her eyes and elbow her husband lightly. "Miles, he's not a baby anymore." She looked down at Arnold understandingly (as Miles stood up, rubbing his side with a sheepish smile). "Maybe you're just a little lonely?" Stella addressed her son directly. "You could just spend some time in here sitting up with us if you want."

Arnold smiled kind of proudly but awkwardly but just happily all at the same time. This was a new feeling but a neat feeling, his parents worrying about him…even if they were kind of treating him like he as a little kid, even his mom a bit. He hadn't needed to sleep in an adult's room in a long time. "Um…" Oh boy, this would be awkward, wouldn't it? He rubbed his arm a little more. "Well…no, it's none of…" he cleared his throat, "I-I just wanted you to know that, um…well, Helga, she couldn't sleep and she had a bad dream, so she came to talk to me in my room for a little while. But she fell asleep now in there, but I don't want to wake her up again. So, um…she's going to sleep in my bed and I made myself a little bed on the floor in there. So we'll just spend the night in there together." He looked up at them and smiled a little. "It's okay, we've…sometimes when we're upset we kind of comfort each other." He swallowed. "We're…together. You know, um…together like…two people who care about each other a lot." He sighed and then mumbled, glancing to the side, "I promise we're not going to kiss or anything. This whole trip has just been a little overwhelming for her, and she wanted to spend some time near me." He finished and looked up at them hopefully. "I just wanted to check with you before I let her stay with me, though, since it's your house and since…you're my parents." Saying that last part made him smile—he just couldn't help it.

Miles and Stella just stood there…

Wow.

"Uh…" Miles started, his jaw kind of dropped. "I…well…I guess that's…. Stella?" He looked to Stella with an eyebrow raised.

Stella blinked. "Don't look at me!" she mumbled in a whisper, nudging him again. Then she turned back to Arnold, clearing her throat and smiling again. "Well, um…Arnold, I think that…I suppose that'll be alright…" She wasn't sure but there didn't really seem to be anything wrong with her son's plan of action. It was just strange that the last time she had seen him he had been a baby and she had been a young married woman, and now she was a bit of a seasoned married woman and he was old enough to be very interested in girls himself.

"Do you have honorable intentions for this girl, Arnold?" Miles suddenly asked with a curious grin.

Stella just sighed, bringing a hand to her forehead…trying not to grin herself a little.

Arnold blushed a little and looked down shyly. Then he managed a nod. "Yes. She's special to me."

Miles smiled more and Stella smiled too and shook her head. "Alright, Arnold." She knelt down and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "You let Helga have your bed. But let us at least give you a cot to sleep on in there. It's in the corner in the living room. Then we'll all have a nice breakfast together in the morning."

Arnold smiled. "Thanks, um…mom…mother…mommy…" He quirked his mouth to the side. "Sorry, I'm still not sure what to..."

"Just mom's fine, Arnold," Stella assured with an understanding nod. "Mom and Dad, or anything else that you feel more comfortable with."

Arnold smiled gratefully. "Okay. Goodnight, Mom…" He suddenly came forward and hugged her very tightly then pulled back and turned to Miles. "Goodnight, Dad…" He hugged him too. Then he pulled back and gave them a wave. "And thanks for understanding. Bye!"

Then he dashed off to get the cot and to go back to Helga.

As he left, Miles and Stella just shut their door and then looked at each other.

"You should have a talk with him, Miles." Stella's grin picked up on one side and she gave her husband a bit of a look.

Miles blinked. "Me!? I…oh come on, Stella." He rolled his eyes, blushing a little. "You're telling me I have to go right from changing diapers to _that_? I was supposed to have a good decade in between to just enjoy playing with my boy, going to ball games and circuses, buying his love with ice cream cones and new toys. Now this just isn't fair." He smirked at her a little and crossed his arms over his chest.

Stella just rolled her eyes, smirking right back at him. "Well, unfortunately, Miles, my love, what's done is done. The last time we saw him his biggest problem was needing new diapers. Now he's sleeping with a girl in his room and having to keep himself from kissing her. Somebody's got to talk to him, and it can't be me—I'm his mom!" She chuckled and tweaked Miles's nose. "Looks like you're it, buster."

"Ow!" Miles rubbed his nose. Then he gave a sheepish sigh and shrugged. "Can't I just pawn it off on my father. Please?" He looked at her playfully but pleadingly.

Stella just shook her head though. "No dice, Miles. As soon as we're home and settled, you talk to your son. Besides…" she moved closer to him, putting her arms around him, looking into his eyes, "we should be grateful for any bonding we can do with him….and that it didn't take until he had his own young son to worry about before we all found each other again…" Stella held very close to Miles. She was starting to cry a little now, quietly and softly…. She had been doing that from time to time ever since this whole crazy mess had begun…and even before of course.

Miles held Stella in return and gently stroked her hair, trying to keep a few tears back himself. "I know…I know, Stella, we'll be very grateful…. We are very grateful…. I know…"

"We get to have breakfast all together in the morning. Isn't that…wonderful?" she whispered softly, so happily, as she lay against his chest.

Miles nodded and smiled softly. "It's perfect, dear, just…perfect. Everything will be okay."

They held each other tenderly before going to bed themselves.

It seemed Arnold would soon get that photo for his 'My Family' picture frame that Helga had made him so long ago for their one-month anniversary. The one he had talked about with her to replace the old one of his parents that was currently in it: a photo of his parents and himself and Helga and his grandparents and Abner and just everyone.

* * *

**Sleepovers**

"Arnold, I just don't understand why you're angry. I mean, sheesh, Football Head, it's been two years and counting since we've been together now. Lighten. Up. Already. _Please_." Helga G. Pataki crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes at Arnold as she sat beside him on his bed on this lovely Sunday morning like so many other sunny days together—she in her pink bow and pink jumper, he in his signature green sweater with the kilt-like shirttails…though they were both getting a touch taller these days. Just another day in paradise.

Arnold was looking back at Helga with a look that did not suggest any of the amusement or easygoing-ness she clearly felt he should be exhibiting. In fact, he spoke to her quite seriously. "I'm angry because I told you…" he blushed, looking down, "Now that we're starting middle school next month…my parents, a-and even my grandparents just kind of felt that our, um…sleepovers needed to really not happen anymore, at least unless they knew about one happening and we went and slept downstairs in the den. And I TOLD you that: we had a full, calm discussion about this two weeks ago for an hour, we got ice cream afterwards, I'm really pretty sure I was very clear, Helga." He looked at her with a touch of annoyance and finished. "But then last night we're up here listening to music, I fall asleep…and I wake up today with you next to me curled up on my bed."

"A-Arnold, I just…" Helga rolled her eyes to the side with a blush, arms behind her back, propping her up. "Th-the opportunity just seemed golden and, come on, we've been having little 'sleepovers' like these for two years. And we weren't even kissing that much or anything. Is it really SUCH a big deal? Besides, middle school doesn't technically start for two weeks, like you said—I think that let's us off the hook." She smiled brightly, hoping to win him over to her side of things. And seriously…fine, okay, she _had_ technically agreed to no more private sleepovers if it was really going to make Arnold's family (not to mention her own family probably) a bit uncomfortable since the two of them were barely kids or even pre-teens anymore. But there had been this two-week window, this glorious two-week window as the summer after sixth grade had been winding down, and she had seen her opportunity and gone for it. What was wrong with that? Just one last innocent summertime sleepover, on top of the covers, in the daytime clothes, in Arnold's unlocked bedroom…. They had been dating for over two years, could anyone really blame them?

Arnold still gave her that 'serious' look though, and he let out a little sigh now, rubbing his temple. "Helga, we have to tell my parents. And my grandparents. That's the only way to make this better."

Helga went wide-eyed and blushed a lot. "Arnold, come on…" she mumbled nervously. She loved Arnold's family, she freely took gentle ribbing from them about their relationship, she even gave Arnold the occasional peck on the cheek or head or even quick kiss on the mouth in front of his family when the circumstance presented itself. But she didn't like having to talk about her weirdly obsessive compulsions regarding Arnold in front of his family. "Please, don't make me do that." She looked at him sincerely, frowning a little.

Arnold looked at her with sincerity and interest for just a moment. Then he bit his lip and opened his mouth.

Then there was a brisk knock at his door followed by the door opening slightly and Miles's head popping

"Arnold, you awake yet? Breakfast is getting cold, and they're starting to run out of all the good stuff down th—" Miles stopped mid sentence as he laid eyes on Helga and Arnold sitting on the edge of Arnold's bed together.

Now, Miles obviously understood what the situation looked like. But also Arnold pretty much never ever disobeyed either himself, Stella, or Phil or Gertie. Sure, sometimes he would run in five minutes after his curfew and apologize a lot, sometimes he would accidentally sleep in a little late on Saturday morning and get behind on his chores, sometimes he would stay up a bit after lights out on the phone with one of his friends or Helga. But he was a kid and growing up too, no one could expect him to be perfect.

But he had also definitely very gently and very explicitly told his son that Helga could not randomly stay overnight at the boarding house anymore, at least not up here in his room.

Yet that appeared to be the situation Miles had walked in on.

He just looked at his son with a slight frown, but willing to hear explanations. "Arnold…"

Arnold, looking embarrassed and even a touch ashamed, opened his mouth to speak.

But Helga stood up from the bed, walked to the middle of the room, and beat him to it. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of herself and spoke in her most level and sincere voice to Arnold's father. "Miles…Arnold told me last week that he and I couldn't have private sleepovers anymore now that we were going into junior high. He was very clear and very explicit and I told him I understood. Last night we were hanging out, though, and he fell asleep, and I decided to stay for one last sleepover since there's still two weeks left in summer break before we officially begin junior high. I know it was pushing things a lot, and I know it was wrong. And Arnold just finished letting me know that he feels the same way and that he's very upset with me. He also said we had to tell the truth about this. And I figure that's the least I could do since I'm the one who caused the problems. I'm sorry, really. Arnold did everything right, and once again I did everything sort of underhanded-ly. I didn't mean to make anybody uncomfortable. And I'm more than willing to accept any punishment you or the rest of the family want to give me. And I won't try to have any more private sleepovers up here or in my room with Arnold again at this point in our lives. You have my word." She let out a breath and looked up at him with a face that said she would bear anything from being yelled at to having her parents told about her actions to being banished from the house for a month, and all with poise and grace and contrition.

Miles just looked down at her with wide-eyed interest. He had been doing that ever since her speech had started.

And now the room was kind of just silent, and then he realized it was his turn to speak. "Oh! Um…I…" Oh dear—he really preferred to leave the punishing to Stella…Not to mention Helga G. Pataki threw him for a loop sometimes. She had been as astute as a thirty-year-old from the day he had met her—she made these observations sometimes about things that he didn't even realize until they were brought up to him, and she just seemed to know more about life always than any of Arnold's little friends and sometimes even more than Arnold himself (which was saying something because Miles found his son to be a very bright and intuitive kid). And now she had just delivered this dramatic, composed, honest speech taking full responsibility for her actions and stating her expectation and acceptance of any punishment that might come with it. "I…Arnold?" Miles glanced behind Helga at his son, just trying to get confirmation at first, he supposed, that this whole thing was the truth.

Arnold, blushing and looking at his girlfriend with interest, just stood up and sighed and nodded to his father. "Um…yes, that's what happened. But I shouldn't have had her up here so late anyway, I guess. I should have realized something might happen. I'm sorry." He rubbed his arm, looking down.

Helga just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Please ignore Arnold blaming himself for not being psychic. I'm the guilty party." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Miles a dry look. "I may do things that are a little less than on the up and up sometimes, but when it's something bad or if I get caught I take responsibility for it." She looked up at him very sincerely.

Miles just looked from one kid to the other and back again. Then he sighed. "Arnold, just come down to breakfast, please. Helga…" he looked down at her…Honestly, he couldn't 'punish' her. He had been doing far worse at Arnold's age and had been feeling far less bad about it. And he trusted Arnold and Helga too, and if Helga said she was sorry and wouldn't do it again he knew she wouldn't. He gave her a small smile, "Go out by the fire escape. Come to the front door and knock and I'll let you in for breakfast with us."

Helga blinked, looking at him in confusion. "But Miles, I—"

Miles shook his head. "I'm not going to punish you. You did something, you got caught, you confessed and you said you were sorry and that you weren't going to do it again. And I believe you. And I don't think we have to announce it to anyone right now." He smiled more. "Just come have some breakfast with us." Then he blinked. "Oh and make sure your parents know where you are. They must be very worried." He frowned.

Helga bit her lip and rolled her eyes to the side in a touch of guilt. "Um…actually, I called up Phoebe on our walkie-talkies last night and had her cover for me, tell the folks I was staying at her place. Heh…" She shrugged sheepishly with a grin, then looked down in a touch of guilt again. "Sorry, I won't take advantage of that option anymore. Really."

Miles just sighed and tried very hard not to smile more. The girl was smart. She reminded him a lot of Stella actually. But still he had to try to be a parent right now, so he just nodded. "Alright. But at least call your parents after you come inside and let them know you're stopping by here for breakfast."

Helga looked up at him and nodded with an appreciative smile. "Okay. Thanks." She paused for a second. Then she dashed forward and hugged Miles quickly. Then she briskly went over to Arnold's bed and was out and onto the fire escape soon after.

Miles and Arnold just watched her go.

Arnold turned back to his father. "Dad…thanks for not being hard on her." He looked at his father very seriously. "She won't do it again, I promise. And neither will I."

Miles nodded. "It's okay, Arnold…" He put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I know you just like being together."

Arnold blushed a little bit but nodded. "Yeah. We do." He swallowed. "I-I promise we weren't kissing up here. Well…only just a couple of times. Most of the time we just listened to music and played Chinese checkers." He blushed more.

Miles let out a deep sigh, leading Arnold toward the door now. "I know, Arnold. Now come on, let's go let Helga in…"

They started to head down Arnold's attic stairs together.

"Um…Arnold, son?" Miles then began hesitantly all of a sudden. "Y-You know that the reason your mother and I don't want you and Helga sleeping over together in your room—o-or you in her room—isn't that we don't like Helga or don't trust something about the two of you…" He swallowed and looked down awkwardly. "It's just, you're both growing up now and your, um…your hormones are going to start kicking in and, well…you see, when a man and a woman…"

"Um…Dad?" Arnold interrupted quietly.

They had stopped in their walking by now, standing on the landing of the second floor.

"Y-Yes, Arnold?" asked Miles, red in the face and looking kind of nervous. He knew that right this moment on a brief walk downstairs probably wasn't the most ideal time to be talking to his son about this stuff, but, considering the situation, he figured he should at least start touching upon the subject, especially since he was letting himself get a little overdue with talking to him about—

Arnold swallowed. He was briefly flashing back to looking up the word 'tantric', of all things right now, an act which he had done some time during sixth grade. "Um…we learned a lot about that stuff in sixth grade last year. A-And, um…you know, anything I wasn't quite sure about…well, Helga's a really smart person and she kind of…well, I had to coax it out of her a bit because she felt embarrassed too, but she kind of filled in any of the blanks I wasn't sure about in a very kind of cut and dry way. So I think I know what you mean but…there are probably still a few blanks, so if you ever did want to talk about that, we could…" He let out a deep sigh and added, looking up at his father and biting his lip, "Could it be any other time though? Like any time when Helga's not even close to here and when the two of us have privacy maybe?" He shrugged, glancing away and rubbing his arm. "I get a bit shy about some things sometimes."

Now it was Arnold's turn to have Miles just look at him in wide-eyed confusion.

Arnold raised an eyebrow. "Dad?"

"I…" he sighed, "Wow." He scratched his head.

Arnold looked even more confused.

"Sorry," Miles went on, managing to smile, "It's just…you kids are a lot smarter than I remember being at your age. And a lot more together—I mean, I feel like if I left you and Helga alone to run this boarding house for a month, you'd not only keep the whole thing working but you'd have a fresh coat of paint put on the place, find some way to lower the power bill, and bring in two new paying tenants." He almost laughed a little, shaking his head, and then started walking down the hall with his son again. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, Arnold, sure, if that would make you more comfortable we can talk about anything you have questions about in private sometime."

Arnold had been a little confused by his father's first statement—he didn't feel nearly that mature or capable yet in his life. But the second thing his father said got through and he smiled appreciatively, though he still blushed a little. "Thanks, Dad."

Miles gave Arnold's hair a little playful ruffle as they headed down the stairs now. "You're welcome, son."

Just then the doorbell rang. They went to answer it and let Helga in together.

* * *

**Deep Voice and Long Legs**

Helga was aware that to some people the way she looked now in her life might seem very attractive and very promising. Honestly, though, 'growing up' had sort of bugged her a little so far, to put it bluntly.

For the most part she could deal with it—her body had been changing ever since she could remember so what were a few new changes thrown into the mix?

Yet, one thing that annoyed her particularly was that she couldn't pull off the pink jumper/white shirt look anymore.

She had always liked that outfit—comfortable, durable, signature, and it had weathered quite a few of the nearly psychotic stunts she had pulled as a kid well.

But sadly the jumper's day was over now.

Her legs had just gotten so…ridiculously long!

Helga sighed as she rested back on Arnold's bed, waiting for him to finally meet her up here after he finished collecting the rent so that they could go on their date to walk around the boardwalk and watch the sunset off the pier. Arnold had been off on a camping trip with his parents for two weeks so she had really, really been looking forward to this today. But meanwhile, as she waited, she stared at her legs, housed in pink cotton pants now, coupled with a red belt and a soft, white cotton shirt. Those legs just seemed to go on forever, and it annoyed her (though other people around her seemed to have some crazy notion that she looked quite nice and attractive like this). In fact, it annoyed her even more than aspects of her physical appearance had annoyed her when she and Arnold had been preteens. She had more self-confidence than she'd had at that age, of course, but it just…felt weird to be this tall now and to have so much of it be her legs, that was all. She was still beating out her beloved height-wise, despite his own little growth spurts, though all he had ended up changing about his style was getting rid of the green sweater permanently now. Big deal—she was the one who kept having to rethink her entire wardrobe. And every time Olga offered her old clothes, so much of it was skirts and dresses, and Helga kept trying to tell her that they were TOO SHORT, but Olga would just look at her funny and then say, 'Baby sister, you're missing the point!'

Well, whatever, she had settled on pants and an outfit that at least had her most signature colors in it. And she supposed her arms and even her hair had gotten longer to kind of match with her legs, so maybe all of this teenage stuff wasn't quite so bad. And at least she could still wear her pink bow in her hair.

She still felt like Arnold had it easier though.

It was then that Arnold came into the room.

She sat up on the bed with a bright smile. "Arnold, there you are! Come here, you hunky Football Head, I've missed you like crazy!" She got up and ran at him and wrapped him up in a big hug.

"Hmm…Mmm…Mmm hmm!" Arnold merely 'hmm'ed ' brightly, not saying anything more.

Helga blinked and pulled back to look at him with a confused smile. "Arnold, what's up?"

Arnold just smiled very sheepishly and blushed quite a bit, then he shrugged and slipped from her grasp to sit on his bed. He then proceeded to glance away 'casually.'

Helga sighed. She had grown much more patient with him over the years but he could still be so fussy sometimes. She had come to find it very cute though (okay, she had always found it cute, she just hadn't had a ton of patience when she had been younger). "Football Head, what? You Dad and Grandpa make another stupid bet with you or something? Let me guess, you're not allowed to talk for the whole day, and if you win they have to admit that you're the coolest dude around or give you their desserts for the week or something?" She laughed and walked over to him. "And speaking of desserts…" Then she put her hands on the bed on either side of where he was sitting and leaned in close with a smile. "If you insist on keeping yourself so tight lipped, how are you ever going to get any desserts from me, my love?" She knew he still couldn't resist her. In fact, his ability to resist her advances had actually gotten weaker as they had gotten older.

And indeed, Arnold blushed so brightly and looked so wide-eyed at her coming forward…. But then he turned away. "I…mmm…" he moaned, seeming rather torn about something.

Helga couldn't help but look at Arnold with a touch of concern now, her sudden rush of affections as she flirted with him overwhelming any annoyance she might have had with his silliness. The poetic Helga was back and she sat alongside him, her blue eyes wide. "Darling, are you ill? Oh Arnold, if something happened to your voice, you can just climb into bed and I'll nurse you back to health as best I can, my beloved. Remember how I did that once when we were children, and how you did the same for me…? Oh Arnold let me hold you, my sweet…" she cooed in that passionate tone she could still take on, would always be able to take on. She held to his arm alongside him.

Arnold couldn't help smiling and melting a little, despite the fact that he was so nervous about 'something'. Helga's affectionate states had only grown on him over their years together so far, and when she spoke to him like a poet whose heart would break if anything happened to him, it just…just…He sighed softly and nuzzled up against her too with a smile.

Just then Miles gave a quick knock on the door and walked in. "Hey, Arnold, I—ah, see, what did I tell you, I knew Helga would understand and not make fun of you. You two crazy kids, always together." He walked forward and ruffled Arnold's hair a little, still grinning away, still totally clueless that he was blowing Arnold's 'secret' right now. "Besides, it's perfectly normal for a boy your age to have his voice start to change. It won't crack like that for too long." He chuckled and leaned down near Helga with a sly grin and explained, "Good old Grandpa pranked him with a flashlight and an impressive shadow puppet and made him think a bear had stumbled into camp one night. Made Arnold let out such a scream! And it seems something about that scream set his voice to changing. I guess his vocal chords were just waiting for the chance." He laughed and started to head back to the door. "Now you both have fun on your date, and I'll tell your mom that everything's just peachy between the two of you, Arnold." He winked at his son and then exited the room.

There was silence for a moment.

Then Helga released Arnold's arm and looked at him. "Your voice is changing?"

Arnold blushed a lot and pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. He gave a little shrug.

Helga grinned a little. "Aw, Football Head, it's okay. Come on, I'm not gonna laugh…much. I bet it sounds adorable."

A still very frustrated looking Arnold looked to Helga and opened his mouth to say something but then stopped himself. This was so annoying…And how was he supposed to try and explain to her that he didn't want to be 'adorable' to her so much as…handsome, suave, attractive…He knew it really didn't matter. They still loved each other: that mattered. But still, why did he still have to end up shorter than her, why did his voice have to start sounding like a rusted training wheel while hers had merely deepened to a lovely, sonorous tone of the voice he had known ever since they were little kids…? And not to mention she was seriously growing into the prettiest girl in the class. Helga got all the breaks and Arnold just felt self-conscious. He just sighed again and shrugged in response to her.

Helga refused to quit though, and just leaned in closer to him, half grinning. "Come on, Arnold—what, you're not going to speak to me again until you're eighteen or something? Just talk. Maybe talking more will make it pass faster," she added with an encouraging smile.

Arnold sighed. He was going to have to talk to her eventually. He knew that. He glanced back at her, with a touch of a dry look he couldn't help. Then finally he spoke. "Fine, Helga. Whatever you SA-ay…" He blushed a lot and looked down. He sounded like an idiot, didn't he?

Helga blinked…then smiled…then it was so hard not to…. She let out a few laughs under her breath. "O-Oh, that's not so…so, um…bad…"

"It's AW-ful." Arnold looked at her desperately. "I sound RiDICUL-ous…Like my throat needs an oil c-AN…like Gerald right after his ton-SILS came out in fourth GRA-de." He pouted again.

"Y-Yeah, well, y-you know, it's…um…" Oh she was trying so hard not to laugh, she was trying so hard to be good, sitting there with a polite smile plastered on her face and her hands folded neatly in her lap.

Arnold just sighed and flung himself back on his bed. "Oh just laugh about it HE-lga, I know you WA-nt to."

"Y-You couldn't break into a chorus of Moonlight Bay for me right now first, could you? I could use a _really really_ _really_ _good_ laugh today!" And now she couldn't help it and she was rolling on his bed, holding her sides and laughing heartily.

Arnold just rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Thanks, HE-lga…" He cringed a little again.

Helga finished her laughter, wiping a tear or two from her eyes. Then she sighed and sat up a little. "Arnold…" She looked at him with a warm smile.

He refused to say anything to her, but merely gave her an untrusting glance that clearly said, 'Yes, what now?'

Helga smiled more. "It's a good thing no one here needs any voice to do this…" Then she got on top of him and kissed him passionately.

Arnold's eyes went wide, then that dreamy dazed look came to his eyes. Then he felt very good all over. Really, really, really good all over.

A few more very warm, very good, very daze-worthy moments passed, and then Helga finished kissing her beloved and pulled back, sitting up and panting lightly. She smiled at him with a dazed look herself. "Oh, and another thing. You're voice might sound a little funny, but quite frankly I think the whole thing is very hot, you hunky little Football Head." She snatched his collar and pulled him up so he was sitting up with her. "I like your growth spurts. And I can't wait to hear your new voice when it finishes coming." She winked at him.

Arnold blushed a lot and smiled. "Um…thanks, H…HEL-ga." He blushed a little extra and looked a little sheepish.

Helga giggled and released him, standing up. "Besides, Arnold, your voice has been changing ever since we were kids, it was just a lot more subtle back then. Mine changed too—it used to be a lot more high pitched and light when we were really little, especially before fourth grade." Then she smirked a little and raised part of her brow and added, "And, seriously, in fourth grade alone as that year went on you could have told me five different people were providing your voice one after the other over the course of the year and I would have bought that. But by the end of things you had that nice, deep yet boyish voice that I so adored. And so now it'll get a little lower—big deal, I bet it'll sound even better." She sighed and rolled her eyes and glanced down at herself. "At least you don't have these freaking annoying legs that suddenly sprouted up out of nowhere….Arnold? You who, Arnold?" She had looked back up at him, but he seemed oddly distracted, so she waved a hand in front of his face and snapped her fingers a few times.

That snapped him out of it. And indeed Arnold had sort of started getting distracted by those legs of hers now that she had brought them up again. He liked legs, and hers were very enjoyable to look at. "S-Sorry…" he mumbled, blushing and glancing away sheepishly. "I think they look AL-right, Helga…" he added supportively, but not wanting to go off on some loving description of her body. He felt funny about his voice even though she sort of liked it, she felt funny about how she was growing even though he really liked it. It was better that they just focus on supporting each other and putting four years of a relationship over everything else.

Helga just smiled a little and rolled her eyes with a touch of a blush. "Thanks, Arnold." She leaned forward and nudged him in the shoulder. "Flirt." She laughed and held out a hand to pull him up. "So, still want to go on a date? We don't have to talk much if it makes you really uncomfortable. And if you'd rather not be around other people whom you might have to talk to, we could skip the boardwalk and pier and just catch a movie or something. Play 'tiger' and 'kitten' in the back of the theatre." She looked at him with a touch of playfulness.

Arnold blushed a little and took her hand and pulled himself up. "Um…the pier's fine HE-lga, but…maybe afterwards we could come back here and watch a movie in the den and…other STU-ff." He grimaced a little but kept smiling.

Helga giggled. He could still get so shy about being intimate in potentially public places (she had abandoned such shyness LONG ago)…But on the bright side when she indulged him by letting them spend time together somewhere private, she always got quite a fair bit of extra intimacy out of the deal. Her beloved's sensual side was more enthusiastic and creative than he would ever let on to anybody but her. "Sounds good to me, Football Head," she assured with a wink.

"Okay…" Arnold nodded. And then the two of them climbed onto his bed to head to the fire escape. They could still fit out the window and down that thing, though space was indeed becoming a bit tight for them these days.

"Oh, um…Helga," Arnold started as they made it out to the fire escape landing, "I KN-ow you wanted to GO to the opening of Agatha Caulfield's new bo-OK store on Satur-DAY but my parents are giving a lecture at the univer-SITY they work at, and they'd really like me to come and help them. Is it okay if we just stop by an-OTHER day?"

Arnold looked at her with hesitation covered by an innocent smile.

"Arnold…" Helga couldn't help but pause and frown a little. She had really been looking forward to the bookstore… They were going to have some specials and some signings, a sign-up sheet for poetry contests, even a new line of leather bound journals for her to peruse and possibly buy from…and she had wanted to go with Arnold because he sort of knew this Agatha Caulfield chick, but at the very least she didn't want to just go alone, which she was now going to have to do if she wanted to go because Arnold's sudden polite ditching of her was on such short notice. And it was already annoying enough that he had been gone these whole last two weeks on a camping trip, effectively ending any plans they could have made for this particular spring break in their lives.

But then Helga, as she had taught herself to do over the last few years, took a deep breath and tried to understand and let it go. After all, her beloved needed to spend as much time with his parents as possible. She had decided that the minute they had all gotten back from the jungle all those years ago. Arnold deserved that. So while she was not enthusiastic about it, she did smile a little at her beloved and manage to say calmly and supportively enough, "S-Sure thing, Football Head. Have fun. I'll just see if I can rope Lila or Olga into doing it with me." She knew Olga would be working and that Lila would be volunteering somewhere. But she felt like if she said instead that she would just go alone it would seem like she was trying to make him feel guilty, and she didn't want to do that. Then she added, trying to lighten the mood as she went over to the fire escape ladder and started climbing down, "I'd ask Phoebe but since she and tall hair boy are joined at the hip all the time like some kind of old married couple, I figure she's already got plans."

Arnold laughed as he started to descend the ladder after her. "Yeah, they're ALW-ays together now…talking to each other and holding hands. It's SWE-et." Helga got to the second landing and headed down toward the sidewalk, and Arnold dropped to the second landing now too.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Helga's feet finally hit pavement and she dusted herself off and in a couple of seconds Arnold joined her on ground level. She smiled at him, taking his hand, trying to put her mild frustration behind her and just enjoy the afternoon they had together now. "Alright, off we go!" She started walking down the sidewalk, but Arnold stopped her.

Helga blinked and looked back at him.

He looked at her with a soft appreciative smile. "Thanks for understanding about breaking our date, HEL-ga. I appreciate it." And then he grinned ear to ear and gave her one of those warm hugs he had always given her throughout their lives.

Helga's eyes went wide and then she melted. "Oh Arnold…sure…" she sighed softly, a small swoon actually escaping her.

Arnold laughed and pulled back to kiss her on the cheek. Then he took her hand. "Now, LE-t's go."

She giggled and shook her head at his cuteness. "Whatever you say, my Football Head with the cute cracking voice."

Arnold just blushed and rolled his eyes and grinned and led them onward.

And with that the two of them went off on their date.

* * *

**The Beginning of an End**

"What are you saying, Arnold?" It left Helga in the numbest, coldest little voice as she reclined against the side of the Sunset Arms, trying to look casual, though inside her blood was racing. She hugged her pink sweater around her body more, settled herself inside of her jeans. She had just driven over here for the first time with her new license to take Arnold on a surprise date…and Arnold had just said something to her very…well…She just didn't like where it was going. Period.

She watched him, just reclining against the building himself. He had brought back the green sweater at this point in their lives, but he wore it over the plaid shirt with both of them tucked into his jeans and the sleeves rolled up so that the cuffs showed some plaid, as did his collar.

He was frowning and having some trouble looking at her. "Well…I want to go with them, I think…for a while."

"So…let me get this straight." A touch of that seething Helga G. Pataki anger came back to Helga's face. She rarely got angry like that with much frequency anymore—all of that 'hot under the collar' stuff had been partially from being a very emotional kid with a ton of energy. She saved her anger for special moments now, let it strike with control and precision when she wanted it to. Right now qualified as a special moment in her opinion. She went on. "Fifteen freaking years ago your parents flew off into the sunset to play hero for a tribe of people no one else had ever even seen. They disappeared and left you an orphan for almost a decade. Then five years ago we go and find them, I risk my butt for you multiple times…. And now for some psychotically altruistic escapade of letting people communicate with these 'mysterious Green Eyed people' the two of them want to fly back to that place that took them away from you for half your childhood…and you want to fly off and disappear for however long in the jungle with them? Is that about it, Arnold? Is that every piece of stupidity coming out of your mouth right now? Is that every bit of the unbelievably insane and selfish and awful logic you're pathetically attempting to sell to me as reasonable?" On a side note, Helga was MUCH more threatening now when she was angry than she had ever been as a child.

Arnold knew that tone of hers and he knew to respect it…not to mention he couldn't blame her. Still, she was being a little insulting…just a little. He frowned at her. "It's not psychotic and it's not insane, and we're not going to disappear forever. And it's not selfish, Helga."

"Running off from all of your cares and your responsibilities and your home and your friends—that's not selfish?" Helga snapped back, starting to get a touch uncontrollably passionate. "Going off and playing jungle adventure and leaving us all alone—that's not selfish?" She glared at him but was trying not to at the same time. No need to bring attention to her eyes. She might cry. Arnold knew he could do that to her, and he was doing it to her and…. Why?!

Arnold scowled just a little at Helga, getting a touch passionate himself now. "No, it's not! What's selfish is just staying here in a comfortable little life in a comfortable little city and doing nothing!" He tried to reason with her a bit again. "Helga, these people, they're finally ready to make contact with the outside world—they want to meet the other people living near their jungles, they want to experience modern medicine and technology and communication, and they want to share their wisdom and experience with the world in return, but they only trust my parents to speak for them…My parents and me. We can help so many people, Helga, why wouldn't we do that? They're the reason my parents met, Helga, they're the reason they stayed alive, and they're the reason we found my parents. I can't just ignore them, Helga, and I won't." He finished with a look of determination—Helga wasn't the only one who could fight for her convictions.

"And what about your friends, huh?" Helga retorted, however, still never willing to back down from a fight. And she was beginning to gesticulate now. "What about your wacky but lovable extended family? What about school, what about driving, what about prom, what about part time jobs we all hate and complain about, what about life here, Arnold? Doesn't that mean anything to you?" She looked him in the eye, her mouth trembling in a frown, eyes flashing.

"Of course it does, Helga!" Arnold looked at her so sincerely, holding up his arms. "I love it here, I love my life, I love all the people I've grown up with. But this is something that has to be done and can't wait, and I…I need to be a part of it, Helga!" He looked at her desperately.

She just glared back at him in sadness for a moment. Then… "Why?" left her angrily but softly.

Arnold looked into her eyes. He moved forward and took her hand. "Because my parents need to be a part of it and I…" He closed his eyes and lowered his voice. "Th-they can't go and leave me behind again. I'm not…I won't be able to be okay with that. I can't handle that, Helga." His eyes opened a little and he looked down. He felt like he was about to cry and that made him feel so silly. He was sixteen years old, and…he had been trying to impress Helga G. Pataki since the fourth grade, yet she could always get the most sensitive and intimate things out of him and he always felt so vulnerable but…she was Helga…she was almost part of himself. He couldn't help being intimate and tender and vulnerable with her even if he had wanted to.

And Helga, right now, hated that she understood the point he had just made. And yet she knew…she knew and understood all too well. She had always had a great capacity for empathy. She moved closer to him, gently resting their foreheads against each other. She lowered her eyes too. She whispered softly. "Then tell them that, Arnold…Explain to them…try to work something out, something that can work for everyone."

"But what if I ruin what they're trying to do, and—" he started in a whisper back to her in worry.

Helga cupped his cheek in her hand, quieting him for the moment. "Shh…Have you learned nothing from our time together, Arnold? Be a little selfish…" she smiled a little. "Everyone deserves to be a little selfish sometimes…"

Arnold actually smiled a little in return. He looked up a bit more. "We haven't decided anything officially yet. I just…thought I should mention it. I didn't want to spring it on you if I ended up going."

Helga swallowed, tried to smile to lighten the mood—one of her specialties. "Yeah, well, we all know how much I hate surprises." She looked away a little. "Listen, if you've got a lot to think about, maybe I should—"

"No, no…" Arnold put an arm around her now, catching her eyes level with his own. They were about the same height now. It made things easier. "Stay. Please. Did you want to drive somewhere?"

Helga smiled. She melted against him a little. She rested her hands on his chest, and it made her blush, it always made her blush, and she liked it. "No. Can we just go sit somewhere quietly, Arnold? Please." He was going to go. She knew he was going to go. And she was so angry and enraged and frustrated and hopeless…but right now at least she could pretend that he wouldn't do that to her. And, who knew, maybe it would really take a while to sort things out—enough time for them to finish high school at least—and then it would be time to apply for colleges and even if Arnold took some time off first to go down to San Lorenzo she could find a way to visit him, maybe even spend some time there herself during vacations.

And yet still, in the pit of her stomach, Helga didn't like this at all.

"Oh. Okay, Helga. I'd like that too," Arnold replied back to her suggestion for their date with a warm, understanding smile. "Come on, let's just go for a walk." He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers.

Helga nodded. "Okay, Arnold." She squeezed his hand and separated from him and started to walk close side-by-side with him down the street.

* * *

Inside of the boarding house, Miles and Stella had been watching most of this interaction, even though they hadn't been able to hear the words.

And they watched the kids walking off together now.

Stella frowned. "That didn't go well."

Miles looked at her curiously and yet with an optimistic smile. "Well, at least they left smiling. That's a good sign, right?"

Stella just shook her head though and glanced at him. "No, it's not. She's keeping it inside but she's angry. And she has every right to be. This isn't over between them."

Miles swallowed and glanced out the living room window again, catching a final sight of the two kids as they rounded the corner. "We could tell him he can't come," he suggested softly.

Stella bit her lip. But she shook her head. "No, I don't think we can. We owe him the right of a choice this time. And also he's not a little boy anymore, Miles, he's…almost a man. I really don't think we can do that."

Miles frowned but nodded. He knew that was true. "We've…had a complicated life, haven't we, Stella?" He half smiled and glanced at her. "If I hadn't been so clumsy and tripped down that hillside right into your camp nearly twenty years ago, you could have avoided all this mess. Married a…I don't know, a butcher or a pharmacist or a claims adjustor or something." He shrugged sheepishly.

"Like I'd ever want to be that bored, Miles." Stella merely replied with a smile, and then she hugged him from the side. "It's been complicated but that's the only life I could ever want. All of this. And I know somehow it'll be okay." She looked up at him hopefully.

Miles gave her a tender hug back, smiling warmly. "I know it too. We'll always end up all together again."

They continued to embrace until they were interrupted by the entrance of a third party.

"Oh hi, you kids! Sorry to interrupt, thought you were Arnold and Helga, and you know how I love giving those two kids the business, heh, heh!" Phil suddenly popped up from the basement now with a grin, looking at his son and daughter-in-law happily. "Still, it's cute to catch you two at it too. Reminds me of when you first moved in here with young Arnold and you were newlyweds. Oh, the next time you two act all worrisome about catching the boy kissing Helga in one of the rooms, I should tell him all about how affectionate you two were together all those years ago, and even earlier when Miles first brought you to visit, Stella! Heh heh!" He laughed more, then let out a sigh and wiped a tear from his eye. "Anywho, if you're hungry, Grandma's put on quite a feast at the community table, you two. And it's edible this time. And there'll be plenty to eat since our strapping and growing young man of the house is off with Helga probably until dinner if not dark. Come on in for lunch when you're ready." He gestured toward the dining room and then departed, smiling all the while.

Miles and Stella just watched him go for a moment.

Stella spoke first. "Miles…maybe we shouldn't…Telling him and your mother about our plans is just going to break my heart," she said softly, swallowing.

Miles held her more closely and sighed. "They'll understand, Stella. They've always understood." He lowered his voice to a whisper and added, "I 'm scared about it too though."

They were quiet for a moment.

Then Stella glanced up at Miles. "Tonight after dinner?"

Miles looked down at her and nodded. "Tonight after dinner, we'll sit down with them.

The two of them nodded to each other. And then they let out deep sighs and went into lunch, even though neither of them was terribly hungry. But these meals and their memories were special to them, and they didn't want to lose one precious moment.

* * *

**Separation**

"Arnold, whatever the bad thing is, will you just spill it already?" asked Helga G. Pataki in a dry voice, pulling her black winter parka a little more snugly around her body as she and Arnold sat on the edge of the (now frozen) fountain between the two French restaurants, Chez Pierre and Chez Paris, in the midst of a light snow during this week after New Year's.

Helga knew Arnold was hiding something, she just knew it. First he had gotten her for Christmas an entire set of custom made leather bound writers journals in various rosy shades from that bookstore she liked so much, plus some really expensive and fancy pens that even had their own cases, plus a freaking bottle of perfume that Phoebe had helped him pick out and the label of which he had covered over with his own handmade label that said the scent was 'Arnold and Helga.' And if all of that wasn't enough to make her almost sickeningly suspicious that Arnold was dripping with guilt, the day after Christmas he had come over to her house and offered to shovel her walk and help her take down all of the Christmas decorations, no reciprocation or any kind of reward or payment required—Arnold was helpful but nobody was that helpful. Then New Year's Eve he had managed to throw a big bash on his rooftop with all of their friends and featuring all of Helga's favorite music and food, and he had given her a kiss at midnight that had practically made her want to beg him for another one of those little 'sleepovers' like they had used to have when they were younger…only a little different.

And tonight, for no apparent reason, he had invited her to Chez Paris, paid for a full delicious meal featuring everything from appetizers to dessert, and now, the meal over, he had been trying to explain to her that he had plans tomorrow for them to go revisit all of their favorite childhood haunts together: the elementary school, the FTi building, Gerald Field…

Helga wasn't stupid. She glanced at him (since he had been silent for quite a few moments now after her request that he just spill the bad news already). "Well, Arnold?" she prompted impatiently but levelly.

Arnold looked back at her with a lot of hesitation. Clearly he was thinking of whether he should come clean or pretend that nothing was wrong and that she was being silly. And yet, if he had a secret and if Helga G. Pataki already knew it, then she already knew it and nothing was going to change that.

Might as well come completely clean then.

Arnold just looked down and looked guilty. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Helga sighed, leaning back a bit on the edge of the fountain with a slight scowl. "Arnold, you know I hate when you do this—when you try to do a ton of nice things for me to avoid whatever's wrong instead of just freaking talking to me about it because…I don't know, you want to 'spare my feelings' or you're afraid of what I might do or something." She rolled her eyes. "But that ALWAYS MAKES ME EVEN MADDER, ARNOLD." She glared at him a little.

Arnold sighed and gave her a look bearing a touch of annoyance as well. "Well, you don't make it easy, you know. Half the time I'm never quite sure how you're going to react to things I have to tell you. You're a very emotional person, Helga."

Helga frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh yes, I know it'd be easier if I didn't have a brain in my head or an original feeling of my own and just nodded and smiled and said 'Gosh that's nice!' or 'Golly, that's a shame!' with a big grin or fake frown every time you said anything to me, but since we're both existing in reality and not in some parallel fantasy universe of yours, humor me and just tell me what's up, Football Head!" she demanded finally.

Arnold, however, was not done yet distracting the two of them with fighting, and so he crossed his arms over his chest and countered back to her, "You know that is not what I mean. You know I don't mean that you shouldn't have an original opinion or reaction of your own. You see, this is what I'm talking about—or what I try to talk to you about sometimes but you always just brush past it or make a joke. You're calm but then it's like you're waiting to fly off the handle about things, and I just wish you'd calmly hear me out before you get yourself worked up. Sometimes you make really big deals about things that…that are going to be fine, really." Something a touch more sincere and serious came to his features. "It really is going to be fine. I promise you." He reached out and put a hand on her arm.

Helga shifted away a little, though she still let him touch her. She looked so frustrated then, and her blue eyes glistened, and she felt like she was ready to start shaking. A small laugh escaped her and she just shook her head and sighed. "For crying out loud, this better not be about what I think it's about—it better be something stupid like some bimbo cheerleader kissed you in the heat of the moment after baseball team practice or like you just found out you need to have a tonsillectomy or some equally minor and ridiculous surgery on prom night or like you've gotten some cockamamie notion in your head to finally marry me but at only freaking 16, or like you killed my goldfish or totaled my car or lost some prized childhood possession of mine—something stupid, Arnold! Give me SOMETHING manageable!" She really tried to keep her voice level, but she couldn't help herself. Why did he have to…and why did he have to have this awful effect on her, why…why did she have to fear she couldn't live without him? It was the only sincere weakness she felt like she had in her whole life. Why did it have to be this way?

Arnold cringed a lot and look annoyed but sad but guilty but…he just…. The truth, he always had to tell the truth. He had done his best to prepare her ever since a few months ago and now it was finally time to deliver the news. "We…I'm leaving our high school. My parents are going to home school me for the last couple of years until I'm 18. We're flying to South America—to San Lorenzo—in the spring. They wanted to go in February, after Valentine's Day, for the sake of us, but I asked them…I begged them to wait until May because at least we'd have our last—I-I mean our 7th anniversary before I…" He looked down, his hand finding hers and squeezing it. "I just wanted you to have a really good holiday season, Helga, and I wanted you to be happy before I told you. That's why I've been doing all this stuff for you over the past week. I'm sorry."

She just looked at him…. The frustration was… Her features were so soft now and she couldn't help it. "Our 'last' anniversary…. And just what's that supposed to—"

"Helga, I didn't mean that," Arnold quickly interjected, eyes wide in worry, "I just meant our last one before…I go…before it might be hard for us to celebrate many more together again." He frowned. "I really am sorry, Helga. I really don't want to hurt you, Helga." He knew it sounded lame in a way, that maybe it didn't help anything. But what else could he say?

Helga let out a sigh. "Arnold…" the tenderness came to her voice that Arnold knew so well, "I understand that you and your parents need time together, and I've always tried to support and respect that." She frowned and looked down. "Maybe I haven't always been perfect at it…" She glanced back up at him, "But…Arnold, just two more years, just stay here two more years…please." She swallowed, squeezing his hand in both of her own. "I was already mentally preparing for college, for us maybe having to be separated for a bit. I could handle that. But don't leave me here alone like this, Arnold…alone for however long whatever it is you have to do for yourself and those people is going to take. Don't." She looked into his eyes.

Arnold looked so deeply back into her eyes. How much he wanted to make her happy…how much he cared about her. But…

Instead he said these words to her, softly and sincerely and with the understanding that it might hurt her to hear them. "No, Helga. It's…it's not fair of you to ask me to stay just for you. I want to do this, I need to do this." He had been planning this answer for a while now.

Helga didn't make a sound. She just looked at him. And she shook her head and then she just… "Oh!" she screamed, some tears falling as she stood up from the fountain, fists clenched at her sides. "And you're not selfish at all, right? You're just so perfect, Arnold, so selfless, such a hero!" she countered back, looking at him. "It doesn't matter what happens to anyone here, including me—this is just a pit stop for you to go off and save the world!"

Arnold stood up now too, scowling at her a little bit. "You know that is not true, you know how much I love—"

"Oh, here we go, your laundry list of everything you appreciate and why you appreciate it!" Helga rolled her eyes, hands on her hips. "Why don't you just cut the crap and stop acting like the world's such a joy to you and admit that there are plenty of things here that you'll be happy to say good riddance to!? Do you 'love' the smog, Arnold? Do you 'love' the occasional muggings on the street? Do you 'love' that the only way to see the stars at night here is to hijack a radio station to coerce people into unplugging themselves for five minutes just so you can catch a glimmer of the nighttime sky? Do you 'love' being an average kid in an average neighborhood in an average school here when meanwhile there's a tribe of people in the mystical land of San Lorenzo who worship you as a demi-god and whom you can save in daring adventures? Do you 'love' the fact that you pretty much know what you're going to do day after day after day when meanwhile you know that you're one of the handful of people in the world who has an option to get out of that way of living? You've gotta hate all of those things, Arnold—I know I do, and I'm stuck with them. Someone who's actually got a way out must just despise them." She couldn't help it—she was logically arguing him into saying he wanted to go. She just freaking wanted him to cut the goody-two-shoes, sympathetic, wishy-washy crap and just say it already!

So many questions and Arnold just stood there, mouth agape, trying to speak, barely knowing where to start. Then… "F-Fine…it's not perfect here," he stuttered out in frustration. "I like my life but maybe…I don't know, I just feel like there's something more I could do, something more I could see, and I do have the option and I want to go." He moved closer to her, his own eyes glistening now too. Why could Helga G. Pataki always make him almost cry no matter what his age? "But I love you, Helga G. Pataki. I do really love you." He looked at her like he would fight to the death asserting that truth.

"And you think I'm just going to wait for you like always. Your poor little heroine always waiting for you to get it together!" Helga glanced away sadly. Then she let out a deep sigh. "Thanks for the dinner, Arnold. Goodnight." She bundled up her coat and left, because if she did that, somehow the argument wasn't over, somehow what was going to come to pass wasn't quite settled yet. It was dumb, but she was just too tired, and it least this way she had the illusion of hope.

"Helga, I—"

Helga stopped and held her hand up, sticking it back behind her in Arnold's direction. "Just let me go for now, Arnold! It's better that way. Goodbye!" Then she did go off.

Arnold didn't go after her. He knew when she told him like that not to follow her that it really was better if he gave her some space.

And indeed, Helga had always had a temper and she had always recognized that she had a temper, so she needed some time to calm down a little now—she didn't want to continue this argument and blow up at him just because she felt like she couldn't control herself at this particular moment. Her telling him instead to just leave her alone for a while meant she wanted to talk to him seriously and that she was going to. She just…needed to be let go of for now.

* * *

Arnold was surprised not to hear from Helga that night…or the next day…By the next day's night when he still hadn't heard from her, though, Arnold was planning to at least call her the next morning.

But then that evening he heard the sound of a few pebbles being lightly tossed against the panels of his skylight ceiling.

Arnold climbed up to the skylight panel that opened onto the old fire escape.

Helga was down there in the alley alongside his house.

She looked up at him, shivering with her parka wrapped around herself. "Let me in. Please," she whispered, and then she headed around to the fence leading to the backyard. She couldn't use the fire escape anymore and he couldn't either. Neither one of them had been able to safely climb that old rickety thing in years. Nowadays they met in private by Helga sneaking through the back into the kitchen.

Arnold went downstairs into the hallway and the foyer and finally the kitchen, and the moment he opened the door Helga dashed in and shut it tightly behind her. "A-Arnold, h-hot chocolate, p-please. I ran all the way here and it's freezing out there." She sat down at the kitchen table, letting the hood of her parka fall, revealing her blonde hair flecked with snow as she rubbed her still mitten-covered hands together for warmth.

Arnold nodded and went to prepare the hot chocolate right away.

Pretty soon the two of them were sitting there with steaming mugs as Helga drank and thawed out.

After she seemed settled enough, Arnold looked at her with a touch of concern and finally spoke to her. "Are you feeling better, Helga?"

Helga nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, I really needed that." She blushed a little and added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to come so late. And I'm sorry I ran off like that the other day." She apologized a lot more these days rather than sweeping things under the rug. She was trying to brush off that habit of avoiding things as her parents had always done.

Arnold just nodded. She really didn't need to apologize. But she also didn't like when he told her that. He settled on just an understanding nod usually, as he was doing now. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to upset you…. I didn't want to tell you like that. I love you and I wanted to wait until a few more days had passed and then sit down with you and discuss it together. But it felt like you already knew, and I couldn't help myself, and I guess we both just got…carried away."

Helga nodded. They were quiet together for a moment. Then Helga seemed angry. Then she seemed sad. Then she spoke softly back to him. "I know. I love you too, Arnold." She was almost like a child again for a moment. It made Arnold remember. She went on, looking up at him. "I'm sorry, I…" then she did start to cry a little and she flung herself at him in a hug. "I know you're not doing this to hurt…me…us…all of us. If you need to go, Arnold, then you need to go." It was said kind of hollowly, but only because it was so hard for her to say…. But she knew it was right. It sucked but it was right…which was the usual way of things, so that made her know even more that it was right.

Arnold was surprised at first, but then he held her and gently stroked through her hair. She had always liked when he had touched her hair, ever since they had been little. "I promise this'll be fine, Helga. I'll…I'll write to you every day—some of the letters might not get to you because the postal system in San Lorenzo is a bit limited, but I'll still write, and I'll make copies too, that way later you can see all the letters if some of them get lost. And we'll visit, of course, every now and again when we can. And with school, well…" He sighed, having to think about that one for a moment.

Helga suggested something for him though, pulling back a little to look up at him with a sad but serious face and tone. "Honestly, Arnold, with school, I always thought…maybe we could try going our own separate ways…different schools, I mean, but close enough to visit…I-I mean, that was back when I thought we'd be together for another couple of years here, but…" This situation was complicated, which was part of why Helga had been letting herself get so frustrated. She couldn't help but wonder sometimes what a little time apart might be like for herself and Arnold, but…she hated having him ripped away from her sooner than expected, and so far away, and for such an uncertain amount of time. School was a planned thing, college followed a pattern, and the occasional train ride between counties or states and even a flight between coasts wouldn't have been a huge inconvenience. However, a transcontinental jet flight followed by a sea plane followed by a caravan followed by a hike to a place most people could never quite find anyway…and all of this coming on so suddenly…and all of it having to last for an undetermined period of time…and her maybe being too busy with school and Arnold maybe being too busy with his own studies and adventures for either of them to make the effort too much or even at all… That was quite a different situation entirely. "I don't know…" Now she just wanted to be with him again…but he was so frustrating and sometimes she just wanted to be apart…. But what if they…. But what if she never….

"Oh…" Arnold said softly, pulling back to look down at her. She had never told him about this idea. "I…if that's how you feel…" For a moment he looked at her, trying to determine if she was just subtly trying to 'get back at him' for leaving…but he could see she wasn't. So… He released her. He went back to his cocoa. "You want some time apart too…." He felt bad for saying it, but now that he knew she felt the same what did it matter? It was the truth, and the truth was always the best thing.

Helga blushed and looked like she felt bad too. She hesitated. "Yes." Then she looked up at him. "But not forever, not for who knows how long. I just…I'll miss you so much but…I don't know either…" She looked at him like she was betraying him. "I'm sorry, Arnold…" she whispered softly.

He looked back at her like he was betraying her too. "I'm sorry too, Helga…"

"We really have been together an awfully long time, haven't we?" Helga said softly. He had been her first memory…. It was like from the beginning of her life Arnold had been there every single day. Every. Single. Day. What if she couldn't make it without him every single…. It was starting to get to be too much, she didn't know. But she felt like somewhere along the way, by growing up even more together, they had grown too much together, and Helga couldn't stand the idea that he was literally some vital part of her now, that taking him away would be like taking an organ away without which she would slowly perish. That wasn't love, not the way she had learned to understand it. That was...there was something wrong there. And she was too old and too smart for the 'woe is me' 'perishing' stuff. Besides, maybe she just didn't want to dash off and get married as soon as school was out of the way in a few years. Maybe she wanted to do some traveling of her own, climb a corporate ladder, write brilliant novels, spread her wings a little. Her plans with Arnold had seemed so blissful as a child but now she started seeing the reality of them as she had gotten older…and she thought of Miriam a lot when she thought of those plans…Miriam, married young, depressed by her life, first one baby and then another to care for, working and bills and no time with Bob, Bob changing, trapped for decades and it taking decades to go from just making the best of it to actually enjoying herself. It sort of made Helga shiver a little. Olga hadn't married. Olga was a little selfish but she flitted around from place to place doing some teaching (and even a little acting, strangely enough…?), living her own life, enjoying herself. Maybe Helga would visit and travel with Olga a bit? Maybe Helga wouldn't even dream of getting married until she was thirty or thirty-five even? But was it fair of her to keep Arnold bound in an intense relationship for potentially another fifteen years until she was ready for a marital commitment!? And even if it was fair, honestly, the idea of just working and working and working to keep it up and keep it together with him was draining to her. She was starting to get tired. She just wished she could have a rest sometimes.

"Yes. An awfully long time," replied Arnold softly, meanwhile, to her comment. Despite the romantic and sentimental aspects of the whole blissful situation, it was very hard to fall in love as a child and just be with someone indefinitely, forever, all the time after that. Sometimes he saw their friends still dating, still exploring—he sort of missed those days a little. The last time he'd had them he had been nine years old, and so much of childhood turned into a blur of memories later on, it seemed. And he started to worry sometimes that his time with Helga clouded his perspective. And…what if he did want to do other things? What if he didn't want to just finish school here and finish school somewhere else and come back here and marry her and have a baby and live in the boarding house? Having a whole life planned out had seemed almost charming as a child. But it sort of frightened him now. He just needed some time to breathe, to think, to get away from here. He remembered that dream he'd had as a child, before loving Helga, about being married to Helga, living in a house, working grueling forty hour weeks, diapers and screaming kids and no way out…. Not that he thought for even a second that Helga wouldn't help him like she hadn't helped him in that dream, but the idea of that being his life, set in stone, while all of their friends seemed to be planning and dreaming…It was almost unbearable. He wanted some freedom and he wanted to give her freedom too. He wanted them to, well…to sort of go back to being friends and to work on that before they became anything more than the young lovers they were now. They had never really worked on the friendship thing: they had just gone from passive aggressively at each other's throats to totally in love. The transition had been so steep, he was surprised he hadn't reconsidered it back when he had been a child. But he wanted to reconsider it now before it was too late. And most importantly he didn't want either of them to regret their time together, in the past, the present, or the future.

"Maybe we need…a break…" they both sort of mumbled together.

They blinked, especially at how eerily in sync that statement had been (and also at how frequently they could be that eerily in tune these days).

They looked down like guilty children.

"A…break…" Helga repeated softly.

"Yeah…a break…" Arnold echoed.

"O-Okay…" Then Helga blushed so much, and something tumbled out of her. "Would you want to see other girls?"

Arnold blushed a lot too. Then he looked like he was thinking. Then he looked confused. "I don't think so. But…it's been so long, I don't think I really know. But I don't…" He looked into her eyes and that decided it for him. "No…" he finished in a whisper.

Despite that the answer was probably something she wanted to hear, Helga's lip still trembled, tears still started to dot her mittens now laying beside her hands on the table. "Okay…" was all she could say.

He moved closer to her. "Would you want to see other boys?" He thought he should ask to be polite…and also he really didn't know what she might say.

Helga just blinked, which made more tears fall, and then that frustrated her so she wiped some away and glared at him at little, "What do you think?!" Then she looked down. Then she shook her head and shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't…. No. I don't think I would."

"If that ever changed for either of us, just promise me we'd talk about it. Alright, Helga?" He moved closer and entwined his hand with hers.

'_Why would he even say…?'_ "Yes, okay," she said as calmly and diplomatically as possible.

They were quiet again.

"So we'd just…be on a break then?" she asked, glancing toward him.

Arnold looked down and then nodded. "I think that's what it would be. Just a little…break." He didn't like this either but it was happening, wasn't it? Maybe it had to happen…though he wished he knew why.

"Heh, do you want your ring back?" Helga asked with a very forced chuckle and in a very shaky easy-going tone.

That question made Arnold pause. He remembered 'the ring', of course, even though Helga really hadn't brought it up much since elementary school. But he knew she still had it, cherished it probably. It made him so sad to hear her ask that question.

He moved them close, eye to eye, face to face. "Never, unless you ever want to give it back. Even then I wouldn't want you to give it back…because you and…we…" He was starting to get teary and she was too, and then they just kissed.

They kissed in a new way they had found somehow, sometimes, only in their most quiet moments, like something else was going to happen between them, like they were lost in each other.

It took a little while but eventually they tapered off, pulled back, flushed red and barely able to breathe.

Then Helga took a deep breath. "Be good, my beloved…and safe…" She gently touched his cheek, speaking to him in her poetic coo (it was one of the last times he would hear her speak in that tone to him for a very a very long while). "Think of me. I'll miss you, my darling. You're a good person, and the most noble man ever born." She took another breath, speaking more normally but quietly. "I'll try to write too. I really will." She looked like she might cry again, but she was keeping herself together.

Arnold savored those sweet words of poetry from her. "I'll miss you too." He touched her hand. "Don't forget that…you're smart and talented and creative and that you have a good heart and that you're beautiful and that no one should ever try to change you because…you're something special, Helga G. Pataki, and I don't want you to ever lose that."

She smiled, even though her eyes still glistened. She hugged him. "Thank you, Arnold. I love you, Arnold."

He hugged her back. "I love you too, Helga."

Soon she needed to go. It really was late. But it was cold and dark so Arnold offered to drive her. His grandfather had given him a set of spare keys to the Packard months ago.

They pulled up to her stoop eventually.

"Goodnight, Helga," Arnold said as he saw her hand go to the door handle of the Packard.

Helga glanced at him with a small smile. "Goodnight, Arnold." She hesitated though. "So…you won't go for close to four months. Are we still…together until then?"

Arnold had to agree with what she must be thinking—this was kind of strange predicament. He looked at her. "I'd like to be. We could just spend time together, reminiscing, making some new memories. Besides, I don't want to have to start missing you already." He looked into her eyes and smiled a little too. "Is that alright, Helga?"

Helga nodded, smiling a little more. "Yeah, that's…that'll be good. Alright then…" She opened the door and got out, but leaned in once more and added with more warmth, "Farewell, though parting is such sweet sorrow, I could say goodnight til it be morrow…"

Arnold's gaze melted a little to match Helga's, though a slight frown couldn't help but come to his features at her chosen quotation. _Romeo and Juliet_. "Did you have to pick such a sad play, Helga?" he asked softly, unable to help himself.

The smallest pout came to Helga's lips. Then she smiled softly again. "It's not a sad play, Arnold. " She looked into his eyes. "It just has a sad ending. Let's make a sweeter one, my love." Then she kissed his cheek, and then she moved back and out of his car, standing up and shutting the door. She waved to him. "Goodbye, Arnold."

Arnold watched her, the window rolled down a little. He waved to her too. "Goodbye, Helga."

She gave him a small nod and then turned and went up her stoop and inside of her house, closing the door softly behind her.

It was snowing again now.

Arnold started to drive home.

And even though things seemed settled and they had both agreed and it didn't seem like all of this would be a bad thing…and it was maybe even a thing they needed as a couple, as people…he cried as he drove home.

He cried for a little while inside of his house, sitting in the kitchen, thinking he should reheat the hot chocolate but just not having it in himself to do it.

Gertie, of all people, found him eventually. She hugged him and heated up the hot chocolate for him and didn't ask too many questions. She had a feeling about what it was about anyway. She comforted him a great deal, especially with one final gesture she made before they turned the lights up and headed to bed. He was very grateful to her for finding him, he would be very grateful to her forever.

Arnold and his parents left a few months later.

It really was hard to write.

* * *

**Gods and Pigs and Old Friends**

Arnold was seventeen years old, and he was very eagerly waiting at a small 'bus' stop marked only by a rusted tin sign on an old pole bearing a faint image of a cart with wheels. The sign sat by the side of a large, dirt road running along the edge of a thinner section of tropical jungle.

It was fall in San Lorenzo, which meant two things—the weather was actually quite nice and bearable with no excruciating heat or torrential afternoon rains…and also it was spring in the northern hemisphere. And spring meant spring break.

It had taken plenty of convincing on Arnold's part—plenty of begging and of promising tropical drinks and beautiful sights and hidden waterfall gorges and jungle oases—but he had finally convinced his best friend, Gerald Martin Johansson, to spend his high school spring break down in San Lorenzo with Arnold.

And here Arnold sat, waiting for the 'bus' to bring Gerald along. 'Bus' in this context, of course, didn't actually mean a bus like a city bus. It was more like a sort of a hay cart that people often caught rides on to get to this point, though in Arnold's defense that was the only way to get to the remote part of San Lorenzo where he and his parents currently lived. First a person had to take a plane from a city in the United States down to an airport in a major city in a neighboring South American country. From there, a person took a small biplane to the capital city of San Lorenzo. Then there was a two mile walk to the river doc and from there a person bought passage on the local barge down river. Finally, a person waited at the little stop near the down river dock, and sooner or later a farmer or trader with a wagon usually full of hay or vegetables or even livestock would come along and allow you to hitch a ride down here, to the public village nearest where the Green Eyes lived. Of course, Gerald would probably not be too happy about any of that…or especially about the mile long walk he and Arnold would have to take to reach Arnold's parent's hut in the jungle, but Arnold figured that overall Gerald really would be glad to see him. A year had passed since Arnold had left the city, it would be nice to reconnect, hear about how the gang was…everyone.

Arnold's thoughts came back to the present moment at the sound of a large wooden cart slowly coming up the road. He smiled and stood up from the worn bench he had been reclining on, trying to catch a glimpse of his best friend.

Gerald was pretty obvious to spot. He was the only person on the hay cart clinging to one of the cart posts for dear life, swinging a modern looking duffel bag and trying to hold his nose and swat away mosquitos at the same time. Arnold knew he was going to have to show him a really, really good time for going through all of this for him.

Finally, the cart pulled up and Arnold raced to the back of it where the passengers usually got off. "Gerald!" He waved his hand excitedly.

Gerald Martin Johansson finally alighted onto the road leading to the small town of Afuera de Los Verdes ('outside of the green ones'—a name chosen by Arnold's parents' good friend, Eduardo, for the small town they had built near the location of the Green Eyes secret village). He was covered in dust and sweat and clearly exhausted, and he just looked at his best friend ever since childhood. The first words out of his mouth were something like this: "There are dozens of South American countries with hundreds of miles of sunny coastline and complete with luxurious hotels and air conditioned taxis to take you to whichever fabulous daytime or nightlife location you want to go, but _you_ have to live practically in the middle of the rainforest almost at the equator and surrounded by mosquitos the size of those carrier pigeons you used to raise." He sighed and shook his head. "Arnold, I have said it so many times but I'll say it again…. You are a—"

"A bold kid?" Arnold supplied with a little smile.

Gerald blinked and grinned. "Only in the sense that you're out of your mind. Though I don't think the 'kid' part applies anymore." Then he laughed and stepped forward and held out his hand in their special way. Arnold's hand came forward and they did their special handshake, and then Arnold laughed and they leaned in and gave each other a warm pat on the back. "Good to see you, man."

Arnold nodded. "I'm really happy you came, Gerald. Thanks for making the trip."

Gerald pulled back with a grin. "Yeah, well, I'm expecting the best tropical paradise you can provide from you considering that trip and also the fact that my parents paying for it officially counts as my birthday present, Christmas present, and my graduation present next year." He laughed.

Arnold laughed too. "I promise—there aren't any vacation resorts and no ocean, but you'll have a good time. And a much more relaxing time than when we were here as kids. No bandits, no mystical items, no near death experiences…Just sun and lagoons and great food and a few big tribe feasts with bonfires and dancing." He started to walk forward and gestured for Gerald to follow him down a path through a thin group of trees.

Gerald laughed a little at the joke as he moved his duffel bag over his shoulder and started to follow alongside Arnold. Then he asked with a half smile (though it lacked something of eagerness), "Any cute girls?"

Arnold almost stopped walking at the question, though he managed to keep going on. But he did give Gerald a sort of uncertain smile. "Well…yeah, actually, but…um…" He didn't know how to phrase it.

Gerald let out a small sigh. He spoke with a touch of numbness, though not devastation, and something of the half smile remained. "Phoebe got into Toudai—erm, sorry," the Japanese snuck out of him from time to time, "Tokyo University. I told her she should go if it would make her happy. And I know it would. But she knew we'd be apart for a very long time. So, um…we decided to follow in your footsteps and take a break." Gerald shrugged, still not really looking at his best friend. "Just trying to spread my wings a little, enjoy the freedom." Then he made his smile a little more convincing and gave Arnold a nudge. "Come on, man, we're a couple of young, swinging bachelors on an exotic vacation and with tons of catching up to do. Let's find a waterfall and a bunch of bananas to share and put a couple of straws in a couple of fresh coconuts and have a blast!" He started to head on more quickly through the woods. "Last one there's a rotten—whoa!" Gerald had tripped over a root, causing himself and his duffel bag to fall, upon which he instantly made a very panicked and deliberate (and just barely successful) attempt to catch the bag before it crashed into the ground at all costs!

"Gerald, you okay?" Arnold ran over to help him up. He noticed his friend's panic about the bag. He raised an eyebrow and smiled a little. "Uh, what's in there?"

Gerald sighed and stood up, dusting himself off. "A surprise." He smiled, and then unzipped the duffel bag and pulled out a laptop. "Computer access. Bamn."

Arnold just smiled and shook his head. "Gerald, okay, maybe there's an outlet hooked up to a generator somewhere around here that you could plug that thing into, but there isn't internet access for a hundred miles around."

Gerald just smiled back and shook his head. "Wrong, Arnold. Laptop has built in Wi-Fi. And we are having a guys reunion tonight courtesy of this."

Arnold blinked. "Really?" He looked at the computer in surprise. "Gerald, that must have cost you a ton of money, you didn't have to do that just for—"

"I-I didn't…" Gerald cut him off with a mumble, putting the computer back in his bag and closing it up. He looked at Arnold with a touch of gentle hesitation. "Helga sort of hooked me up—through the beeper emporium. She said it was to thank me for being so supportive of Phoebe." Then he added, quite frankly because it was the truth and he wanted Arnold to know, "I'm pretty sure that wasn't her only reason for helping me though."

Gerald watched Arnold carefully. His best friend responded to Helga's name with sort of a grimace of his lip and the lightest blush that faded quickly. He then swallowed and smiled slightly and looked to his friend again. "Oh. That was nice of her." Then he turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…come on, my parents are expecting us…" He started to walk on again.

Gerald followed after him. He chose his questions carefully. "Helga didn't say anything about you…I guess you two just keep up in private, huh?"

Arnold's face was a confusion of emotion that he was trying to keep looking like nothing was wrong. He let out a breath. "We never needed to talk much to be close."

Sometimes it was like he could hear her voice in the faint rush of sounds of the jungle at night…

Arnold hesitated, looking at Gerald out of the corner of his eye. "Is she…doing well, then?"

Gerald gave a small nod of understanding. "Well, you know…Helga's always Helga. Pretty much the same friends, pretty much looks the same… She started a campaign to get Curly and Rhonda elected prom king and queen despite their love/hate on-again-off-again relationship, she really got the beeper emporium expanded for her Dad—but she told him flat out she has no interest in inheriting that thing. She does a lot of writing, I think. I mean, usually if we want to make plans to do something, she only says no if she has to write. And she's the editor of the high school Literary Magazine now, not just a contributor." He smiled a little.

Arnold was looking at Gerald a little more now. He couldn't help himself. He wanted to know.

Gerald noticed this and went on. "She still hates my hair, even though it is a little bit shorter now." He touched the top of his hair. "And a lot of time she tells me I'm not nearly as fun as you and then elbows me in the gut, and it still hurts just like when we were kids. She, uh…let's see—oh, she threatened to sue the school unless they either let girls join the wrestling team or gave them a girls wrestling team along with the boys one: she walked in with a blazer and an attaché case and a tape recorder playing the 'People's Court' theme in her pocket and everything. Scared the heck out of the administration, and they completely gave in. Oh and I think she told Phoebe she wanted to maybe take a year off before college and live in France as a starving artist, just for fun."

Arnold thought all of that sounded funny and brave and beautiful. He wondered enough about one more thing, though, to manage to ask Gerald about it specifically. "Um…is she making any new friends?" He rubbed the side of his arm as he led them down a new jungle path, the forest getting thicker here.

"I don't know, I guess she meets new people working with the Literary Magazine and by working at the Emporium…Um…" '_Oh.'_ Gerald got it now. New 'friends' didn't mean new friends. "Oh. Well…no one seriously, that I can see. She still spends a lot of time with Brainy, but I don't think…heh…" Gerald swallowed and shrugged. "She does get offers though…" Perhaps he shouldn't have said that…but Arnold did seem to want to know. He couldn't blame him, after all he'd want to know if Phoebe…

Gerald shook off the idea.

Meanwhile, Arnold blushed and didn't look the best right now. "Oh…"

Gerald suppressed his own moping for the moment and moved closer, doing his best to reassure his friend. "Phoebe says she tells them all that she only 'courts' men, not boys, so it would never work between her and any of them. And Phoebe says that if they still try anything funny Helga threatens to drag them out into the center of the football field at half time during a game and let everyone see them getting beaten up by a girl. Phoebe says that usually takes care of things."

Arnold tried to smile a little. "Thanks. It's…It's okay either way. We said that we could be with other people if we wanted to…"

Gerald frowned a little, looking sad for his friend. "You don't get to talk to her much, do you?"

Arnold frowned, and a little light dimmed in his eyes for a moment. "No. I think it might hurt her too much… Maybe it would hurt me too."

Gerald nodded. "I understand." Then he added softly. "Phoebe's going to live with her grandparents while she's in Japan. They, um…she mentioned once that they'd really like her to move there permanently, settle down, end up reconnecting with her roots entirely, meeting someone from there…. I told her to just do whatever made her happy, about everything. And to focus on her studies and not on me." He swallowed. "I love her."

Arnold smiled a little. He understood. He also understood that Gerald needed someone to cheer him up right now just as Arnold needed to not let himself get bogged down during this visit with depressing questions about Helga. "Interesting…. It took me just over six years to realize I loved Helga, and it took you six years to realize you loved Phoebe." He smiled more at his best friend, giving him one of his famous all-knowing looks.

Gerald couldn't help but crack a smile again. He rolled his eyes to the side. "Oh…shut up." He nudged Arnold in the side, and Arnold winced and they both laughed.

"You happy here, man?" Gerald asked then, looking to Arnold fully again as they started to enter a clearing before the next thick batch of trees surrounding the road.

Arnold considered the question and nodded. "Yeah." He looked around a bit at the branches and sky and birds overhead and then looked at Gerald again. "I like the environment and the people, and I like getting to help everyone. I like taking canoes down river and seeing all the stars at night and reading by firelight and eating things I never thought I'd eat. And I like to be with my parents." He frowned a little. "I still miss you guys and the boarding house and my grandparents…and everyone. But…this is where I have to be. I'm happy, Gerald, really." He smiled warmly.

Gerald smiled back. "Good. I'm glad, man."

They talked about this and that, and sometimes just walked in silence during the rest of the mile long walk. Then finally they came to the clearing surrounding the village and then the huts and shops of the village itself. Gerald glanced around with interest as they entered the center of town. He looked at Arnold, stretching upward with a yawn. "Alright, just point me to a king size bamboo bed preferably in a room with an air conditioner and let me take a nap, and then we'll party the night away."

Arnold just laughed. "Sorry, Gerald," he looked at him with a sympathetic smile, "only the basics here. Pretty much everyone sleeps in hammocks, but I think we do have a spare cot if you'd like. And maybe a battery powered desk fan if I can find it."

Gerald just sighed with a grin and shook his head. "I knew I was hoping for too much. Oh well," he looked at Arnold, "A hammock sounds great." His look became serious all of a sudden. "But tell me you've got mosquito netting. Please."

Arnold nodded and laughed. "That we do. Come on." He led Gerald over to one of the huts, which was a small one right beside a larger residence: Arnold's little 'apartment' right next door to his parents' 'house.'

* * *

Arnold had a request of his best friend later that evening. "Would you mind if we only stayed at the tribe feast tonight for a little while?" He blushed and looked away with a touch of embarrassment. "Sometimes they can be a little much for me because…you know, since…to the Green Eyes I'm sort of a…"

"A God?" Gerald supplied, smirking a tiny bit and crossing his arms over his chest, recalling that little detail from their adventure here back when they had been kids.

Arnold blushed more and sighed. "Yes. That."

Gerald just rolled his eyes. "Arnold, seriously, any other person on the planet would jump into that 'god' role all the way, and you act like it's some kind of embarrassing baby picture from your past."

"Gerald…" Arnold stepped away, looking out of the window of his hut at the evening starting to sweep over the jungle. "All that happened was I cried once when I was a baby and a volcano happened to stop erupting. It's not that big of a—"

"Yeah, you control all nature with your mystical powers, and it's not that big of a deal." He laughed a little, unable to help it, as he came over to look out of the window with Arnold. "Ow!" And now he was wincing and rubbing his side.

Arnold had nudged him, giving him a dry look but a smile nonetheless. "Gerald, come on…"

"Oh 'come on' yourself, man." Gerald smiled warmly at him. "The Green Eyes can't bother you that much about it, especially if you let them know that you don't want to be 'worshipped' like that."

Arnold shrugged, looking shy again. "Well, it's not really the tribe in general's attitude about it. It's, um…you see…"

"Hey, fellas!" Miles suddenly popped his head into the room. He and Stella and Arnold frequently popped over between each other's huts to get things or to give information or just to talk. They liked being a close family. "You getting ready for the shindig tonight? I think it'll be a doozy. It's harvest time and the month of the Panther Moon in the Green Eyes culture, so this should be a good one. Your mom and I might even stop by later. Maybe we'll see you two there?" He glanced back and forth between the two boys.

Arnold shrugged, turning to his father. "Maybe, but we were only going to stop by for a little while now, and then later Gerald set up his computer so that we could have sort of a video reunion with some of my friends back home."

Miles blinked and then brightened up a lot. "Arnold, I think that is a wonderful idea." He turned to Gerald. "Thank you for doing that, Gerald." Miles looked back at Arnold. "Did you want to set things up in here for that? Your mom and I could take care of it while you two are gone for now."

Arnold smiled appreciatively but shook his head. "That's okay, Dad. I was thinking Gerald and I could have a little campout under the stars in the clearing by the lagoon. They don't get too many nights like we have out here in the city, you know. So I thought it'd be nice to sleep out there, maybe even have a cookout for dinner."

Miles nodded, looking a touch nostalgic and understanding Arnold's point entirely. "I think that's a great idea." Miles was happy to be here and he was happy to have his son with himself and Stella, but he did feel bad that Arnold had had to leave behind so much at home. It was great seeing him connect with his best friend again. He wished it could happen more often…even if it meant Arnold might move back 'home' at some point not too far away. "Alright, well, I'll see you guys later then." He gave them a wave. "Have fun tonight!"

"Miles, tell them I left some fried yucca and black beans with mole sauce and some capybara burgers in the fridge for them for dinner! Oh and some xocolatl cookies!" Stella's voice rang out warmly from the other room.

Miles laughed and gestured over his shoulder with his chin. "What your mother said. Oh but, um…" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "leave a few cookies for me, please, Arnold—your mom never gets the oven working to make them except on special occasions and she said I couldn't have any until you boys got at them first."

Arnold laughed a little and nodded. "Okay, Dad, we will. I promise."

"Thanks, son." Miles gave Arnold a wink and then left the two boys alone again.

Arnold turned to Gerald with a smile. "Well, let's go. It's easier to find your way to the Green Eyes before it gets dark."

Gerald was just silent though, and looking at Arnold with a kind of funny face though.

Arnold raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Capybara?" Gerald looked even more confused and overwhelmed. "Isn't that…those big amphibious rodents that live here that Helga said she hated and never wanted to see ever again when we were here when we were little?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, that's them."

"And…" Gerald went on, "You have 'burgers' of them.'"

Arnold understood now and smiled and rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's not so bad. Tastes like something between chicken and souvlaki actually. Besides, what cows there are around here people need for milk. And the only other source of meat around here you're probably use would be pigs, but those are sacred so…" he shrugged and finished simply, "Capybara."

Gerald feigned nausea. "I'm a vegetarian for the time that I'm here."

Arnold laughed. "It's okay, Gerald—I got my hands on some frozen hotdogs for the cookout tonight for us." The two started heading over to the door.

"And I'm back to eating meat like there's no tomorrow!" Gerald grinned and the two boys shared a life. "Hey, speaking of pigs," Gerald suddenly asked with as they headed outside, "where's Abner?"

Arnold blinked at the question and smiled. "Oh, he actually lives more in the Green Eye village now than out here with us. He sort of found a nice girl pig that lived there, and he is getting a little old, so the two of them kind of settled down and started raising a litter of piglets. They're too young to be away from their mother yet though, so the Green Eyes are taking care of all of them until they're bigger, and then people there will adopt the piglets and Abner and Ana can come stay here nice and cozy with us."

Gerald just looked at his best friend with a smile of wonder. "I love that you've got this whole 'family unit, raising children, retirement thing' set up for the sacred pigs. And I love that you named Abner's wife." He laughed warmly.

Arnold smiled and shrugged. "You learn to appreciate pigs here very easily. Besides, she looks like an Ana, and she seemed to like the name."

Gerald just sighed and shook his head with a grin as they headed down a new path through the jungle. "You're going native, man, you're going native."

* * *

After the feast, Gerald understood exactly what it was that made Arnold so uncomfortable about attending them for much time. The villagers, of course, showed Arnold deep respect, though they weren't insisting on basically building shrines to him and bowing at his feet as they had during their adventure here back when they were kids.

But now 'Arnold the God' had a new issue.

Apparently this year he had entered the traditional 'marriageable age' for the tribe.

And apparently, according to every girl of the Green Eyes between the ages of sixteen and about twenty-one, he was the most eligible and desired bachelor in the whole jungle.

Gerald had just watched in amazement (truly, because what seventeen-year-old, technically-unattached guy in his right mind wouldn't at least relax and enjoy himself even if he didn't act on the romantic offers being presented to him by beautiful girls with big green eyes): Arnold had girls plead to dance with him, girls hang garlands over his neck, girls giggle in groups and look at him adoringly, girls offer to feed him from their own hands, girls wanting him to sing tribal songs or play tribal games or even to just sit with them. (Girls doing things, in short, that, if Helga had seen them, would have kept the Green Eyes healers busy for a very, very, very long time trying to mend the wounds of the tribe's female population that Old Betsey and the Five Avengers probably would have inflicted without hesitation.)

And Arnold would just politely refuse all of the favors offered by these young ladies with a smile of embarrassment but considerate appreciation. But Gerald could tell that, in fact, all of this attention made Arnold terribly uncomfortable…terribly torn inside...even sad. But what could Arnold say? These girls all just wanted to be nice and show him their affection. He would just have to wait it out, it seemed.

Gerald hadn't even had the heart to tease Arnold about all of this 'marriageable god' stuff as it progressed during the feast. In fact, he had taken a great deal of pity on his friend, and eventually had yawned and smiled and remarked that it really was starting to get late so maybe they had better head out for their little video chat call soon

At the suggested excuse, Arnold had smiled with an appreciation far deeper than any he had shown so far to the Green Eyes girls. And then he had nodded and stoop up and bid the tribe and the girls a fond farewell before finally leaving the tribal celebration with his friend.

Now Arnold and Gerald were finally camping out under the stars by a lagoon, a bonfire and the moon their only sources of light (besides the glowing screen of the computer set up between them of course.)

Arnold had indeed managed to procure a packet of hot dogs from one of the local trade boats, though it had cost him a bit, but it was worth it for a good old fashioned cookout. He had gotten some beans too, courtesy of his mother's supply. He and Gerald cooked the hot dogs on a skewer and the beans in a skillet over the open flame of their campfire.

"Remember when we went camping with my Grandpa, Gerald, and all he had to eat for us was beans? So we ran over to Helga's RV and ate steak and eggs for breakfast?" Arnold asked with a nostalgic smile, moving some things around in the skillet.

Gerald nodded and laughed, finishing a bite of hot dog. "Yeah, but at least you held out a bit for the sake of your grandpa and your pride, considering how Helga G. Pataki treated you back then. Me, the second she said 'come over' I tossed my plate of beans away and ran."

They laughed some more.

"We should go camping the next time I come home. Maybe out to Hawk Mountain again?" Arnold asked, pulling another hot dog of a skewer to eat.

"Yeah, sure." Gerald nodded, taking a few new hot dogs for himself too. "You thinking of visiting any time soon?"

Arnold nodded. "Before college starts, yeah…I'd like to visit that summer. And then I was thinking of going to school somewhere not too far from home—Hillwood 'home'—anyway. Or at least I wanted to go somewhere less far away from their than this place." He glanced around at the jungle a little with a nostalgic yet slightly overwhelmed look. He couldn't see himself staying here forever like this now: he loved this place but he just couldn't.

Gerald looked at Arnold with interest. "Really? But I thought you said you were happy here."

Arnold smiled, looking back to his best friend. "I am, Gerald. But, I don't want to just spend the rest of my life here now. I want to go off somewhere to school and figure out what I want to be and do with myself. Maybe I want to try living in some other exotic places too. Europe or Asia or the Pacific Islands…. I want to explore." He smiled brightly at the idea.

Gerald looked intrigued. "That's really cool, man." He laughed a little. "Make sure to pop in on Helga in France and Phoebe in Japan when you do that. In the mean time, though, if you wanted to go to school somewhere closer to home…well, with Phoebe moving half way across the world just like you've already done, that'd be fine by me." He smiled hopefully and finished sincerely, "It'd be nice to get to see you more, Arnold."

Arnold nodded, understanding. "It'd be nice to get to see you and my grandparents and everyone else more too."

"Would your parents come?" Gerald asked with interest. He knew Arnold had a really deep attachment to them, all things considered

"No, I think they'll stay here." Arnold took some beans now that they were done. "They like it here, this really is where they want to spend the rest of their life, or at least the rest of this part of it. And…I think I'd be okay now with being separated from them again. And I can always visit of course." He smiled.

Gerald nodded. "Very cool." He got some beans himself and then set his plate aside. "So, shall we fire up the conference?"

Arnold nodded. "Sure! Let's do it." He put his plate down for the moment as well.

Gerald went at the computer keys, setting up the internet connection and opening the program to start the live video chat. It took a few minutes but then suddenly an image beamed to life—all the guys: Harold (looking bulky but kind of in shape now), Stinky (still tall and now with a small goatee), Sid (his hair had filled out a bit now), Eugene (still with that sparkling smile), even Curly (the same glasses, the same haircut, but something rather suave about him as well).

"Hey Arnold!" they all shouted at once, crowding around the computer camera on their end.

Arnold beamed. "Hi guys! I miss you. How are all of you?"

They all started to talk over each other and Arnold and Gerald just laughed. "One at a time, please," Arnold requested.

"Aw, we're great! I just made linebacker on the football team! And Patty's visiting from college next weekend—she's hoping she can get a job teaching preschool in the city when she's done there."

"I'm mellow as usual, Arnold. Thinking about going into veterinary school actually. Sidney III gave me the idea—I could specialize in frogs."

"I've done opened up a stand on the weekends at the farmer's market here, Arnold, and my vegetables have been sellin' really good. I'm gonna try to grow another prize winning pumpkin this year for the city fair too."

"Oh Arnold, everything's just fabulous! I'm in the running for a scholarship to the dance academy downtown here!"

"I'm just preparing to take over the world and free all the animals, as per usual. Oh and Rhonda is getting proposed to the second we get those high school diplomas. She wants it, oh yeah!"

"How are you Arnold?!" they all asked at once with smiles.

Arnold's grin went ear to ear—it rarely did that these days anymore. "O-Oh, well…I'm great, and happy, and things here are even better than you guys probably remember…." He started to talk more.

It was nice to be with friends and family. Sometimes that was what a person needed most in life.

* * *

**Debates and Decisions and Doing the Right Thing**

"Alright, let's see…Apartment…118 A. Yup, this is the one." A familiar young woman wearing black leggings and a long pink sweater and short pink boots moved aside some of her long blond hair behind one of her ears, put down her blue duffel bag, and gave a firm rap at the upscale looking apartment door. "Olga, I'm here, and I'm tired. The train ride was a bear. You'd better be taking me out to dinner ASAP, and then I just want to turn in early and sip white wine spritzers and watch a cheesy movie and go to sleep. I've gotta be at Bennington University's auditorium by eight AM to set things up with the leader of Bennington's team since I'm our school's team captain, so please open up and let me lie down!" Helga stretched and yawned. _'Ugh, why am I captain of that stupid club? I hate clubs…but I do love arguments. And I do like being in charge. I guess having to get there an hour before everyone else is worth it. Besides, this is the last year of it anyway.' _She finished her stretch, and then crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Olga to finish dashing across her wooden floors (Helga could hear her sister's heels clicking away at lightening speed already) and open the door.

The door flew open! "Baby sister!" Olga squealed and jumped out into the hall, giving Helga a big hug. "Oh, I'm so happy you're finally here! How was your trip? How are you enjoying school? Oh it's been too long since we've visited, Helga—you've grow up so much! Just look at you!" Olga pulled back a little to admire Helga and her smile grew and a tear came to her eye. "You're not my 'baby' sister anymore, are you, Helga?"

Helga spoke in a slightly sarcastic tone, though she smiled a little nonetheless. "Well, let's see, Olga—I'm a twenty-one-year old woman almost in possession of a college education, I've published dozens of poems in school literary journals, I've studied in Paris, I've got a rockin' body if I do say so myself, and I consume coffee drinks like it's nobody's business. Yeah, definitely don't seem to be a baby anymore."

Olga just laughed and gave Helga one more tight hug before picking up her bag and guiding her inside. "Oh, bab—_Helga_," Olga corrected, as she had always tried to do as much as she could ever since Helga had been about nine or ten, "You're always so funny. I really am happy you asked to stay with me during your debate team's contest against Bennington instead of staying in one of the dorms on the campus. I've been looking forward to it for weeks! It'll be so nice to show you around the city—I loved it here so much when I was going to college, and it's been so nice to move back and live here now." Olga put Helga's bag down on her sofa and gestured around the apartment with a smile. "So, what do you think of the place? Not bad for a 'starving actress', right?" She laughed, smirking just a tiny bit (which was rare for Olga, but she could do it nonetheless), and crossing her arms over her chest as she turned back to her baby sister.

Helga's grin picked up on one side as she glanced around the place. "You should send Bob pictures of this joint and write that same question underneath them. He was such a jerk, telling you you'd never be able to amount to anything if you quit teaching and went for the theatre." The place really was snazzy—white and peach tones, living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, skylight…For a moment, the skylight made something pinch inside of Helga and she glanced away from it, but then she quickly regained her smile and satisfied demeanor as she turned back to her sister. "I'd say you've arrived in spades, Miss 'three leading roles in major stage productions this season alone.' I knew you just had to hone in on the part of acting that you'd be good at." Olga had wanted to be in movies first—Helga had known that was doomed to be a bust. Olga couldn't handle direction and multiple takes and cutting and reediting and everything shot out of order. Then she had wanted to be in musical theatre, but Helga knew that, while Olga could play piano, vocally she could barely lightly coo a jaunty tune. No, what Olga had needed was direct, in the moment drama—a place to express all of her dramatics and emotions and to act her part thoroughly from start to finish with a live audience to praise her. Live, traditional theatre—that had been Olga's calling. And now she had finally found it. "I'm proud of you, you great big perfect pain in the neck." Helga stepped closer and nudged her sister.

Olga smiled very appreciatively. "Thank you, baby sister…" she replied softly, It really did seem to mean the world to her that Helga had said something like that and approved of her. She trusted Helga's judgment, and, besides, Olga recalled how Helga had been the only member of their family even remotely supportive of her career change decision quite a few years ago. Bob had taken a very 'realist' approach to her decision, to say the least. Miriam had sort of seemed like she was trying to be nice but that she felt, quite frankly, that Olga was making a mistake and Miriam didn't want to see her ruin her life like that.

Helga, while being a bit tough on her—grilling her about why she wanted to do this and what exactly she wanted to do with this and what her plans were, both immediate and long term—had at least given her the benefit of the doubt. As long as Olga was willing to take this seriously, Helga was willing to support her. Helga knew her sister had a good head on her shoulders, besides which by that point Olga had been just shy of thirty years old. Olga could make her own decisions, and if Olga wasn't happy teaching anymore, then why not?

Actually, the only reason Olga had even told her parents about her plans in an 'asking permission' kind of way was that she had known that money would be quite tight at first, and so she had needed to ask to move back home for a bit.

Bob had been ready to say no way as a means of deterring Olga from this new life choice.

Miriam hadn't really been sure what to do.

Sixteen-year-old Helga had settled the issue though.

She had announced, point blank, that if Olga wasn't allowed to come back home to live for a bit, she would be moving out—she would get on a plane, go to San Lorenzo, marry Arnold, and be back for a visit with their first grandchild in a year or five, whenever felt convenient for her. Or…they could cut Olga a break, especially since she had always been so perfect for them, and then Helga would stay here and help out at the Beeper Emporium part time and finish high school and go to college and go marry Arnold at a better time, teen pregnancy being such a problem in our society today.

And then the way she had smirked at her parents—letting them know that she really would do it, and she really could pull it off.

Finally, they had agreed to let Olga stay for a year at least.

And of course her career had started off slowly as she found her way, but she had seemed happy, and that fact had let Helga know that this was right for her.

And now here Olga was, an established actress, and here Helga was, almost ready to graduate college—a writer, a debater, a traveler, a leader, ready to be anything and anyone she wanted to be.

"Don't mention it, Olga," Helga finally said softly back to her.

They had one of their little looking at each other and getting each other moments (see the end of _Olga Comes Home_), and then Helga sat down on the couch, propping up her feet on the coffee table. "Not exactly dressed for that fantastic dinner I'm expecting, are you, Olga?" He sister was wearing casual white cotton pants and a black sweater with a green scarf around her neck. "Come on, you know I can pack it away, and I am starving." Helga yawned again, unable to help it. "And exhausted. Man, I can't wait until graduation. I'm gonna sleep for two weeks."

"You've been working hard at school, Helga?" Olga sat down beside her sister with an interested smile.

A little smirk came to Helga's lips as she reclined back on the couch a bit and closed her eyes. "I'm making sure to get all A's just on principle to prove that it's not just you who can do it. Boy, are Bob and Miriam going to be ticked off when I tell them after this I might just bum around the world for a bit, doing whatever interests me, seeing the sights, writing poetry, of all things. Bob's going to love that especially." She opened her eyes and glanced at her sister again. "You know, he decided to hand pick me to inherit the Beeper Emporium despite the long talks we've had that I'm _not_ doing that _ever_…even if I _could_ run that place with one hand tied behind my back and blindfolded and without even trying. You know, I singlehandedly saved that place by upgrading Bob's focus to advanced cell phones and state of the art laptop computers. Then we just kept the beepers around using a 'retro' gimmick. Piece of cake." Helga crossed her arms over her chest and grinned in a touch of pride.

Olga laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh baby sister, don't listen to Daddy even if you are the best one in the family at running the Beeper Emporium. You just do whatever makes you happy, traveling and getting A's and writing poems and all."

Helga nodded. "Yeah, I will, Olga. Besides, now that you and me are both out of the house, Miriam's gotten back into running things there a bit and she really likes it. Bob gets a little leery about having her on his turf sometimes and about her holding her own in business negotiations, but she's just as dominating as you and just as fiery as me combined when she wants to be. She'll make that place make bank, at least until she and Bob decide to retire." She winked at her sister.

Olga smiled brightly, happy to hear that helping run the family business was working out for their mother again. Being a housewife had never really seemed to work out well for 'mummy.' Of course, growing up, Olga had been a little too preoccupied with her own affairs and accomplishments to notice much, but she had noticed more in hindsight over the last few years (and Helga had helped point some things out to her too, she being a much more keen observer and absorber of human behavior). Their mother had clearly not been happy in some respects of her life, and it had taken its toll. They were just glad now to see things coming full circle now, to see her actually enjoying different activities and working and even being with their father. Miriam had had some issues with motherhood, that was all, and though this fact had taken some toll on Olga and Helga they couldn't resent her for it anymore in their lives. They were old enough to understand that the situation was more complicated just labeling Miriam a 'bad mother'—she had married young, she had had Olga young, she had had Helga out of nowhere, and to be stuck in the house day after day…Both girls knew such a life would have gotten to them too, and probably much more quickly and with barely better consequences than it had done with Miriam.

Everyone in the Pataki family was trying to move on from petty resentment and to grow up and forgive each other and be better to each other. It was just a slow process, but if anyone could make it work it was a clan of Patakis.

"I'm glad mummy's doing well, Helga," Olga commented meaningfully. "Mummy and Daddy. I'll try to visit them again soon. And absolutely after your graduation. I know you have a lot of dreams and big ideas, baby sister, but were you planning to live at home again for a little while after school was over at all?" she asked with interest.

Helga considered and shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. Maybe just for a little while, just to figure out what exactly to do next. But I don't think I'd want to stay there for too long. I mean, I wouldn't mind staying in Hillwood—I like the city, Olga. I really do. I'd like to live there as an adult. But I don't really wanna stay with Bob and Miriam longer than I'd have to. You know me—I like my own space, spreading my wings, moving forward, that kind of thing." She smiled.

Olga nodded. "I understand, Helga. I almost wouldn't mind going back there to live or for an extended visit myself. It's a lovely place in its own way. I'm sure you could find a nice apartment there after you find a job."

Helga sighed, her grin picking up on one side. "Ah, I almost forgot—the financial aspect. Hmm, maybe I really will end up bunking with Bob and Miriam a bit until I figure things out."

Olga's smile brightened and she suggested in a voice so full of hope it was practically ready to squeal, "O-Or, um…if you wouldn't mind just visiting Hillwood for now after graduation…you could come live here with me, baby sister…"

Helga blinked, her eyes going wide at the offer. "I…really…?"

Olga nodded eagerly. "Oh yes, Helga! I wish you would. Even if it's just for a little while or for the summer." Olga bit her lip, looking down sheepishly and playing with her hands. "I know that you and I can 'clash' a little when we live too closely together, like you've always said, but I would set up a room just for you and like I said it wouldn't be permanent, just an extended visit. And I have to work quite a few days a week so you'd have plenty of private time to yourself. I'd just really like to get to know you more, baby sister…as grownups." She frowned a little. "We got born so far apart, by the time I went to college you were barely starting school, and it took us so long to really like and respect each other, let alone to actually get along. I just thought it'd be nice to try living together as friends now. But only if you want to, bab—Helga." She looked up at Helga, patiently awaiting an answer.

Helga just remained looking back at her with wide eyes for a few seconds.

Then she smiled softly. "Aw, come here, you big lug." She lunged forward and hugged her sister tightly. "Of course I'll come stay with you for a little while, Olga." She pulled back and looked up at her sister. "I'd…I'd actually really love to do that. Thank you. I think it might even be fun, Olga." She smiled with enthusiasm. Genuine and sincere enthusiasm. She liked the idea of living with Olga now.

Olga just about burst and then squealed and caught her sister up in a great big hug before pulling back and clapping her hands together happily. "Oh Helga, I'm so glad! It'll be wonderful! Thank you! And like I said you'll have all the freedom you want and you can explore the whole town and if any of your little friends want to visit they're more than welcome."

"Thanks, Olga," Helga replied. Then she smiled a little more and added, "And don't worry, I'll make sure Lila's one of those friends. I know you two still love each other to death." She almost laughed a little. Lila as an older girl and as a younger woman still remained very compatible personality-wise with Olga. And though the two of them had lost touch, what with everyone going their separate ways and trying new things, the two of them still had the capacity to love to see each other.

Olga beamed a little. "Oh that would be wonderful, Helga! I've missed Lila and you two have always been so sweet together ever since you were little girls."

Helga rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling more and even laughing a little. 'Sweet together' was one way to put it, she supposed. But, yeah, in the end she and Lila really had been good friends—friends in the way that your personalities clashed so much that somehow it just worked and you could get along even if at the same time you could almost tear your hair out about how ridiculously silly the other person seemed to you, you know? Lila had helped keep Helga optimistic (especially in the wake of a certain lack of an optimistic person in her life), and Helga had helped keep Lila a bit grounded and aware of the fact that nothing was perfect in life (which had helped Lila considerably as she had left the safety and comfort of P.S. 118 for their high school and then left their high school for college in the countryside.) The two girls kept in touch a little though they had rarely seen each other in the last few years. But Helga figured if she was going back home for a bit after graduation Lila might be too, so why not invite her to spend some time living life free and independent away from home as a couple of young women with the world and their futures at their feet?

Helga just sighed now and shook her head at the memories, still smiling. "Alright, alright, we've got plans, we're gonna live together, at least for a 'summer of exotic urban adventure' or something, everything's gonna be sunshine and rainbows and we'll invite Lila along and sing show tunes in the streets about how wonderful our time is together, sounds great." Then she crossed her arms over her chest after this sarcastic but amusing reply and added, still with a playful grin, "But if I'm gonna live here, you've gotta make sure I'm taken care of, 'big sister.' And right now you're baby sister is still tired and your baby sister is still starving—feed me, _please_…preferably something greasy and lots of it, okay?" She laughed…and then that laugh accidentally turned into a yawn. '_Ugh, I could just collapse on this couch right now, to be honest…' _she thought to herself almost groggily.

Olga blinked and then laughed too. "Oh, right, right, I'm sorry, baby sister. I've just been so excited about asking you this that I almost forgot. But, I was wondering," she looked at Helga with a touch of concern, "you do seem rather tired baby sister. Maybe we could go out to eat tomorrow for breakfast, and instead tonight we could order in—maybe a couple of pizzas? And I've got a half-gallon of chocolate ice cream in the fridge. And we could change into our pajamas and watch some movies and catch up some more. What do you say?" She smiled hopefully at Helga.

Helga blinked and then brightened up considerably at the idea. "Wow, actually, that sounds fantastic after the travelling day I've had. You know, I think this 'temporarily living together' thing may actually work out really well." She gave her sister a bit of a look. "But nothing fancy, nothing super healthy, nothing free of anything it's clearly supposed to have—I want pizza: real, thick, cheesy, meat or other normal toppings covered pizza, and at least two or three of them. Oh and with extra garlic knots."

Olga nodded, hopping up from the couch in anticipation with a smile. "Of course, Helga! I'll order them right now!"

"Good, thanks, Olga," Helga called over the couch as she watched Olga trot away. "And hey can I take a shower before they get here? I really need to unwind a bit, I hate long rides like the one up here."

Olga nodded, already having the phone in her hand to call. "Sure, Helga. It's the first door down the hall on your right." She pointed in the proper direction.

Helga got up and brought her duffel bag with her as she headed that way. "Thanks, Olga. Be ready soon! Oh and order us some yahoo sodas if you don't have any!"

"Got it, Helga!" Olga called out just before Helga reached the door to the bathroom and headed inside.

Olga ordered the pizzas and garlic knots and sodas, and later the girls would catch up.

* * *

"Oh come on, I may have been the stubborn and rebellious kid overall, but nothing I did could have ticked off Bob and Miriam nearly as badly as the time you came home senior year of college and announced you were dropping out of school to 'get married and move to the big city' with a guy you'd only known three weeks. Oh, and then you added that he was an out of work actor so you'd have to support both of you, but 'isn't it romantic?'" Helga took another bite of pizza and laughed as she sat here now, cozy in her favorite pink silk pajamas and remembering how much of a cliché nightmare that whole engagement incident had sounded like when Olga had presented it to their parents nearly twelve years ago.

Olga just laughed and shook her head, opening up a fresh pizza box for the both of them. "Oh, I was so… Oh, Helga, that was so _stupid_ of me! I was…well, I was the age you are right now. How could I have…" She sighed—how in the heck had any of that ever seemed like a good idea? But then again, a young person in love could convince themselves of many things, she supposed, lose their head a little, decide that something horrible sounding really wouldn't be horrible because somehow things were 'different' in your particular situation of it.

"Eh, you were too perfect up until that point—you were due for something totally off the wall." Helga shrugged, grabbing another slice and nestling back on the couch. "And at least you didn't go through with it." Helga looked down now and was fully prepared to change the subject to one of her own wacky escapades. She remembered how Doug's leaving had saddened Olga…and she also didn't want to get near the truth of the matter, of what she had done for her sister…

"You know…Doug turned out to be such a philanderer, Helga…" said Olga softly, a half smile and a kind of far away look in her eye as she just sat there, holding up a slice of pizza but not eating it.

Helga blinked, lowering her own slice. "What…?" she asked softly, raising part of her brow.

Olga gave a little shrug, smiling more and looking at her sister again. "I saw him once at a park not too far from Bennington College after I had my first teaching job here in this city after Alaska. It was…I guess three years after he'd left me. He was kissing some woman, and she looked so happy. At first, I thought that maybe she was just someone he had met on his trip, they had fallen in love…. That was fine, I was over him anyway. But…then this little girl came running up to them from the playground. Helga. She looked just like him, exactly like him. She was at least five…And she called him 'Daddy.'" Olga just let out a low sigh and leaned back and closed her eyes and shook her head. "I was so stupid—he was always on these phone calls and he'd hang up as soon as I got into the room, and I'd see bags for little expensive things from little expensive jewelry stores and even toy stores even though he said he had no money, and he'd tell me that they were just donations for the poor. _The poor!_ And all the stuff he said about how after we got married sometimes he'd have to go off for a week or two at a time…volunteer missions to poor areas and outside of the country, minimal contact with home…" She smiled a little more. "To top it all off, he gave the woman a kiss and the child a hug and a pat on the head, and then they left…and as soon as they were gone he was looking around and he went over to a part of the park where the college girls usually hang out. I could just see him in the distance. He smoothed back his hair and slipped a wallet out of one of the girl's purses and then pretended to find it and return it like a good citizen or something. Then he winked and took her hand and kissed it—that was how he picked me up too…" Olga swallowed, putting down her pizza entirely now and opening her eyes again to look at her baby sister. "I'm so happy I didn't marry him, Helga. I don't know what happened to make him let me go, but I'm so happy I didn't marry him."

Helga looked at her sister with such a sympathetic frown. "Oh Olga…I'm…I'm happy you didn't marry him either." It was all she could think to say. Then she moved forward and hugged her sister because she knew how awful the idea could be of being with someone who didn't love you, who didn't truly, truly love you. Helga had imagined sometimes…over these last few years what it might be like to…with a guy besides…And even though, in a way, there was a temptation there, the idea of actually going through with it sickened her because no one would love her as Arnold had loved her, and she would never love anyone as she had loved Arnold.

She had expected Olga to cry or something, but Olga was a different person now, feeling a little too old for all of that. Besides, so much of it was in the past. "It's alright, baby sister." She patted Helga's back gently. "Things happen. You just have to deal with them and do your best. And look at us now…" she pulled back, smiling at her little sister, "I'm successful and happy and independent, and you're in college and thriving and a great young woman. Everything will turn out alright in the end."

Helga laughed a little, wiping a tear from her eye and pulling back too. "Always the optimist, aren't you, Miss Mary Sunshine?"

"It made up for you always being so grumpy, baby sister." Olga laughed too and gave her sister a little nudge in her shoulder.

"Oh shut up." Helga supposed she could have explained everything to Olga about the Doug LeSham thing, but she didn't think it was necessary. Olga had been spared a horrible mistake in her life, she had even seen the reality of that horrible mistake, and she was okay. All telling her about everything would have done was be like a way for Helga to show off, or to rub it in more. What was the point of that? Helga liked her secrets as long as they made things work out in the end. She was reminded briefly of Arnold finding out about the Nancy Spumoni snow boots thing—always a slight annoyance to her.

Olga smirked a little, sitting back a bit and going for her food again. "Besides, Helga, that whole near marriage of mine didn't drive Mommy and Daddy nearly as crazy as you announcing that you loved Arnold when you were only ten-years-old, bringing him around, giggling with him, explaining that you were going to marry him, sneaking off to be with him—even how you swore you'd run away and marry him and have a baby if they didn't let me live at home after I quit teaching. I don't think they knew what to do with you—you were even more of an unstoppable force than usual when it came to Arnold."

Helga smiled with a touch of pride. "I still am…and about a lot of other things besides Arnold too…" she said softly, and chomped another bite of pizza with gusto.

Olga smiled in interest, pulling up her legs and crossing them as she sat up on the couch a little more. "I know you don't like anyone asking about it but…are you two still together, Helga? I'm not sure I understand what happened with you…" She didn't mean to pry, but she did want to know what was going on in that small yet important part of her baby sister's life.

Helga sighed softly. She put her food aside. Then she swallowed and looked down. "Olga…we're just…uh…" But…maybe she didn't want to just sweep it under the rug again. Too much of that in her family always. Her sister was older and more mature now. Helga was older and more mature now.

And she felt like Olga would understand.

Helga spoke softly. "We're together…but we needed to be apart. A little. We couldn't just live for each other, Olga. When you're a kid or when your relationship's really young or when you just don't know any better yet, then you can do that. You can sacrifice and make everything about the two of you and have everything in your life…bent and refracted toward the other person. All of your happiness can be in the other person's happiness, and you can just be all for that, and everything can be easy in a way because the rules are all so simple." A far away look was in Helga's eyes as she organized her thoughts further. "Arnold and I could not love each other like that…at least, not forever. Our love has something more ancient about it…. That's a stupid way to put it, but that's all I can think of to describe it right now. We didn't want to ask all of that sacrifice of each other. We couldn't make each other just live for each other. Besides the fact that love like that would have completely clashed with our personalities, the whole thing would have killed our hearts and how we feel about one another." Helga looked at Olga very seriously, her eyes a little wide and lightly glistening with tears. "I love Arnold. But, Olga, I couldn't let that love make me die inside the moment he left for San Lorenzo, I couldn't let it make me spend the rest of my youth pining away desperately for him like I used to do when we were little, and I also couldn't let it make me sacrifice my friends and my family and my hobbies and my dreams and school and work and everything just for the chance to be with him as soon as possible and get married and live happily ever after. I didn't want the career of my life to be being Arnold's wife and the mother of a bunch of our children before I was even old enough or smart enough or sane enough to realize what I was doing. And I know Arnold, and he didn't want to grow up to just be my husband and the father of our children, tied only to our neighborhood and me for the rest of forever, too afraid along with me to ever be anything else. I had to let myself grow into my own person, Olga—my own freestanding person who loves Arnold but who won't die without him. And Arnold needed the same thing about me. And most importantly we just needed to finish growing up and realizing what life is and can be and to figure out the best way for each of us to live it before trying to harmonize those individual ways and being really together again. We're together…we just needed to be separated for a while. It's what's best for ourselves and what's best for each other." Helga let out a very deep sigh and closed her eyes. A lot of that had taken the energy of a fair amount of poetic passion out of her, and she really was too exhausted from her trip today to deal with it all much.

Olga let Helga have the silence she clearly needed for a few moments just to relax after letting out all of that.

"Do you feel better now, baby sister?" Olga finally asked softly with a touch of concern she couldn't help.

Helga let out one final deep sigh. "Yeah…but if we could move on to ice cream now, that would do the trick entirely, I think." She managed a smile and opened her eyes and looked at her sister again. "Sorry, I've been sorting all of that out in my head for a while. It was nice to let it out to someone. Hope it didn't sound too insane."

"Actually…" Olga looked proud and yet also confused, "I've never heard anyone speak about love with so much wisdom ever before, Helga. You understand things that I barely realize that I understand sort of…and you're right. It's different, finding someone to live for versus finding someone to live with…" Olga got up now and moved the pizza stuff aside and went to the kitchen to get the ice cream and bowls and spoons.

Helga nodded. "Yeah, that's sort of it." She blushed a little and added, "Thanks, Olga…" Then she swallowed and went on, "But also it's not even just about finding 'someone' to live with instead of live for. Arnold and I, we can't help being for each other. I could find another someone who's like him enough, I think, but it would never be him. _He's_ the one I love, no matter how or where he is." She blushed a bit more and rolled her eyes. "I just wish it was time for us to be together again soon…but at the same time I don't, you know? What if he's changed a lot, what if he thinks I've changed too much, what if something's not there anymore for us, what if it's weird getting used to re-being with each other?" She practically turned pale a little and added, "What if he wants a wedding and a baby from me right away?" She shook her head. "We might not be on the same page anymore after all this time apart…" She glanced at her sister.

"Helga," Olga asked curiously from the kitchen as she finished getting things together, "you two couldn't be that separated—you must call each other or write or something…?"

Olga came back into the living room to find her sister looking down in a touch of shame. She placed down the ice cream and bowls and spoons and waited patiently for Helga's reply.

Helga bit her lip, then finally admitted, "I just couldn't, Olga. I just…couldn't. I just needed to be apart from him, I just needed some time alone, I just needed to not be doing everything about Arnold." She pulled up her knees, resting her head on them. "Sometimes I get things from him—little postcards and stuff, or small messages like 'Arnold says hi' through other people. But I just can't yet… I don't know what to say yet. I don't have the words…"

Olga listened carefully and nodded. "I understand, I think, Helga. But you don't have to say anything 'perfect' to him, you know. Just something if it feels right. But if you're not ready yet…. Helga, don't put so much pressure on yourself. You're young and you can do so much—just live your life as best you can." She looked down a little, still smiling though. "Don't waste most of the first few decades of it just trying to be perfect for everyone."

Helga blinked and looked at her sister. Then she wiped a tear from her eye and lowered her legs and hugged her from the side. "I don't think anything in your life was a waste, Olga. All of it made you who you are today…" She pulled back, smiling, and shrugged. "And, you know, you're…_tolerable…__most of the time_."

The two sisters shared a laugh.

"Thanks, Helga." Olga wiped a tear from her eye.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, take a picture, it'll last longer." Helga pulled back casually.

"You really loved the 90s, didn't you, Helga?" Olga asked with a smirk.

"Uh, doi—best decade ever!" Helga smirked right back at her.

They laughed some more and then started to scoop themselves some ice cream.

"Anyway, can we just watch an awful movie now and stop getting all mushy and serious and dramatic?" Helga asked in her usual both casual and sarcastic tone as she smiled and glanced through some of the potential flicks Olga had laid out for them.

Olga hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Sure, baby sister. That's probably enough serious stuff for tonight anyway."

Olga did have one more thing she wanted to mention to her sister. She felt close to her and, despite Helga's youth, she felt her little sister would understand. But maybe all of this for tonight really was enough, and Helga really was tired. And, besides, Olga wouldn't have minded a night to try to put together the words right. Helga had always been the one good with words—for Olga, unless she thought about things very carefully, they tended to spill out in a big emotional mush, and then nothing made sense to anyone and she just looked silly.

So she would tell her the secret later.

They picked a cheesy romantic comedy and laughed about how stupid it made the girls be and how cocky it made the guys be and how predictable the plot was. Bad writing could be funny sometimes.

It was a good night.

* * *

Followed by a rough seven AM for Helga, who had still NEVER been a morning person.

"Ugh…" She tossed her messy blond hair out of her face and reached for her alarm and slammed down on the snooze button with her fist. "Mmm…" she groaned/mumbled to herself, "One more reason to get back together' together with Arnold—he's a morning person. Sleeping next to him, he'd make me get up and he'd make me be happy about it." She smiled and laughed a little at the thought. Not to mention how appealing the idea of waking up next to Arnold sounded. There were definitely a few milestones in their relationship that they had unfortunately not reached before their 'separation', and sometimes she regretted them a little.

"Baby sister! Are you ready for the day yet? I wanted to take you out to breakfast before your meeting at the school, remember?"

Yawning as the alarm went off again (and as these words from Olga in the kitchen nearby reverberated through her ears), Helga finally slammed the thing to the floor and sat up in the couch bed where she had crashed for the evening, stretching upward. "Alright, time to get this stupid early meeting before the debate over with…after an incredibly huge and greasy breakfast of course," she mumbled to herself. Then she called over her shoulder to her sister, "Be ready in a few minutes, Olga. Sheesh, you've only gotten more chipper with age."

Olga just laughed. "Oh and you never were a morning person, baby sister."

"You got that right." And on that note Helga got up and grabbed some clothes and went down the hall, emerged from the bathroom dressed and ready to greet the day soon enough, and then went with her sister out to a nice breakfast before heading over to Bennington to meet with the other debate team leader.

* * *

At eight AM, Helga G. Pataki walked into the main hall of Bennington College and up to the designated meeting place. There was a guy waiting there with his back to her: blue button up shirt, tan khaki pants, a little pasty but not a bad build. Helga tapped him on the shoulder with a smile, ready to greet him…and then, as the guy turned around, he turned out to be none other than Brainy, and that realization did a rare thing: it left Helga speechless.

"Brainy…? Brainy!"

Brainy blinked and blushed. Part of it was at being addressed by an unfamiliar yet quite attractive blond girl first thing in the morning. The other part of it was that no one had called him Brainy since high school, and it embarrassed him to think of. He tried to go by 'Brian' now, just for the sake of seeming professional at least. "Um…hello. Do I know…I…"

Realization sunk in as Helga G. Pataki socked him in the arm and laughed in that classic way she had of doing.

"Helga!" His eyes lit up and he smiled, taking off his glasses to clean them a bit and then looking back at her. "Helga G. Pataki!" It had been years now! Not since high school—oh certainly they had kept up a bit, the occasional birthday card and email, but he hadn't seen her in so long. She looked so different and yet just the same. But he should have known by that voice… He had always wanted to hear Helga's voice as an adult, had always imagined how it might take on that cool and sonorous quality her voice had sometimes gotten in her most sincere moments ever since they were children. He was right—that was just how she sounded now.

Helga jumped forward and hugged him with a smile. "About time you figured it out, you big geek! Sheesh, we were only friends since age nine _and_ the only two people besides Phoebe who got roped into that advanced pre-college level English Literature class senior year, not to mention you were the only guy willing to dance with me at the stupid prom since Football Head was off saving the jungle and I'd terrified every other guy in school too much to even look at me the wrong way let alone put an arm around me and dip me to Dino Spumoni." She laughed and pulled back, giving him a look over. "Well, well, not bad, finally finished growing, voice doesn't sound like you're dying from nasal congestion, and I like the khakis/dress shirt look. Very classy." She glanced up at his glasses and sighed. "I do miss the tape on the glasses, though, from whenever I'd sock you, but otherwise you've grown up quite nicely, Brainy." Then she smirked a little and added, "So, what are you doing here? One final round of stalking me before we're officially way too grown up for you doing that not to be a felony?"

Brainy just smiled and blushed lightly and rolled his eyes. Nice adult voice but same old Helga G. Pataki. No amount of maturity would ever change that. "Actually, I'm the head of the debate team here and we have a match coming up in an hour, so I'm supposed to meet the other school's team leader here to go over the venue and reception. Someone named…" Brainy held up a clipboard that had been in his hand and flipped back a few pages. "Helga G…Oh." He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh it's you!"

Helga just rolled her eyes. "Ding, ding, we have a winner." Her eyes lit up and she smirked more and added. "This is great, you know. I'm gonna wipe the floor with you."

Brainy couldn't help smirking a little back at her. "Always overconfident, Helga, and that has always been your greatest downfall. You argue directly, but I've taught my team to argue subtlety. Your group won't know what hit them."

Helga grinned and looked at him with interest. "And just how are you supposed to argue when you need an inhaler every five minutes just to put together a sentence, huh?"

Brainy shrugged, grinning back to her. "Sinus surgery, first year of college." He took a deep inhale and let it out. "I could run a marathon uphill without even getting winded, Helga G. Pataki."

Helga blinked and smiled with interest. "Really? Well, congratulations, Brainy, it'll be nice to finally have the option for full conversations with you even if I will miss those times when we were younger when I got to do all the talking by default." Then she smirked eagerly, her arms crossed over her chest in defiance. "But all congratulation and childhood memories aside, you still don't stand a chance against me."

Brainy just smirked right back at her a little and replied simply, "I beg to differ. Prepare for the first time to be out-talked and out-argued by me, Helga G. Pataki. It is long overdue."

Helga leaned forward, her eyes brightening. "Oh yeah? Well then, Mr. Debate Club President, why don't you put your money where your formerly-wheezing mouth is? After the debate, captain of the losing team buys captain of the winning team a late lunch! Besides, it'll give us a chance to catch up. Come on, what do you say? Don't be a wet blanket." She held out her hand to shake on it.

Brainy didn't take much to get roped into a scheme, especially one as fun as this one. He took Helga's hand and shook it heartily. "It's a deal, Helga G. Pataki." They released from each other and then Brainy went back to his clipboard, his demeanor returning more to normal now. "Now, about those preparations which you're clearly stalling about." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head and checking a thing or two off on one of the papers.

Helga just scoffed and rolled her eyes as well, following him as they started to walk together toward the auditorium where the debate would be held in less than an hour. "Yeah, right, like I'd want to be delayed even a second in kicking your smug little butt. Come on, let's get this over with." She pushed open the auditorium door, gesturing forward and grinning. "Oh and just so you know, I'm thinking I'll want foot long hoagies and old fashioned root beers and chili fries and ice cream sundaes when this is over. If you're buying me lunch then you are BUYING ME LUNCH. Especially since these debates never let out until almost three, and _especially_ after that macrobiotic breakfast of wheatgrass juice and bird food Olga made me eat this morning at one of those new age restaurants she likes so much." Helga laughed as Brainy walked past her into the auditorium and she followed him inside.

Brainy just smiled and nodded and continued examining the papers on his clipboard. "Mmm hmm, and after I win you can take us to my favorite Thai restaurant around here for coconut chicken and pad Thai and fresh tea and black sticky rice with mango." He glanced at her. "I play to win, Helga." He checked off something on the list emphatically.

Helga just smiled back at him. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Brainy, wouldn't have it any other way." She went to start looking the place over, maybe set up some chairs and fold out tables.

"Oh, but, um…Helga?" Brainy asked hesitantly, causing her to pause for a moment.

She turned around, raising part of her brow. "Yeah?"

Brainy blushed a little. "Can you call me 'Brian' when the teams get here? I kind of tried to leave the whole Brainy thing back behind in high school." He shrugged sheepishly.

Helga just giggled and waved him off. "Sure, Brainy, whatever you say." She gave him a serious nod and a wink, letting him know she really wouldn't say anything to embarrass him.

Brainy smiled thankfully. "Thanks, Helga."

"You're welcome, 'Brian.'" She laughed a little and shook her head and then went back to tending to whatever seemed to need doing.

Brainy was very interested in lunch later regardless of where they went or who was paying. He had been very curious about a lot of things about Helga G. Pataki ever since high school and even before. She had gotten so very tight lipped about her feelings and thoughts and life since Arnold had left, after all.

* * *

"Helga, you'd like a fork, I'm assuming, and not chopsticks, right?" Brainy couldn't help but grin a touch smugly as he asked the question while he and Helga were now sitting in that little Thai restaurant he had mentioned to her that morning. Guess whose side had won the debate?

"Hey," Helga smirked back at him, feigning some hurt pride but mostly just enjoying herself—it was nice to see a familiar face again, "I'll take chopsticks, thank you very much." She took the chopsticks from the waitress, who refilled their water and then gave them menus before departing. "Growing up having the occasional traditional Japanese dinner at Phoebe's house and then visiting Phoebe in Japan for two summers has had its advantages." Helga did a few neat little tricks with the sticks and then picked up a crunchy noodle , dipped it in some kind of sauce, popped it in her mouth and reclined back. "Not a bad joint, Brainy." She glanced around the restaurant before looking back to her eating companion. "And fair is fair—you're team won, even though it was only by _this_ much." She pinched the ends of the chopsticks together to make a very small space between them.

Brainy sat back a little in his chair, picking up his own chopsticks. "Yes, but we still won." He smiled at her. "I really think you'll like this place, Helga. But if you really don't, then I'll take you for ice cream afterwards, okay? My treat," he offered graciously.

Helga smiled appreciatively but shook her head. "Nah. Thanks but I really will like this place, I think, and besides, like I said, fair is fair. And that coconut chicken you mentioned earlier did sound good." She opened the menu, starting to flip through with interest.

Brainy opened his as well, looking at a few new things.

The waitress came back soon and took their orders.

Then there was nothing left to do but talk.

"So, what have you been studying, Brainy?" Helga asked with interest, losing all the sarcasm and the playfulness, and slipping into a tone of mutual adult conversation.

Brainy smiled, happy for the chance to really talk now that the debate stuff was done. "Political science, biology…I was actually thinking of maybe going to medical school, becoming a doctor, specifically for asthma, things like that. I could work with kids like me." He smiled more. "I'd like to think about it a little more first, but I think it would make me happy."

Helga nodded, smiling more too. "That's great! Wow, a doctor…I always knew you had a lot of potential, Brainy. I think you'd make a great one."

"Thanks, Helga." Brainy sipped some water. "And what about you. I ran across a few of your poems and essays published in some of the more major college literary magazines. Are you still interested in writing or is it just a hobby and would you maybe like to do something else?"

Helga shrugged. "Actually, I've been studying political science a bit too. I wouldn't mind going into politics…" A soft look came to her eyes. "But really…I love the writing a lot, Brainy. And it's something I know I'll love for the rest of my life." She looked back up at him. "I'm an old softy at heart. You know that."

Brainy laughed a little. "Well, maybe you could combine the two things: study writing, go into teaching it, then maybe end up a leader on some of the country's educational boards, or maybe even the editor of your own literary magazine."

Helga nodded, her eyes lighting up a little. "Yeah, the thought has occurred to me about some kind of leadership writing roll. And good old Mr. Simmons did say once when we were kids that I might be a good teacher some day. And I do love magazines that aren't full of stereotypical girly crud. I think I could see either of those options working out." She laughed warmly.

"Say, whatever happened to Mr. Simmons anyway? Does he still live at the boarding house?" Brainy asked curiously.

Helga nodded. She kept up with Phil and Gertie after all from time to time. "Yeah, still there ever since he moved in right after Arnold and Miles and Stella left—I think he was kind of bummed about it at first, especially since he moved in there mostly because his marriage fell apart a little. But he stayed on and really started to enjoy it, met some new people, has a wonderful person in his life, last I heard. Good old Mr. Simmons…" He really had been such a wonderful teacher. Helga had kept up with him too.

Brainy smiled. "That's great. I'm glad. He really was a…well, a 'special' guy."

The two of them laughed warmly at the joke.

Then they were quiet for a moment together.

They felt kind of caught up so they were searching for something else to say now.

"Any other plans for after college…" Brainy started to ask softly, knowing the topic was a sensitive one (except for with Gerald, Phoebe, Lila and himself, and even then it only happened occasionally, Helga did not seem to like to talk about Arnold at all), "…or plans with Arnold?" he finished carefully.

Helga swallowed. She knew the question had been coming. She replied softly back. "Oh, um…still keeping my options open…a-about the _plans for after college_, heh. And, um…with Arnold, you know…I don't know…. We don't get to talk much anymore…" She was looking down, playing with her chopsticks. "I mean, maybe, if it's possible…I'd like to have some plans with him. He's still very special to me, Brainy." She looked up a little bit and finished. "I love him." A small laugh escaped her, an attempt to brush off the emotional moment.

Brainy nodded. He understood. "Well, maybe soon or after graduation you can talk to him. See where you're both at."

Helga smiled a little more and shook her head, trying not to show her nervousness. "Oh, I-I'm sure by now he's probably married the princess of the Green Eyed people or something and has a bunch of little demi-god football headed kids running around and—…"

Brainy had put his hand on Helga's on the table, silencing her right there. "Helga, you know none of that's true at all."

Helga looked into his eyes, uncertainty in hers. "It could be…" She shrugged a little and gave a quick laugh again, pulling away and trying to keep herself calm and lighthearted. Why had she been so weepy about all of this lately? Then again, she had a feeling she knew why. If there was one thing Bliss had taught her it was that suppression was never a good thing, and Helga had been suppressing some parts of her feelings for oh…huh, almost six years now. Funny how that was how long she had suppressed her feelings about Arnold before telling Bliss and then Arnold about them back when she had been a child. But she really didn't want to fall apart here in the middle of a restaurant now because the little things she had been suppressing were starting to come to a head in her life. She just wanted to talk to Brainy, just spend normal time with a friend.

Brainy half smiled and gave her a touch of a look. "But it's not, Helga" he replied to her joking suggestion that Arnold could actually be off being passionate with another woman, even begetting children. "In fact," he went on, "I'm guessing it's about as true as the idea he probably has in his head that you're Mayor of our home city by now and that you married his cousin from the country just because you knew it would tick him off the most."

Helga couldn't help it. She had to share a warm laugh with Brainy at that image.

"Ugh, you know, that creepy little guy moved into the boarding house too right after Simmons to help out with things temporarily after Arnold and his parents left," Helga remarked as the appetizers were put before them now. "I keep in touch with Phil and Gertie—they said he does help out, especially now that neither of them can get around too well, but they really still have issues with the phlegmy snort. Oh and Lila is over there every day dropping hints that she would make an excellent farmer's wife. I told her to let it go if he really keeps ignoring her, but she says they've made some progress. And it beats her waiting around for Stinky to get it together and make a move." She rolled her eyes. "That little miss perfect has such a thing for country bumpkins. It takes all kinds I guess, right?" Helga shrugged and laughed, finishing a spring roll.

Brainy took a spring roll as well. "Aw, but Lila and, er…what was his name? Arnie? Yes, Lila and Arnie or even Lila and Stinky sound sweet together. We should visit the old neighborhood after graduation for a bit. I've missed it ever since going away."

Helga nodded. Then she leaned a little closer and asked 'innocently' but with genuine interest, "So…you seeing anybody special? I heard our little Siobhan decided to come here the year after you did…"

Brainy looked down and smiled softly. "Actually, you remember that red head two seats to the left of me during the debate? With the green plaid skirt and green blouse and white cardigan and short hair…"

Helga blinked. "No way, really? You mean the one who interrupted you at one point to cut your argument off at the knees but then came up with an even better argument to clinch things for your side?"

Brainy sighed, looking a touch miffed but still smiling. "Yes, I vaguely recall…"

"Wow…" Indeed, the last time Helga had seen Siobhan she had been a little knock kneed, oversized green sweater, crooked flannel skirt, big glasses, hair all frizzy young girl. Apparently the last leg of puberty and a few years at college to grow into her own woman had changed her a bit. She smiled and reached over the table to elbow Brainy. "Alright, Brainy, you dog."

Brainy rolled his eyes and sighed much more deeply. "Helga, come one. We're not even…" He glanced away, "It's complicated."

Helga scoffed. "Yeah, I can see that. You always did like 'em a bit fiery, Brain boy." The entrees had come and Helga proceeded to cover her noodles with spicy oil.

Brainy just looked at her dryly, beginning to eat his chicken and pad Thai. "Very funny." He played with his food a bit. "It's just, you know…we're friends…with the sort of very obvious option of their being something more…I've never minded much, but I think it might be starting to bug her a little, which would explain the slight intellectually driven hostility she's been expressing toward me lately. But I'm not really sure what she wants from me…"

"Probably the same thing I've wanted from Arnold for a while, though I'm sure the details of her fantasy vary from mine—to each girl her own," Helga couldn't help but interject with a grin, taking a bite of her noodles.

"Helga!" Brainy blushed, looking at her with wide and shocked eyes.

Helga blinked. "What? _Ohh_, you thought I meant…Oh, crimeny, Brainy, I was talking about _a proposal_. Sheesh…." She grinned more and went back to her food. "Men really do think about it at least six times a minute, don't they?" she couldn't help but mumble under her breath.

"Shut up." Still blushing, but much more frustrated than actually angry, Brainy went back to his own food. "And that's not funny, Helga…" he added, though it sort of seemed like he was trying to hide a little twitch upward of the corner of his mouth.

Helga suppressed a few more giggles. "Yeah, uh huh, sure, whatever you say." She glanced up at him, speaking more sincerely. "But seriously, Brainy…if you like her and you're having some problems, even just as old friends, talk to her. You don't have to tie the knot or anything—she might just be sick of the back and forth. And as long as you still care about her…I mean, unless of course you two like the fighting or something?" She raised part of her brow.

Brainy sighed, sitting back a bit. "I do like…challenges." He swallowed. "But I don't think what's going on right now is something we both like, and I don't want her to be unhappy. We'll see…" He smiled. "You know, she's still the same person, just so much more…assertive, at least in debate club and at least about this particular topic of the two of us too. But in a way I'm glad for the change—she never spoke up for herself much in school and it always made me sad." He looked at Helga with a frown. "But we really never have been 'together' together… How am I even going to know if we'll be okay together? Or if she's still…or if I still love her like that…maybe…secretly…a little…for a time?" He looked down, blushing a little.

A sympathetic smile came to Helga's features. She understood. She even stopped eating for a moment. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Because you'll know. Just think about how you really feel, Brainy. How you would feel if she was gone…how you would feel if she stayed around. And if all else fails you can always kiss someone to figure out how you feel." She shrugged, blushing a little herself. "Kind of cliché and childish, I guess, but it always worked for me."

Brainy smiled warmly. "Thanks, Helga." Then he blushed a little again and added, giving her hand a squeeze back before taking his away to resume eating his food again, "I think Arnold would really like who you've become, Helga. You're very smart and strong and talented and attractive."

Helga beamed a touch. She swallowed and nearly stuttered as she replied, doing her best to focus on her own food again too, "U-Uh, r-right back at you, Bri—Brain…Brainy…"

There was a touch of something strange there then that neither could articulate nor make go away as they finished their meal.

Their late lunch sort of lingered over into the early part of the dinner hour. Then Brainy offered to walk Helga back to Olga's apartment building. Helga figured that was a good idea—she didn't visit Bennington much and she didn't want to get lost and this time of year it was already getting dark now. And cabs were always so expensive and such a hassle.

Once on the stoop of Olga's building they had sat down together and finished talking for a bit in the chill of the fall air, both of them full of good food and good memories.

As it got kind of late, Helga stood up and held out a hand to help Brainy up too. "Listen, Brainy…I just wanted to thank you."

"All I did was walk you back to Olga's apartment, Helga," he said humbly, though he knew she probably was referring to something more than that. He took her hand and pulled himself up so that he was standing too.

Helga shook her head. "No, doi, not just for that. I mean…thanks for talking with me and for eating with me and also for walking with me. I haven't gotten to do any of that with anyone I care about in a while and it felt nice." She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced to the side.

Brainy smiled a little and looked to the side too. "Well, in that case, thank you too, Helga. It's been a while since Siobhan and I went out and had fun together. Like I said, mostly we're sort of just strange friends right now and the last few times we did try to sit down she was just very quiet and we both kind of had a strange time, so…this was nice, going out and talking. Really." He looked up at her. "I wish you lived closer so that we could do it again sometime soon."

Helga swallowed . "Yeah, me too." She looked up at him. "And you'll try to see about the Siobhan thing, right? At least try to get things on good terms as friends if anything more's really not going to work out…but check and make sure that it really won't work out first…" she added encouragingly.

Brainy nodded. "I'll try. And try to talk to Arnold soon, Helga, or see him…I have a good feeling about that. And…even if you have doubts, it never hurts to check, like you said, right?" He smiled a little and shrugged a little, looking down at her.

Helga nodded slightly. "Yeah…never hurts to check…" She felt very funny about this. Then she just… "Brainy…?"

He nodded, almost having an idea but not really thinking she would actually…

"Don't hate me for this, okay?" She smiled a little, looking apologetic, and then she went forward and lightly put her lips to his.

Brainy's whole world stopped.

A part of him had wanted to kiss Helga G. Pataki since he had been three years old.

He barely knew what to do now that it was happening though.

Actually, he thought about it and he realized…he didn't want to do much of anything. Though it was nice to kiss her, he couldn't deny that at least.

Helga had her own feelings on the matter, initial ones and then changing ones as the moment progressed. It had just been such a long time, and maybe she was misremembering how…and maybe…

But she let her lips leave his and there was nothing but cold air between them.

"I-I'm sorry," she barely got out, trying to seem fine still and trying to smile. "I just needed to see, because it's been so long, and I wasn't…" She took a deep breath. She could keep it together, for just a little longer she could keep it together. She looked into his eyes, her own eyes glistening. "I'm sorry, Brainy, with all of my heart. Really, I am."

Brainy was coming out of it a bit now finally. He blinked. He blushed and looked quite awkward at first, of course. But then he took in her words and finally looked down at her tenderly and smiled. "I understand. I…maybe I wanted to too just to see… but…there was barely more than a fantasy there to begin with, Helga. I don't think…"

"There's nothing…I know," she finished for him. But she didn't seem disappointed. If anything she seemed relieved.

Brainy nodded. He seemed a touch relieved too, like something was finally settled. "Yeah, that. A-At least I know that I don't love you that way, even if I'm still not sure I love Siobhan that way. But we'll see what happens when I kiss her, if she'll let me—it's been a while after all…" He smiled softly, remembering. "It was always nice to kiss her, those few times I got to when we were kids and confused and everything was a little chaotic. She was always so quiet but always seemed so happy. And I felt happy too, I think."

Helga sighed softly, smiling too. All of that sounded good. She was happy for Brainy. "Goodnight, Brainy," she said softly. Then she lunged forward and gave him a big hug like she had done upon seeing him this morning. "And good luck." She pulled back and held out her hand and took his and shook it.

"The same to you, Helga," Brainy nodded, shaking her hand back.

Then they parted ways with a wave of the hand and a promise from Helga that she would always be here for Brainy, and a promise in return that Brainy would always be here for her if she needed it.

Helga went upstairs and into her sister's apartment.

There she found Olga, clearly waiting up but having dozed off now. Helga wasn't surprised—Olga's rehearsals usually lasted all day and could be quite draining. She smiled half way and covered her sister with a knit shawl that hung over the back of the couch. Then she was thirsty so she decided to get herself a glass of water and maybe head to bed early herself. She'd had a long day too.

Olga had always been a light sleeper though, and the feeling of the blanket being laid over her shoulders caused her eyes to flutter open. She yawned and then sat up. "Baby sister?" she mumbled.

Helga came out of the kitchen with her glass of water. "Here, Olga. Sorry, didn't mean to get back so late in the day. Late lunch with a friend, then we talked for a bit and walked around a little. I know you probably had a full day though—you get to bed and I'll turn in early too. We can spend the day together tomorrow before I have to head back to school."

Olga yawned but sat up with a smile. "Oh nonsense, baby sister, I might be tired but I do still want to hear about your day." Then she blushed a little and added, "And I also wanted to talk to you about something…"

Helga smiled and sat down on the couch beside her sister, putting her drink down on the coffee table. "Oh, the day was alright. We lost the debate, but it was still a good battle. A-And the captain of the other team was Brainy—you remember that guy with the glasses and the wheezing who I used to hang out with back home? So after everything was over we got some lunch and caught up for a bit." _'I can keep it together. Just keep it together, then maybe schedule a phone session with Bliss next week and let it all out. Yeah, sure, okay…_' "So, yeah, that was good…"

"Oh. I'm glad." Olga smiled sincerely. She sensed her sister could have gone into more detail, but maybe she was just tired. It was understandable. Either way, Olga did want to talk to her about something. "I'm happy you enjoyed your day." She swallowed. "Baby sister…um…you know I trust your judgment and value your opinion very much, right?"

Helga was a little distracted with her own issues, but she could sense when Olga had something big and unusual on her mind. She glanced at her. "Yes, well, since I am the most astute person on the planet, I figured you might feel that way." She smiled jokingly a bit, but then looked at her sister a touch more seriously. "What's up, Olga?"

Olga shrugged, lowering the shawl from her shoulders. "Well…I'm established now and I'm happy and I have money and time…and I'm already thirty three, baby sis—Helga. So I…" she glanced up at her hesitantly, "Do you promise you won't laugh?"

Helga looked at her even more sincerely now. "Of course not, Olga. Really, what is it? Another career change?" It was all Helga could think of.

Olga shook her head. "Not quite." Then she took a breath and spoke as seriously to her sister as possible. "I was thinking of having a baby, Helga."

Helga's jaw dropped and the first thing to pop out of her mouth before she could stop it was, "With who?!"

"Nobody!" Olga blushed and looked down. "Just…me. I was thinking of having a baby just by myself. Or adopting…but I think I'd prefer having a baby and giving birth to it." She looked back at her sister. "Helga, this has been on my mind for a while. I always wanted to have children someday. But the time's passing so quickly. Do you think it's stupid, Helga?"

Helga blinked a few times. She could still keep it together. For her sister's sake, she absolutely could, at least for a bit longer. "N-No, Olga…I think it's beautiful. I think you'd be a wonderful mother, Olga, and…oh, I'd be an aunt. I think…I think that's one of the best ideas you've ever had actually, Olga." She smiled and took her sister's hand. "Anything you need, I'm here for you. Anything at all."

Olga just beamed so much that Helga thought she would burst. "Oh Helga!" Olga wrapped her up in a vice grip hug. "Thank you! I've really wanted to do this, I've really thought it through, and now I could support a child too! And then later in my career I could take a break from acting and maybe just teach acting classes and piano lessons so that I could be around more for the baby while it grows, and then I could go back to doing more theatre when the baby got a little older. I wanted you to be the first to know. I knew you'd be honest with me about whether it was a good idea or not. You know how I can get carried away with things and not think of the big picture sometimes. But I really tried hard to take a lot of time to consider this, and I think I might be a good mother too, and I'm so happy you think so! And you won't just be the baby's aunt, you'll be its godmother too!" She pulled back, smiling with tears in her eyes. "Isn't it wonderful, Helga? Hasn't life just worked out beautifully? I love you so much, Hel…Helga…" Olga's face fell at the sight of her sister's face. "Helga…what happened?"

Her baby sister was crying. Not sobbing, but tears were just streaming down her face and she had this look like she wanted to hold them back but just couldn't bear it anymore. She tried but just couldn't speak at first.

"Helga?" Olga was very worried right now, all the joy in her features being replaced with concern. "Please, what…"

"Oh Olga…" Helga flew at her sister and hugged her and let her tears fall against Olga's nightgown and the shawl as she cried quietly and spent a long while telling her everything…Everything about missing Arnold, even if they could only just be friends now in life or something, everything about her confusion with never knowing what to say to him, everything about feeling so frustrated never being quite sure where they stood, everything about feeling so ridiculous about kissing Brainy right now, everything about just feeling so ready to move on with everything in her life but feeling more and more over the last couple of years that something wasn't right anymore with what she and Arnold had done and knowing it needed to be changed and fixed permanently but being so unsure as to how to go about doing it. She was so happy in all the other parts of her life, but she had been avoiding this one for so long, and now she had to realize how sad she was about it all. It would be okay, she knew it would be okay, she just needed to talk to someone. She needed her big sister to help make it better.

After Olga helped her that night…comforted her, tended to her, talked with her til all hours of the morning just to help her feel better…Helga knew her big sister would be one of the best mother's in the world.

The next day, before leaving Bennington with the rest of her teammates, Helga dropped a single letter in a mailbox. It was the right time, it felt like the right thing to do. She knew Arnold would have approved, and she approved too. The letter was addressed to San Lorenzo. The message inside was brief but explained everything she felt and everything that had happened and everything that she wanted and it ended with, _"I love you, Arnold. And I miss you. I want to see you soon. No matter what. Please."_

Because Helga didn't keep up with Arnold and only rarely heard anything from Gerald, and because Phoebe and Gerald hadn't spoken much in a few years, Helga didn't know Arnold was actually living right in this country at the moment.

It was alright though. It might have made the letter take a little longer to get to him, but after receiving it in South America Arnold's parents had it forwarded to him in the States.

Arnold was preparing for graduation in a few months when he finally got it. And when he did, he cried but he also smiled ear to ear. Two things only Helga G. Pataki could ever really make him do—cry and smile ear to ear.

He couldn't deny that he'd had similar thoughts…similar doubts…similar desires and dilemmas. He didn't blame her. He was just happy to hear from her. He had actually been planning to write to her himself as soon as graduation had finished, just to see where they stood.

At first he just wrote back to her. He replied to her concerns, he told her about his own experiences. The more he wrote, the more right it felt. He told her he missed her too at the end of the day. But he didn't set up a meeting right away. He figured they needed to ease back into this. The 'jarring, sudden leap, heat of the moment' stuff had been fine when they were kids, but these things had to be handled delicately and with care now. Letters were fine to start, meetings could come later…and then more.

* * *

**Home**

As soon as Arnold and Helga had sent some letters back and forth, and as soon as Helga had realized Arnold was indeed back home, and quite permanently for the most part (he still wanted to make some trips, do some exploring, but he wanted his home to be here right now in his life), they started making plans to see each other, starting right after Arnold had moved back to the boarding house after graduation to help out his grandparents and take some time to figure out exactly what he wanted to do next in his life, and right after Helga had finished her summer with Olga and was ready to head back to Hillwood to look for a job and a new place to live. They had started slowly, just hellos and coffee…then meals and movies…then quiet evenings together…. The intimacy took a little while to come back in some respects, but when it did it just flowered. And though they couldn't be together every day necessarily between work and friends and other interests and some degree of commuting distance between them at points, they could at least be together for most days of the month. And they felt happier with each other than they ever had as teenagers…even happier than they ever had felt as children. Working things out as adults was doable, they just had to keep their priorities straight, keep their heads above the romantic waters.

When Phoebe finally decided to move back to the United States after several years of studying in Tokyo, she had sent Helga a letter asking her to meet her at the airport. She had also asked Helga to invite Arnold, and to tell Arnold that he could bring a 'friend' along if he wanted.

Helga knew the old code in an instant.

Helga, Arnold and Gerald were now all at the airport together. Well, not 'together' exactly. Arnold and Helga were sitting at a little café table together watching from a slight distance as Gerald waited alone by the terminal for Phoebe to disembark her plane, which had just arrived. He was trying very hard to look cool in his red dress shirt and black dress pants with a red rose in his hand.

"How bad is he panicking inside, 'Carrier Pigeon'?" asked Helga to Arnold, sipping from a steaming cup on a saucer that smelled of mocha and cinnamon while she looked in Gerald's direction, a little smile curling at one corner of her mouth.

Arnold sipped his green tea and let out a sigh, trying not to smile. "Bad…'Mighty Falcon.' I actually had to stay on the phone with him most of last night to convince him that running off and suddenly joining the Peace Corps or even spending a few years 'finding himself' in San Lorenzo was not the best option right now."

Helga laughed a little and nodded, putting her cup down. "Yeah, I figured he'd be freaking a little. After all, it's been a while since they talked." Helga turned to her beloved as she felt his hand gently come to rest atop hers. She let their fingers lace. "Phoebe's nervous too," she explained. "But she's being very close lipped. But then again always has been, a little. And I think she only got more reserved living in Japan so long. After all, she didn't just go to college there, she started medical school there too. It's been almost six years for them, Arnold."

Arnold nodded in understanding. Six years…was a very long time for anything. He smiled a little and added, "Gerald's mostly afraid she's going to walk off the plane with a sumo wrestler husband or some good looking CEO or some brilliant scientist who could buy and sell Gerald's poetry café back in Hillwood if he felt like it."

Helga actually snorted a little, she laughed so much. "Oh Arnold, please—Phoebe would definitely tell me if she'd gotten married."

Arnold had to nod in agreement. "Yeah, I think she would have told me too." Phoebe and he still shared some closeness, and Arnold was still one of the best people to go to for advice. If she had had something big to share in advance, Arnold knew she would have found a way to tell him, even just for the sake of indirectly softening the impact it might have on Gerald.

Helga took her hand from her beloved's grasp to sit back a little and stir her coffee. "I think Phoebe's just afraid she'll get off the plane and he won't be here or he'll be here but not really care that much—just another friend coming to greet her, you know?" Helga knew that worry well enough.

Arnold nodded, understanding too. No matter how in love you were, it never felt like there was a guarantee that the spark would always be there. But you could hope... "Is she really staying now?" he asked, taking another sip of his tea.

Helga nodded affirmatively. "That's what she told me. She loved school in Japan, but she wants to live here, so she'd rather finish up her medical training in this country and then—"

"Shh. There she is," Arnold said quietly, gesturing with his head over to the terminal.

Helga stopped and looked. People were getting off the plane. Then eventually a young woman with short black hair and glasses and a long powder blue coat left the plane with a purse in hand, and she was timidly glancing around.

"Arnold, if he runs, I'm gonna—" Helga could see Gerald already frozen in panic. Clearly he had laid eyes on Phoebe too.

"He won't run. I promise," Arnold assured her, taking her hand and squeezing it again. "Look."

Helga watched, and though Gerald didn't take a step forward, he didn't run.

Phoebe got closer to him, still looking around.

Then Gerald stumbled his way forward to her, actually accidentally bumping into her before finally getting himself together and seeming to say hi. They watched further as Phoebe shyly looked down and blushed and tried to say hi too. And Gerald finally remembered the rose and gave it to her, and Phoebe slipped it into the top of her purse and looked very happy. Then they started to talk a little.

* * *

"Phoebe, babe…welcome ho—um…" Gerald cleared his throat. His voice had deepened more since high school, his hair was cut a touch shorter, and he had even grown another inch or so. He hoped she would still like him. But anyway, he recalled his intended greeting. "Okaerinasai. Aitakatta. Phoebe wa genkii desuka? O-Oh…" Upon finishing delivering this amateur greeting rehearsed as best as he had been able to since he had never formally learned the language and hadn't had anyone to practice it with in quite a while, Gerald had to pause at the sight and feeling of Phoebe suddenly bringing up a single finger and gently laying it over his lips.

She blushed softly and smiled shyly, looking up into his eyes. "It was nice of you to keep up with the language, Gerald. But we can talk in English, if you wouldn't mind. I haven't gotten to speak it too regularly over the last few years. Besides, you can always express yourself so much more articulately in English, and I like hearing that." She removed her finger, holding her purse in her hands in front of herself. "But I do appreciate the effort, Gerald. Very much. And I'm glad you came." Then she swallowed and looked down shyly, trying not to blush. Phoebe had never been the most outgoing person romantically. In fact, she could have seen herself never really getting involved in a serious relationship or married…except for Gerald. Gerald and even the thought of Gerald had always been a comfort to her. Her heart still fluttered lightly for him. And her heart only felt at home with him. She had yet to find anybody who even came close even after living her life across two continents. And she really was so very glad he had come—even to just be friends with him, to just still know that he cared, was something she had been hoping for. And she had confirmation of that fact now. She felt very happy.

Gerald, blushing a little himself, smiled a little, looking very hopeful. She was still reserved as a person yet open when it came to him, and she could still make him smile. Arnold was his best friend but Phoebe was too, though in a different way. He felt very intimately connected with Phoebe. It was nice to feel that the connection still seemed to exist. They hadn't laid eyes on each other, had barely exchanged a few words save in the form of letters and postcards here and there in over half a decade, but they still liked each other, could still probably go get a cup of coffee right now at a table right next to their best friends and catch up and talk like they had never been apart, like they had just been waiting to get back together all this time. "Okay, babe. Sounds good to me. Besides, I'm not sure how long of a conversation we could have together in Japanese anyway since all I rehearsed was the greeting." He grinned sheepishly.

Phoebe giggled at the reply. "Gerald wa okashii desu," she laughed out warmly before moving closer beside him and looking at him with interest.

Gerald laughed a little too, moving closer as well. He started to walk and so did she. No girl had felt quite for him right since Phoebe. In fact, so often on dates (and this was part of why he usually didn't get repeat dates after a while) the girl would do something and it would be kind of neat but then Gerald would laugh and be reminded of something even more fun or interesting Phoebe had done or that he had imagined doing with Phoebe, and he was usually half way into the story before he realized the other girl he was with was not happy to be hearing amusing tales about his ex-girlfriend. He would then smile sheepishly and apologize…but it was the truth—he liked Phoebe best. He honestly would have married her right now if she had wanted. He didn't care so much how they became 'together' again, he just wanted to be together again. He always wanted her in his life.

"Um…so, babe, I…Oh, um—is it okay that I still call you babe?" he asked hesitantly before continuing with his intended question.

Phoebe smiled more and nodded. "Of course, Gerald. I don't mind at all." He could still make her feel so special just by calling her that cute little nickname. If any other man came out of the blue to her and called her babe, Phoebe was pretty sure she would have just looked away uncomfortably, and if he had persisted she was pretty sure she would have taken a page from Helga's book and threatened him within an inch of his life until he stopped. She could stand up for herself when necessary. But the way Gerald said it lacked any demeaning or lascivious quality. It was sentimental and special. "It's what you've always called me anyway." She shrugged humbly as they continued onward away from the terminal.

Gerald smiled more. "Okay then, babe. Um…well…I'm not sure if you wanted to catch up or if you had plans but…would you like to get a bite to eat? We could talk for a little while, I could show you around the town—the parts of the city that have changed, the parts that have stayed the same…"

Phoebe's eyes lit up and she nodded. "I'd like that very much, Gerald. I don't have any plans for the evening. I would just like to make sure to get back to my parent's house before it's too late at night so that I can spend some time with them and not inconvenience them by making them wait up for me."

Gerald's eyes lit up a bit too. "Great! Sure, we'll get you home in plenty of time. Any particular place in the city that you wanted to catch some early dinner at?" he asked politely…though he had a hope regarding that topic.

Phoebe shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Are there any new places that you would recommend? I'd like something more filling than ice cream from Slausens, and I've never developed a taste for French food like at Chez Pierre or Chez Paris ever since Helga made us eat eight courses of that cuisine one night." She laughed warmly at the memory.

So did Gerald. What a fiasco of a night. But then again what could you expect from letting four nine-year-olds go out to dinner on their own? "Well, in that case, if I could recommend a place…we could go to my restaurant." He blushed a little and glanced down and added, "I mean, i-it's not technically a 'restaurant' really, it's more of a nice upscale poetry café, but we have good food and great coffee and tea and live music and poets every night. I even put sushi on the menu after I ended up liking it so much after trying it with you when we were kids. And the place is called "Urban Legends"—kind of silly, I guess, but I thought it fit all things considered. So, um…now that I'm done blathering like a kid on his first date, what do you say, Phoebe?" He looked at her with a sheepish smile. That was another thing—he had never been able to help but be totally truthful with Phoebe about his feelings and thoughts, even if they were awkward. No hiding behind coolness for him when it came to her.

Phoebe grinned so sweetly. "I think your café sounds lovely, Gerald. I'd like to see it very much, and I like the name." She looked down, smiling more. "And first dates are nice."

"Ours was…" he said with a soft smile.

They walked a little farther, now heading in the direction of the baggage claim. Then Gerald glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "How awkward would it be for me to ask if you're seeing anybody?"

Phoebe swallowed, glancing at him as well. "No more awkward than if I asked you. But I suppose it makes sense that we would want to catch up…see what's changed with each other just like seeing what's changed with home."

Gerald gave a small sigh. "Well, um…as for me…turns out all that ladies man stuff I used to joke about when we were growing up was just an act. I'm cool around people in general, horribly awkward around women…At least with you though I feel okay admitting how awkward I can be." He gave her a sheepish shrug.

Phoebe smiled a little bit more. "Oh, Gerald, you're not awkward. You're sweet…I've always liked that." Then she added with a light blush, "I'm still a bit shy and quiet in general. I did meet some very nice people though. But…nobody very special to me…. And even if I had, I just don't really want to live in Japan. It was nice to live there for a little while, nice to go to school and visit my relatives and to learn more about that part of my culture, but I never saw myself staying there forever. I'm very happy to be back here now." She glanced at Gerald and shrugged. "I'm sure Helga was very disappointed that I at least didn't go off on some brief but torrid romantic international fling with somebody in Tokyo, but that just isn't me, I guess. Always too sensible for her." Phoebe blinked and looked curious then. "Speaking of Helga, where is she? I thought she and Arnold would be here too. Um…Gerald?" Phoebe stopped walking and looked at Gerald in confusion.

It was because he had stopped walking now and had also slammed a palm into his forehead and let out a deep sigh. "Uh…The two of them are still sitting in that café in the terminal. Totally forgot about them. Wow, they're going to tease me about that for weeks." He looked to Phoebe with a sheepish half grin. "Also, do you mind if they come to dinner with us at the café? Arnold's…sort of got the keys to the car and is sort of our ride out of here." Gerald closed his eyes and shook his head at himself, almost laughing. '_Wow, completely forgot about my best friend and the chick he's been dating since we were in fourth grade after setting sights on Phoebe. I've still got it really, really bad for her, don't I?'_

Phoebe just giggled, unable to help it. "Oh Gerald. Daijoubou desu. Don't worry, we'll go back and get them, it's alright." She started to turn back toward the terminal.

"Eh, you know what," Gerald opened his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "They'll come after us soon enough. Let's just get your luggage and everything ready. Besides, I wouldn't mind a few more minutes alone with you." He smiled hopefully.

Phoebe blushed. She turned back and nodded. "A-Alright, Gerald. I think that's very logical." She moved closer alongside him and they headed toward the baggage carousel together.

They waited quietly for the luggage to start appearing, then Phoebe said softly, "The flower was very nice of you. Thank you, Gerald."

"Hey, nothing's too good for the foxiest lady I know." He pointed at her and grinned and winked smoothly.

The two of them shared a warm laugh as they waited for Phoebe's bags and for their friends to join them.

* * *

As Gerald and Phoebe had disappeared, Arnold and Helga had just remained sitting at their café table, looking with confused glances to the last place they had seen the couple.

A few more seconds passed and then they turned their confused glances to each other. "Ditched or do you think they just totally forgot about us because they were too busy making googly eyes at each other?" Helga asked Arnold, trying not to laugh. Gerald and Phoebe had genuinely seemed completely wrapped up in each other and completely clueless about Arnold and Helga as they had departed the terminal together talking, leaving the two blondes behind.

Arnold couldn't help laughing warmly. "The second one, I'm guessing. I guess that's a good sign though, right?" He shrugged, looking optimistic.

Helga nodded, brushing back some of her hair. "I'd say so. I mean, I personally would have loved some dramatic romantic stuff where he might have swept her up in his arms and she would have yelled 'darling!' and they would have kissed passionately. But, whatever works." She finished the last sip of her coffee.

Arnold laughed and nodded, finishing the last sip of his green tea.

Helga let out a content sigh, reclining back a bit in her chair. "So…how long do you think it'll take for them to realize that we're still back here…and that you've got the keys to the car since you're our ride home?"

Arnold grinned a little and shrugged. "Probably not too much longer. But we should still probably get going and catch up to them anyway. Phoebe's got a lot of bags, I'm guessing, and she'll need more than one person to help carry them."

Helga smirked. "Great, you and hair boy can do that, I'll supervise and Phoebe can politely assist me. Sounds like a plan."

Arnold just sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile. "Whatever you say, Helga."

The two of them stood up and began to walk together out of the terminal and toward the baggage claim.

As they walked Helga smiled softly, holding Arnold's hand. "They've always been so sweet together. Nothing dramatic, just calm and peaceful and totally in love," Helga observed with a soft smile.

Arnold nodded, lacing their fingers a little. "Yeah. There's something very comforting about watching them together. It's nice." He glanced over at Helga. "Maybe we should let them go to dinner alone then?"

Helga just shook her head with a grin. "Nothing doing, I want to see my best friend. Besides, you know the two of them never get anything done together when they're left alone. They need incentive, example. They need us." She shrugged. "They can have alone-time dates later anyway. And besides, I'm starving."

Arnold smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that all makes sense. Besides, I'm kind of hungry too."

Helga nodded, squeezing his hand. "And besides, we can give them at least some alone time right now after we all get the bags while you and I go get the Packard for all of us. And then we can give them the back seat together while we're driving."

Arnold nodded again. "Okay, I think that sounds good, Helga."

As they walked, Arnold's smile lost a bit of its small brightness. And Helga notice.

Helga swallowed. Then she added softly to her beloved, "Thanks for bringing the Packard, Arnold, to fit all of us and Phoebe's stuff. I know you don't like to drive it too much now. That you want to keep it in as good of condition as possible…" She moved a little closer to him.

Arnold moved a little closer to her too, his smile very small, though he spoke sincerely. "I just wanted us all to be together today. Besides…I do like driving the Packard. It has good memories." He squeezed her hand a little.

Helga squeezed back. She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and spoke in a very quiet, private voice to him. "Arnold, I miss them too. I loved Phil and Gertie like they were my own grandparents. I was closer to them than I ever was to my own grandparents…. And they raised you when we were children." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish you could have had more time, Arnold."

Arnold nodded, eyes downcast in thought. "Yeah... I wish we all could have had more time." Phil had beat the family curse until nine months ago—made it six years past 91 actually, same with Gertie. But nothing is forever. They had gone peacefully. They had left the car to Arnold, the boarding house to Miles and Stella.

The two of them just continued to walk together quietly.

When they came upon Gerald and Phoebe they smiled again and there were hugs and handshakes and jokes about Gerald and Phoebe leaving them behind. Then Arnold and Helga did give their friends some time alone while they went to get the car and came back to head to dinner. Arnold was still a little heavy hearted, but he was starting to feel a little better about things little by little. And it was wonderful to see Phoebe again and to see Gerald and Phoebe so happy. And it was wonderful to have Helga to talk to and share with when the sadness seemed overwhelming from time to time. She helped a lot. It was so good that they had all found each other again.

So Gerald had his poetry café and Phoebe was studying to become a doctor—neurology at first but now she was considering pediatrics. The idea of working with children made her happy. She would think about it.

Helga wrote poetry books and stories now, and ran her own small literary magazine in the city, partly courtesy of a start up loan from Olga. Olga's daughter was three now and named Lisa, and Helga thought she was a wonderful child and was glad to see that she got a lot of love. Arnold did anthropology research at the city zoo and aquarium. He had gotten the idea after Gertie had passed and he had been going through some old keepsakes and had found their ski masks from the Lock Jaw escapade. He could go off to other countries and do research one day too, or even for extended trips now. But it would be nice too to be around here and give some kind of cultural experience to the city kids just like he used to be.

Bob had sold the Beeper Emporium for a tidy sum and he and Miriam were enjoying retirement with plenty of visits to their granddaughter. Miles and Stella mostly worked giving guest lectures at local universities about obscure South American indigenous cultures, explaining, to an extent, the nature and history of the Green Eyes people and how now for the first time they were willing to communicate with outsiders and to allow their people to venture into the outside villages and world if they wanted to, giving them the chance to learn about helpful new technologies and medicines and inventions which would be used with discretion to help their people. And most of their downtime Miles and Stella spent in a lovely little retirement house on the south American coastline, with a very big, fat old pig and his 'wife' and all of his full grown piglets.

The world keeps on spinning.

* * *

**Cleaning**

"Okay, I took care of the basement—finally." Helga G. Pataki emerged from the depths of the boarding house basement and into the foyer holding a duster in one hand and a mop in the other. She had her hair covered up by a bandana and was wearing (quite dust covered) jeans and a faded pink cotton t-shirt. "Sheesh, Arnold," Helga looked through the doorway of the den at her beloved who was in the middle of dusting some knickknacks in there, " between having to clean the actual basement and then the boiler room and then the private bathroom down there, you owe be big time. Give me one of those Yahoo sodas." Before Arnold could say anything Helga went right over to the coffee table, picked up an ice cold Yahoo out of a cooler and plopped herself down on the couch beside him, wiping her brow. She opened the soda and took a long chug, practically finishing half of it before she plopped it down on the table and stretched a little. "And of course you pick right in the middle of summer to do something like this." Helga gazed at the air conditioner in the window doing its best to keep things cool but barely succeeding.

Arnold, almost done giving the den a thorough cleaning now, just smiled and walked over to Helga, sitting beside her on the couch and grabbing a soda himself. "I know. But this is the perfect time to get everything cleaned up. My parents are away in San Lorenzo and the Boarders don't need the windows closed to keep in the heat like they do in winter, just in case we have to air anything out, and they're all out today anyway. And besides…my parents just officially gave me this place." He smiled and looked around at the boarding house walls and ceilings like the building was the happiest place in the world. "I want it to look beautiful."

Helga smiled at his smile and held his hand. She sighed. "All right then…. Well, you've covered here and the foyer and the living room. I did the kitchen already and now the basement. I guess we've just got the hallways to do…then your old room…"

Arnold shook his head. "No, not my old room. I packed that place up and cleaned it and put down dust cloths before I left for college. I might air it out like I do every year, but it's fine otherwise. I might take a couple of things out of there that I want to use now, though."

Helga blinked, looking at him. "Aren't you going to live up there?" That room had always been so quintessentially Arnold. She was surprised he wouldn't just naturally go up there.

Arnold shrugged at the question. "I-I don't know." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It would feel weird, like being a little kid again. And the bed's too small now and the couch is too. If I was going to live in there I'd have to rip out half the furniture and fixtures. Besides, I'd like to be down here in case the boarders need me, and I can always still go up to the roof to relax if I feel like it."

"Oh." Helga nodded, understanding now. After all, she would never want to move back into her old bedroom at her parents' house, she recalled. And actually if it was a choice between Arnold not using that room and Arnold gutting it, she preferred if he kept it the way it was. "That makes sense." She glanced at him. "So then I guess we just have to clean the upstairs hallway and any boarder-free rooms, and then a good cleaning of whichever room you want to sleep in."

Arnold nodded. "Mmm hmm. I thought I might take the master bedroom for myself now. My grandparents' room. I was going to store their furniture and put some new stuff in there, maybe paint it sometime this week. What do you think?" He always asked her about little, maybe somewhat silly things he was planning to do. He just liked getting her opinion

Helga nodded with a smile. "I think that sounds nice, Arnold. I'll help you with that if you want. Maybe paint it a nice coral color." She grinned a little.

Arnold gave her a bit of a look but was still smiling. "I was thinking of a nice sea green, Helga."

"Yeah, well, we'll see what happens." She gave him a little nudge, drinking more soda. Then she glanced to the side. "So, um…how many free rooms does this place have anyway?"

Arnold considered and then counted on his fingers. "Well, there's that spare one we can never seem to fill, then Mr. Hyunh's old room since he's living with his daughter now, and Mr. Smith's old room. I don't think anyone else is going anywhere for a while—Ernie and Lola are happy here and Oscar and Suzie are happy just living her with their baby for now, and Mr. Simmons is thinking about getting married again but not for a while, and even if he did I think he'd still want to live here. So only three rooms for us to clean." He looked at her optimistically. "I don't think it should take us that long to do them. No one's going to live in them for a while probably so we can just do a vacuuming and a dusting, maybe air them out for the afternoon and take off the linens and then put dust cloths on everything. We'll be able to finish before the weekend's out. Thanks again for helping me." He leaned against her a little. "I couldn't do it without you." He smiled very happily and closed his eyes and cuddled into her.

"Y-You're welcome, Arnold." Helga almost swooned like she had ever since she was a girl, but kept it together. She swallowed and then asked shyly what was on her blushing mind. "So, um…three rooms then…. Do you think it would be weird if maybe…I rented one of those rooms?"

She felt her beloved stiffen for a moment. And then he sat up and looked at her curiously. "Rent?"

Helga shrugged. "Well, yeah. It's just, the boarding house is a bit of a distance from my apartment here now, and as long as we're in the same city it would be nice to live close. And I've always loved this place." She glanced at him hesitantly.

Arnold was thinking. And blushing a little too.

"Listen, Arnold, if you're not ready for—"

"No, no…" he assured her, coming out of his thought, "It's just that…" he looked at her, "If you did…I mean, you know, move in with me, Helga…you'd probably just end up living in my room." He blushed. No matter what they ever did together, however intimate they were, Arnold would still always be shy. He would always blush, always seem awkward if he felt he was being too forward, always show a lot of discretion in almost every situation, even if it was just the two of them…at least at first. It was just his way.

Helga blushed quite a bit herself and nodded at his observation. He made a good point. "Yeah, you're probably right."

There was silence an awkward silence during which Arnold was very quiet and Helga just sat there shuffling her feet a little, feeling unsure of what to say next.

Then Arnold said softly to her, "But if you wanted to…you could…live here…I would like that." He moved a little closer to her.

Helga's heart skipped a beat. "Even in your room?" she asked with a blush, unable to help the question.

"U-Unless you wanted your own room just to have, and then we could just let things develop from there…" Arnold was embarrassed but he was smiling a lot now. This idea was sort of making him very happy.

"That's a thought…" added Helga quietly. She glanced at him, waiting for a further response, but now Arnold seemed just dazed. She waited patiently for a few more seconds. Then she rolled her eyes and pushed him down on the couch and playfully pinned him like she used to do when they were children.

That definitely snapped Arnold out of the daydreams. "What? I, uh…oh, uh…sorry…What?" He looked so adorably confused.

"I was saying that me taking a room here to start with is a thought." Helga smiled, sitting back on her legs over him and releasing his arms a little. "Or…you could marry me?" She blushed rosy and smiled to herself.

Arnold blushed quite a bit too. "O-Oh…" He blinked several times, trying to sit up a little underneath her.

Helga sighed, glancing to the side and crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, that's an answer to a proposal, I guess. Not a definitive answer or even a coherent one, but an answer."

"W-Well, that wasn't really a definitive proposal…" left Arnold's mouth as he managed to regain himself a little. He smiled slightly though shyly.

Helga blinked and looked back at him with interest.

"Besides," he went on, looking up at her over him, "I thought I was supposed to propose the second time—the 'adult proposal' time. Didn't you make me promise to or something once?" He waited for her reply. He felt very, very, very, happy now.

Helga blinked a few times. Then she managed to smile and even laugh despite her blushing and fluster. "Eh, you took too long. Besides, you got a turn when we were children. Now it's my turn. And if you want something definitive, here it is, but I expect something definitive in return…" She leaned forward and down and looked into his eyes. "Will you freaking marry me already, Arnold Phillip Shortman? Seriously, I'm not getting any younger here—take a picture of me, it'll last longer."

Arnold Phillip Shortman smiled so much. "Oh…well, if you put it like that…" And then he smirked and managed to push up and pounce forward and make them both fall together down to the surface of the couch side by side. He caught his breath and smiled and said, holding her close, "I'll 'freaking marry you already', Helga G. Pataki." He stroked through her hair once. "I'd love to marry you, Helga. G. Pataki…" He leaned in and started to give her lips soft kisses and she started to kiss him back too. Arnold laughed, speaking between kisses. "Do you still have…the ring from…when we were ten…?"

Helga laughed and nodded, speaking between kisses too. "O-Oh, from when we got 'betrothed'? Yes…with my pink books…and little shrine decorations…and an old red and yellow plaid shirt...in a pink Nancy Spumoni shoe box underneath my bed…"

Arnold laughed. "That's cute…"

"Mmm hmm…" Helga nodded. She took a second to catch her breath. "You're still getting me an 'adult proposal' ring though now that we're gonna be engaged… Something real and nice…Nothing on the cheap…" She had started kissing him again.

Arnold just laughed and replied between kisses, "Hey, you're the one who proposed this time—shouldn't _you_ get _me_ a ring? Ow!"

Helga had nudged him in the rib, ending their kisses for a moment. Then she pulled him close with a little smirk. "I'll make you a deal—you get me a ring, I let you paint our room sea foam green and not coral pink. But I still get some pink decorations. What do you say?"

Arnold just smiled and shrugged. "I think that's fair, Helga." Then he blushed softly and added. "Um…for the ring…would you mind if…well…you remember that night back in high school before I left for San Lorenzo when it was cold and drank hot chocolate in my kitchen and agreed to be separated for little while and then I drove you home… Well, after that I came back here and my grandma stayed up with me for a bit and we talked. And then before we went to bed she gave me the engagement ring my grandpa gave her. She said it was for you someday….Her favorite granddaughter. So would you like that?"

Helga just looked at him with big, wide blue eyes. She didn't know what to say. Then her blue eyes shone with tears and she found her words again. "R-Really…her fav…I …Oh Arnold!" She smiled so happily and hugged him, but a bit too tightly because—"Whoa!" They fell on the floor together between the couch and the coffee table.

The two of them just blinked a few times in surprise and then laughed and laughed, warmly and happily together as they worked to sit up. Arnold turned to Helga. "This reminds me of when we did this by accident the night in your living room when I told you I was falling in love with you when we were ten-years-old."

Helga nodded, smiling more at the memory. "Yeah. Bit easier to unwedge ourselves off the floor then, though." Indeed, the two of them were a bit stuck. Bodies could change a lot over the course of fifteen years or so.

Finally they managed to move the coffee table and stand up again.

They dusted themselves off.

They were quiet and blushing for a moment.

Then Arnold looked at Helga with anticipation. "So, wh-when should we get married, do you think?" He felt kind of giddy. Oh, if anything told him this was so very much the right thing to do, it was the wonderful and purely optimistic feeling inside of him right now.

Helga almost giggled at how enthusiastic and hopeful he looked, like she had just made him the happiest guy in the world or something. "Oh…" Helga shrugged, considering, trying not to burst from giddiness herself, "I don't know. Could we wait til fall?" She fanned herself a little. "This heat is killing me, and besides I'd like a little bit of planning time and the chance for things to sink in with everyone. Plus it'd be nice to give all our old friends time to make plans to come back here—Rhonda and Curly would have to fly in from Milan, and Nadine and Sid would have to come in from the everglades and Phoebe would have to clear her schedule at the hospital that day and Gerald would have to close the café, Harold would have to get coverage at the butcher's shop, Patty would have to get a baby sitter for those four kids of theirs, and Lila would have to come in from the country and Arnie would have to come in from the farm, and I'd like to try getting in touch with Brainy and Siobhan again, and Stinky would have to get someone to cover for him at the farmer's market…" Helga had kept pretty good tabs on everyone—she always liked knowing about people. "Oh and Olga would have to take Lisa out of school for a little bit to visit. Not to mention we have to make sure my parents aren't off on some retirement trip and we'd have to have your parents fly up from San Lorenzo," she finished, already anticipating all the planning and organizing. If there was one thing Helga G. Pataki had always relished it was planning and organizing…and especially now considering the particular event she would be planning and organizing for.

Arnold nodded to all of her points and suggestions. "Okay, fall it is then." Then he swallowed and smiled more (if it was possible) and added, "Um…did you want to move in before then, though? I mean, as soon as the cleaning and the painting are done next week, this whole place'll be ready enough…"

Helga leaned close with a knowing smile. "I already have my bags packed and I already ended my lease. The second that green paint dries on the walls, I'm here bucko, and here to stay."

Arnold beamed. Then he sighed and looked at her with a half lidded gaze. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Helga G. Pataki."

"That's Helga G. _Pataki-Shortman_ to you, Mr. Arnold P. _Pataki- Shortman_." She pointed at him with a grin. "We're still hyphenating, dear. Period. Or I just keep my name the way it is. Capiche?"

Arnold laughed and nodded. "Whatever you say, dear… Oh, excuse me, whatever you say, Helga G. Pataki-Shortman." He watched her smile proudly in response and then he leaned close with a bit of a flirtatious look that he always loved to use to throw her off a bit and asked, "Now, since it's been a long day with the heat and the cleaning and the almost getting married, would you like to get ice cream before we take off for the rest of the night, Helga? My treat." He held out his hand.

She blushed, of course, and leaned back with a touch of fluster, but then giggled and took his hand and nodded. "You know me too well, Football Head. Slausens or the Jollie Ollie man?"

Arnold shrugged. "Whichever one we reach first."

Helga nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

They headed toward the front door.

"I'll give you the ring once we get back," Arnold added softly, pushing open the door for her and squeezing her hand.

Helga beamed a little. "Th-Thanks, my beloved. Can't wait."

They both stepped out and Helga closed the door behind them. They were both very happy.

The house was left empty but clean and warm and inviting—the perfect place to start a life together.

* * *

**Just a Thought**

The night could be the best time for things besides sleeping.

Writing, thinking and talking tended to be better at night, for instance.

Helga, beside Arnold, chose talking as they laid together in the dimness and moonlight.

"Hey Arnold?"

"Mmm hmm?"

"What would you do if I said I was pregnant?"

Silence.

"Arnold?"

"Um…I'd…ask who the father was? Heh…Ow!"

"Oh shut up. And ha ha, very funny, Football Head."

"Um…is this some kind of way of telling me that you are going to have a baby? Because…I think I might faint, but I'm not sure yet, so if you could just let me know for sure either way I-I'd appreciate it.

"Hmm…no, no baby. Just curious about your response. Do you still want to have children together, Arnold?"

"Oh…well…yes. Um, not just right now if it could be helped but…yeah, I think so. Do you still want to have children?"

"Oh…Yeah, I think so. But 'just not right now' sounds good to me too. Actually, um, if we did that, I'd really prefer if we're very careful and try to make sure it's a planned, thought out thing. Um…Miriam didn't plan for Olga or for me at all really, and the idea of that always felt so unsettling to me. But Olga planned everything and she was really happy about having Lisa. I'd just like us both to have control of the situation as much as possible."

"I think that's a good idea, Helga. I think I'd prefer that too. A lot."

"Good. I'm glad. Well, we should probably get some sleep now. It's late. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight to you too, dear."

Curled up together in their bed, Arnold and Helga fell into a peaceful slumber after this good conversation.

* * *

**A/N:**

And thus, where I have taken almost two full stories and probably close to a million words to cover a period of time of about six weeks for Arnold and Helga, I now cover roughly sixteen years in 90,000 words XD Isn't writing fun that you can do something like that? Try picking up Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse sometimes, it does that but in spades lol.

So, yes, my last mega chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope it was worth the wait. I did my best to stay true to the characters but to develop them in my own way, and I just hope in the end I've given you all something that means something to you in a significant, good and helpful way. I'm not sure when the epilogue will be done but it will come eventually, I promise.

Please review if/when you all can, I know the content of this update was a lot to take in considering all it covered. Any feedback is always appreciated : ) It makes me very happy to hear your experiences of reading my work.

Next update: one more chapter of Dinner and a Show. It's gonna be fun, I promise ; )

Happy Reading!

~Azure129 aka Jenna


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